RSO Staff Picks: Week 8

Updated: October 26th 2017

Week 7 Results

1. Wendell – 12-3

2T. English 10-5

2T. Papson 10-5

Overall Standings

1. Wendell – 66-40

2. English – 65-41

3. Papson – 61-45

After 7 weeks at the top of the standings, Wendell has caught up with English. Led by his Raiders and Chargers correct predictions, Wendell goes 12-3 and wins the week and takes over first place on the year with a slim one game lead over English. And at 61-45, Papson is only five games out of first place. There will not be much ground made up this week however as the three of us only differ on two games with Kyle liking gunslinger Matt Moore tonight on the road in Baltimore and Wendell liking Derek  Carr and the Raiders on the road in Buffalo. It is a rare week that there is this much agreement amongst us, so we are either going to be really right or really wrong. Here are our picks for Week 8:

NFL Game Picks

Game

Wendell

Papson

English

MIA @ BAL

SF @ PHI

MIN @ CLV

OAK @ BUF

IND @ CIN

LAC @ NE

CHI @ NO

ATL @ NYJ

CAR @ TB

HOU @ SEA

DAL @ WAS

PIT @ DET

DEN @ KC

 

More Analysis by Stephen Wendell

The Watch List: Week 9

Updated: October 25th 2017

Welcome to The Watch List, a resource to help RSO owners identify the storylines, players and matchups from the college game that deserve your attention.  To view my weekly picks, follow me on Twitter @robertfcowper.  Check back throughout the season as The Watch List will continue to update you on who is fantasy relevant and worth your draft capital next year. 

Storylines to Watch

  • Heisman Update: I am officially out of superlatives for Penn State RB Saquon Barkley. Barkley made mincemeat of the usually strong Michigan defense for 161 total yards and 3 TDs last week. As mentioned in this space last week, Stanford RB Bryce Love was off this past weekend and is questionable for their Thursday night game against Oregon State. I think the Heisman will be out of reach if he misses any time with injury. Lamar Jackson would likely be my number three vote at this point. Jackson had 334 yards and 2 TDs combined passing and rushing. USC QB Sam Darnold had another down game, he threw his tenth interception and lost his sixth fumble.  There are louder murmurs now about the possibility of Darnold returning for another year instead of coming out as a redshirt sophomore.  Maybe my Christian Hackenburg comparison was apt.  Sadly, I don’t see any strong defensive player candidates but somebody who needs your attention is Ball State DE Anthony Winbush.  I tried to get his name out there heading into Week 4 but I still never see him mentioned online.  He is leading the FBS in sacks (9.5) and adds 34 tackles, 13.5 tackles for loss and 4 forced fumbles. Winbush may get one lone Heisman vote from some like-minded writer but I’m throwing his name out more for draft consideration instead.
  • AAC Battle: The three top teams in the AAC are battling it out to be the best Group of 5 team left standing at the end of the season. That is important because the best Group of 5 team will get a New Year’s Six bowl bid. Guessing whether that representative will be South Florida (#17), Central Florida (#18) or Memphis (#25) is a pointless endeavor at this point. USF and UCF are undefeated and will presumably stay that way until their late season matchup, but Memphis has the best out-of-conference win (UCLA).
  • Big 12 Standings are a Big Mess: The Big 12 has one team at 4-0 (TCU) and four tied at 3-1 (Iowa State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and West Virginia); all five are ranked in the Top 25. Four of those five play this weekend in a pair of games that could completely throw the conference standings into chaos. Personally, I’m rooting for an Iowa State win over TCU and a West Virginia win over Oklahoma State – that would all but guarantee that no Big 12 team gets into the playoff (all the better for my Big 10 fandom).

Players to Watch

  • Courtland Sutton, WR, SMU: Sutton has not attracted as much attention this season as he did last year, at least per my Twitter feed.  Perhaps part of that is the incredible surge from junior WR Trey Quinn over the last three games.  In those three games, Quinn has 49 receptions, 458 yards and 3 TDs.  Sutton is no slouch, he went 24-353-4 in the same span, but he’s definitely not getting the same social media buzz as Quinn this month.  Don’t get it twisted: Sutton is still a top WR prospect.  On the season, Sutton has 37 receptions, 570 yards and 9 TDs (last year was 76-1,246-10).  Sutton has elite size (6’4″ and 216lb) which puts him on par with dynasty favorites like Michael Thomas and Allen Robinson.  If Sutton times faster than 4.50, it would put him in range of AJ Green.  Sutton ran a 4.75 as a recruit per ESPN and NFLDraftScout.com has him in the 4.55 vicinity.  I watched Sutton’s 2017 film against Houston.  There were two great plays that Sutton made that I noted.  The first came late in the second quarter where he caught one over his left shoulder while running towards the left sideline, a very difficult play that his body control made possible.  The second play was in the third quarter when Sutton took a screen pass and used his speed and open-field running skills to turn it into a 30+ yard play.  He got a great block from a teammate but still his juke and hesitation move froze a defender and allowed him to turn it into a big play.  There were a number of other times when Sutton made the first defender miss in an effort to pick up an extra yard or two.  Unfortunately, Sutton did have multiple drops in the first half and he followed up that great over the shoulder grab with an offensive pass interference in the end zone.  The DraftBreakdown.com film I watched only showed two plays when Sutton was called on to block and neither was very convincing.  Per Pro Football Focus, Sutton has a drop rate of 8.8% which is middle of the pack for somebody of his draft potential (for comparison, his teammate Quinn is 1.8% while James Washington is 5.6%).  Sutton clearly has elite size and ability and will be somewhere in my WR2-5 range for the 2018 draft which means he should end up with a first round RSO grade.
  • Josh Adams, RB, Notre Dame: I did a quick preview of Adams in the offseason and was nonplussed, however, at the rate that he’s producing it was time for a second look.  Adams went for 191 yards and 3 scores against USC last week which was impressive to say the least (that Trojan defense is full of NFL talent).  More impressive is that Adams is averaging 9.2 yards per carry on 105 carries.  Averaging 9.2 yards per carry is impressive if the sample size is 20, let alone 105.  One knock on Adams is that he is not a big part of the passing game, just 8 receptions in 2017.  Adams measures in at 6’2″ and 225lb.  For a running back that is quite tall.  Adams would be one of the biggest RB prospects since 2010 (5th biggest per my review of combine stats).  In his weight range, 220-230, he would be just the second to measure 6’2″ or taller (Alfred Blue).  If you increase the upper bound of the weight, you add in guys like Derrick Henry and Matt Jones.  Unfortunately, none of those are great comps.  Henry has a lot of potential but he has not yet been able to unseat Demarco Murray, has been average in his limited role (7 TDs is nice but just 4.4 yards per carry) and the biggest concern of his would be his height making him a bigger target for injury-inducing hits.  There are a number of elite comps who are about an inch or so shorter, so it may seem trivial to care about one inch.  I would argue though that one inch is significant because NFL RBs only measure between 66-75″ which is a range of 9 inches.  So, that one inch is an 11% difference.  Use that 11% difference in terms of weight and we would have a very different outlook on a RB prospect if he weighed 200, 225 or 250lb.  Unfortunately, DraftBreakdown.com does not yet have any 2017 film for Adams so I was stuck watching highlights.  While I don’t love watching highlight reels, I do think Adams’ three rushing scores against USC are instructive.  One the first, Adams shows some patience behind the line of scrimmage as he cuts right then left through the hole and dives forward for the goal line.  One the second, he simply runs past everybody untouched showing his straight line speed; the nearest defender didn’t get within five yards even as Adams ran 86 yards at a sprint.  On the third, he shows some vision and play strength as he finds his way through a narrow hole on the right side of the line and avoids a tackle at the five yard line with a half-hop, half-cut move that gets him into the end zone with the defender on his back.  I need to see way more of Adams to make an educated guess about his draft stock but I am ready and willing to revise my original opinion.  For now, let’s call Adams a 4th-5th round NFL prospect and a 3rd round RSO target pending the team fit.

Games to Watch

  • #11 Oklahoma State at #22 West Virginia, 12:00pm Saturday on ABC: This matchup features the 1st and 5th ranked offenses by total yards and the 41st and 112nd ranked defenses. This is the new normal in the Big 12 so embrace it.  I took a closer look at WVU QB Will Grier last week and will need to focus on WR David Sills in a future piece; he has 46 receptions for 737 yards and a FBS-leading 15 TDs.
  • Rutgers at Michigan, 12:00pm Saturday on BTN: I will be at this game, making my periodic pilgrimage to the Big House, so of course I need to include it here. Michigan has lost two of three (the win was a close one against Indiana) while Rutgers has won two straight conference games (albeit versus Illinois and Purdue). The Michigan offense has struggled mightily and it might be time to see former 4 star recruit Brandon Peters; Peters was the #3 QB recruit per ESPN in 2016. Rutgers’ freshman RB Raheem Blackshear has touchdowns in back to back games and is a big play guy (7.3 yards per touch).
  • #2 Penn State at #6 Ohio State, 3:30pm Saturday on FOX: This game gets my vote for the Game of the Year; it will not disappoint. I’ve talked a lot about Penn State in recent weeks, specifically about Barkley and QB Trace McSorley, so I’m going to focus on the Buckeyes here. I fear that casual fans may be sleeping on OSU after their early loss to Oklahoma because they have been passed over for nationally televised games. Since then they have dominated, outscoring opponents 266-49 (including three conference foes and a bowl-bound Army). QB JT Barrett started slow and there were calls for his job but he has played better recently; he has thrown for 872 yards, 11 TDs and 0 INTs over the last three weeks. Add in 185 yards rushing and 3 TDs and you have 2015 level Barrett under center. True freshman RB JK Dobbins stole the focus from NFL hopeful Mike Weber and hasn’t looked back (775-5). Forget the rankings, don’t sleep on Ohio State.
  • #4 TCU at #25 Iowa State, 3:30pm Saturday on ABC/ESPN2: I have been a fan of Iowa State RB David Montgomery since early in the season when I first heard about his personal story and first took note of his tackle breaking ability. Pro Football Focus tracks a stat they call “missed tackles forced” that Montgomery leads by a sizable margin. Montgomery has put a number of highlight plays on film this year and it will be interesting to track him in 2018 when he is draft eligible. As noted above, a Cyclones win would throw the Big 12 standings into, well, a whirlwind.
  • #15 Washington State at Arizona, 9:30pm Saturday on PAC-12: It’s time for east coasters like myself to watch Arizona QB Khalil Tate. Tate has started the last three games and is playing very well, especially as a runner. As a passer he is an efficient, if underwhelming, 31-41 for 468 yards, 4 TDs and 1 INT in those three starts. As a runner he is simply unstoppable. He’s racked up 694 yards and 7 TDs in those contests including 327 yards against Colorado. Those three starts for Tate ended up in three big Ws over Colorado, UCLA and Cal. Arizona is now 3-1 in the conference and could challenge for a spot in the PAC-12 Championship if USC falters.

Note: When watching film for a player in the offseason, I typically pick two games at random to watch.  If game film is not available I will search for highlight reels, but keep in mind these are the best plays that player had all season so they really need to jump off the screen.  I do not necessarily want to watch games where they did very well or very poorly as that may not be a great illustration of their true ability.  If possible, when comparing players at the same position I also like to watch film against common opponents.  Full disclosure, I am not watching film of every single game any player plays, instead I am looking for a representative sample.  When researching college players I use a number of resources, I would recommend bookmarking the below sites…

  • Stats: espn.com, sports-reference.com, cfbstats.com
  • Film: draftbreakdown.com, youtube.com (but be wary of highlight only reels)
  • Draft info and mocks: draftcountdown.com, nfldraftscout.com, walterfootball.com, mattwaldmanrsp.com, draftek.com
  • Draft history: drafthistory.com
  • Combine info: pro-football-reference.com, espn.com, nflcombineresults.com
  • Season preview magazines: Phil Steele, Lindy’s, Street and Smith’s
  • Podcasts: ESPN’s First Draft, Strong as Steele with Phil Steele, The Audible by Football Guys (specifically episodes w/ Matt Waldman), UTH Dynasty

Robert F. Cowper is a freelance writer who lives in New Jersey.  Robert works as a recreation professional, specializing in youth sports, when he isn’t acting as commissioner for his many fantasy sports leagues.

More Analysis by Bob Cowper

Week 8 Street FA Report

Updated: October 23rd 2017

Each week we will recommend a group of players that are owned in less than 50% of RSO league that should be rostered. Depending on roster and league sizes not all of these players may be available. For that, we will offer 1 player that is owned in <10% of leagues as our Sleeper add.

Byes: CARDINALS, PACKERS, JAGUARS, RAMS, GIANTS, TITANS

Add of the Week

Austin Ekeler, RB – LAC (Owned 19%)

Week 7: 7 Car/38 yards, 4 Rec/6 yards, 1 TD

If a player doesn’t solidify themselves as the pass-catching back in their offense it’s only a matter of time before they start to lose snaps to another RB who can. We may be seeing that in Los Angeles with Melvin Gordon slowly losing snaps to rookie Austin Ekeler. Ekeler, 5’9” and under 200lbs, looks like he could fit the Danny Woodhead satellite back role that completed Gordon in his rookie season. He had 4 receptions against the Broncos last week (13 on the season) and also managed 7 carries which shows that he’s gaining a role in this offense. With tough matchups over the next month (Patriots, Jaguars, Bills, Cowboys) there’s a real chance that the Chargers need Ekeler to be available for the check down option more so than Gordon running up the middle.

Suggested Bid: $500,000 – $1,000,000

RB Add

Backup RBs

Speaking of backups, as we have seen throughout the first 7 weeks backup RBs are just players waiting to be fantasy relevant. If you have a locked in RB and his backup is sitting on the street you should add him at this point in the season. You have “roster cloggers” that you won’t be starting the next 6-8 week. Drop them and protecting yourself. If you want to be sneaky you could also pick up the backups of those that are sleeping on their claims. Nothing feels worse than going into the playoffs and losing an RB and having to fight with your league mates for his replacement.

Suggested Bid: $500,000

WR Add

D’eonte Thompson, WR – BUF (Owned 4%)

Week 7: 4 Rec/107 yards

I felt bad after recommending D’eonte Thompson as a sleeper in week 3 especially after he had a 0 catch game in week 5 and then was subsequently released by a Bears team that is starving for WR talent. But now that Thompson has been picked up by the Bills it didn’t take him long to be involved going over 100 yards in his first game. That stat is probably an anomaly but it shows me that what I thought he could be in Chicago wasn’t a farce. The Bills don’t have many pass catchers that are trustworthy which is likely the reason Thompson was added and clearly, they felt comfortable using him right away. Even when Jordan Matthews returns healthy it would be in the best interest of the Bills to use Matthews in the slot where he belongs and allow the big-bodied Thompson to work outside. I’m willing to double down and say that he should be a usable flex option if you need WR help.

Suggested Bid: $1,000,000

TE Add

Vance McDonald, TE – PIT (Owned 16%)

Week 7: 2 Rec/37 yards

It seems like forever ago that Vance McDonald was traded from San Francisco to Pittsburgh and everyone wanted a piece of him. Fast forward to before last week and he’d had 1 catch for 26 yards in 6 weeks of football, not even rosterable stats for the deepest of leagues. He only had 2 catches last week but this might be the sign that he is finally getting comfortable with the Todd Haley’s offense. Another couple of weeks under his belt and McDonald might become what fantasy enthusiasts wanted LaDarius Green to be. Unless you have Gronk, Ertz, or Kelce you’ve probably been streaming/substituting your TE position all season so why not take a shot.

Suggested Bid: $500,000

Sleeper Add (<10%)

Demarcus Robinson, WR – KC (Owned 6.5%)

Week 7: 5 Rec/69 yards

Not every Chiefs game is going to be a shootout like last Thursday but Demarcus Robinson’s usage is something that should be mentioned. He had 5 catches on 8 targets last week which was second to Tyreek Hill and well ahead of Albert Wilson and De’Anthony Thomas (1 each). He’s still behind Kelce, Hunt, and Tyreek in terms of touches but he has firmly taken hold of the WR2 on this team now with Conley out. With the Chiefs being more involved in the passing game this season the prospect of a second Chiefs receiver might not be as fantasy irrelevant as it once was. Robinson could be valuable depth to have moving forward.

Suggested Bid: $500,000

More Analysis by Nick Andrews

RSO Staff Picks: Week 7

Updated: October 19th 2017

Week 6 Results

1. Wendell – 8-6

2. English 6-8

3. Papson 4-10

Overall Standings

1. English – 55-36

2. Wendell – 54-37

3. Papson – 51-40

Wow, crazy week last week. Papson lost a bunch of close games and suffered a 4-10 week with English going 6-8, and Wendell winning the week at 8-6 (he won both his “island” picks with the Cardinals and Steelers pulling through for him).  Another great slate of games this week in what seems like a more wide open NFL than ever where each week anybody can beat anybody. Who will the big upsets be this week? Our staff picks are below:

NFL Game Picks

Game

Wendell

Papson

English

KC @ OAK

TB @ BUF

CAR @ CHI

TEN @ CLV

NO @ GB

JAX @ IND

ARI @ LAR

NYJ @ MIA

BAL @ MIN

DAL @ SF

SEA @ NYG

CIN @ PIT

DEN @ LAC

ATL @ NE

WAS @ PHI

     

 

More Analysis by Stephen Wendell

Rounding Out the Lineup: Week 7

Updated: October 19th 2017

Most of us in competitive RSO league are not great at every position.  The nature of salary cap leagues forces many teams into gambles which might not have paid off.   Below you will find a few trade targets for competitive teams along with their current points per game ranking in PPR leagues who might shore up those RB2/WR2 and deeper flex spot gaps which did not pan out so far.  There are a variety of floor plays and ceiling gambles at various price points.  I would not consider these players “league winners” but all have the chance of helping your team going forward.

Running Backs

Doug Martin RB16 – Some questioned Doug Martin’s role once inserted into the lineup.  Martin has out-attempted Jacquizz Rodgers 13-3 and 14-3 in the two games since his return from suspension scoring once per game in the process.  This is clearly Martin’s backfield in the run game.  Charles Sims remains a fixture on passing downs with 5 and 4 receptions in the two games since Martin’s return compared to 1 in each game for Martin.  Sims’ role severely caps Martin’s work in the receiving game which will make for some limited fantasy outputs when Martin does not score.

On the plus side, there should be somewhat consistent scoring opportunities in Tampa Bay from Football Outsider’s 8th ranked passing unit.  Martin makes for a nice RB2 on those teams in need of running back help. His limited work so far might present an opportunity to pick up Martin.  He is also an attractive option on teams with limited RSO salary cap space to maneuver with as his suspension to start the year likely lowered his salary in many leagues.

Duke Johnson RB17 – The environment in Cleveland is not pretty.  The team is 0-6 with one of the worst offenses and defenses in the league and an uncertain, at best, quarterback outlook.   This is generally not the type of situation I am looking for when investing in running backs.

Duke Johnson has a few items working in his favor, however, when examining his rest-of-season outlook.  Cleveland already lost the top two wide receivers heading into the season to injury.  Johnson remains as the de facto WR1 currently leading the Browns in receiving targets, receptions, and yards.  He has at least three receptions in all but one game this season and accumulated at least 53 receptions each of his first two seasons.  Johnson fills the needs of RSO teams looking for solid floor plays out of the flex spot or RB injury/bye weeks.  He also provides some upside as a handcuff to fellow Browns’ running back Isaiah Crowell or if CLE decides to give Johnson more work do to Crowell’s ineffectiveness.

Jay Ajayi RB35 – No other running back on this list supplies more variance on a given week than Miami running back Jay Ajayi.  The “boom” portion comes largely from his enormous weekly rushing potential.  Ajayi produced an amazing three 200+ yard rushing performances in 2016.  He already has three games of 25 or more rushing attempts in 2017 and averages over 20 attempts per game.  The “bust” potential stems primarily from Ajayi’s lack of receiving game effectiveness.  The Dolphin running back averages only 1.7 receptions and 8.7 receiving yards per game over the last two years highlighted by a comically bad 3.3 yards per reception this season in which Ajayi has not managed a single game with at least 10 receiving yards.

If you are a gambling person, Ajayi imparts perhaps the highest ceiling option on this list of players.  He is the only player in the NFL with 100 or more rushing attempts and zero touchdowns.  Jay Cutler has been ugly so far but the Miami passing game could improve considering how late Cutler joined the Dolphins.  Positive touchdown regression could very well be on the horizon for Ajayi.  The defense also played well enough to keep Miami in games despite the offensive woes.  Consider him a high variance RB2 going forward.  Ajayi likely went for a costly salary if he was in your RSO free agent auction this year so fitting him under your cap could be an issue but teams might be more open to a trade because of that high salary.

Wide Receivers

Pierre Garcon WR24 – I believe if you told most people you could get the 6th ranked wide receiver in targets plus the 8th in receptions and yardage for minimal cost, they would jump at the chance.  Such is the case with San Francisco wide receiver Pierre Garcon.  Garcon’s zero touchdowns lower his fantasy output so far which could give you the ability to pounce.  The volatile quarterback situation with rookie C.J. Beathard taking over for Brian Hoyer certainly carries some risk but Garcon is the only established NFL receiver on the roster.  Garcon is a very tempting target for your flex spot who likely comes at a sharp discount especially with a rookie quarterback taking the helm.

Danny Amendola WR28 – Amendola filled the small slot receiver role in the New England offense beautifully so far looking extremely quick, getting open at will, and catching everything.  Amendola’s per game targets are right in line with the leading non-Gronk Patriot receivers with at least 3 receptions, 5 targets and 40 yards in each game this season.  Injuries are always a concern for smaller players with heavy workloads over the middle of the field, especially for a player who missed games in all but two seasons in the NFL.  Amendola likely was picked up on waivers in your league which should make for a very cheap way to get your hands on a piece of the high-powered New England offense.  He is a nice floor play for those in need of reliable points out of their flex spot.

Sterling Shepard WR37 – The Giants pulled players from the practice squad and off the street to fill starting receiver slots last week after New York lost Odell Beckham Jr., Brandon Marshall, Dwayne Harris, and Shepard to injury.  Shepard should return shortly but the others are lost for the year leaving Shepard with a golden opportunity for a big work load.  There is some danger going forward with regards to workload.  Head coach Ben McAdoo gave up play-calling duties last week resulting in the Giants completely flipping the script on the pass-heavy offense, going with 32 carries to only 19 passes.  With that said, Shepard is the only wide receiver on the roster with significant past production and figures to dominate targets along with rookie tight end Evan Engram.  I would feel very confident with Shepard in my flex when he returns and WR2 production is entirely possible.


Bio:  Bernard Faller has degrees in engineering and economics.  He currently lives in Las Vegas and enjoys athletics, poker, and fantasy football in his free time.  Send your questions and comments (both good and bad) on Twitter @BernardFaller1.

More Analysis by Bernard Faller

Week 7 Street FA Report

Updated: October 19th 2017

Each week we will recommend a group of players that are owned in less than 50% of RSO league that should be rostered. Depending on roster and league sizes not all of these players may be available. For that, we will offer 1 player that is owned in <10% of leagues as our Sleeper add.

Byes: LIONS, TEXANS

Add of the Week

Orleans Darkwa, RB – NYG (Owned 28%)

Week 6: 21 Car/117 yards, 1 Rec/13 yards

An RB target a couple of weeks ago I felt that Darkwa needed to be featured again due to his low increase in ownership. The Giants are hurting at WR, as evident by Eli Manning only attempting 19 passes on Sunday Night, which means they will be using the run game more throughout the season. There was a spike in interest for Wayne Gallman when he had a decent game in week 5 but Darkwa more than doubled his touches last week (21:9) suggesting that he will, in fact, be the primary option. Though there may not be another 100 yard game for Darkwa he should continue to see the bulk of run plays and offers a goal-line touchdown upside.

Suggested Bid: $1,000,000 – $3,000,000

QB Add

C.J. Beathard, QB – SF (Owned 9%)

Week 6: 19 for 36, 245 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT, 1 Car/14 yards

If you lost Aaron Rodgers you definitely are experiencing the Monday blues.  But the season goes on and you may need to find a new QB to either start or have as your bye week filler. If you were uninspired by Brett Hundley and his three-interception game last week here is a fresh new face to acquire. C.J. Beathard, a 3rd round rookie from Iowa, took over for Brian Hoyer last week and had an okay game in relief with almost 250 yards passing along with a touchdown and an interception. Similar to Hoyer, Beathard doesn’t possess a cannon arm but rather uses short, quick timing routes for high completion percentages to move the ball. Having a player like Pierre Garcon who is a target monster along with Matt Breida out of the backfield should give Beathard a strong security blanket for these types of passes. With all young QBs there will likely be a capped upside but if he can be mobile enough to add a couple of runs each week (he had 14 yards rushing last week) he could be a comfortable QB2.

Suggested Bid: $500,000 ($1,500,000 in Superflex/2QB)

WR Add

Bennie Fowler, WR – DEN (Owned 20%)

Week 6: 3 Rec/21 yards

Like the Giants, the Broncos have recently been ravaged by injuries to their receiver’s group. While we don’t know the full extent of each players’ injury Demaryius Thomas, Emmanuel Sanders, and rookie Isaiah McKenzie all left week 6’s game for at least a period of time. In the case of the latter two, they did not return and their injuries could be more serious. This means that Bennie Fowler could be in line to step into the WR2 role next week and beyond. He has had opportunities in the offense with 17 targets the last three weeks even with Thomas and Sanders playing ahead of him. He also scored two touchdowns in the season opener. At worst he should be added till we learn more about how severe the injuries those around him have. He could become a valuable flex option for desperate teams.

Suggested Bid: $1,000,000 – $2,000,000

TE Adds

Jonnu Smith, TE – TEN (Owned 31%)

Week 6: 1 Rec/10 yards

Jonnu Smith has quietly had a decent start to his career and is pushing forward this year’s class of superb rookie tight ends. Unfortunately for him and the Tennessee Titans Marcus Mariota missed the last game and a half, limiting the offense’s production. Mariota will be back healthier for week 7 which should boost the appeal of Smith moving forward. Similar to some of my previous listings this could be an even better pickup if you don’t have a clear candidate for your resign as Smith is likely to overtake Delaine Walker as the featured TE sooner rather than later. For the remainder of 2017, he has a touchdown opportunity upside each week and could see his target numbers increase as he becomes more familiar with the offense.

Suggested Bid: $500,000

Sleeper Add (<10%)

Aldrick Robinson, WR – SF (Owned 3%)

Week 6: 2 Rec/66 yards, 1 TD

Sometimes it just feels better to bet on the 9:1 horse because when they hit it’s just oh so sweet. That would be the case with adding Aldrick Robinson who has only played 38% of snaps this season for the 49ers. Still, with the backup QB starting now sometimes it’s the second-team receivers that have the better rapport with them. While already discussed that C.J. Beathard is more of a short, quick route passer it doesn’t mean that he won’t have a few opportunities to look deep, especially if defenses are focusing more on stopping Carlos Hyde and the underneath routes. In no given week will Robinson be a safe play but if you liked to have DeSean Jackson back in the day when he was going for a 60-yard touchdown every other week this might be your type of boom/bust sleeper.

Suggested Bid: $500,000

More Analysis by Nick Andrews