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