10-Team Leagues
Baker Mayfield (QB – Cleveland Browns; FAAB Bid: 12-15%) – There are plenty of talented quarterbacks throughout the league which means that in shallower leagues you may not need one. But if you do, Mayfield is still available in a fair amount of leagues and he’s been performing better as of late. He won’t throw the ball as often as other quarterbacks because the Browns seem committed to the run with Nick Chubb , but Mayfield has four straight games with at least two touchdowns and he can pick up some rushing yards with his legs. He’s on bye next week so he doesn’t need to be your top priority, but he’s certainly worth stashing as a backup with a fairly decent playoff schedule.
Rashaad Penny (RB – Seattle Seahawks; FAAB Bid: 30%) – Running back depth is hard to come by and at this point in the fantasy season it’s as important as ever. Penny finally looked like the first-round pick the Seahawks invested in this past April. It’s been no secret he would need an injury to Chris Carson to gain relevancy and while he was still behind Mike Davis on the depth chart, Penny turned 12 carries into 108 yards and a touchdown. If it was a guarantee he would have a dozen carries each week then he’s possibly a RB2 in 12-team leagues. If Carson is unable to go on a short week of prep for Thursday night’s game against the Packers then Penny will likely find his way into the game plan once again. Make no mistake about it, if Davis is still available he’s worth picking up as well. But Penny is more widely available.
Theo Riddick (RB – Detroit Lions; FAAB Bid: 15-18%) – So far in two games without Golden Tate , Theo Riddick has reaped the benefits. It also helps that the Lions have looked pretty poor as of late, but the game flow has called for Riddick’s services lately. Over his last two games he has 13 catches for 96 yards. Obviously his appeal is limited to PPR formats because he has zero carries over his last two weeks, but if the Lions continue to fall behind they’ll need to utilize Riddick more in the slot.
Anthony Miller (WR – Chicago Bears; FAAB Bid: 15-20%) – You have to really like the schedule going forward for Miller and the Bears. Miller gets a rematch against the Lions in two weeks who he just torched for 122 yards and a score. From Weeks 13-16 the Lions face the Giants, Rams, Packers, and 49ers so there’s plenty of upside for Miller. His workload has steadily increased and he has three touchdowns over his last five games. He’s available in a majority of leagues and though there is always depth at wide receiver on waivers, Anthony Miller could really stand out as a valuable flex option rest of season.
D/ST to Stream – There aren’t many great defenses on bye this week so there isn’t a clear-cut streaming option in shallower leagues. The Ravens are fresh and coming off a bye against the Bengals who aren’t as exciting on offense with A.J. Green out of the mix. Cincy put up 34 points back in Week 2 against the Ravens, but they are not nearly the same offense now as they were then. The Panthers have an interesting matchup against the Lions, but they are coming off a poor performance against the Steelers last Thursday night. If you aren’t comfortable with any of these teams refer to the 12-team streaming option. They’re a solid play this week.
12-Team Leagues
Marcus Mariota (QB – Tennessee Titans; FAAB Bid: 18%) – Titans fans have to be feeling great after the team’s performance on Sunday against New England. The defense looked great as did Mariota. Mariota dealt with some injuries earlier in the year, but finally looks healthy and its really shown lately. Since coming out of the team’s bye week, Mariota hasn’t done much damage through the air but he’s added extra value with his legs. If he gets you 18-20 points each week, you’ll gladly take it. He has some tempting match-up’s coming up over the next few weeks and could really help out some fantasy teams heading into the playoffs.
Elijah McGuire (RB – New York Jets; FAAB Bid: 18%) – McGuire strictly just needs more work. Last week he had ten total touches for 67 all-purpose yards and this past week he had 57 all-purpose yards on nine touches. In touchdown-only leagues he has no appeal because the Jets suck and struggle to put up points no matter who is at quarterback. But McGuire has looked good so far when he’s touched the ball. As the Jets season continues to spiral into an endless abyss they might as well feed McGuire more down the stretch to assess what they may have in their young running back. I’m not saying that’s what will happen, but as a McGuire owner myself, I wouldn’t complain about more touches.
Rex Burkhead (RB – New England Patriots; FAAB Bid: 15%) – Currently on ESPN, Burkhead is under 10% owned and he isn’t eligible to return until Week 13 against the Vikings. But if you can stash a player with upside for your playoff run then Burkhead is worth grabbing. New England is currently set with Sony Michel as the pure running back and James White is used as a pass catcher out of the backfield. Given how New England has dealt with many minor injuries this season, if something were to happen to Michel or White then Burkhead would be in line for more work. It also wouldn’t hurt New England just to have another reliable player in the passing attack especially since Rob Gronkowski is having an off year. Burkhead’s a flyer that could be a value in just a few weeks.
John Ross (WR – Cincinnati Bengals; FAAB Bid: 15%) – As long as A.J. Green is out, John Ross is worth rostering in 12-team leagues. He’s also worth flexing in deeper leagues. Despite catching just two passes (on six targets) on Sunday, Ross did find the end zone. Ross actually led the team in targets mostly because Andy Dalton only attempted 20 passes despite playing from behind all game. With Green likely out a few more games, Ross has an opportunity to justify the Bengals drafting him ninth overall in 2017.
Vance McDonald (TE – Pittsburgh Steelers; FAAB Bid: 18%) – If the reports are true and Le’Veon Bell truly doesn’t report to the Steelers, thus ending the “Will he show up?” saga then there will at least be clarity to the Steelers offense. James Conner will remain the bell cow running back, and Antonio Brown and JuJu Smith-Schuster will get their numerous targets. But Vance McDonald is an interesting play in 12 team leagues. He’s good for four-to-five targets per game and he has an 81% catch rate. The Steelers have a pretty interesting playoff schedule against the Raiders, Patriots, and Saints so there could be room for every Steeler to eat at the table in December.
D/ST to Stream – After the Titans dominant performance against the Patriots how can you not give them some consideration for next week’s road tilt against the Colts? Tennessee is a team that is trending in the right direction with Marcus Mariota performing now that he has feeling in his fingers. But the defense gave Tom Brady and Co. fits from start to finish this past Sunday. Even if you aren’t looking for a streamer in a league this deep, the Titans are a great D/ST to own rest of season. They finish with four of their last five games at home from weeks 13-17: vs. Jets, vs. Jaguars, at Giants, vs. Redskins, vs. Colts. That’s a pretty tempting schedule for fantasy purposes.
Deeper League Options
Lamar Jackson (QB – Baltimore Ravens; FAAB Bid: 6-8%) – If desperate for QB help and need a homerun, Jackson could be worth the gamble. Now there is also a reason to be hesitant regarding Jackson because Flacco hasn’t officially been ruled out yet. But the hip injury is raising some concern in Baltimore that he may miss Week 11’s matchup against the Bengals. So if Flacco’s out it’ll be up to Robert Griffin III or Jackson. It remains to be seen if Baltimore wants to put their playoff hopes in Jackson’s hands. If you can get him for cheap he may be worth the stash in the event Baltimore misses the playoffs. In that case, they may opt to give Jackson a start or two before season’s end to see how he looks in a professional game. At that point, it’s still a gamble to start him, but in deeper leagues you can’t be picky. He’s worth a stash.
Josh Adams (RB – Philadelphia Eagles; FAAB Bid: 20%) – For the second straight week, Josh Adams led all Philadelphia running backs in carries. Granted he had only seven carries, but over his last two games he has 16 carries that he turned into 108 rushing yards. Corey Clement and Wendell Smallwood have taken on smaller roles with Smallwood a little more involved in the passing game, but Adams seems to be the guy carrying the workload in the running game. Game flow may not benefit Adams in Week 11 against the Saints. Don’t be surprised if Philly falls behind and abandons the run. But Adams ownership should spike after looking good in a minimal capacity over the past two weeks.
Jaylen Samuels (RB – Pittsburgh Steelers; FAAB Bid: 5-8%) – If Bell truly doesn’t play at all this season, then Jaylen Samuels becomes a viable handcuff to James Conner . On Thursday night with the game in hand, the Steelers gave Samuels some touches. He had just seven rushing yards on five carries, but added three catches for 22 yards and a score. He would need an injury to Conner to really pick up more work, but he’s worth a stash right now, even more so if you’re a James Conner owner.
Josh Reynolds (WR – Los Angeles Rams; FAAB Bid: 5-10%) – I wouldn’t go overboard bidding for Reynolds, after all there are still plenty of mouths to feed in the Rams offense and he’s behind Brandin Cooks and Robert Woods on the depth chart. But in deeper leagues he might be worth a flyer with the season-ending injury to Cooper Kupp . Reynolds has just seven catches for 98 yards, but he was crucial to the Rams comeback against Green Bay a few weeks ago where he found the end zone twice. He has a big frame at 6’3” and has decent speed that makes him an interesting deep threat. Unfortunately he’s only worth targeting in leagues with 14 teams or more.
Tyler Higbee (TE – Los Angeles Rams; FAAB Bid: 4-8%) – With the previously mentioned Cooper Kupp now done for the season, there are a few targets to be had in the Rams offense. Either Tyler Higbee or Gerald Everett could see a bigger workload. Both players brought in touchdowns this past Sunday against the Seahawks, but it was Higbee who was on the field for 50 of the team’s 65 offensive snaps. Everett’s good for three or four targets per week, but if I had to choose one to pick up it would be Higbee who is on the field more with a great matchup next week against the Chiefs who aren’t great against opposing tight ends.
D/ST to Stream – The Arizona Cardinals really earned their stripes this weekend against the Kansas City Chiefs holding them to 26 points and 330 yards of offense. While those would be respectable numbers for most teams, for the Chiefs that’s disappointing and Arizona recorded five sacks on Patrick Mahomes last week. Next week they face the Oakland Raiders who have clearly mailed in this season as Jordy Nelson abruptly retired on Monday after Sunday’s embarrassing performance against the Chargers. The Raiders offensive line is pathetic, and the Cardinals are due for a few sacks in Week 11.