Fantasy Football

We talked about Elijah Moore last week in this column as a player trending up. He did not disappoint with a massive game against Indianapolis catching seven passes for 84 yards and two TDs. If he is somehow available, be aggressive and go get him. Moore could end the year with a strong finish and shoot up redraft boards heading into 2022. He is the most explosive player on The Jets and has big-time potential. 

James Conner was one of the stars of Week 9, but Eno Benjamin should be an exciting add this week. Chase Edmonds went down with an ankle injury, and Benjamin stepped in behind Conner. With Edmonds set to miss, look for Benjamin to see the field for about a third of snaps. Conner has dealt with injuries in the past, so expect the Cardinals not to overload him. Benjamin is a strong add, especially in deeper formats.

The Chicago Bears have disappointed yet again, but look to continue to improve. Justin Fields looks to advance on his breakout performance. Darnell Mooney continues to dominate opportunity, while Allen Robinson continues to disappear. Look for the Bears to have a decent night against the Steelers.

Big Ben is dust, but has been able to support Diontae Johnson to a WR1 statusl. Najee Harris has been given an insane amount of opportunity, and has been one of the most reliable fantasy options of 2021. The Steelers overall have a better team than Chicago, but have been known to fade offensively.

Justin Fields has experienced growing pains in the early part of his NFL career. However, last weekend versus the 49ers, the first-round signal caller provided Bears fans a glimpse of what he is capable of. Following his 26.3 (QB5) fantasy day, Fields gains 11.91 Lifetime Value points and climbs four spots to QB10 on PlayerProfiler’s dynasty rankings.

After a torrid start to 2021, Mike Williams’ stock is trending down of late. He loses three spots to land at WR28 on PlayerProfiler’s dynasty rankings. Over the last four games, Williams has failed to top 30 receiving yards three times. This is more reminiscent of the boom or bust output that fantasy gamers have been accustomed to from the fifth year wideout.

The Jets pulled off a miracle last week, but are not a good team. Mike White looks to be serviceable, but will rely on Michael Carter and Ty Johnson heavily to move the chains. Jamison Crowder is the only Jets receiver who will see enough opportunity to be relevant.

The Colts are going to handily win this game, and Jonathan Taylor is going to put the offense on his back yet again. He’s totaled over 200 yards in 5 straight games. Carson Wentz remains a middle-of-the-road option, and Michael Pittman is the Colts’ alpha.

Justin Jefferson and Mike Williams are two receivers who have nuclear upside and significant opportunity shares, but have had somewhat of a slump the past few weeks. Both of their teams throw at a high rate and perform better in games where they’re heavily featured. This is the time to take advantage of the value dip.

Jerry Jeudy came off of IR last week and had a solid first outing. He led the team in receptions and logged over 70-percent of the snaps. Jeudy is a dynamic play-maker that suits Teddy Bridgewater’s style of play. You can aquire him now at his near-lowest value.

Raven safeties and linebackers have struggled in coverage and the defense overall has not been great at tackling. Tyler Conklin is the fourth-highest targeted receiver in a Vikings offense that entered Week 8 with the fifth-most team pass plays in the league. Conklin is a good gamble to take against a struggling defense on a pass-favorable team.

Courtland Sutton, Jerry Jeudy, and Tim Patrick combined for nine receptions last week. Heading into Week 8, Sutton led the league with 928 (No. 1) Air Yards, but subsequently had 480 (No. 1) Unrealized Air Yards. Both Patrick’s and Sutton’s Target Accuracies and yards per target ranked outside the top 25 receivers entering Week 8. Meanwhile, Jeudy has just returned from injury. The Broncos receivers are victims of mediocre QB play and will struggle to put up fantasy numbers against a solid Dallas secondary.

Jeremy McNichols has a leg up on Adrian Peterson (for now) as the incumbent back, and is a capable pass-catcher. He should see a good deal of work this week, but predicting the usage starting in Week 10 is difficult. If I could roster one of the two, I would take McNichols, but you want exposure to both backs. This could end up being an ugly committee backfield, but one of the two has a shot at RB2 production the rest of the way. 

If Kyle Pitts were not Kyle Pitts, Pat Freiermuth would have a lot more buzz right now. He is flashing and looks like a potential future top-five fantasy TE. Right now, he should be viewed as a streamer/bye-week fill-in, but he could be a locked-in fantasy starter by playoff time if his role stays the same.

Enjoy Mike White’s performance. Don’t expect it to continue, but today showed us that in an emergency, go ahead and break the glass that is any starting NFL QB. Even in really bad matchups, when you have to take a chance, you have to take a chance.

Like the Jets, lean on Michael Carter. He fits today’s NFL. He’s agile, quick enough, and a solid pass catcher. Receiving backs will always put up stats. He has now proven himself a high-floor, high-ceiling rookie. Winning or losing, the Jets will give him the ball.

Daniel Jones and the Giants have been up and down, but have shown the ability to hang around and produce close games. Sterling Shepard and Kadarius Toney have gobbled up targets and have been solid WR2’s. Devontae Booker has been quietly effective as the temporary lead back, but looks to improve on a stretch of RB3 performances.

There’s not much to say about the Chiefs. While the offense has struggled recently, this is the perfect get-right spot. They elite playmakers weren’t leaving lineups regardless. Other players like Darrel Williams and Mecole Hardman are high risk/high reward.

Kalif Raymond is top-25 among wide receivers in Yards After Catch Per Target (3.38) and Yards After Catch Per Reception (5.08). Why is this important? The Eagles defense is allowing a completion percentage of 74.36-percent of all passes and their 821 Yards After Catch allowed is 12th-most in the NFL. If Terry McLaurin can’t get his yards through the air, he’ll have a difficult time getting it after the catch. The Broncos have allowed 653 (third-fewest) Yards After Catch this season.

This brings us to the Rams’ opponent, the Houston Texans. Their defense has allowed 1149 (No. 4) Completed Air Yards and have allowed an Average Target Distance of 8.7 (ninth-most in the NFL). There aren’t many wide receivers available in free agency that have six consecutive weeks of 25+ Routes Run. Scoop up Van Jefferson and start him this week!