There are a few gems this week as well (especially at WR), but I wanted to specifically call out a few breakout players before I get into things because I think they’re worth noting as you select the players for your stretch run:
Overall
- TE, Cole Kmet
- RB, Eli Mitchell
- WR, Kadarius Toney
- RB, Isiah Pacheco
- WR, George Pickens
- WR, Christian Watson
Players Probably On Rosters, but Available in 15%-30% of Leagues Out There:
- D’Onta Foreman – available in 20% of leagues. He’s for real and needs to be rostered in 100% of leagues.
- RB, Jeff Wilson, Jr. – available in 23% of leagues. Miami seems to like him more than Mostert, so he’s safe moving forward.
- WR, Garrett Wilson – available in 24% of leagues. He’s consistent and getting better.
- TE, Dalton Schultz – available in 18% of leagues. I know he had a bad start to the season, but he’s a different player w/Dak on the field. If you look at his average when he plays with Dak, he’s a top 10 TE. If you’re hurting at TE, snap him up.
- WR, Tyler Boyd – available in 17% of leagues. Chase is still out, so Boyd will still score well for you.
- RB, Kareen Hunt – available in 15% of leagues. Once Watson comes back, I think the targets will increase and Hunt will be viable. It wouldn’t hurt to try and trade for him if you need to bolster your flex spots.
- RB, Antonio Gibson – available in 15% of leagues. It looks like Washington has settled on the use of Gibson now and he’s a safe play.
- QB, Kirk Cousins – available in 26% of leagues. He has weapons across the board. This is a very good scoring offense.
- QB, Aaron Rodgers – available in 23% of leagues. I think they might have their mojo back. If he can develop a back shoulder throw with Watson to close out the season, this can be a playoff team.
Quarterback
- Deshaun Watson – if you don’t care about the off field stuff, now is the time. I personally can’t bring myself to do it, lol.
- Jimmy Garoppolo – Samuel, CMC and Kittle to throw to on the goal line. If you are desparate, you could do worse.
- Daniel Jones – he’s getting some pass catchers back. I don’t feel great about this recommendation. QB is scarce.
Running Back
- Eli Mitchell – yep, he will have value and get touches. You can grab him. And hey, if CMC gets a high ankle sprain, you’ll have an elite back for a few weeks.
- Isiah Pacheco – the Chiefs really spread the ball around too much for me, but Pacheco definitely looks like the guy now.
- Khalil Herbert – grab him.
- Rachaad White – his value this season will be dictated more by Leonard Fournette’s health, but I really like him moving forward for keeper leagues.
- JK Dobbins – this is really a risky stash for your playoff run. I like Dobbins, but he won’t be able to help you win for another month.
- Gus Edwards/Kenyan Drake – I still like Edwards when available, but those hamstring injuries could take a while. Kenyan Drake, as we saw on Monday Night Football, will be a fine flex option as the lead back in Baltimore.
- Kyren Williams – like all other Rams backs, he disappointed me. He really only had opportunities on the last drive, but did get 3 catches. I will wait and see for another week, but I’m not holding my breath that he’ll be a difference maker either.
- For keeper players – any star back who is out for the year (like Breece Hall and Javonte Williams).
Wide Receiver
- George Pickens – I thought we’d see more passing after the bye week. Pickens is the best Steelers WR to have this season and I think it’s reasonable to assume there will be a new offensive system next year in Pittsburgh for you keeper players. Grab him.
- Christian Watson – next game will tell the tale, but I think Watson is here to stay.
- Parris Campbell – with the Ehlinger experiment over, Campbell should be a force in PPR formats for the rest of the season.
- Kadarius Toney – two games in and he’s making a big difference in KC. He is likely to be the focal point of the WR passing attack next year (if not next week). Get him if you can!
- Donovan Peoples-Jones – he’s putting up the vast majority of his points with receptions and yardage. When Watson comes back, TDs will come. He will be flex-ready for the playoff run.
- Treylon Burks – like Watson in Green Bay, Burks is the most talented receiver on the team. I don’t think there’s chemistry between Burks and Tannehill, but it could develop.
Tight End
- Cole Kmet – could the Fields/Kmet connection be similar to the LJax/Mark Andrews connection? I think so. I’m prioritizing Kmet in all formats.
- Greg Dulcich – all he needs is a better offense and he’ll score more, lol.
- Isiah Likely – he did fine in terms of targets, but he fell flat last week.
- Robert Tonyan – this is more theory, but if Rodgers really is getting his mojo back, then Tonyan will be a factor.
- Evan Engram – he had an awful game, but I don’t care. I like his target count.
- Hayden Hurst – I like him more with Chase out of the lineup.
- Taysom Hill – he either scores 1 point or 40 points. There’s not a lot of in between. I don’t really like him for my teams to be honest with you.
- With the change in coaching in Indianapolis, I am keeping an eye on the Colts TEs. I like Alie-Cox the most, but it wouldn’t shock me if Jelani Woods gets more emphasis.
Defense/Special Teams
- NY Jets vs New England Patriots – the Jets defense consistently scores well
- Cincinnati Bengals vs Pittsburgh Steelers – I like the division matchup to be low scoring and Pittsburgh’s offense isn’t intimidating
- Washington Commanders vs Houston Texans – I expect a boost from Chase Young’s return. It’s a nice matchup for Washington too.