Fantasy football offers managers the excitement of strategizing weekly lineups, making each matchup a fresh puzzle to solve. Every week brings with it new opportunities and challenges, forcing players to reconsider their picks as team dynamics and defensive matchups shift.
Some players emerge as enticing options, while others may be best avoided based on their usage trends and the strengths of opposing defenses. The key to winning in fantasy football often lies in making bold calls and staying one step ahead of the competition.
Start ‘Em: Quentin Johnston, Los Angeles Chargers (vs. PIT)
Quentin Johnston bounced back after his Week 8 goose egg to post 15.3 fantasy points, his highest total since Week 4. Unfortunately, the peripherals remain uninspiring. Johnston’s five targets marked his third consecutive game with six or fewer. He skated by for fantasy purposes because he caught a touchdown.
Fortunately, this week appears to be one where Johnston will be Justin Herbert’s preferred option. The entire Los Angeles Chargers passing game should thrive against a Steelers pass funnel defense. But they particularly struggle against wide receivers, allowing the second-most fantasy points per game to the position. Parsing it down even further, they are especially bad against outside receivers.
Last week, Alec Pierce managed to go off for 115 yards on six receptions against this defense. Johnston is the Chargers’ version of Pierce.
Ladd McConkey has reestablished himself as the Chargers’ top receiver, especially with Keenan Allen starting to fade. But this week smells very much like a QJ game.
Jameson Williams, Detroit Lions (at WAS)
Let’s chase more points, shall we? Jameson Williams has been a major disappointment this season, following his breakout 2024 campaign. During the Detroit Lions’ bye week, though, offensive coordinator John Morton apologized for not doing enough to get Williams the ball.
The Lions had an embarrassing home loss to the Vikings last week, but Williams got the ball. He caught four passes for 66 yards and a touchdown.
Williams has now either scored at least 16.6 fantasy points or fewer than 6.6 fantasy points in every game. He epitomizes boom or bust.
This week, let’s gamble it’s a boom week against a Washington Commanders defense that was just torched by the likes of Tory Horton and Cody White (who is definitely a real player I knew existed before he caught a 60 yard touchdown on Sunday night).
Washington is allowing the sixth-most fantasy points per game to wide receivers. They just lost Jayden Daniels again, which will undoubtedly negatively impact their motivation. This is a disappointing lost season for the Commanders.
Expect the Lions to bounce back hugely this week and lay it on the Commanders. I think they score at least four touchdowns. There’s a decent chance Williams catches one of them.
Sit ‘Em: Khalil Shakir, Buffalo Bills (at MIA)
Khalil Shakir’s name absolutely belongs in the running for the biggest PPR scam of the 2025 season. The man’s average depth of target is barely over four yards. Everything is near or behind the line of scrimmage.
The way the Buffalo Bills utilize Shakir makes him heavily reliant on volume. My fear is that there won’t be much of it this week.
When the Bills played the Miami Dolphins back in Week 3, Shakir only saw four targets. He caught all of them for 45 yards and a touchdown, salvaging his fantasy outing. But the volume was not there. I’m expecting something similar this week.
The Dolphins know their season is over. They are not making the playoffs. This team is going nowhere. The Bills should absolutely hammer this team.
Miami is allowing the fifth-most fantasy points per game of running backs. James Cook has elevated his game to a level we’ve never seen from him before. He is seeing the field so well. Cook is going to torch the Dolphins on the ground this week, which will result in Josh Allen not needing to do much. That, in turn, will lead to an underwhelming outing from his No. 1 receiver.
Alec Pierce, Indianapolis Colts (vs. ATL)
Prior to last week’s 115-yard explosion, Alec Pierce averaged 23 fewer receiving yards per game with Josh Downs active than without him. Naturally, fantasy managers may be inclined to believe Pierce is taking a step forward into perhaps an every-week startable fantasy asset.
Last week was a unique situation for the Colts, as Daniel Jones was forced to attempt 50 passes. His previous season high was 34. That’s essentially an extra half-game’s worth of volume.
The Colts are unlikely to experience an extreme negative game script like that again, certainly not at home against the Falcons.
Atlanta is allowing the 11th-fewest fantasy points per game to wide receivers. Pierce is likely to draw a lot of A.J. Terrell. The Falcons are a run funnel, which plays perfectly into Jonathan Taylor’s hands. Expect a huge bounce-back performance from him as the Colts trounce the Falcons via the ground game, limiting what Pierce needs to do on the outside.