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Some players who may be available on the wire or in trades (and one you should avoid) highlight this week’s NFL Week That Was.
Carlos Hyde: Hyde proved me wrong Sunday. I figured Seattle would bottle up San Fran (they did) and bottle up Hyde with them (they did not). Hyde finished Sunday with 15 carries for 124 yards and .jpg)
added 19 yards on 3 catches. That is a sweet 17+ points in PPR. What does this tell me? It tells me that the new management in Frisco has bought into Hyde as the feature offensive player even though they inherited him from the past regime. Despite missing 3 games last year, Hyde still notched 9 TD. Bottom line – this is a guy who folks still think may get pushed to the side. Jump at the chance to get that rare bell cow back if the Hyde owner in your league is one of those misguided folks.
J.J. Nelson: Nelson was the bright spot in an otherwise fantasy bleak day for Arizona. Nelson registered 5 grabs on 7 targets for 120 yards and a TD. Fact, without David Johnson, the Cards will not be able to run the ball consistently. Fact, Carson Palmer likes to heave the ball downfield. Fact, John Brown is still out. Result: J.J. Nelson will continue to get his chances. He IS little but he is also VERY fast. Indeed, he runs the 40 in under 4.3 seconds. Yes, under 4.3 seconds. Wow. I am buying on Nelson. People forget that he notched 6 TD last year on a team with David Johnson and Michael Floyd (in addition to Larry Fitzgerald who is still on the field). I do not buy in on the Cards and think they fall to 1-2 next week against the Cowboys (of course I think that as a life-long Cowboys) but good fantasy players can be found on bad teams. J.J. Nelson is one of them.
Jarvis Landry: Landry caught 13 passes for 78 yards on 15 targets. So much for the idea that Landry was Tannehill dependent or that Cutler will not look to the target machine. In his first three years in the NFL, Landry has 288 receptions. In game one of year four, he added 13 to that total to go over 300 for his career. It may be that the Landry owner in your league thinks Cutler will return to his “heave it down the field” ways. If so, make a reasonable but lower offer for Landry and land yourself a PPR darling.
Kelvin Benjamin: Benjamin reeled in 6 receptions for 77 yards on 8 targets. That number will surely increase now that Greg Olsen is on the shelf for an extended period. That Cam is less likely to take off and run will also add to the increased opportunity in store for KBenj. Yes he missed 2015 but in the two years he has been in the league, Benjamin has 16 TD (and this is with Greg Olsen around to snag some of them). Who likes his chances of a big day against the Aints defense? Me, me, I do!
Brandon Coleman: Coleman registered 82 yards on 4 catches and a TD. Coleman was targeted 6 times (same as Ted Ginn). Yes, there are a lot of mouths to feed in New Orleans. However, their defense guarantees they will play from behind so throw they will. Coleman is a big (6’6”) red zone target that could be ready in his third year to play the Jimmy Graham red zone role. Moreover, as Tony Romo highlighted on the broadcast, the Saints designed an end zone play specifically for Coleman. For those in standard leagues, Coleman makes a solid add. For those in PPR leagues, Coleman makes a solid stash.
Brandon Marshall: Marshall was invisible (unless you count miscues) Monday night. One grab for 17 yards is not getting it done. Of course, it is an improvement over last week’s one grab for 10 yards. In fact, it is a 70 percent increase in yardage (yes, that is sarcasm). Mea Culpa: I believed in Marshall this year as a guy going to what should have been a better offense who is likely to face single coverage. None of that has happened. His QB does not seem to trust him, he is dropping passes he never dropped before and his entire team is out of synch. I probably will not cut him yet but I cannot imagine he starts for me any time soon. He should not start for you either.
Final Note: Now is not the time to panic in fantasy football. There is a ton of season to play. If you believed in a player two weeks ago, you need a good reason to abandon him now. Think twice, no make that three times before making a move you may regret for the next 14 weeks.
Player News
Panthers released TE Jordan Matthews.
Matthews converted to tight end a few years ago and hasn’t made much noise at the position. The change has, however, likely kept him in the league for a few more seasons. He appeared in four games with the Panthers last year but didn’t record any stats on offense. The Panthers also released or waived WR Dax Milne, C Andrew Raym, and TE Colin Granger.
Dolphins released LS Blake Ferguson.
The team also waived CB Ryan Cooper Jr., DT Neil Farrell and OL Chasen Hines. Ferguson has been the team’s long snapper for five seasons and earned a three-year contract extension just before the 2023 season. He should be able to find work snapping footballs farther than the average snap elsewhere in the league.
DetroitLions.com’s Tim Twentyman believes rookie WR Isaac TeSlaa “could make his earliest impact on special teams.”
It’s not much of a surprise, as most rookies cut their teeth with special teams duties. Twentyman mentioned return duties as a possibility, though the former Razorback never returned kicks or punts in college. At 6'4/212 with 4.43 wheels, TeSlaa is an explosive athlete who never translated his physical traits to on-field production at Arkansas. The Lions clearly saw potential for him to do so in the pros and traded two future third-round picks to move up to No. 70 overall for him. It’s going to be a slow burn for TeSlaa in the pros, making him a dynasty-only fantasy option.
Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell said the team does not “have any feelings on competition” when asked about the quarterback room.
O’Connell was asked about a potential quarterback competition on the Rich Eisen Show Wednesday and was unclear on whether J.J. McCarthy would have to compete to start. He said, “we’ve got an obligation as coaches to put our players in position to attack that competition phase.” O’Connell discussed first putting Brett Rypien and the newly acquired Sam Howell in a position to play before any competition would occur. He continued that McCarthy is “owning it” this offseason and is taking snaps from starting center Ryan Kelly. After missing last season with a torn meniscus, McCarthy has been ramping up workouts in the offseason and is the front-runner to start for the Vikings in 2025. As of now, Howell looks to be reinforcement at the backup spot in case it turns out McCarthy is not ready to start.
Texans re-signed DT Foley Fatukasi.
Fatukasi initially joined the Texans last offseason on a one-year contract. The 30-year-old was a rotational defensive lineman, tallying four tackles for loss and one sack. He returns to Houston for 2025, where he will be a part of a deep Texans front seven.
NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reports Tyreek Hill’s second wrist surgery was part of the original plan and his timeline remains unchanged.
Hill announced the second surgery on social media and Pelissero quickly added some context to the situation. The speedy receiver suffered the wrist injury just before the start of the season and it lingered throughout the year, though he never missed a game because of it. If the second surgery truly is a non-story, an offseason to recover might be what Hill needs to return to form after a down 2024 season. On the other hand, Hill is 31 years old, played his worst football last year, and his offense prioritized targets for Jonnu Smith and De’Von Achane. As it stands, Hill might have the highest risk-reward split in fantasy drafts.