Fantasy football is always evolving, and this week brings plenty of storylines that’ll get your attention across the NFL landscape. Whether you’re searching for that sleeper pick, aiming for the right flex play, or hunting for trends that can win your matchup, there’s plenty to consider.

Expect some unexpected twists as teams adjust, create opportunities, and shift strategy late in the season. If you play, keep your eyes open—this is the kind of week that can change everything for your fantasy football team.

A.J. Brown | PHI (at GB)

Ahead of Week 8, we got news that A.J. Brown was unlikely to be traded, in addition to an update on his hamstring injury, which had cost him the game before the bye.

To me, that sounds like a playoff team that views Brown as a key cog in their desire to repeat, and that’s obviously reassuring given the social antics of their WR1 over the past month.

He missed every practice that week, and even with that being the case, we got reports prior to kickoff that the “hope” was that Brown would be active for this game.

We’ve seen these physical, big-play receivers do damage against the Pack (George Pickens got them for 33.4 PPR points in Week 4 and Ja’Marr Chase 25.1 in Week 6), making this one of those “if he plays, you play him” spots.

Alec Pierce | IND (vs ATL)

Alec Pierce doesn’t own the most stable of skill sets, but he has cleared 65 receiving yards in five of his past six games and is fresh off a career-high 13 targets in Pittsburgh.

Part of that was game script, but the target rate has made significant growth for a second consecutive season, and that opens up a world of possibilities for one of the better big-play makers in the league.

Yes, the fact that 60% of his looks this season come 15+ yards down the field naturally brings with it a low floor. And yes, Atlanta boasting the second-highest blitz rate in the league makes those sorts of routes less valuable.

That said, it only takes one.

This season, Pierce is averaging 24.1 yards per blitzed reception.

Pierce is my highest-ranked receivers who rely heavily on the deep ball, and that’s typically going to land him in the WR30-35 range. He’s a fantasy matchup play for me: if you need upside from your flex, I’d go this way. If not, I wouldn’t.

Amon-Ra St. Brown | DET (at WAS)

Four straight games with 9+ targets is great to see, and while he’s only scored once in those games, he did have two end zone targets and a red zone completion while in that slot that nearly ended in six points.

You were fortunate to run hot on the scoring front early in the season, and now you’re seeing the flip side of that coin.

It happens. Touchdowns come and go, but volume lasts forever.

St. Brown is a threat to lead the position in opportunities every week that he takes the field. It’s possible that he comes in underowned in the DFS streets this week due to the number of viable pieces around him and some game script concerns: if that’s the case, you can bet you’ll find me heavily invested in Detroit’s WR1.

Brandon Aiyuk | SF (vs LAR)

The 49ers were hoping for a mid-October return for Brandon Aiyuk, a former first-round pick who had ranked 11th in the NFL with 2,357 yards from the start of 2022 to the end of 2023, but that now sounds like a pipe dream with his status being labeled as “not close” in the middle of last month.

By getting some clarity on the health front in the first half of August, we were at least able to enter drafts with some sort of plan. Aiyuk is hanging out on your IR slot for the time being, meaning that he is not costing you a roster spot and thus isn’t taking much win equity off of your plate early on.

In a perfect world, his injury recovery would have taken us past the San Francisco bye week, but it doesn’t (Week 14 bye). That said, a fully functional Aiyuk coming down the stretch for an offense that needs an alpha WR in a favorable stretch (Titans, Colts, and Bears in Weeks 15-17) could be the piece that swings your fantasy postseason.

This injury was priced into Aiyuk’s cost at your draft, so there’s no point in trying to trade for him now. But what if his manager starts slow? What if panic mode sets in before we have a definitive return date?

I’m making a mental note of who has Aiyuk rostered and tracking their status, preparing to pounce should the losses pile up. We are nearing the point in the process where a low-ball offer could be mutually beneficial, so keep your head on a swivel.

Brian Thomas Jr. | JAX (at HOU)

Brian Thomas failed to complete a splash play early last week. In a situation where high-upside targets are difficult to come by, the loss of an opportunity can be paralyzing.

An ankle injury resulted in an early exit for BTJ from the win over the Raiders, putting further into question his ability to produce remotely viable numbers the rest of the way.

For the season, Thomas has a 50% catch rate and hasn’t had a red zone touch since Week 1. The profile is lacking substance, and if not for the success experienced during his rookie season, we probably would have moved on from Jacksonville’s talented WR1 by now.

I’m not saying that’s the right move. Travis Hunter is out for at least another three weeks, and that puts a high-end talent in position to see double-digit looks if healthy.

But be careful in assuming that some sort of breakout is coming.

This offense is flawed at various levels, and that’s unlikely to change moving forward. Thomas’s health needs to be tracked, but even if he’s a full go, this is the third-best deep ball defense in the league (9.4 YPA, NFL average: 11.7).

Chris Godwin | TB (vs NE)

There are times to be proactive and times to be reactive.

Given that this fibula injury continues to be an issue, I believe we have no choice but to be the latter when it comes to Chris Godwin.

With 52 yards on 14 targets this season, we really don’t know what to expect when he’s on the field. Mayfield is more than capable of providing him with opportunities, but if his body isn’t holding up, we can’t justify rolling the dice.

Might Godwin return to form in December as the Bucs look to position themselves in terms of seeding? It could happen, and if it does, I’ll be all-in on him as a starter. Tampa Bay has yet to face the Panthers and has late-season games against the Cardinals and Dolphins in addition to those favorable spots.

This is a pretty clear wait-and-see situation. You have nothing to gain by trying to be early to the party: let Godwin show you he is healthy, and then act, not the other way around.

Chris Olave | NO (at CAR)

Chris Olave’s calling card has been elite volume this season; it’s really that simple.

The New Orleans offense has been bogged down for much of the season, but their willingness to funnel volume to their alpha WR1 has allowed him to stay afloat for our purposes.

But I’m worried.

Or, at least, I was. Before Tuesday.

Rashid Shaheed had posted better target-per-route numbers in both games in which Tyler Shough has appeared, and that change under center is here to stay, but he’s now in Seattle.

This has been a concentrated offense all season long, and that scheme is here to stay, but now, one of those target magnets is out of the mix.

Olave was a flex for me prior to the Shaheed deal: he’s now sitting at WR16 for this weekend.

Christian Kirk | HOU (vs JAX)

Christian Kirk is filling the slot on over 68% of his routes this season, something we assumed would be the case, but it hasn’t mattered.

Sure, he’s earned eight targets in two of his four games (both of the losses), but 5.6 yards per target this season is a tough sell when you have a profile that lacks a single red zone or end zone target.

What Kirk has put forth when on the field this season doesn’t demand he be rostered. That’s not to say you cut him for any warm body; he’s still on the field for the majority of Houston snaps, and this passing game needs some threat to move the chains next to Nico Collins.

I’m holding out hope that he can use these two favorable matchups (Tennessee next week) to carve out more of a niche that sees him scoring in double figures on a weekly basis for the stretch run (home games against the Cardinals and Raiders in Weeks 15-16 have my attention).

Christian Watson | GB (vs PHI)

Well, we are two games into the Christian Watson experience this season, and I think we have a good idea of what we have.

He’s posted a sub-17% target share in each of those contests and has a 23.1-yard aDOT across the eight targets he’s earned.

That’s a small sample for 2022, but we know that, when healthy, this is what Watson is. The Matthew Stafford injury opens up an opportunity, but as Jordan Love continues to mature, I become less confident in a player like this.

Think about Buffalo, another strong team that largely operates with a democratic target approach. When was the last time you felt good about “insert deep threat” on a weekly basis?

They’ve made the effort, but it hasn’t panned out. Watson hauled in a 51-yard bomb last week against the Panthers as Love identified single coverage and took his shot, but for every one of those, there’s a near triple coverage situation that results in a pick, an exact situation we saw over the weekend.

It appears that Love wants to keep defenses honest with at least the threat of the long pass, and Watson is positioned well to be the WR running under those attempts. That makes the burner, for as long as he’s healthy, a reasonable flex dart throw in times of need, but not someone that you should be holding out hope for in terms of a consistent producer.

Only the Broncos have allowed a lower percentage of deep targets to be completed this season than the Eagles (34.4%, league average: 43.9%), and that means I’m waiting for another week to tempt fate with this volatile profile.

Cooper Kupp | SEA (vs ARI)

A lower-body injury kept Cooper Kupp out of Sunday night’s beatdown of the Commanders, and Tory Horton took advantage with a pair of scores.

It’ll hurt because of the name value, but there’s no numerical reason to be holding onto Kupp at this point. The one-time star has no more than two receptions in the majority of his games this season and has scored just a single touchdown.

Sam Darnold has played as well as you could possibly ask, and Kupp hasn’t been worth anything to us (zero top 20 finishes).

Courtland Sutton | DEN (vs LV)

Courtland Sutton was locked up for much of Week 9 by Derek Stingley and this Houston defense, but all it takes is one.

He beat Stingley on a go route, a spot where the Pro Bowl corner seemed to believe that he had help over the top, and converted a 30-yard pass into a TD.

The play resulted in Sutton’s first TD since September, and I fear that the inconsistencies are here to stay.

Week 4: 9.2-yard aDOT
Week 5: 10.5-yard aDOT
Week 6: 11.7-yard aDOT
Week 7: 12.4-yard aDOT
Week 8: 16.0-yard aDOT
Week 9: 22.0-yard aDOT

The Raiders allow the 10th-most yards per deep pass attempt this season, making it possible that Sutton rips off a chunk gain, but they also own the sixth-lowest touchdown rate on such throws.

The worry here is more long-term than Week 10. I expect Bo Nix to be comfortable in this spot, and that makes his WR1 a viable low-end WR2 in the fantasy world. But against a defense like the Chiefs (Denver faces Kansas City next week and heads to Arrowhead in Week 17), the low floor certainly becomes a concern.

Darius Slayton | NYG (at CHI)

Not all steps forward carry with them strong production.

Darius Slayton caught five passes for 62 yards last week against the Niners, production that may not initially catch your eye, but upon further review, I’m a bit interested.

The catch count was the result of increased efficiency, which was made possible thanks to an aDOT that was his lowest since Jaxson Dart took over. It wasn’t low, but lower (13.3 after three straight games north of 14.5).

Given that the Giants lack healthy playmakers, a shallower route tree shouldn’t be surprising, and it opens up a more enticing profile.

Include the fact that Slayton saw two end zone targets in the loss after having seen a total of one prior, and you’ve got yourself a recipe for a receiver in the flex mix. The slight tweak in role gives us some stability, but it doesn’t remove the splash plays from his profile.

Wan’Dale Robinson remains the most reliable on this roster, but both are hovering around my top 30 at the position, and that means both can be played if you’re in need.

Darnell Mooney | ATL (at IND)

The idea of a secondary pass catcher next to Drake London’s tracks, but with only two catches on 70 routes over the past two weeks, suggests a lack of involvement that simply doesn’t happen to a player worthy of our interest.

Darnell Mooney is filling a field-stretching role, and it seems to be more of a decoy mold than anything else. His 15.7-yard aDOT suggests to me that Atlanta is running him in straight lines and hoping that the occasional shot to him opens up everything else.

I’m not sure this is a great plan, but I know it doesn’t do anything for us.

Mooney played every offensive snap last week, and it resulted in next to nothing for us. I’m giving him at least one more week, as this is a game where the expectation is for them to be playing from behind. But his spot at the end of rosters should not be viewed as safe.

Davante Adams | LAR (at SF)

Davante Adams’ target equity increases when Puka Nacua is in and out of the lineup, but the types of targets don’t really change.

He’s racked up 100+ air yards in six of his past seven games and has seen multiple end zone looks in three straight. His 33rd birthday is approaching, but nothing in his profile suggests that Father Time is looming.

Adams led the Rams in receiving yards (88) in the first meeting with these Cardinals, and getting him to 15-ish PPR points isn’t asking for much. Assuming that Nacua is a full go, I’ll have two Rams comfortable inside of my top 15 at the position. If that’s not the case, Adams could push as high as WR6 in my Week 10 rankings.

DeAndre Hopkins | BAL (at MIN)

The veteran receiver carries an impressive resume, and with Jackson back in a big way, you might feel the impulse to go this direction as a back-of-roster filler that can be used to chase a touchdown if pressed into such a need.

I think you can do better.

Hopkins hasn’t run 20 routes in a game this season and has been twice as likely to check in under 10 as over 15. I’m not against the idea of Todd Monken having specific packages for the future Hall of Famer, but if you’re playing him banking on a target or two paying off, your risk analysis math is off.

I’d rather take my chances with a sporadic tight end that is at least on the field routinely than to go this route.

Deebo Samuel Sr. | WAS (vs DET)

So far this season, Deebo Samuel has run 62 routes with Marcus Mariota under center, earning 15 targets in the process (11 catches for 94 yards).

The volume is good to see, especially if Terry McLaurin continues to be hampered by this quad injury, and the 49ers have shifted more backfield usage onto their offensive weapon when the backup is under center.

That assures us of nothing, but if Washington is going to be the least bit competitive in this game, they will need to feature Samuel in a significant way.

I suspect we get a high dropback game from Mariota, and with the target rate that we’ve seen from Samuel, I’m projecting him for 5-6 catches for 50-60 yards with a few rushing attempts and the potential to break a big play if things connect just right.

I think you can get by with Samuel as your flex this week. The production likely won’t jump off the page at you, but I think his role is stable enough, and this offense is needy enough to back him into a viable week in all formats.

DeMario Douglas | NE (at TB)

I’m sorry if you missed DeMario Douglas’ 20 PPR points last week, but chasing that production is dangerous.

We are looking at a receiver who stands 5’8″ and averages under 11 yards per catch for his career, but somehow has a 40+ yard reception in consecutive games.

I’m here for the idea that the Drake Maye tide can raise all boats, but trading volume for chunk plays doesn’t seem like the best option in this instance.

Maybe the Kayshon Boutte injury will open up some usage (the per-route numbers are encouraging). If not, Douglas is a part-time player experiencing an unsustainable run of success.

For the season, he’s been on the field for 29.5% of New England’s offensive snaps, and I don’t care how good you believe Maye to be: a sub-30% role is far more risk than I’m willing to plug into my lineup.

For me, he’s Parker Washington, but with a slightly lesser role, which has him ranking outside my top 40 at the position.

DeVonta Smith | PHI (at GB)

I think you have to play either Eagle receiver and take your chances.

Green Bay rarely surrenders production to multiple pass catchers in a game, but they will give up a big WR game every once in a while.

Is it a DeVonta Smith or an AJ Brown week?

Good luck.

They have matching 12.1-yard average depths of target this season, with Smith holding the slight edge (25.5% to 23.5%) in percentage of targets that come deep downfield.

Normally, I’d lean the side of size in a spot like this where I’m chasing the big play, but for every George Pickens/Ja’Marr Chase that has overachieved against the Packers this season, there’s a Deebo Samuel/Rhamondre Stevenson.

Smith has out-targeted Brown in each of their past two games, but his target variance is a bit higher, and that’s why he’s a middling WR2 for me this week, half a dozen spots lower in my positional ranks.

DJ Moore | CHI (vs NYG)

It was kind of a weird week to get the “Let Ben Johnson Cook” narrative going, as a standard offensive attack can do damage against the Bengals, but it was good to see the head coach show us confidence in DJ Moore.

The six targets and 72 receiving yards were nothing special, but how about a 17-yard run and a two-yard touchdown pass?

Not repeatable, but not things you trust just anyone to do.

Better days are ahead for Rome Odunze, and a true Colston Loveland breakout would make it tough for Moore to have access to much of a ceiling. But if the rookie tight end is more average than extraordinary, I still think there’s a path for Moore to offer a high-floor profile that lands him as a strong flex more often than not.

The Giants have dialed back their defensive aggression of late (19.2% blitz rate since Week 5 after posting a 31.8% rate in September), and that allows a refined route runner like Moore to find gaps in coverage.

He’s a good bet to reach double-figure PPR points without a touchdown, and his scoring equity is trending in the right direction if the Bears use last week as a launching pad.

DK Metcalf | PIT (at LAC)

After years of relying on deep targets, we were ready for DK Metcalf’s aDOT to be dialed back a bit, but this is too much.

The alpha WR1 saw a total of 10 air yards during Sunday’s upset win over the Colts. His aDOT for the season is down 19.6% from last season, with just 17% of his looks coming 15+ yards downfield (2021: 43.5%).

Metcalf has been held under 12 expected PPR points. While his raw ability allows him to surpass expectations more often than others, his floor is certainly low for a player who has no real target competition.

He’s a low-end WR2 at best, that is, in my opinion, more likely to bust than to boom in any given week. You can play him if your roster lacks WR depth, but I’d caution against doing it blindly: benching Metcalf isn’t a crazy thought.

Dontayvion Wicks | GB (vs PHI)

The calf injury continued to keep Dontayvion Wicks sidelined over the weekend, and given the number of viable threats in this passing game, you’d have to be in an awfully tight spot to consider holding on.

The third-year man hasn’t reached 45 receiving yards in a game this season and has one touchdown to his name over the past calendar year.

I’m not sure we know who the right answer is when it comes to WR1 duties in Green Bay, but we know that Wicks’ hype isn’t in the ring.

Drake London | ATL (at IND)

Drake London outscored every other receiver by 5.7 PPR points last week, and if you flip on the game film, I’m telling you that the performance he put forth Sunday in New England was even more impressive than that.

From sharp routes to high-pointing the ball, he was virtually unstoppable against a defense with a shutdown corner and the ability to make your offense one-dimensional.

London has a quarterback problem, that much we know, but with 10+ targets being funneled his way in four straight, who are we to complain?

His recent run is similar to what Nico Collins has experienced in the past and serves as a nice reminder that he deserves to be considered among the top 10 talents at the position. Only time will tell if Atlanta can find a quarterback who unlocks consistent Tier 1 production from him: he’s a lineup lock every week, and this matchup abroad doesn’t provide me with a moment of pause.

If you roster London, I think you’ll want to delay your morning plans a bit to watch him get your team off to a good start in Germany.

Emeka Egbuka | TB (vs NE)

A hamstring has slowed down the efficiency of Emek Egbuka over his past two games (33.3% catch rate with zero touchdowns), but with the bye week to get right, I think you can feel fine about playing him in this tough matchup.

Some will look at his recent box scores, see 16.1 PPR points across two games, and assume some sort of rookie wall is approaching.

I’m not buying it.

During these “struggles,” he’s earned a 28.4% target share and has just missed on a few chunk plays. Due to all of the injuries on the offensive side of the ball, Egbuka has been tasked with navigating role changes and offensive pivots during his first two months as a pro.

Combine that with defenses now having tape on him, and I think his ability to earn volume at a high level is much more impressive and predictive than the recent underwhelming final lines are concerning.

New England is a strong defense across the board, and Christian Gonzalez looms large, but if they are turned into a one-dimensional unit, I trust the combination of volume and raw talent. It’s very clear that Baker Mayfield is comfortable with this rookie deciding the fate of the drive, and that’s good enough for me.

Garrett Wilson | NYJ (vs CLE)

The hope is that Garrett Wilson (knee) is good to go coming out of the bye. While betting on the passing attack of the Jets isn’t exactly an optimal way to spend a Sunday, he has seen at least eight targets in every game he’s played this season and we have seen a receiver per week get home against the stingy Browns.

In fact, in five of their past seven games, Cleveland has allowed a WR to score at least 16.5 PPR points, production that Wilson managers would take in a heartbeat. If there’s a New York receiver that is going to flirt with that total, there’s no debate as to who it’ll be and even if Wilson comes up just shy of that number, he’ll prove worthy of starting.

I’ve got him ranked just ahead of Deebo Samuel (vs. DET) and behind Jaylen Waddle (vs. BUF) if we are stacking up talented receivers with iffy QB situations against one another.

Jakobi Meyers | LV (at DEN)

In all of our praising of Brock Bowers, can we pour one out for those of us with stock tied up in Jakobi Meyers?

Not so fast!

That was my initial impression of his stock following the massive performance from the Raider TE, but on Tuesday, he was dealt to a Jacksonville team that has Travis Etienne on IR for at least the next three weeks and is trying to make a run after the Steelers made the Colts bleed their own blood last week.

No matter what you think about Trevor Lawrence, this is a situational upgrade for Meyers.

He’ll have to outperform Parker Washington, but I think he will win that battle over time. The banged-up nature of this WR room opens up more targets than I had him projected for with the Raiders, and that gives him the potential to be a top 30 receiver moving forward.

Personally, I’m slow-playing this. I’ve got him ranked ahead of Washington, but outside of my top 30 this week as he gets worked up to speed. The Jags have a two-week stretch coming up, where they face the Cardinals and Titans in consecutive weeks. They also draw the Jets in Week 15, which is typically the first round of the playoffs in most leagues.

Jalen Coker | CAR (vs NO)

Jalen Coker has essentially been splitting the WR2 duties in this offense with Xavier Legette, and that removes all interest from his profile.

He was on the field for two-thirds of Panther snaps last week against the Packers, and that strong rate landed him one single target.

If this team can stay competitive, they are running the ball at a high rate; if not, Young’s passing volume is sporadic.

There’s not really a script that works into Coker’s favor given the structure of this offense, and that means he’s nothing more than a waiver wire option in year-long leagues, a DFS punt among punts at best.

Jameson Williams | DET (at WAS)

The sprawling 37-yard touchdown reminded us of the elite athletic profile that Jameson Williams has access to, fueling his third 15+ point performance of the season.

You were rewarded if you rolled the dice last week, but I still have my concerns. On one hand, I’m encouraged by the shortening of his aDOT (9.2 last week, 15.0 for the season). But on the other hand, I’m worried about the reactionary nature of NFL teams.

Williams has four games with a single-digit aDOT this season, and Detroit has dropped three of them. I’m not ready to say that the gravity that comes from him running vertically opens up everything else, but it wouldn’t shock me if the Lions are reading a stat like that in that fashion.

At the end of the day, we are talking about a high-pedigree player who is attached to one of the five best offenses in the league. You could do worse, but I had dreams of Williams being a locked-in WR2 at this point, and he simply isn’t.

Jauan Jennings | SF (vs LAR)

Among all 49ers not named McCaffrey, Jauan Jennings was the team leader in receptions, targets, receiving yards, and caught the only touchdown pass.

The problem is two-fold. First, despite checking all those boxes, he came up short of 15 PPR points.

Second, such a role is far from a lock moving forward. George Kittle caught all of his targets and figures to be more involved as this season wears on, and the complementary receivers are eventually going to return.

Oh, and McCaffrey is always going to soak up targets in bulk, lowering the floor in a major way for all other pieces.

The touchdown was a work of art last week, a quick/accurate read to beat press coverage and a perfectly timed dive for the pylon to score on the third-down play. Jennings can play, I’m just not sold that the quantity or quality of targets is there in a big way as we approach the winter months.

If we are to assume that he remains the clear WR1 in this offense for another week, you can get away with flexing him. If that’s the short-term plan, I’d want to ensure I build up my depth for the stretch run: I doubt he’ll be a player you can rely on to start for the remainder of the season.

Jaxon Smith-Njigba | SEA (vs ARI)

Jaxon Smith-Njigba has cleared 20 PPR points in four straight games and has more games with a target share north of 37% than not this season.

How good is Lamb?

What about Malik Nabers?

Or maybe Adams?

Those are all receivers last season who averaged under 18.3 points per game, a number that currently sits as JSN’s second-worst output of this season. I’m running out of ways to amplify what he is doing weekly, and that makes me nervous as we enter Week 10.

Tune in next week for the weekly segment of “how will Kyle fall over himself to praise Smith-Njigba?”.

Jayden Higgins | HOU (vs JAX)

The rookie WR experiment in Houston is looking like a long-term play without direction, more than an instant impact maneuver for a team that thought it was a lock to be playing in the postseason.

Jayden Higgins has caught more than one pass in just two of his past seven games and is to be treated as a direct replacement for Nico Collins at this point.

If Collins were to sit for any reason, Higgins moves to the very low end of interesting, but without that, he’s a complete zero who does not need to be rostered.

If you need immediate roster help, Higgins is an easy cut to create the opening.

Jayden Reed | GB (vs PHI)

Jayden Reed underwent foot and clavicle surgeries in the middle of September, and November has long been believed to be the target return month.

Green Bay’s presumed WR1 scored in Week 1 and was injured on a play in Week 2 that was inches from being a score. It’s only a six-target sample, so do with it what you will, but three came 15+ yards downfield (sub 30% rate in each of his first two seasons).

My thought is that the team was aware of what Tucker Kraft could do in the short receiving game, and the speed of Matthew Golden was anything but a secret, thus opening up Reed to expand his route tree a bit. That’s how he can become a weekly fantasy asset, but he needs to prove himself healthy before anything.

The Packers play the Bears twice in December, matchups that give Reed the potential to crack my top 24 in those impact weeks, should his usage trend in the direction we saw out of the gates.

Jaylen Waddle | MIA (vs BUF)

The efficiency of Jaylen Waddle is eerily similar now to what it was with Tyreek Hill on the field this season.

Hill on the field: +22.6% over fantasy expectation, 3.0 fantasy points per catch, 16.8% slot rate
Hill off the field: +20.8% over fantasy expectation, 3.0 fantasy points per catch, 19.5% slot rate

That means the WR1 role looks good on him, and the steadying of the numbers gets even more encouraging when you juxtapose it with the more detailed numbers.

With Hill off the field, Waddle’s aDOT has spiked from 8.9 yards to 13.5, and his target percentage has increased from 18% to 25.4%.

He had the one dud in Cleveland, but he’s otherwise been rock solid since the Hill injury, and I think you can expect more of the same in this spot with Miami likely playing from behind. Back in Week 3, Waddle scored 14.9 PPR points against the Bills, a game that Hill vacuumed in 10 targets.

There are only two players in this offense that we can even remotely trust, but both have proven capable of producing consistently despite the limitations of this offense.

Jaylin Noel | HOU (vs JAX)

With Nico Collins and Christian Kirk back on the field, Jaylin Noel was not.

At least not nearly enough to matter.

Noel ran six routes in the loss to the Broncos, fifth among Houston receivers and 14 fewer than fellow rookie Jayden Higgins.

This line struggles to block, and as a result, it is difficult for the quarterback to work through multiple reads. I’d rather not bet on Kirk if I can help it, never mind a name like Noel that is well behind him on the depth chart.

Should an injury occur in the starting lineup, we can break down new roles, but that’s not where we stand right now, and there’s not nearly enough contingent value to justify waiting.

Jerry Jeudy | CLE (at NYJ)

I think we are at the point where I need to see multiple productive games in a row from Jeudy before even considering him as a low-end flex.

Christian Gonzalez shadowed him and shut him down (two targets) in Week 8 before the bye. While that is rock bottom, this is a receiver who didn’t have a 20-yard catch in October, hasn’t caught more than five passes in a game this season, and is coming up on his 11-month anniversary of the last time he found the end zone.

Jeudy is a low-ceiling, low-floor player these days, and I’m not sure that changes at any point for the remainder of this season. A quarterback change could alter some of the math, but we have enough data points to bench him with confidence until further notice. Remember, this team viewed this version of their offense as their optimal option.

Jordan Addison | MIN (vs BAL)

In his first action with McCarthy, Jordan Addison’s usage was … something.

He cleared 100 air yards on his four targets. That’s a rare occurrence, and with every one of those looks coming at least 17 yards downfield, there is certainly some risk of him being pigeonholed in a way that rendered Jameson Williams and Alec Pierce into awfully volatile roles earlier this season.

That’s not a terrible thing, but I don’t think that’s optimal for Addison managers, as the hope was he’d develop into a reliable weekly flex option.

It’s one game, a sample of four targets and 29 routes. That’s not nearly enough to make any sweeping claims, but it’s the only data point we have to go on right now, and it very much has my attention.

McCarthy has been sporadic at best in the three games we’ve seen from him as a pro (two highly productive quarters have elevated his counting numbers). If Addison managers are trying to parlay low-percentage targets with a QB who is all over the place, that’s not a bet that has my interest.

We will see. He slots in as a low-end flex in this spot, with the hope being that a high-scoring environment puts him in a good spot to land a big play.

I’m hopeful that we’ll see some route versatility this week, and we can resume assuming that Addison is a strong flex moving forward. But I’m nervous, and I think you should be too if you thought you had a rock-solid option.

Josh Downs | IND (vs ATL)

Josh Downs has quietly scored in three straight games, though last week came in serious comeback mode as the Colts tried to save a game that they gave away to the Steelers.

The concern isn’t with Downs as a player; it’s more about his value in this offense. In a game where Jones cut loose 50 passes and amassed 342 yards through the air, his slot receiver finished with just 57 in a match where Tyler Warren (26 yards) was quiet.

This is very much a “do your job” offense. Pierce stretches the field, Michael Pittman handles the intermediate looks, and Tyler Warren is a queen on the chessboard type that has his hands in everything.

Downs can be to Indianapolis what Keenan Allen is to Los Angeles. We saw the peaks of that role early in the season, but there is a lower floor attached to it ,and that has me labeling him as more of a WR4 with some upside as opposed to a WR3 that is at risk of leaving you out to dry.

The Falcons own the fifth-highest opponent aDOT this season, and that generally doesn’t feed into the Downs role. I’ve got him ranked behind the rising role of Parker Washington and a player in Rashid Shaheed, who is trending in a strong direction when it comes to volume.

Joshua Palmer | BUF (at MIA)

A lower-body injury (ankle/knee) suffered in Week 6 continues to sideline Josh Palmer, and given that he was hardly used in this system prior (no more than two receptions in a contest since Week 1), there’s no reason that you realistically need to track this situation.

The Bills are potent, but they are also awfully concentrated. It’s James Cook on the ground and the Khalil Shakir/Dalton Kincaid duo through the air. If you have one of them, you play them.

If not, you’re not worried about a Bills skill position player cracking your lineup.

Justin Jefferson | MIN (vs BAL)

Justin Jefferson has now scored in two of three J.J. McCarthy starts and none of the six in which the second-year QB spent rehabbing his ankle.

He’s as good as it gets; it really is that simple. His one-handed 10-yard TD catch on the first drive last week in Detroit was a reminder of that, and as his QB gains professional experience, I expect Jefferson’s star to shine even brighter.

The Vikings close the fantasy season with games against the Commanders, Cowboys, Giants, and Lions, all of whom Jefferson is more than capable of dominating. He was your first-round pick for a reason, and I think it’s very possible that the best is yet to come for #18 this season.

Kayshon Boutte | NE (at TB)

A hamstring injury sidelined Kayshon Boutte during the game, and that sort of injury is the last thing streamers want to see.

Boutte is averaging 18.7 yards per catch this season and has scored on 21.7% of his receptions. Neither of those is sustainable, and as Drake Maye continues to grow, he’s spreading the ball around and making target projections in New England a pain.

I understand that he’s scored four times in his past three healthy games, but I’m comfortable moving on. This Maye system is democratic in nature, and with a soft-tissue injury at play, I worry that we see the version of Boutte we saw before the recent scoring binge (six catches for 89 yards and zero scores over a three-game stretch) moving forward.

There are a dozen players with this basic skill set on your waiver wire. You can find your swing-for-the-fences spot elsewhere.

Keenan Allen | LAC (vs PIT)

Keenan Allen hasn’t seen an end zone or a red-zone target in consecutive games, concerning usage patterns that have yielded his two lowest expected point totals of the season.

In those games, five of his six receptions have come on third down: Is it possible that he’s the WR equivalent of a short-yardage running back?

I’m not there yet, but I do think the rise to prominence of Oronde Gadsden may have changed the play-calling enough to put the veteran receiver at risk, aside from particular situations.

In those two games, his snap share has checked in well under 40%, and if the target competition is extreme, that matters. If I had to pick one of the receivers on this offense that I’m most concerned about the rest of the way, it would be Allen, operating under the idea that the peak version of his role offers less upside than the others in question.

I have him ranked third of the trio this week, and that lands him outside of my top 25 at the position, oddly enough, right next to another former fantasy star that is also playing in this game (DK Metcalf).

Kendrick Bourne | SF (vs LAR)

I’m old enough to remember when Kendrick Bourne had consecutive games with 142 receiving yards, and it seemed like we knew where the targets were going in San Francisco.

He’s earned just eight targets on 75 routes since George Kittle returned, and considering that his playing time is far more likely to decline than improve as the team around him gets healthier, you’re well past the point of relying on Bourne.

Holding onto him for another week or two as reinforcements theoretically return for this team is logical. I wouldn’t mind making the move if you need his roster spot for immediate returns.

Keon Coleman | BUF (at MIA)

Keon Coleman has had one good quarter this season. That means that you’re betting far too much on pedigree and offensive environment if you’re reading this section.

Coleman has yet to develop secondary skills, and while he can still make big plays, defenses in 2025 are primarily built to prevent it.

His longest catch of the season is just 25 yards, and he’s averaging under 10 yards per catch. Coleman needs to show growth before we bank on it, especially in a matchup where the opponent has a track record of slowing his primary skill (one catch on 48 career routes run against the Fins).

Khalil Shakir | BUF (at MIA)

Khalil Shakir is important to the Bills, and that keeps him in our starting lineups, though it’s rarely fun.

He accounted for three of Allen’s six completions on the first drive last weekend in a statement win over the Chiefs, a clear design from the coaching staff to stay on time and ahead of the chains.

That’s great.

But would a shot play every once in a while be the end of the world?

He finished Week 9 with seven catches and under one air yard. That’s hard to do.

The beauty in those short targets is the completion rate, and in a PPR setting, those are the type of “free” points that can win you a week. Shakir is among the best in the NFL in terms of picking up yardage after the catch, and that’s what Buffalo loves about him.

That said, without any receiver really establishing himself as a consistent deep threat, what would be the harm in the occasional double move from this slot machine?

I’m allowed to dream, aren’t I?

I don’t think we get that anytime soon, but his 6-8 highly efficient targets are going to land Shakir as a PPR WR2 more often than not. He caught every pass thrown his way and found the end zone in the Week 3 showdown with these Dolphins, and I think you can pencil in another 12-15 points with relative ease this week.

He’s the only Bills WR that should be rostered at this point.

Ladd McConkey | LAC (vs PIT)

I don’t love to see a declining slot rate for Ladd McConkey, but as long as he’s earning the 7+ targets a night that he has in each of his past five games, I’m not complaining.

Justin Herbert is really coming into his own, and while I tend to prefer a high slot rate for receivers like this, a high PROE offense with a developing star under center can make any type of target a highly valuable one.

The volume has been there recently, but since the Oronde Gadsden explosion, the efficiency has tailed off (last three games: 59.4% catch rate). Not ideal, but we are looking at a player whom Herbert clearly trusts and is trending in a positive direction after a sluggish start to the campaign.

McConkey is my top-ranked Charger receiver this week and for the rest of the season, checking in as a high-end WR2 for Week 10.

Luther Burden III | CHI (vs NYG)

Development isn’t linear.

A wise friend shared this with me at a young age, and it has proven accurate through all walks of life.

Not all players or situations are the same, and that is why patience can be so valuable.

Luther Burden isn’t in a spot to succeed this season, and I’m now confident that “patience” regarding him in fantasy circles means 2026 and beyond.

The explosive rookie hasn’t been on the field for 30% of Chicago’s snaps in a single game this season and has a high-water mark of 6.5 expected points.

Don’t lose track of this name in the eight-plus months between today and your 2026 draft, but there are zero signs of him returning any sort of meaningful value this season, and that means you are free to cut ties.

Marvin Harrison Jr. | ARI (at SEA)

Harrison matched a career-high in terms of receptions in the first half on Monday night and was pretty clearly the focal point of this Brissett-led offense during the scripted plays.

His production did tail off a bit (just one catch in the second half), but with three third-down receptions in the first quarter, he was finally being treated like the WR1 that the Cardinals drafted him to be (and the WR1 that we’ve spent 1.5 years chasing).

Arizona has been steadfast in saying that Murray is their starting QB when healthy, and while that doesn’t undo the good we saw in Week 9, it certainly muzzles it to a degree.

Season Splits

With Murray: 1.81 yards per route, 18.9% of routes see a target
With Brissett: 2.33 yards per route, 21.3% of routes see a target

With 58+ receiving yards in four of five games and a 20+-yard catch in each of his past four, you’re starting Harrison either way, but the man under center is the difference between a strong WR2 and a strong flex in my ranks.

News broke on Wednesday that Murray will miss at least the next four weeks, and that gives me an increased level of confidence in Arizona’s WR1 for the remainder of the season.

Marvin Mims Jr. | DEN (vs LV)

A receiver with an inconsistent role playing in an inconsistent offense isn’t how I like to spend my fantasy roster spots.

Crazy, I know.

Marvin Mims flashed his potential last season and was a part of it in 2025, but it’s not nearly enough to blindly hold him.

Only once this season has he played on the field for the majority of Denver’s offensive snaps, and his earning an end zone target isn’t that much more likely (two such looks this season).

The Broncos have a tough matchup next week (vs. KC) before their bye. That means if you cut him now, it’s unlikely that there is any interest in him before Week 13 at the earliest, and those are the types of edges I want to grind out this time of year.

Take a shot on a receiver or handcuff RB somewhere else. The odds of Mims exploding at the level where someone is holding him through the bye are low, so even if you like him, you can reasonably roll the dice somewhere else over the next three weeks and add him back for the stretch run.

Mims ran hot to score six times on 39 catches last season, and he’s regressing to what I expect to be more of his career trajectory as a part of an offense that brought in high-pedigree talent to compete for targets this summer.

Matthew Golden | GB (vs PHI)

I said it last week, and I’ll double down after another underwhelming performance from the Packers’ rookie receiver.

You can move on from Matthew Golladay in most formats.

I understand that the pedigree and single-play upside is tempting, but not only is he banged up, but his aDOT has regressed in a major way since the return of Christian Watson. The case to drop Golladay stems more from strategy than the player himself, though the two are obviously intertwined.

Are you ever going to start him with confidence?

A simple question: if your answer is no, then, in my opinion, any player is droppable. I don’t see Golladay carving out a role that necessitates starting him, and we’ve seen injuries occur around him with minimal impact on his usage.

The argument could be made for one more week (assuming health), to see what the target distribution looks like sans Tucker Kraft. That’s fair, and I won’t stand in your way, but if you don’t have that luxury, Golladay is squarely on the chopping block.

Michael Pittman Jr. | IND (vs ATL)

The Colts were largely a mess on Sunday, but Pittman recorded his first 100-yard performance of the season and earned 9+ targets for a third consecutive game.

At the beginning of this season, I was worried that this offense was going to function similarly to that of Green Bay’s: a viable passing game, but no one receiver you could rely on weekly.

That’s not the case. Pierce and Downs have had their moments, but five top-15 finishes for Pittman are more than enough to consider him the alpha of this high-functioning offense and a fantasy lineup lock.

Given the price you paid for him on draft day and the weekly positive contributions he’s made to your starting lineup, Pittman is in the running for most valuable drafted asset this year, and I don’t think that’s at all a hot take.

He could draw shadow coverage this week, and Daniel Jones is coming off a five-turnover game. In theory, that’s as bad a lead-in as you can have to a week, and yet, Pittman is still safely ranked inside of my top 20 at the position.

Nico Collins | HOU (vs JAX)

Davis Mills’ first completion last week was a 26-yarder to Nico Collins, and six of his 10 first-half connections went to Houston’s WR1.

And then, nothing.

In consecutive games, Collins has been shut out in the second half, an odd quirk that is probably more of a QB stat than a WR stat (22 routes, six targets, zero receptions).

Moving the chains is a struggle for this offense. They can’t block and thus can’t run the ball. Without any fear of balance, this allows defenses to ramp up the aggression, and, regardless of who is under center, that’s a tough spot to be in.

Collins is probably one of the 10 most gifted receivers in the sport, and his raw talent, combined with scripts that are clearly built around passes being thrown his direction, keep him as a lineup lock in all formats, even if the ceiling is far lower than what I had penciled in this summer.

He accounted for 104 of Houston’s 204 receiving yards in the Week 3 meeting with these Jaguars and should again be weighed down with as many looks as he can handle (30.6% target share in that contest).

Parker Washington | JAX (at HOU)

With Travis Hunter on IR for at least another three weeks, Parker Washington is likely to hold utility for those of us scratching and clawing for PPR production.

The third-year pro out of Penn State accounted for 34.8% of Trevor Lawrence’s completions against the Raiders on Sunday. While it was Dyami Brown that saw the first pass, it was largely the Washington show all over the field (four targets came 10+ yards downfield, while another three came no more than five yards past the line of scrimmage).

Brian Thomas suffered an ankle injury during the game, and the TE position is vacant mainly right now in Jacksonville, leaving Washington as a featured outlet, at least in the short term.

This is obviously a brutal matchup that has only been burned by the best of the best (Puka Nacua and Smith-Njigba), but you’re not asking for 20+ PPR points. You’re looking for a highly efficient 6-8 targets to get you through the week, and I think there’s a good chance you get that.

He was sitting just inside my top 35 at the position before the acquisition of Meyers. I’m not sure how much the former Raider will impact this game, but I assume he’ll be active, and his targets are likely to come directly off the plate of Washington.

He’s now ranked in the low 40s, thinking that Meyers takes a target or two away from him.

Pat Bryant | DEN (vs LV)

The idea of Pat Bryant made some sense in a matchup against the Texans, where Deek Stingley was expected to limit the appeal of Courtland Sutton, but nothing changed, and that meant that the rookie wasn’t worth our DFS money.

There appears to be a role for him to fill, but we have little proof that Sean Payton is interested in putting that plan into action.

Every roster spot this time of year is valuable, and that means that Bryant is by no means a must-hold. He’s yet to be on the field for 60% of Denver’s snaps in a single game, and his high-water mark for expected PPR points is 7.5.

He’ll be on my list for post-hype options in August.

But the fact that I’m labeling him as such means that I have next to no expectations for consistency moving forward in 2025.

Puka Nacua | LAR (at SF)

There was a pre-bye injury, there was an in-game injury, and there was a jaw-dropping play.

Fantasy managers got the full Nacua experience last week in the blowout of the Saints, as he hit 85+ receiving yards for the sixth time in seven games this season.

The touchdown, his third straight healthy game with a score, was a work of art and a reminder that a perfect throw can beat near-perfect coverage. With Stafford locked in, it feels close to impossible to stop Nacua for a full 60 minutes, something that certainly proved true in the first meeting of these two teams (10-85-1).

This week, there’s a very definitive Tier 1 at the wide receiver position: Nacua and Smith-Njigba. I imagine that both get plenty of ownership in the DFS streets this week, and your ability to pick nits could be the difference between a big score and nothing.

The injury risk, along with the 49ers largely keeping Nacua around 10 yards per catch during his career, has me ranking JSN as my WR1 this week, but both are obviously gamebreakers at the highest level.

Quentin Johnston | LAC (vs PIT)

After a doughnut, Quentin Johnston found paydirt on an absolutely perfect pass from Herbert on a 20-yard route to the corner of the end zone.

It was good to see a priority put on getting QJ involved (five-yard gain on Herbert’s first pass). While his usage trailed off after that (four Chargers finished with 5-7 targets), the valuable targets post Oronde Gadsden’s breakout were a must-have for those trying to justify playing Johnston weekly.

He’s a fine play, but any offense is going to have trouble supporting four threats weekly, especially if the run game is effective. You know you’re signing up for a player with a wide range of outcomes: if that isn’t for you, take a spin on our free Trade Analyzer and see how you can shuffle the deck before the deadline comes and your roster is locked.

Rashid Shaheed | NO (at CAR)

Rashid Shaheed averages 14.9 yards per catch for his career, and all we’ve wanted is volume to complement his spike play potential.

Had we unlocked it?

Maybe.

He was targeted on 16 of 45 routes run with Shough under center, a rate that ranks among the elite. The involvement is good to see, though the equation has changed a bit, as he doesn’t have a catch of 20+ air yards from the rookie just yet.

But now the math all changes.

The volume outlook isn’t nearly as optimistic today as it was a week ago, but what Shaheed loses in quantity, he projects to more than make up for in quality.

Sam Darnold Deep Throw Rankings This Season

YPA: 1st (19.2)
Fantasy PPG: 2nd (8.0)
Completion%: 2nd (63.5%)
Passer Rating: 4th (130.6)
TD Rate: 4th (13.5%)

I think an adjustment period is likely, but it doesn’t take much. With news of this deal, Shaheed moved up 10 spots in my Week 10 rankings, and now he is a player I’d be comfortable flexing over the likes of DK Metcalf and Jameson Williams.

Rashod Bateman | BAL (at MIN)

Rashod Bateman scored in Miami on Thursday night, but there is no reason to be rostering a below-average target earner in an offense that operates primarily through the ground.

If the Eagles were playing without DeVonta Smith or AJ Brown, would you be interested in Jahan Dotson?

I wouldn’t be, and that’s essentially the profile that Bateman fills. He has one game this season with even 7.5 expected PPR points and has been held under 15 yards in three of his past four. His aDOT is down two full yards from a season ago, so even the targets he’s earning don’t offer the upside that they once did.

Don’t get sucked in by the touchdown in Lamar Jackson’s return: this isn’t a player that needs to be rostered in standard-sized leagues.

Ricky Pearsall | SF (vs LAR)

It’s tough to feel like we are close to a return here, as the team hasn’t exactly been offering consistent updates, and Rick Pearsall himself cited “instability” as the primary issue with his knee.

We know that he’s a big play waiting to happen, but in owning such a skill set, he isn’t the type of player I’d be looking to play in his first game back. His status is TBD for right now, but I’m telling you that it shouldn’t matter for our purposes: I’m going to need to see at least four healthy quarters from Pearsall before even putting him on my flex radar.

Rome Odunze | CHI (vs NYG)

Before last week, Rome Odunze was averaging 2.8 receiving yards for every point the Bears put on the board. He had five top-20 performances and scored at least 10% over expectations in four of his previous six games.

So, a goose egg in a spot in which the Bears put 47 points on the board was surprising.

I’m going to largely ignore that speed bump, but it is worth noting that he’s been held under 35 receiving yards in three of four games following the early bye, and the offense as a whole hasn’t missed a beat.

This is part of the Ben Johnson experience. He’s got the Odunze motor running smoothly early in the season, then was Swift, and now he might be working toward unlocking Colston Loveland.

We might get a few more down games, but I expect more good than bad the rest of the way. If Caleb Williams puts an end zone target on his chest last week instead of behind him, the fantasy production looks better, and you’re probably not sweating in the same way.

I was encouraged by Odunze popping up in some big blocking spots last week to spur chunk gains. He’s engaged, and this team seems to be buying in: sit tight, we will get back to the top 15 production that you came to expect after the explosive September.

Romeo Doubs | GB (vs PHI)

We can say it now.

The Packers’ WR carousel is now a complicated fight for WR2 honors, as Romeo Doubs seems to have put to bed a race for the top spot on this depth chart.

The fourth-year receiver has seen at least eight targets in four of his past five games, and while he hasn’t scored since his Week 4 hat trick against the Cowboys, the volume is a signal that Jordan Love has one player he trusts more than the rest, especially in the void left by Tyjae Spears.

On Sunday, he was responsible for five of Love’s first 15 completions and finished with multiple end zone targets for the second time this season. With Josh Jacobs continuing to fight through this calf injury, I think it’s perfectly logical to pencil this team in for a pass-centric plan against the reigning champs, and that puts Doubs in the low-end WR2 conversation.

Stefon Diggs | NE (at TB)

Stefon Diggs has scored in consecutive weeks after not finding paydirt once in the first seven weeks, but the volume has fallen off the table, and that means he currently carries more projectable risk than reward.

Drake Maye is developing almost too fast for those of us with Diggs rostered.

The math leading up to this season stemmed from Diggs being the clear-cut WR1 and thus absorbing 8-10 targets per week. Instead, we’ve seen the second-year QB not hesitate to spread the ball around, and that has Diggs averaging 4.8 targets per game over the past month.

We are looking at a player you can flex weekly when your roster breaks a certain way, but one that you should never feel obligated to play.

Terry McLaurin | WAS (vs DET)

This is lining up awfully similar to the Brock Purdy injury situation.

The injuries and positions are obviously different, but both were hampered, returned, and are now missing more time due to a reinjury and/or never really being right in the first place.

We got news on Sunday that Terry McLaurin’s quad injury will cost him at least one more game, and sitting Week 11, ahead of the Week 12 bye, is very much on the table.

He’s seen more than four targets in only one of his four games this season, as he’s struggled to live up to expectations with Deebo Samuel earning work alongside him.

You’re obviously holding, but the outlook isn’t great. If you can look through the injury trees, there is a home game against the Cowboys on Christmas that could undo all wrongs, with that being Championship week for most.

Tetairoa McMillan | CAR (vs NO)

It seems like, every year, there are a few players that flash on the field, but less so in the box score.

Tetairoa McMillan certainly qualifies.

The rookie is a pro-level target earner, but he’s playing in an underwhelming offense, and that’s why, despite the volume of looks, he’s been held under 50 receiving yards in three of his past four and has scored in only one game this year.

He could have scored last week in Lambeau, but Bryce Young delivered a high target with some weird spin on it, and he couldn’t convert. This is the first of two New Orleans matchups coming up, spots where the extra attention from the defense may not be too preventive.

I’m starting McMillan with confidence in this matchup: I’ll go back to doing the “not all targets are created equal” thing next week against the Falcons, but in this spot, his 8-10 target projection comes with top-24 fantasy production attached to it.

Tory Horton | SEA (vs ARI)

Tory Horton scored twice in the blowout of the Commanders last week, taking advantage of the condensed target patterns that resulted from Cooper Kupp (hamstring/heel) sitting.

I think the rookie has some fundamental pro-level skills, but he still hasn’t run more than 20 routes in a game this season, and that creates too low a floor for him to crack my flex tier.

The matchup with the Cardinals (on short rest) is nothing to worry about, but I like big play threats like Pierce (vs. ATL) and Shaheed (at CAR) more than I do Horton.

Travis Hunter | JAX (at HOU)

Adding an injury to the Travis Hunter profile both feels inevitable and unfair.

Last Friday, news emerged that a knee injury has landed the talented rookie on IR, meaning he’ll miss at least three more games. Considering that the fantasy postseason is far from favorable (Colts twice, Jets, and Broncos), our usage of Hunter this season may be over.

Weekly Participation Report

Week 1: 27 routes, 6 defensive snaps
Week 2: 27 routes, 39 defensive snaps
Week 3: 27 routes, 41 defensive snaps
Week 4: 23 routes, 9 defensive snaps
Week 5: 26 routes, 25 defensive snaps
Week 6: 44 routes, 22 defensive snaps
Week 7: 51 routes, 12 defensive snaps

I’ll hold, but not with much in the way of optimism. I’m holding because, given his importance to this franchise, if the Jags deem him as healthy, we have to take their word for it.

Dyami Brown should continue to see an uptick in usage, and Brenton Strange is on the final week of his IR stint, so yes, there aren’t any immediate solutions that matter in most spots for fantasy managers.

Wan’Dale Robinson | NYG (at CHI)

Wan’Dale Robinson might be the most painful plug-and-play pick in PPR leagues, but with 6+ catches in three of four games and zero threats to his volume, he’s a viable play weekly, even if the upside is capped to what we saw on Sunday.

9 catches
11 targets
46 yards
48 air yards

None of what Robinson does is “fun”, but Jaxson Dart seems to understand that his options are limited and that getting the ball out of his hands is valuable.

In a non-PPR setting or one that overweights scores, Robinson isn’t a top-50 player at the position. In full PPR? I’ve got him flirting with top 30 status, in the same range as Khalil Shakir.

Xavier Legette | CAR (vs NO)

There was always going to be a limited runway for any WR2 in this offense to earn enough looks to be even remotely viable, and with Jalen Coker now back, that ship has sailed.

Over the past two weeks, Xavier Legette has more routes than yards, and while he does get scoring chances (seven end zone targets), there simply isn’t enough scoring equity attached to this Bryce Young-led unit.

If you’re backed into a corner and chasing a touchdown, I’d rather take a thin flier on a better offense than a reasonably involved player on this Panthers team.

Zay Flowers | BAL (at MIN)

We saw Lamar Jackson hit Zay Flowers with a quick pass (seven-yard gain) to get his day started on Thursday night, a rhythm pass that was good for him to connect on after the missed time.

When all was said and done in a non-competitive win, Flowers caught all five of his targets for a team-high 64 yards. The passing game wasn’t asked to do much, so the fact that the WR1 was still able to crack double figures in PPR points should be viewed as a win.

There was a deep connection that Jackson put on a frozen rope to Flowers, resulting in a 39-yard gain that reminded us of just how good this duo can be. Without much competition at the position and an ever-expanding route tree, I think you can feel great about starting Flowers as a WR2 in any matchup as long as the upside of Jackson is under center.

Soppe’s Fantasy WR Start-Sit Week 10 Players Include Ladd McConkey, Rome Odunze, DK Metcalf, and Others