Featured Articles

After O.J. Howard’s extremely disappointing start to the season, frustrated owners who had to spend a fourth or fifth round pick on him in fantasy drafts are ready to bail. With an impeccable athletic profile and a history of past production, no tight end on anyone’s waiver wire should offer the potential that Howard has.

While Howard has only seen twelve (tied for No. 27 among qualified tight ends) targets, he has continued to remain on the field. More importantly, he has remained an active participate in the Buccaneers passing game. Howard is ninth among all tight ends in both Snap Share and Route Participation.

Last season, Melvin Gordon put out two strong showings against the Broncos. While he may be in a bit more of a time share with Austin Ekeler once he returns, we can’t overlook Gordon’s ability to command a significant Opportunity Share.

Over his last three games, David Montgomery has averaged 19.7 touches and 72.0 yards per game. What he’s lacking is touchdown upside, which he has a chance to reach this week against the Oakland Raiders. This is the week Montgomery starts to look like the RB1 many fantasy gamers expected him to be.

Aside from the massive target share and positive TD regression, additional metrics signal that a George Kittle boom game looms large. He has three (No. 4 among qualified tight ends) red zone receptions, ranks fifth among TEs with 101 yards after the catch and sports a 100-percent True Catch Rate. His matchup this week against Cleveland isn’t one to shy away from, with the Browns ranking right outside the top 10 in fantasy points allowed to the position.

Name three players on the same NFL team who each have a team-high 31 targets. The correct answer is Christian McCaffrey, D.J. Moore and Curtis Samuel. Of the three, Samuel is the player who can be acquired on the cheap that provides week-winning upside. The Panthers average 40 pass plays per game (No. 7) and Samuel ranks No. 8 with 471 yards of total Target Distance.

The Jets allowed at least 250 passing yards in each of their first three games, including 300-yard outings from Tom Brady and Baker Mayfield. With ownership likely to gravitate towards Deshaun Watson and Lamar Jackson, Carson Wentz provides a solid GPP pivot in Week 5.

Playing as three point home favorites against the Arizona Cardinals, Week 5 is the time to fire up Joe Mixon. Arizona ranks first in seconds per play, while Cincinnati ranks seventh. This uptempo play style raises the ceiling for all skill position players in this contest. Playing as a home favorite, against a struggling defense, Mixon remains a solid GPP target on this slate.

Deshaun Watson has thrown for under 200 yards in two of his last three games, but this is the blowup week. The Falcons defense is near the bottom of the league in points against, and allowed Marcus Mariota to throw for three touchdowns last week.

It’s outrageous that Austin Hooper is still so underrated. He is top-five among tight ends in targets, receptions, receiving yards, Completed Air Yards, yards after the catch, Target Distance and Target Separation. Not only is he seeing volume, he is as efficient as they come.

With a large portion of his targets being directed at receivers who are adept at getting open, Joe Flacco will be able to find some success on Sunday. At $4,700 on DraftKings, he’s in play to be one of the best values of the entire week.

Andy Isabella has the profile of a prolific slot receiver. His 4.31 Forty-Yard Dash is in the 100th-percentile, while both his Agility Score and Burst Score are above-average. At 5-9, winning jump balls won’t be his strong suit. He’s best deployed across the shallow and middle regions of the field.

Will Fuller is primed for a bounce-back game against Isaiah Oliver and the Atlanta Falcons secondary. Fuller has elite speed with a 4.32 (99th-percentile) 40-Yard Dash compared to Oliver’s 4.50 (58th-percentile) speed, meaning he will be tested deep early and often. His eight deep targets and his 17.1 Average Target Distance both rank top 10 among receivers.

James Conner was limited throughout Week 3 with a knee injury and also picked up an ankle injury in Week 4, putting his availability in question. Even if Conner suits up, Jaylen Samuels has carved out a significant role with his versatility. The Steelers will continue to feed their running backs to hide Mason Rudolph, giving Samuels a shot at crushing his $5000 salary.

Kyler Murray has a -12.23 (No. 29 among qualified quarterbacks) Supporting Cast Efficiency rating, and has suffered through 10 (No. 5) Dropped Passes. Still, he has gone some way towards meeting expectations as a runner. He is inside the top five in all of the key quarterback rushing categories, include Carries, Red Zone Carries and Rushing Yards per Game.

The 2019 rookie wide receivers were the talk of the NFL after Week 1, when Marquise Brown, Terry McLaurin and A.J. Brown all posted 100-yard debuts. McLaurin has established himself as a starter for Washington with a 93.5-percent (No. 9) Route Participation rate. His 35.2-percent Dominator Rating is No. 18 in the NFL.

Of all quarterbacks that played an entire game, Tom Brady was the lowest-scorer in Week 5. The Buffalo Bills, in an impressive effort, held him to 150 yards, zero touchdowns and one interception. Against a Washington team that allowed the dreadful Mitchell Trubisky to pass for three touchdowns in Week 3, Brady won’t repeat last week’s disaster.

Baker Mayfield and Odell Beckham were supposed to light the turf on fire in 2019, but they simply cannot connect. Beckham is seventh in wide receiver targets and Target Share, but 20th in Fantasy Points Per Game. Regardless, he is still a hold or buy based off of his current volume and career production

After one of the most disappointing rookie seasons in memory, Ronald Jones continues to rehabilitate his image as his role in the offense grows. Last week, Jones recorded a breakout performance with 70 rushing yards on 19 attempts. He also added one reception for 18 yards out of the backfield. With raw statistics and efficiency metrics pointing to a Jones breakout, this is the time to buy.

Considered one of the final bell-cow backs to leave draft boards in late August, Devonta Freeman continues to share Atlanta’s backfield with Ito Smith. Efficiency metrics point to Smith being the more efficient runner in the Atlanta backfield, warranting a touch squeeze. For those looking to move on from Freeman, this is a solid sell high moment.