QUARTERBACK
Derek Carr - Las Vegas Raiders
Ownership: 42%
FAAB: $1-2
Waiver Priority: No
Carr is coming off his worst performance of the season, barely topping the century mark in the passing department, along with logging fewer than two scores, something he hadn’t done since week one against the Panthers. I don’t like writing off performances, but if there was ever a case where I’d feel comfortable throwing a game away, it would be this one. The weather in Cleveland looked like Ohio went through all four seasons in a span of 60 minutes, and it was apparent that the wind was an issue after seeing the Raiders’ kicker (I think his name is Carlson, but I’m not fact checking a kicker name) attempt a field goal that veered about 30 yards left after looking like it was destined to go dead center between the posts. There was no need to throw with Vegas having a pretty good command of the game throughout the contest, but things are going to change heading into week nine. The Chargers are allowing the third most (22.6) fantasy points per game to the position thus far, and as we saw in their debacle against the Broncos, they have no issue letting mediocre QBs march up the field and find paydirt. Herbert scores at will, and LA’s defense lets the opposition do the same. Carr is in line for a big output this week, and should be viewed as a locked in QB1 in this divisional bout. Also, it’s important to note LV draws the Broncos, Chiefs, Falcons, and Jets all in a row after this one, so he looks to remain in that QB1 conversation for the next month or so as well.
Drew Lock - Denver Broncos
Ownership: 10%
FAAB: $0
Waiver Priority: No
I strongly dislike Drew Lock. He isn’t good, like, at all, but I didn’t want to leave you guys with just one QB pickup this week, so here we are. Most of the players with good matchups are past the ownership threshold to be featured on here, but since Lock stinks and nobody wants him, he has the privilege of having me talk down on him in a written medium. As you all can guess, he’s on here only because he plays the Falcons, who allow the most fantasy points per game to the QB position (25.6) despite showing fairly well against Teddy Bridgewater on Thursday night. As much as that performance was an aberration, Drew Lock’s output against the Chargers may have been even more of one, so this is a very low-conviction pickup option. To be honest, I’d stay away unless you’re in a 2QB/SF league and have another gunslinger on bye...or have Andy Dalton (also, prayers up for u if that’s ur QB situation).
RUNNING BACK
Justin Jackson - Los Angeles Chargers
Ownership: 56%
FAAB: $50
Waiver Priority: Yes
In a game where the Chargers did so much wrong, the Justin Jackson usage was a small positive. His 20 touches and 23 opportunities led the team, as Troymaine Pope logged 15 and 17, respectively, and Kelley showed out with 8 touches and opportunities. Although Pope was on JJ’s heel’s in terms of usage, Jackson greatly outgained him 142 to 95, and it goes without saying that he did better than JK, as he picked up just 25 yards on the day. The snap % wasn’t overwhelming, coming in at just 47%, but it was good to see that a week after a down performance that was excused by a knee injury may have actually been an anomaly due to that injury designation. He should remain the team’s top back while Ekeler is out, and honestly, with reports of Ek being far from returning and the Chargers stinking, I’m not sure there’s any reason to rush him back, let alone trot him out there again this season. Because of this, Jackson should be viewed as a low-end RB2 option from here on out, and if he were to ever cement himself as the lead goal line option, could flirt with mid-high end RB2 upside, but that looks unlikely.
Zack Moss - Buffalo Bills
Ownership: 54%
FAAB: $35-40
Waiver Priority: Yes
Who would have thought that 8 weeks into the season I’d have more confidence in Zack Moss than Jonathan Tayor. The Patriots’ defense admittedly looked awful, but that’s no slight to the former Utah back. He’s not the fastest guy out there, but he flashed elusiveness and vision on both of his rushing scores Sunday, and looks to be the clear goal line back in a solid offense. His receiving usage wasn’t there, seeing just one target, but he’s had two games this season with three or more looks, so there’s definitely some upside in that department. Another thing to note is for how good he looked on the ground, so did Devin Singletary, putting up 86 yards on 14 totes. This is about as equal of a timeshare that you’ll find in the league, and with Josh Allen also pitching in with a handful of attempts and goal line rushes per week, the upside of all three is somewhat capped on the ground. I’d bet this will be Moss’ best performance in 2020, but it inspires confidence that he went out and produced, along with played more snaps than his backfield mate, just a few weeks after coming back from injury and not looking good to this point. To me, Moss looks to be what we hoped Joshua Kelley would be in the wake of Ekeler’s absence, which makes him a low-end RB2 option. The one thing that is concerning, though, aside from everything else, is the Bills’ schedule and the fact that they haven’t had their bye yet. Their matchups going forward are SEA, ARI, ***BYE***, LAC, SF, PIT, DEN, NE. None of these are plus matchups, but neither was New England this week, so who knows. It’s going to be hard to trust starting him going forward, but if he goes out and sees 15 touches again against the Seahawks this week, then I’d be all in. Pick him up before that, though.
Damien Harris - New England Patriots
Ownership: 47%
FAAB: $35-40
Waiver Priority: Yes
I hate putting Patriot running backs on this list because I know that the following week, the worst of the bunch is going to be the one that blows up. The last time Harris was on this list, he logged 6/19/0 after a 17/100/0 performance in a terrible loss to the Broncos. Now, though, he gets the Jets, a glorified high school roster, to help solidify his role in this New England offense. To this point, DH has played > 31% of the team’s snaps just once, but in a game that shouldn’t be close upcoming, that should change, He’s the best runner on the team, and although he doesn’t challenge either White or Burkhead in the receiving game, I’m not so sure that even matters since Cam can’t throw. Harris will never be a 60% snap share player because of the other two backs’ proficiency in the receiving game, but as we’ve seen, even on limited snaps, he's getting enough volume (16 and 17 carries in the two games he’s logged 31% of snaps, 11 touches when he played 40%) to be a somewhat trusted FLEX option. This week should be his coming out party and may provide a sell high window because in the end, he’s still on the Pats, which means a workhorse role is nearly unattainable as well as capping his ceiling due to Cam calling his own number on the goal line (as he did this week). Either way, he’s someone I’m going to grab this week and likely start as a top-20 option against the worst team in the league.
JaMychal Hasty - San Francisco 49ers
Ownership: 42%
FAAB: $5
Waiver Priority: No
He’s the definition of a JAG. It’s become very clear that the 49ers have very little trust in Hasty being anything but a complimentary back, as Jeff Wilson Jr. led the team in week eight, and in his first game back since week two, Tevin Coleman looked like he was in command of the backfield. Even after TCo got hurt, Jerick Mckinnon, who has tired legs (whatever that means), came out and out snapped Hasty. Sure, JaMychal saw more opportunities, but Mckinnon was on the field, got used in the passing game, and scored on a goal line tote. I’m just not too interested in Hasty unless Mckinnon, for some reason, isn’t ready to go on a short turnaround this week, playing on Thursday night. If both he and Coleman are out this week, then Hasty looks to be a very back end RB2 play off volume alone, but nothing points to Jerick missing time, so JH has very little value both this week and going forward. He’s someone I’m likely staying away from this week.
La'Mical Perine - New York Jets
Ownership: 41%
FAAB: $5
Waiver Priority: No
He’s not worth writing up. He saw 10 touches, which is ok I guess, but his snap share dipped from 70% in week seven to 49% in week this past week. Oh, and on top of this, he’s a Jet. Stay away...far, far away.
Cam Akers - Los Angeles Rams
Ownership: 31%
FAAB: $5-10
Waiver Priority: No
We’ll find out more about Darrell Henderson’s injury before the Rams’ next game, as they’re on bye this week, so it’s hard to really say what to spend on the rookie. It was a promising showing from Akers, though, who made about a million (actually 3) men miss on a reception, as well as showing his athleticism on a long run. There isn’t much to take away from his performance aside from him looking to pass the eye test, as the game was a debacle where LA went down a zillion points in about two seconds and were playing catch up all day. All I’ll say is if Henderson is to miss significant time, then Akers is definitely worth a heavy investment, as he’s looked like a much different back since his week one dud where he looked to be the team’s lead back. If Henderson’s ailment isn’t serious, then I’d still try and pick up Cam, but only for a few FAAB bucks, as that’s probably all it’ll take to acquire him given how good DHendo has looked, on top of LAR being on bye, meaning people aren’t going to spend up to stash a backup RB in a messy backfield. I will say, though, he looks to have earned a bigger role in this offense, which, if anything, is just going to make this situation even muddier for everyone involved.
Malcolm Brown - Los Angeles Rams
Ownership: 31%
FAAB: $5
Waiver Priority: No
I don’t want to write about this guy. What I wrote about Cam Akers can basically be applied here, minus the part about him being talented. Despite this, if Henderson were to miss time, I wouldn’t doubt if Brown led the backfield with a 55-60% snap share, along with seeing the third down work and likely getting the goal line job just because McVay feels like he can trust him to not fumble. Because of this, he would be worth throwing a few bucks on as a safe FLEX play, but if you want any sort of upside, I’d much rather Akers. Cam can catch passes as well, and I have no doubts he could be just as mediocre on the goal line as Brown is, so if they want to get their second round pick going, they’d be smart to slowly ramp up his usage, as the efficiency has certainly been there recently. Again, this is all speculative, as if Henderson’s injury is nothing, then both Brown and Akers will likely struggle to ever be usable.
Gus Edwards - Baltimore Ravens
Ownership: 30%
FAAB: $30-35
Waiver Priority: Yes (but after JJ, Harris, and Moss)
For as bad as the Ravens’ offense has looked through the air, their ground game looked better than ever. I guess that’s what happens when Mark Ingram doesn’t play. J.K. Dobbins obviously stole the show, putting up 113 yards on 15 carries, but Edwards also showed out, putting up 87 on 16 totes with a tuddy to boot. Dobbins out snapped Edwards, but it’s worth noting he missed the 2nd quarter after dealing with a knee issue, but returned in the third and reclaimed his role, and by reclaimed his role I mean he continued to split touches and snaps. It’s also worth noting that Edwards got the goal line work, which is how he scored his TD. It looks to be a situation where both Gus and Dobbins will take away from each other's upside, as Edwards will be the short yardage option while J.K. will be on the field for third-downs, so neither is a true workhorse, but with the Ravens’ running game cooking, both can provide high-end RB3 value going forward. As long as Ingram is out, Edwards should be a valuable FLEX option, no matter the matchup, as he just showed out against what was thought to be one of, if not the league’s best run defense.
Jordan Wilkins - Indianapolis Colts
Ownership: 2%
FAAB: $10
Waiver Priority: No
Pray for my man Jonathan Taylor...he’s not dead, but his career may be. Coming out of the bye, you’d expect a rookie that the Colt’s invested heavy draft capital in would get a whole bunch of usage against a pathetic run defense. Well, they tried, but JT managed to turn 11 carries into only 22 yards, whereas Jordan Wilkins put up 20/89/1, along with a 24 yard reception. Even Nyhiem Hines found the end zone twice (not on this list because I don’t want to recommend getting burned by him again), so my worries for JT are only growing stronger. Apparently, he was dealing with an ankle injury, and right now, the severity is unknown, but he seemed to be out there most of the game. He even had a goal line opportunity where he got stuffed, and right after, the Colts handed it off to Wilkins, who walked his way into the end zone for six. Whatever the case was, Wilkins looked a whole hell of a lot better than Taylor, but that doesn’t mean I’m gonna go out and blow all my FAAB on him. I mean, this was a blowout, so are we sure Indy wasn’t just preserving Taylor who seemingly had an ankle injury? Maybe. If he’s good to go next week, I have no doubts he’ll command double digit carries again, and as it seems right now, Taylor is still getting the first crack at the goal line runs. Neither seem to be all too usable against the Ravens next week anyway, so I’d likely just shy away from paying up for JW unless Taylor is seriously injured because I’d bet that a week from now, many will be sending Wilkins back to the wire, as they did with Hines after his week one breakout and week two disappointment.
WIDE RECEIVER
Christian Kirk - Arizona Cardinals
Ownership: 59%
FAAB: $10
Waiver Priority: No
It appears that Christian Kirk only scores touchdowns now. Kirk has one less score over his last four games (5) than he had through his first 27 outings (6), and looks to be Kyler’s second favorite option in the passing game. I’m pretty sure his ownership is below the 60% threshold because, one, Yahoo stinks, and two, the Cardinals were on bye this past week, but that 59% mark will definitely change in the coming weeks, facing the Dolphins, Bills, and Seahawks. Yes, Miami’s defense has been incredible, but I’ll never count out Kyler, and thereafter, gets what looks to be two high scoring affairs against both a below average and a bottom of the barrel defense. He should provide WR3 value in those two outings, and may provide a solid buy-low window prior to those games if he were to underperform against the aforementioned Miami secondary.
Mike Williams - Los Angeles Chargers
Ownership: 53%
FAAB: $5
Waiver Priority: No
Mike Williams and Darius Slayton are the kings off going off on your bench and stinking when you start them. Williams put up 5/109/2 against the Saints, which would make you think he’d tear the Jaguars apart, right? Wrong. How does 1/4/0 on three targets sound? Bad I’d bet. Well, you can’t trust that guy, right? Especially against the Broncos playing in Mile High. To the bench you go, Mike. Wrong move, bozo, Mike just went for 5/99/1. You see what I mean? At the end of the year, he’s probably going to have 50/900/6, but in reality, you’ll probably start him a handful of times and get burnt by him more often than not. In deep leagues where you’re looking for upside and upside alone in one of your FLEX spots, he’s fine, but aside from that, he’s someone I’m never looking to slot into my starting lineup, and therefore, am not spending any sort of serious FAAB on him.
Marvin Jones Jr. - Detroit Lions
Ownership: 49%
FAAB: $5-10
Waiver Priority: No
It looks like Kenny Golladay wants out of Detroit after reported contract disputes and the trade deadline ensuing, but aside from this, he’s now dealing with a hip injury that has already ruled him out for week nine. We have already seen MJJ without KG this season, and it wasn’t pretty, putting up 55 yards in one game and 23 and a TD in another. It’s worth noting that he faced the Bears and Packers in those two games, though, which have been great pass defenses (Jaire Alexander has been elite for GB and the Bears as a whole have been lockdown), and now gets the Vikings in the coming week. T.J. Hockenson may be the #1 until Golladay returns (if he returns), but against Minnesota’s secondary, you can be the 18th option and still go off. Because of this, MJJ looks to be a solid WR2 option this week, but his longevity is why I’m not looking to invest too much FAAB into the vet. After this plush matchup, Jones has to face Washington, Carolina, Houston, Chicago, and Green Bay all in a row, none of which are forgiving (except Houston, they stink).
Corey Davis - Tennessee Titans
Ownership: 47%
FAAB: $15-20
Waiver Priority: No (Yes if desperate at WR)
125 targets, 93 receptions, 1,181 yards, 10 touchdowns. That’s Corey Davis’ 16 game pace (obviously not gonna hit since he’s missed a few games, but the per game numbers are beautiful). CD has now seen 10 targets in back to back games, five more than A.J. Brown over that span, and when the two have been on the field together, Brown has yet to out-target the former #5 overall pick. Just like Ryan Tannehill, Corey Davis looks to have rejuvenated his career as of late, putting up either 69 (nice) yards or a tuddy in all five of his games this season, and his usage is that of a fantasy WR2. Crazy to think about, I know, but he’s seen 8 or more targets in ⅗ games and is part of a well above average offense that looks like they’ll need to keep slinging it, as their defense is fuggin trash. One thing you have to look at, though, is his upcoming schedule, as the Titans have CHI, IND, BAL, and IND all in a row. His WR2 status will be up in the air for these outings, but he managed to find paydirt against a stout Pitt defense a few weeks back, so I’m not gonna write him off just yet. In fact, he’s probably my favorite WR pickup this week because, honestly, if he didn’t have that stigma of being a “bust”, he’d be owned in 100% of leagues. He’s 2020’s DeVante Parker, we just don’t want to accept that yet.
Jalen Reagor - Philadelphia Eagles
Ownership: 24%
FAAB: $1-3
Waiver Priority: No
Carson Wentz is a fucking abomination. The guy stinks. STINKS I tell ya. Jalen Reagor wasn’t able to take full advantage of the Cowboys defense because of the QB play, but it was promising to see him garner six targets and a score. He’s the clear #2 in the receiving game for now, as Travis Fulgham looks to be well ahead of him, and until Goedert is fully healthy, will likely fall behind Reagor in the pecking order. The Eagles are heading into their bye this week, so he’s going to be a cheap pickup, but I’d argue he shouldn’t be, as Philly gets the Giants, Browns, Seahawks, Packers, Saints, Cardinals, and Cowboys all in a row. For as bad as Wentz is, he’s gonna have to keep dropping back and slinging it, and even though the accuracy is terrible, there will be enough opportunity for Reagor to capitalize (I hope).
Curtis Samuel - Carolina Panthers
Ownership: 20%
FAAB: $1-3
Waiver Priority: No
It appears both D.J. Moore and Robby Anderson are not valuable members of this Panthers offense, as Matt Rhule and Joe Brady are more interested in drawing up plays for Curtis Samuel than literally anyone else. Samuel did look great on the opportunities he was given, but let’s be realistic, CMC is likely back this week, and Mike Davis has been way too good for Samuel to be the RB2 in this offense when McCaffrey returns. Because of this, Samuel’s rushing upside will be capped, which has been a major part of his output over the past two weeks, turning four carries into 28 yards and two tugs. Along with that, Anderson is still the clear alpha in the receiving game and Moore isn’t far behind, despite the offense looking like they want him to be. This leaves Samuel with his old role, which is more of a gadget player than a trusted fantasy starter going forward. Don’t go chasing last week’s production. Leave Samuel on the wire.
Darnell Mooney - Chicago Bears
Ownership: 6%
FAAB: $0
Waiver Priority: No
Darnell Mooney is literally always open, but that doesn’t matter with Nick Foles behind center. The Bears schedule is great, sure, but the QB play isn’t, and in a year where Allen Robinson should be a top five receiver, he’s struggling to hold onto a top 12 ranking. If he can’t perform consistently (I mean, he has, but the upside hasn’t flashed consistently), what makes us think things will change for Mooney? It’s sad to say, but this just isn’t his year to be a fantasy asset. The Bears need a new face in town that can complete a pass 20 yards down the field before I have any sort of confidence trotting out DM. Go out and acquire him in dynasty, but for redraft purposes, it’s not worth the pain of watching Foles leave 180 yards on the field every week.
Jakobi Meyers - New England Patriots
Ownership: 1%
FAAB: $0
Waiver Priority: No
With both Edelman and Harry out of the lineup, Meyers took full advantage of his opportunity, putting up 58 yards on six receptions. It wasn’t an incredible stat line, but he has now seen 16 targets over his past two weeks, and with N’Keal Harry being terrible and Edelman getting knee surgery mid-season at 34 years old, Meyers looks to be the top option in the receiving game for New England. This doesn’t mean all too much with Cam throwing the ball like Phil Rivers, but with the volume he’s seeing, you could do a whole lot worse. Meyers is a very low ceiling play with the floor of like a WR4.
TIGHT END
Jimmy Graham - Chicago Bears
Ownership: 58%
FAAB: $5-10
Waiver Priority: No
Same shit as Darnell Mooney, except Jimmy Graham is at a much less deep position, so he’s someone I’m gonna pick up if available. Graham is somehow on pace for 98 targets, and since Foles took over, is on pace for 109 targets and hasn’t seen less than five looks in a game since the QB switch. His seven targets inside the 10 trails just Travis Kelce on the season, so for as hard as it is for me to say, Jimmy Graham is a solid pickup. All you look for at the position is either volume or TD upside, and by the looks of it, he has both in his 45 year old bag.
Eric Ebron - Pittsburgh Steelers
Ownership: 45%
FAAB: $5
Waiver Priority: No
Similar to Graham, I’m not a fan of Ebron, but his usage speaks for itself. From week two and on, Ebron has seen five or more targets in all but one game, and from that point, has averaged 5.8 a game (pace of 93). He’s never going to recapture his 14 touchdown season, but as I said with JG, as long as you’re seeing consistent volume and have some TD upside, you’re probably going to be a TE1. It won’t be pretty, but it gets the job done.
Austin Hooper - Cleveland Browns
Ownership: 39%
FAAB: $5
Waiver Priority: No
Prior to his surgery, Hooper was finally starting to see some consistent volume, totaling 23 looks in his last three weeks. Now with OBJ out for the season and Baker leaning heavily on his tight ends, Hooper stands to see a lot of volume after the bye. It’s reported that Hooper is going to be 100% in week 11, and seeing as how he’s on bye this week, you can likely acquire him for a lot less that you would be able to if he was on this week’s slate. He may not be the Hooper we remember from ATL because of the lack of overall volume in Cleveland, but again, if you can find yourself on the other end of six targets a game, then you have about a 99% chance of finishing a week, or the season, as a TE1.
Jordan Reed - San Francisco 49ers
Ownership: 2%
FAAB: $1-3
Waiver Priority: No
With recent news of George Kittle fracturing his ankle, likely sidelining him for two plus months, it looks like Jordan Reed will assume the duties of the TE1 in the San Fran offense. He hasn’t been the picture of health throughout his career, as even this year he found himself on the I.R. with a knee sprain, but he’s been activated, and if he’s good to go for Thursday night, should step into a big enough role to turn in a TE1 performance. Earlier this year, he put up a 7/50/2 game, and followed that up with an eight target outing prior to getting hurt. Deebo is out for the foreseeable future, the running game is in shambles, and Nick Mullens is now under center, a combination that works heavily in favor of Reed seeing some healthy usage going forward. Sure, Ross Dwelley is in town as well, but he’s nowhere near the receiver Reed is when on the field, so until he gets hurt again, he should have no issues outproducing him and likely acting as the 2nd option in the receiving game until Samuel returns. Monitor his status, though, because he may not be ready to go on a short week.
D/ST
Arizona Cardinals vs Miami Dolphins
Ownership: 13%
Spread: ARI (-4.5)
Over/Under: 47.5
Home: Yes
Washington Football Team vs New York Giants
The line/spread isn't out yet, as the Giants are yet to play (writing this pre-MNF), but its the Giants o-line vs the Football Team's d-line. It doesn't have to be hard.