Notable Injuries:
- Alexander Mattison (Ankle)
- Zamir White (Quad)
- Tyjae Spears (Concussion)
- Raheem Mostert (Hip)
- Gabe Davis (Meniscus)
- Puka Nacua (Shoulder)
- Darnell Mooney (Hamstring)
Teams on a BYE week:
- Atlanta Falcons
- Buffalo Bills
- Cincinnati Bengals
- Jacksonville Jaguars
- New Orleans Saints
- New York Jets
Waiver Wire Targets:
Cam Akers (Rostered in 16.5% of ESPN leagues)
Cam Akers has had 10 plus attempts in back to back weeks signaling that Vikings could lean on him more if needed. Aaron Jones is the definite starter but has been dealing with a rib injury and historically has dealt with leg injuries causing him to miss time. Jones has also been incredibly inefficient inside the 5 yard line this year. On 8 carries, he has negative 7 yards and 1 touchdown. Shoutout Ian Hartitz for that Info! Akers could be a desperation flex play for managers low on RB depth but is more of a stash play as he would provide instant value should Aaron Jones miss any time.
Trey Benson (Rostered in 15.9% of ESPN leagues) Genius Pick of the Week
From last week’s list:
Benson makes this list purely as a handcuff option to James Connor. The main point is that Connor has dealt with injuries throughout his career and has never played a full season in his career. I like Benson for much the same reason why the likes of Ray Davis, Tyler Allegeier and Braelon Allen have all made this list. They are effective with their touches and should perform as the lead back should the starter miss time. The Cardinals are also hitting a groove which is never a bad thing. Pick Benson up if needing a quality RB handcuff.
Christian Watson (Rostered in 48.4% of ESPN leagues)
Christian Watson had a pretty solid Sunday against the Bears bringing in all 4 of his targets for 150 yards. That was good for 19 fantasy points. The Packers have had a crowded wide receiver room all year but Watson may be gaining an edge. Over the Packers last 3 games, Watson has led all Packers wide receivers in targets. While there are a lot of mouths to feed, Watson is an interesting pickup for those brave enough.
Xavier Legette (Rostered in 40.2% of ESPN leagues)
Friendly reminder that Panthers have traded away both Diontae Johnson and Jonathan Mingo which opens the door for Legette. The Panthers offense has also picked up steam these last few weeks with Bryce back at the helm (however little that may be). Unless this team comes out of their BYE week finally clicking, they should continue to play from behind and need to air it out often. Adam Thielen is set to return but that may take some of the defensive pressure off Legette.
Elijah Moore (Rostered in 9.4% of ESPN leagues)
The Browns have been an absolute dumpster fire all year. However, with Jameis Winston under center, they are a dumpster fire that passes a lot. Cedric Tillman and Jerry Juedy have exploded and rostered just about everywhere. A lesser known player who was traded from a a different dumpster fire located in New York could also give fantasy managers some value. Elijah Moore presents as a sneak flex play. Over the last 3 weeks he has seen 29 targets as the Browns continuously air it out. In fact, over the last 3 weeks, the Browns are averaging 44.7 pass attempts which is the third most. They are second on the season so far with 38.6 attempts. Moore is a pure PPR dependent flex play moving forward.
Will Dissley (Rostered in 13.9% of ESPN leagues)
The Chargers have been opening up their offense these past couple of weeks and Will Dissley has benefited. Not only is he emerging as the team’s top tight end based on routes ran, he is also seeing a nice amount of targets for a tight end. In the last 5 weeks he is averaging just over 6.5 targets. A nice matchup against an exploitable Ravens secondary makes Dissley a great waiver wire target this week.
Jonnu Smith (Rostered in 31.7% of ESPN leagues)
Jonnu Smith absolutely exploded this past Sunday against the Raiders, bringing in 6 of 8 targets and putting up 101 yards and 2 touchdowns. I don’t think this kind of performance will be an every week kind of deal but the appeal is there. With Tua or without, Smith has stayed involved in the offense. An upcoming matchup against a bad Patriots team makes Smith an interesting startable TE option.
Tua Tagovailoa (Rostered in 42.7% of ESPN leagues)
Are the Dolphins back? Only time will tell. What does seem apparent is that Tua is back to being fantasy relevant. Against the Raiders, he threw for 288 yards and a touchdown. While the Raiders aren’t great, it is certainly encouraging. The plethora (big word) of weapons surrounding Tua makes it hard to bet against him especially now that he seems to be back in the swing of things after his concussion. Tua has an ok schedule down the stretch when it comes to teams with the most fantasy points allowed to QBs so far. Most are middle of the pack excluding the 49ers who havn’t allowed many points to opposing QBs and the Texans who are one of the most QB fantasy friendly teams. I like Tua this week and beyond (Not against the 49ers though).
Drake Maye (Rostered in 17.6% of ESPN leagues)
Even though the Patriots themselves have been terrible, Maye has shown he can provide fantasy relevant outings. In 6 starts, Maye has only recorded less than 15 fantasy points twice. The biggest sticking point for me is the matchups for Maye over the next 2 weeks. The Dolphins are a divisional opponent who have allowed a decent amount of points a game and don’t force a lot of turnovers. The Colts defense is arguably one of the worst as they allow the 5th most yards a game. If you need a QB with all the BYEs this week, Drake Maye could offer you a game or two before the Patriots head into their BYE week.
*Point totals mentioned assume full point PPR scoring
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