There are a couple of injuries we should be monitoring including Khalil Herbert’s ankle, James Conners knee issue, De’Von Achane’s knee, Justin Jefferson’s hamstring, etc. I have feedback on all of them below except for Achane. He’s averaging 12 yards per carry. That’s not really replaceable on the waiver wire, but it does show that a 2nd Dolphin RB should score well.
I’m keeping the same format with players separated by availability percentages.
Quick tangent: I also want to make a quick note that if you like horror during Halloween season, I narrate and co-write an anthology show. Even if you don’t like them, a quick 5-star rating always goes a long way on Apple’s rating. It’s called Black Springs and you can find it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or online.
Now back to football!!
Top Overall Players Available in at least 50% of Leagues:
- Quarterback: Matthew Stafford
- Running Back: Roschon Johnson
- Wide Receiver: Joshua Palmer
- Tight End: Logan Thomas
- Defense: Tampa Bay – they’re a top 10 unit and play in a division that doesn’t score a lot of points so they should be safe most of the year. Plus, they’ve already been through their bye week.
Should Be Gone (available between 15-30% of leagues):
Quarterbacks:
- Brock Purdy – he’s getting better by the day
Running Backs:
- Javonte Williams – he shouldn’t be out too long
Wide Receivers:
- Jordan Addison – if Jefferson misses time, Addison will be the main Viking filling the void among WRs
- Michael Thomas – he hasn’t found the end zone much, but he’s consistently catching balls and gaining yards.
Tight Ends:
- NA – see Logan Thomas, Cade Otton and Jonnu Smith below.
Defense/Special Teams:
- Eagles – this unit should improve as the season moves on. They’re available for about 20% of you out there.
Could Be Available (available between 31-50% of leagues):
Quarterbacks:
- C.J. Stroud – the Falcons did well against the Texans passing game. Is that a sign that defenses are adjusting to the Texans passing attack? Maybe. For now, I still love Stroud.
- Jared Goff – he’s only on rosters in about 53% of leagues out there. This offense scores too much for him to be that available
- Russell Wilson – he has a lot of bad press. I’m not worried at all about his performance against the Jets. He’ll be fine.
Running Backs:
- Jaylen Warren – a better offensive coach would be prioritizing running plays for Warren. Give it time.
- Samaje Perine – he’s consistent and he has an established 2-minute/goal line role with the Broncos
Wide Receivers:
- Romeo Doubs – he’s playing well. I look forward to seeing what he does in the second game of Christian Watson’s return vs a bad defense in the Raiders.
Tight Ends:
- NA – see Logan Thomas, Cade Otton and Jonnu Smith below.
Defense/Special Teams:
- Browns – back from bye. Their pass rush is excellent and that will continue to serve them well.
Probably Available (available between 51% and 70% of leagues):
Quarterbacks:
- Matthew Stafford – he has an incredibly talented group of receives to throw to now that Kupp is back. Add him!
Running Backs:
- Roschon Johnson – with Herbert missing multiple weeks with a high ankle sprain, Johnson can win the primary back job outright with a few good weeks of play. This represents excellent opportunity.
- Jaleel McLaughlin – he’s overmatched as a pass blocker, so his potential will be limited. I suspect Javonte Williams will keep the rookie off the field when he returns from injury. That said, McLaughlin is clearly the most explosive runner on the Broncos.
- Kareem Hunt – I think there are better chances to take, but it’s possible Hunt gets more integrated into the offense coming off the bye week.
Wide Receivers:
- Joshua Palmer – he looks like the best bet to secure the targets, receptions and touchdowns vacated by the injured Mike Williams
Tight Ends:
- NA – see Logan Thomas, Cade Otton and Jonnu Smith below.
Defense/Special Teams:
- NA – see Tampa Bay below.
Sleeper Grabs (available in more than 70% of leagues):
Quarterbacks:
- Kyler Murray – his return isn’t imminent, but I like what the Cardinals offense is doing. Murray will score well when he returns.
- Baker Mayfield – he’s throwing the ball really well. He always plays better with a chip on his shoulder. I’d feel fine adding him as a backup.
- Bryce Young – he started the season looking like hot garbage, but he’s progressing well now
Running Backs:
- Chuba Hubbard – I think he’s now the Panthers starter moving forward.
- Justice Hill – he’s running better than Edwards, but he had a fumble and a crucial missed block in pass protection last week so there’s still work to be done for Hill to claim the starter role
- Tyjae Spears – elephant in the room here… he actually looks better than Henry does.
- D’Onta Foreman – Johnson has an opportunity to take the starting RB job in Chicago, but if he doesn’t play well, the underrated Foreman could do it as well.
- Kendre Miller – the Saints running game looked good with Miller and Kamara. I wonder what Jamaal Williams’ role will be on this team when he returns from injury
- Emari Demarcado – at the time of this writing, I don’t know the severity of Conners’ injury, but it doesn’t seem too severe. Keontay Ingram is still ahead of Demarcado, but neck injuries are very tricky. Demarcado, a rookie, ran well this past weekend and could earn a sustained role in the coming weeks.
- Jordan Mason – I’ve always liked Mason and he ran well vs Dallas. In theory, he’s still behind Elijah Mitchell on the depth chart when Mitchell is healthy, but I don’t know how long that’ll last.
Wide Receivers:
- Curtis Samuel – his role has been expanding in the offense. He’s climbing the rankings and I think he’s worth a roster spot for sure.
- Michael Wilson – he had a down game vs the Bengals, but I still like his potential
- Jonathan Mingo – his role is quietly expanding
- Rasheed Shaheed – the Saints offense was bad this past week, but Shaheed still had solid target totals. He’s worth a spot.
Tight Ends
- Logan Thomas – so far this season, he’s a top-10 TE when he’s on the field. Snap him up.
- Cade Otton – his snap share is great. The team throws the ball. I think things will start lining up for the second year player.
- Jonnu Smith – he’s quietly outscoring his teammate, Kyle Pitts in per-game average in a PPR format.
- Donald Parham Jr. – Parham has a lot of TDs so I don’t want to ignore him. I think the more likely scenario here is that teams start shifting coverage to Parham and then Everett starts getting more TDs, but I’m not going to argue with early season success either.
Defense/Special Teams:
- Tampa Bay – coming off the bye. I don’t love the Detroit matchup, but do like them as a season add
- Jacksonville – the unit is solid moving forward