Fantasy Football

Salvon Ahmed’s 21 carries for 85 yards and a touchdown in Week 10 cannot be ignored in the new look NFL that is devoid of workhorse backs. Ahmed is slotted in as the direct replacement for Myles Gaskin in Miami and is an ideal RB2 to help you with your playoff push, especially with Jordan Howard now out of the picture. Don’t overthink it.

David Moore is the next man up in Seattle’s high-octane offense after Tyler Lockett was declared questionable with a knee sprain. If Lockett is out, get excited for Moore, who has flashed big play potential for years when tethered to Russell Wilson.

Heading into the 2020 season with Marlon Mack and Jonathan Taylor on the roster, Nyheim Hines had become the third wheel in the Colts backfield. Fast forward nine weeks and Hines has 28 receptions and 220 receiving yards (both good for No. 8 among qualified running backs) on a 32.5-percent (No. 63) Snap Share. His fantasy output on a week-to-week basis has been up and down, but Hines has produced boom weeks resulting in Top 5 running back performances.

Jonathan Taylor’s dynasty ranking has fallen and is teetering on the edge of the top 10. Since returning from bye, the much-hyped prospect has seen his Snap Share fall from 35.6-percent in Week 8 to 30.8-percent in Week 9. Taylor fumbled his way to a season-low six carries in Week 9. Sure it doesn’t look good right now given the high expectations, but it would be foolish to panic sell in dynasty at this point.

The only reason Mike Williams doesn’t have more WR1 weeks is fluky touchdown production from Los Angeles role players. Keenan Allen, Hunter Henry, and Williams make up 61.9-percent of the LA targets, but only 47.1-percent of the touchdowns. Meanwhile, the Chargers have five players with touchdown rates over 15-percent, only one of whom even has double-digit targets. As long as Justin Herbert keeps throwing dimes, Williams will have more spike weeks in the near future. 

Jamison Crowder entered Week 9 with a 31.5-percent (No. 2 among qualified wide receivers) Target Share, but his competition for targets was nonexistent. With Breshad Perriman and Denzel Mims back in action, Crowder now has more than just practice squad players alongside him at receiver, and his Target Share will take a massive hit in future contests. Still playing on the Jets, a diminished Target Share may be the end of WR1 and WR2 Crowder as we know him.

Two of the league’s most exciting prospects faced off on Sunday for a 34-31 thriller, where Tua Tagovailoa pulled out the win over Kyler Murray. Tagovailoa also chipped in 35 yards on the ground, a little taste of the Konami Code upside he brings to the table. Justin Herbert has been putting crazy point totals on the board, and while the Miami defense has been strong, Tua should be a sneaky GPP option in a favorable game environment against the Chargers.

The San Francisco receiving group is in flux, especially with George Kittle and his massive target volume out of the picture for the rest of the season. Kyle Shanahan has the common sense to play his better players, but will he pull the trigger? Richie James is the stone minimum on DraftKings against New Orleans in Week 10.

Duke Johnson is the latest example of why we should be stashing backup running backs this late in the season, especially those who project to be bell cows in the event of an injury to the starter. The fantasy community has waited years for him to have the opportunity he’s been presented for Week 10. With David Johnson yet to be cleared from his Week 9 concussion, Duke is looking at an every-down role in a narrative-soaked revenge game against his former team. You know what to do.

Since returning from a knee injury that cost him Week 6, Curtis Samuel has scored in three straight games and logged two 20-plus-point performances. He’s finally happening. He has seen his recent floor bolstered by carries and rushing touchdowns, and now Christian McCaffrey is in danger of missing this week’s contest. His dynamism will make him an enticing, high-ceiling Flex play down the fantasy stretch.

Remaining injury-free to this point of the season has allowed Will Fuller to reach his fantasy football potential. His dominance is represented in his +26.7 (No. 6 among qualified wide receivers) Production Premium and 28.4-percent (No. 18) Dominator Rating. Sidney Jones’ sample size is too small for his stats to qualify among cornerbacks, but his 14.5 Yards Per Reception Allowed is a problematic stat when matching up with a deep threat such as Fuller.

A touchdown in Week 2 prevented Marvin Jones from scoring under 10.0 fantasy points in each of the first five games despite Kenny Golladay missing the first two. Since then, he has scored 13.0 or more fantasy points in both of his games and had his two best showings as it relates to Air Yards. Fortunately for Jones, Minnesota’s primary coverage for him this week is Kris Boyd, who draws the start with the Vikings missing most of their cornerbacks due to injuries.

Two inches taller and 20-pounds heavier than his running mate Devin Singletary, it’s become apparent that Zack Moss is the preferred goal-line option for the Bills. This puts him in the low to mid RB2 range. Josh Allen will continue to cannibalize a portion of red zone carries and the timeshare with Singletary isn’t going away. However, Moss’ touchdown upside is music to the ears of dynasty owners.

Seeing his first career start in Week 6, Albert Okwuegbunam filled in for an injured Noah Fant and tied for the team lead with six targets. He converted them into two receptions for 45 yards. Although his opportunity has decreased with Fant back in the fold, he remains on the field, running 14 routes in Week 8 and catching his lone target for a TD. The landscape of the NFL changes fast. The fourth-round rookie is a high-upside TE stash and player to monitor in dynasty leagues.

Corey Davis has largely struggled in the NFL, but he hasn’t been Josh Doctson or Laquon Treadwell-level bad. He posted 955 yards from scrimmage in his second NFL season. That came on a Titans offense that ranked No. 25 in total yards per game. Davis is a volatile WR3 and has a non-zero chance of continuing to outproduce A.J. Brown in the coming weeks.

Marquise Brown’s usage has been supreme. He has a 23.8-percent (No. 15 among qualified wide receivers) Target Share and a 38.9-percent (No. 7) Air Yards Share. The problem has been his quarterback’s accuracy. Unless Lamar Jackson miraculously turns his season around, Brown should be viewed as a boom/bust WR3. As the top-target of the reigning MVP, Brown may have more value in trades than he’s actually worth.

DeeJay Dallas was a top 5 running back in Week 8 with the Seattle backfield ravaged by injuries. There is no guarantee that Chris Carson or Carlos Hyde come back this week, and an every-week role is possible for Dallas regardless. Any running back can thrive when playing in the same backfield as Russell Wilson.

Kendrick Bourne is one of the few last men standing in San Francisco. Bourne caught eight-of-ten targets in Week 8 for 81 yards following Deebo Samuel and George Kittle injuries. Nick Mullens has shown an ability to generate fantasy-viable wide receivers. It is also possible that this offense struggles to put up points in general. Bourne is a fair consolation prize if you fail to acquire anyone else this week.

Jordan Wilkins was explosive and shifty in Week 8, while Jonathan Taylor was anything but. He simply can’t get in gear against NFL talent yet. It’s more trouble that Nyheim Hines is such an effective receiver for Philip Rivers’ game. It’s getting harder and harder to project Taylor to take over the backfield when he’s getting cannibalized so violently.

J.K. Dobbins turned 15 carries into 113 scoreless yards in Week 8. The rookie was patient and exhibited great vision against a sturdy Pittsburgh front, once again showing great efficiency on the work he was given. That’s been a theme of Dobbins’ play all year, no matter how limited his role. He’s top 5 among qualified running backs in True Yards per Carry, Breakaway Runs, and Yards per Touch.