Quarterbacks

Mac Jones (NE; FAAB Bid: 6-7%) I’m a Patriots fan and even I have seen tweets from Pro Football Focus where they tweet out Mac’s PPF grade and all the analytical stuff and I’m thinking “I just don’t see it.” He’s looked good. He’s effectively run the offense well. Earlier in the season he was struggling to finish drives and looked like a rookie. That’s expected. But on Sunday we really saw him shine and it was against a decent defense (that’s a somewhat subjective statement) in Cleveland. The passing volume wasn’t there for Jones, but he looked every bit the part of an NFL quarterback. He completed 19-of-23 pass attempts for only 198 yards, but he connected for three touchdowns as well. New England has won four straight games and they get the Falcons on Thursday before enduring a slightly more difficult schedule after Thanksgiving. But he’s getting better and better as the season progresses. 

Tua Tagovailoa (MIA; FAAB Bid: 6%) There aren’t many quarterback options available this week to feel great about. But with the Dolphins playing last Thursday, there’s extra time for Tua to heal up. Even though he didn’t start last week’s game, he came on in relief and threw for 158 yards and ran in a touchdown. The Dolphins play the Jets next week and while this could be an ugly game all around, the Jets have allowed five straight quarterbacks to throw for at least 250 yards and multiple touchdowns.

Cam Newton (CAR; FAAB Bid: 5-6%) Newton made his triumphant return to the Panthers this week and despite the late week signing, he made an impact in the first quarter running in for a touchdown and then he’d also throw for a touchdown as well. The usage was minimal, but with Sam Darnold hurt (and being terrible) there’s an opportunity for Newton to rekindle the old flame in Carolina. Give him a full week of practice to get ready and let’s see what he can do against Washington next week.

Running Backs

A.J. Dillon (GB; FAAB Bid: 35+%) There is a very good chance Dillon is not available in your league. He’s rostered in about 72% of Yahoo! leagues, but he is available in about 40% of ESPN leagues. The early belief is Aaron Jones sustained a MCL sprain on Sunday, which really opened the door for Dillon. Dillon took the reins and found the end zone twice on Sunday while collecting over 100 total yards. If he somehow is available in your leagues, yes he’s worth the top waiver bid and you should spend a fat portion of your FAAB on him.

Rhamondre Stevenson (NE; FAAB Bid: 15-20%) Unlike Dillon, Stevenson is largely available everywhere. And he looked fantastic on Sunday. He rushed for 100 yards on 20 carries and found the end zone twice. The fact that he was involved in the passing game was a pleasant surprise. He was actually more involved than we’ve typically seen Damien Harris in the passing game. The bad news is that when Damien Harris returns we have to assume he gets his full workload or he at least gets a majority of the carries. Players don’t typically lose their job because of injury and as great as Stevenson looked, he didn’t outright take this job. Regardless, I still expect him to be among the most added waiver wire options this week.

D'Onta Foreman (TEN; FAAB Bid: 10-3%) I’m not overly ecstatic about adding Foreman, nor do I want to spend a premium on him regarding my FAAB. However, he looked like the lead running back for Tennessee on Sunday. He had 13 total touches for 78 total yards in just his second appearance this year with the Titans. He, Adrian Peterson, and Jeremy McNichols basically split the snaps out of the backfield, but Foreman led the team in carries so that’s somewhat of a promising sign.

Devonta Freeman (BAL; FAAB Bid: 10%) The Ravens looked awful on Thursday night. It was certainly a massive letdown from a fantasy perspective as we all believed the Ravens would win with ease. That certainly wasn’t the case but at least Freeman continued to shoulder most of the work in the Baltimore backfield even if his streak of scoring in three straight games came to an end. Some difficult divisional matchups are on the horizon down the line, but Freeman should continue to see his ownership rise based on the workload he’s getting.

Jordan Howard and Boston Scott (PHI; FAAB Bid: 7-10%) Sunday marked the third straight game where Howard rushed at least 12 times and while he didn’t find the end zone he did put up 83 yards. Boston Scott saw double-digit carries as well and was more involved in the passing attack, which is to be expected. I don’t expect a ton of consistency from the Eagles offense going forward, but we can expect Howard to continue to get at least a dozen carries every week and if the Eagles are trailing that should increase Scott’s usage as well. Actually starting them is going to be a completely different puzzle to solve each week.

Matt Breida (BUF; FAAB Bid: 3-4%) I’m perfectly fine adding Matt Breida. However, I no longer feel great about starting any Bills running back. I told a ton of people to play Zack Moss last week and it was an awful call. Luckily he scored and salvaged some of the day, but overall if this backfield turns into a three-headed monster I’m not going to feel confident starting any of them. But Breida’s involvement this week naturally catches our attention especially since he scored twice. But again, the three key components in this backfield all scored. So I’ll reiterate that he can be added, I just don’t know if I’ll start him yet.

Wayne Gallman (ATL; FAAB Bid: 3-4%) Gallman is worth a speculative add as he led the team in carries on Sunday, but at the same time that was very dependent on the game script since the Falcons were out of this one basically from the beginning. Given that Cordarrelle Patterson could miss Thursday’s game, there’s more intrigue in Gallman, but the matchup against New England is worrisome.

Wide Receivers 

Elijah Moore (NYJ; FAAB Bid: 10-11%) Moore has now scored three times in two games, and four times in his last four games. In that span he also has at least six targets in each contest. The yardage totals have been so-so thus far, but we’re seeing the Jets actively try and get the ball in his hands. The Jets have matchups against Miami, Houston, and Philadelphia coming up and these could be prime spots for Moore to keep coming through for fantasy.

Rashod Bateman (BAL; FAAB Bid: 8-10%) I must be the only person thinking a potential breakout game is coming. Sure, Bateman was quiet for most of Thursday’s game against Miami, but the offense finally started clicking when he was getting looks late in the game. He now has back-to-back games with eight targets and he has at least six targets in all four of his games. He hasn’t found the end zone yet, but clearly the offense gets things going when Bateman’s involved.

Van Jefferson (LAR; FAAB Bid: 5%) Following the acquisition of Odell Beckham Jr., the stock was pretty low on Jefferson. Following the injury to Robert Woods late last week, the stock was quickly back up and he was quickly snatched off waivers. However, as OBJ gets up to speed with the playbook you have to imagine they get him more involved with the offense and you still have to account for Tyler Higbee’s workload. Jefferson is still liked by this coaching staff and with the injuries to Woods and the departure of DeSean Jackson, there’s still a chance for him to carve out a larger role than we’ve previously seen.

Robby Anderson (CAR; FAAB Bid: 4-5%) We haven’t really seen that massive big play upside from Anderson since Week 1. But with Cam Newton returning to Carolina, maybe we see him get more looks because Sam Darnold certainly wasn’t helping the cause. As the Panthers mixed PJ Walker and Newton into the game, Anderson finished with four catches on six targets and he found the end zone. Newton will work with the first-team offense this week so it sounds like he’s in line to start against Washington. Let’s see what happens from here…

Gabriel Davis (BUF; FAAB Bid: 2%) Davis isn’t a slam dunk because at full strength he’s maybe the fifth pass catching option in this offense behind Stefon Diggs, Cole Beasley, Emmanuel Sanders, and Dawson Knox. But Beasley was limited all week with a rib injury and he didn’t play a single snap in the second half while the Bills were blowing out the Jets. But Davis did gain over 100 receiving yards. Granted, he only saw three targets and clearly made the most of them. When Beasley’s at full strength we should expect to see his usual workload and double-digit targets. But Davis is a guy I had on my radar in July and August and while it’s clear he’s pretty far down on the depth chart, he’s worth having on your radar.

Josh Gordon (KC; FAAB Bid: 2%) Gordon has made no impact so far during his tenure with the Chiefs. He certainly hasn’t been a must add by any means, but Sunday night’s involvement was a good sign of things that could possibly come to be. Did he get a target? Nope. But he was on the field for 33 offensive snaps and he ran more routes than Mecole Hardman. If the Chiefs continue to get Gordon reps then we can assume they’ll want to get him more targets as he becomes more familiar with the offense… But we’ve heard this story before. 

Marcus Johnson (TEN; FAAB Bid: 1-2%) Likely only a deep league add, Johnson looked like the best positional player on Tennessee in Week 10. Granted, a lot of the success can be credited to the matchup, but he gets another solid matchup next week as well. Julio Jones is on IR which means he’ll miss the next couple games for Tennessee and Johnson just caught five passes for 100 yards. If he regresses to being nothing more than depth at the position for Tennessee then he’s a drop that costs you nothing, but the opportunity for him to excel is certainly there. 

Tight Ends

Hunter Henry (NE; FAAB Bid: 10-12%) Tight End is a very touchdown dependent position. I briefly mentioned this to my dear friend, Hants, in the NFL Season Long channel Sunday morning when discussing Dan Arnold vs. Dawson Knox. The good news is that Henry plays this position that is so dependent on scoring, and yet, he keeps scoring. He has seven touchdowns in his last seven games including two on Sunday in a game the Patriots routed the Browns. The downside with Henry is that over that span he’s only averaging 35 receiving yards per game. So if he isn’t getting into the end zone then the reality is that he could be punishing your lineup. Like I said, it’s a touchdown dependent position.

Dan Arnold (JAC; FAAB Bid: 10-12%) Unlike Henry, Arnold isn’t as touchdown dependent. Entering Sunday, here’s how Arnold ranked among tight ends over his last four games:

  • Targets: Third
  • Catches: Third
  • Yards: Fifth

Now he had a bit of a slow start to Sunday’s game against the Colts, but ultimately he still finished with a strong stat line of five catches on seven targets for 67 yards, and he converted on a two-point conversion. I truly hope this is last call on Arnold because he’s too good to constantly appear in this article.

Adam Trautman (NO; FAAB Bid: 4-5%) Since the Saints were forced into starting a new quarterback following Jameis Winston’s injury, Trautman has seen an increased role in the offense. Trevor Siemian isn’t very good as he makes some questionable decisions on the field. But one decision that isn’t questionable is the attention he gives to Trautman. He has at least six targets in three straight games and nine catches over his last two. Things are finally looking up for Trautman.

Cole Kmet (CHI; FAAB Bid: 3-5%) If you miss out on Henry or Arnold, Kmet is a decent consolation prize. Considering the Bears are coming off their bye week, Kmet may be a forgotten commodity. In Week 9 against Pittsburgh, he caught six-of-eight targets for 87 yards and overall he’s been trending in the right direction. Obviously prioritize either of the two players mentioned at the top of this section, but take note of Kmet’s involvement in the offense as its certainly grown in recent weeks. 

Defense/Special Teams

Miami Dolphins – Why not grasp at the low hanging fruit? The Dolphins visit the Jets this week and the only thing I don’t like about this matchup is the fact that it’s on the road. But for fantasy purposes, the Jets have given up double-digit fantasy points to D/ST’s on five occasions this year and Miami has forced nine sacks and six turnovers over their last two weeks including a very impressive performance last Thursday against the Ravens. A date with the Jets is an easy way to log their third straight week with double-digit fantasy points.

Tennessee Titans – The Titans are still available in a fair amount of leagues and they get the very best matchup on paper this week. The Texans offense allows 9.1 fantasy points to opposing D/ST’s and since Week Three they’ve allowed double-digit fantasy points in five of their last seven games. Houston will be coming off a bye but this defense has really come into its own the last few weeks and they’re one of the best streamers to consider this week.

San Francisco 49ers – Truthfully, this could be a trap. This matchup alone is worth mentioning because the 49ers will travel to Jacksonville and the Jags are a mess offensively. Jacksonville allows an average of 8.8 fantasy points to opposing D/ST’s and in their three games coming off their Bye they’ve allowed 12, 9, and 14 points. San Francisco surprisingly held the Rams to just ten points last night so maybe this is a trend we could see continue. But I am mildly concerned about the travel narrative here as this will feel like a 10:00am game for the 49ers.