Fantasy football fans know that every week in the NFL brings fresh twists that can shake up your lineup. With up-to-the-minute changes and surprises always around the corner, staying ahead of the curve is more important than ever.

This week’s developments could impact every roster, so savvy managers should keep a sharp eye on trends. Dive deeper to find out what’s unfolding this week and get the edge you need to win your league.

Alec Pierce | IND

At this point, don’t we have to take anyone attached to this Colts offense seriously?

Alec Pierce hasn’t scored this season and hasn’t proven himself to be a consistent target earner during his 3.5 years as a pro, but 18.1 yards per catch (21.4 this season) doesn’t happen by accident.

If your weekly roster runs out a certain way, playing Pierce as your flex makes all the sense in the world. He has a 40+ yard catch in half of his games this season and has shown the ability to be oddly efficient at times.

If you have a strong team that holds advantages over your opponent all over the place, there’s no point in taking on the risk that comes with a profile like this.

The craziest stat I stumbled across when deep diving this profile: 31 of his 32 targets this season have either come less than 20 yards downfield (21) or more than 35 yards (10).

It’s nice to see some balance, but that one bomb attempt per game is essentially what you’re betting on, and there are worse weeks to place that wager (PIT: 27th in YPA and yards per completion on long throws this season).

Amon-Ra St. Brown | DET

After consecutive seasons with 115+ receptions under Ben Johnson, there was some regression talk in August around Amon-Ra St. Brown’s ability to pile up stats in bulk this year in the same way.

Through seven games, compared to last season, his yards per route, deep target rate, on-field target share, and red zone target% are all up.

Jameson Williams has been pigeonholed into a vertical role, leaving him with the entire middle of the field to work his dark magic with creative routes, and the NFL has been unable to slow down his connection with Goff.

He’s been nothing short of great, and that’s despite a four-game run without a single end zone target. Forget regression; it’s possible that his best is yet to come.

And it might well start this week: 14 catches on 15 targets for 189 yards and a touchdown across two meetings with Minnesota a year ago.

Brandon Aiyuk | SF

Reports surfaced late last week that the 49ers were considering opening Brandon Aiyuk’s (knee) window to return this week, and that’s at least a step in the right direction, something that we’ve lacked mainly during this process.

For his career, Aiyuk has produced 21.2% above expectations when fielding passes from Brock Purdy, and that’s obviously encouraging if we get the combination of them both healthy at any point.

That’s a big if.

Adding Aiyuk now makes plenty of sense, though I’d keep expectations low for now. San Francisco has been cautious with him up to this point, which worries me that we may have to wait until December to see him unleashed in a meaningful way.

That said, after a Week 14 bye, the 49ers get the Titans, Colts, and Bears to round out the fantasy season, a stretch that projects well should he assume the WR1 role.

Brian Thomas Jr. | JAX

Right when it seemed that Brian Thomas Jr. was moving in the right direction with 80+ receiving yards in consecutive games, he didn’t show much in the loss to the Rams in London before the bye (31 yards on seven targets).

To make matters worse, on Jacksonville’s final drive of a game that was never competitive, Thomas grabbed at his right shoulder at the first sign of contact. It wasn’t anything more than a normal jam around the line of scrimmage, but he was in obvious pain.

His status needs to be watched, but even if he’s fine, how much confidence can you realistically have in rolling him out there?

Trevor Lawrence hasn’t been given a ton of time to throw lately, and even when he is, the decision-making is regressing instead of developing.

I will say that five different Jaguars had a 20+ yard catch in London, and that’s a start. That said, until those passes are going consistently to Thomas, I’m not sure there’s top-15 upside in this profile.

Keep an eye on the reporting: when healthy, he’s a flex option I’ll prefer more against better teams when the script tilts toward passing aggression.

Calvin Ridley | TEN

The hamstring injury that Calvin Ridley suffered in Week 6 held him out for a second consecutive game, and a soft tissue issue for a 30-year-old receiver on a struggling offense is a tough sell.

The lone redeeming quality in this profile is that he’s really the only option, and Tennessee is motivated to give Cam Akers as many live reps as they can. That’s more narrative than a statistical thread that can reliably be pulled every week, but we have to sell hope when it comes to filling out our benches.

Ridley isn’t a weekly starter when healthy, and I’d bet against him changing that moving forward. There is, however, a path for him to work into flex consideration as this season progresses, and that’s more than the players on your waiver wire can claim.

CeeDee Lamb | DAL

Since returning from nearly a month off (ankle), CeeDee Lamb’s target rate is essentially identical to the two games pre-injury this season. Still, the type of target has shifted significantly following the film George Pickens put forth during that missed time.

Weeks 1-2: 41.7% deep target rate
Weeks 7-8: 16.7% deep target rate

I think this is optimal. Not that Lamb can’t win down the field, but if the goal is to build the strongest offensive environment, allowing Pickens to play to his primary strength with Lamb filling in around him is a wise move.

In theory, this should elevate Lamb’s target rate over time as efficiency improves. Last week had a few chances to be an even bigger performance (two end zone DPIs forced on the same drive after a 29-yard catch earlier in the game put Dallas on the doorstep).

Due to how the Cowboys play, Lamb, even with the presence of Pickens, is on the short list of receivers that could lead the position in PPR points from this point forward.

Chris Olave | NO

Chris Olave has seen double-digit targets in six of his team’s first eight games, a number that has only been topped by Cooper Kupp (2021) since 2019.

The volume is great to see, and I think it sticks regardless of who takes the most snaps in any given week under center for the Saints, but we don’t get points per target.

Olave has reached his expected point total just once this season, and asking him to do so against a Rams defense coming off a bye isn’t something I’m comfortable with. Los Angeles is a top-10 defense against the deep pass in passer rating, touchdown rate, and interception percentage, a strength that figures to be on display this week with Olave’s aDOT up 54.5% over the past three weeks.

I couldn’t imagine benching New Orleans’ WR1 for your favorite Packer or Bill receiver. The locked-in volume keeps Olave inside of my top-25 at the position this week … barely.

Christian Kirk | HOU

Kirk’s availability all season has been hindered by these hamstring injuries (three games played, 109 yards on 16 targets), and while I’m holding, my stance in that regard is fading.

The Texans’ pass game isn’t one I’m begging to be exposed to these days, but with Collins hopefully back as the lead target and a ton of youth to develop behind him, what motivation does Houston have to rush Kirk back and load him up with targets?

I do think there is a PPR-type of role for him to fill in an offense that needs to cover up for their offensive line via the short passing game. Still, given the lingering nature of this injury, I’m going to need to see a minimum of one healthy game from Kirk before even entertaining the idea of flexing him.

And if I’m being completely honest, probably multiple games.

The Texans host the Cardinals and Raiders in Weeks 15-16: if you’re holding onto Kirk, I think it’s with an eye on those matchups and the hope that he is functioning at full speed come mid-December.

Christian Watson | GB

It’s Christian Watson, and that means we have scar tissue to work through. The former second-round pick has appeared in just 39 games across his 3+ seasons, and that doesn’t include the early exits and hobbled routes.

We need to proceed with caution, but how can you not be impressed with his season debut against the Steelers?

Not only did Watson adjust to a deep ball and play the majority of snaps (55%), but he sealed the edge on a Josh Jacobs touchdown run and was fully engaged throughout the victory.

Even more illuminating to me was the fact that Matt LaFleur dialed back the aDOT of Matthew Golladay with Watson back. The rookie hasn’t done much, and this coaching staff didn’t hesitate to let Watson run downfield, even if that’s the primary skill of their first-round pick.

Watson has never been a high-volume target earner, and I don’t expect that to change. That said, this is a potent offense, and he projects to hold a valuable role as the field stretcher.

He’s a fringe top-40 receiver for me this week, in part because I’m not sure that Jordan Love throws 35 passes, but how much different is he than Xavier Worthy or Jameson Williams moving forward?

Cooper Kupp | SEA

It seems almost impossible that the Seahawks are having success at the level they are while only having one player we feel good about starting each week, but that’s exactly where we stand after two months, and there are no signs of change.

Cooper Kupp hasn’t really ceded any work to Troy Horton, yet he has one end-zone target this season and has reached 50 air yards just once in his past five games.

He does have a catch picking up at least 24 yards in three straight, so if you want to sell me on him as a reasonable dart throw against a defense that is bottom-10 against deep passes in terms of interception rate, yards per completion, and passer rating, I guess I’d reluctantly listen. Still, I truly think you’re chasing the value you associate with this name and not current expectations.

Kupp is a risky play at best and unrosterable if you think Sam Darnold is in for some regression during the second half of the season.

Courtland Sutton | DEN

Courtland Sutton finished last week’s shellacking of the Cowboys with 10.7 PPR points, a down game by his standards, but it could/should have been better.

He was called for OPI to wipe a touchdown off the board, and while I agree with the call, we sometimes see those calls missed.

As if that wasn’t bad enough, the next play, from the 24-yard line, was a frozen rope from Bo Nix that his WR1 mishandled. That’s a 9.4-point play and flips the narrative from semi-disappointment to a fifth top-20 finish in six weeks.

I’m perfectly fine counting on Sutton as my WR2. We know that there is some risk assumed in playing him (Nix can be up and down, not to mention this matchup), but with an end zone target in three straight and a deep reception in six straight, the reward outweighs the downside that you assume in investing in this offense.

Darius Slayton | NYG

Darius Slayton has one touchdown catch over the past calendar year and has 14 catches this season. He hasn’t even been close to hitting your lineup at any point this season, and the G-Men didn’t exactly inspire confidence with an 18-point loss over the weekend.

And yet, I think he’s an add.

No, I don’t think consistency is going to be a part of this profile, but I’m cautiously optimistic about the trajectory of things, and that’s all you can ask for when it comes to these fringe players.

For the season, Slayton has been targeted on 22.1% of his routes with Jaxson Dart under center, up from 6.5% when the rookie isn’t on the field.

That’s a step in the right direction, and the matchups over the next two weeks allow him to cash in on some of the promise (at Chicago next week). If he can come through, you have a roster filler for the remainder of the season, giving you access to late-season games against the Commanders and Raiders.

If not, you move on with little loss.

This is the type of low-risk, decent-reward chance that I love to take at this point in the season. Cast a wide enough net on players like this, and you allow yourself to build out depth when it matters most.

In a perfect world, none of this matters, and your roster stays 100% healthy on your way to a title. In a more realistic world, your depth is going to factor in at some point, and this is a dart I’m throwing.

Darnell Mooney | ATL

Last week was a tough evaluation for the Falcons. Cousins replaced an injured Penix while London sat.

That run out would be optimal more often than not for Mooney, but I’m not sold he’s 100% healthy just yet, and he finished with 11 yards on four targets in the blowout loss at the hands of the Dolphins.

I still like him as the WR2 in this offense, though I’m not sure that role means anything close to consistent production, regardless of who the quarterback is.

Mooney did force a DPI flag that picked up 39 yards, so that’s something. But if there’s the risk of Pitts earning efficient volume (caught all nine targets on Sunday) and KhaDarel Hodge at least being involved (the eight targets from last week aren’t likely to repeat, but if three-WR sets become the norm), I have a hard time seeing Mooney live up to the production he put on film last season.

He’s a viable roster option, but not someone you should feel too tied to. I’d hesitate to cut him with the injury situations being what they are for Atlanta right now, but I’m not blind to the idea that he could become a roster casualty.

Davante Adams | LAR

I’m not sure that Davante Adams could handle a full season of being the featured pass catcher, but he looked fine in that role in London before the bye against the Jags with Puka Nacua out.

Not only did he score three short touchdowns, but he also earned a 30% target share in the first 30 minutes when that game was reasonably competitive and sucked in the defensive attention that allowed Matthew Stafford to be efficient, even when not throwing his way.

In Weeks 2-5, with Nacua at the peak of his powers, Adams was a top-10 performer at the position in both total and per-game PPR points. It’s clear that he has plenty of juice left in the tank, and his savvy in those short-yardage spots is second to none.

The only reason I don’t have 2025 Adams ranked as 2024 Tee Higgins is the Los Angeles defense. This team doesn’t need to score the way the 2024 Bengals did, but even without that, you’re starting Adams with confidence as a WR2 that carries as much scoring equity as anyone outside of the top tier at the position.

Deebo Samuel Sr. | WAS

Deebo Samuel had two catches for 11 yards two minutes into Monday night’s loss to the Chiefs.

It was a start we wanted to see with Terry McLaurin back, but it didn’t last. Over the next 58 minutes, he caught as many of his four targets as the Chiefs did (one) and didn’t pick up another receiving yard.

The Chiefs are a tough matchup, and their holding the ball for over 34 minutes didn’t help either.

I think you still have a viable flex play here. Samuel and McLaurin play well off of one another, and the return of Daniels gives this offense a level of upside that Mariota simply doesn’t.

Chalk up Week 8’s dud to the game. My thoughts about him haven’t changed since this time last week.

DeMario Douglas | NE

Maye has been better than anyone thought he’d be this season. That’s not to suggest that he’ll decline, but if he’s functioning at the peak of his current powers and DeMario Douglas has yet to catch more than three passes in a game, shouldn’t that tell us something?

His one grab against the Browns last week was a fun one (44-yard gain), but this is a 5’8″ player whose NFL skill is to work open in quick windows.

That’s not something Maye is looking for, and with the wins flowing in, I can’t imagine we’ll see this zebra change his stripes. Douglas’s profile doesn’t come with the type of floor or ceiling that makes much sense rostering, so I’d be inclined to cut ties and either look for a receiver who sees a handful of looks per game or secure a handcuff running back who is an injury away from being viable.

DJ Moore | CHI

Caleb Williams is struggling right now, but at least he’s condensed his target options.

It would appear that Colston Loveland has some developing to do, and Luther Burden, when healthy, is still more of a gadget option than anything. This offense is built around D’Andre Swift on the ground and the Rome Odunze/Moore tandem through the air.

Moore wasn’t good for much of Sunday’s loss to the Ravens, but a 42-yard one-handed grab late helped salvage the day (4-73-0) and post his first game with 50+ receiving yards since Week 1.

I like that he has four games with multiple rush attempts this season. They’ve yet to yield much of anything, but that suggests that Ben Johnson is aware of his value and is doing what he can to keep him engaged.

I suspect the Bears will be pushed to move the ball through the air, and that has me thinking we’ll see the version of this Bengals defense we saw earlier in the year, when they allowed a receiver to clear 16 PPR points in five of six games.

Odunze is clearly the WR1 in this offense, but I believe this can be a get-right sort of deal, and that has Moore ranked as a solid PPR flex option.

DK Metcalf | PIT

We have to be beyond a month at this point for me to encourage you to sell DK Metcalf to the highest bidder and running.

He scored for the fifth time in six games on Sunday night, but nothing is coming easy in this passing game, and that’s with Aaron Rodgers looking good.

What if the 41-year-old regresses a bit?

Metcalf made a mental mistake late in Week 8’s loss — one that Rodgers specifically mentioned in the post-game press conference — and little things like that lead me to believe we’ve already squeezed as much juice as possible out of this asset for the season.

In the past, Metcalf’s frame has helped him box out defenders and turn a single target into a strong stat line. That’s not the design of this offense (18.6% deep-ball rate, pacing for his first season under 25.5% and well below his career norm of 32.4%), which means he has to rack up volume to make a difference.

Do you know the last time he had more than five catches in a game?

Nov. 17, 2024

His last double-digit target game was five weeks before that. This isn’t a player who wins with regularity; he needs to make his receptions count in a major way.

We’ve seen him take a slant 80 yards to the house this season, so it’s not as if he can’t produce, but the risk analysis is leaning away from him, especially with an older QB now expected to play at a high level for 13 straight weeks to end this season (the curse of a Week 5 bye).

I’d rather Jaylen Waddle moving forward. I’d rather Marvin Harrison Jr. Heck, I think you could make a compelling case that, given how he was used before the bye, Hunter could outproduce Metcalf from Week 9 on.

Dontayvion Wicks | GB

A calf injury kept Dontayvion Wicks out of practice last week and kept him inactive for the convincing win over the Steelers on Sunday night.

I’m fine to move on.

Christian Watson looked as healthy as he’s been in a while during his season debut, and Romeo Doubs has looked the part of the best receiver in this offense for most of the season up to this point.

Tucker Kraft is busy running over would-be tacklers, and all of this is happening without Jayden Reed taking the field. Wicks is fighting for scraps in an offense that prioritizes establishing the running game over everything else, making him a high-risk, low-reward option when fully healthy.

And he’s not close to full strength right now.

I’d roster three Green Bay receivers ahead of Wicks and about 60 league-wide, ranging down to other low-used options like Keon Coleman or Tre Tucker, two receivers that I at least trust to be on the field and believe to have a clearer path to consistent opportunities.

Drake London | ATL

London popped up on the final injury report with a hip injury after taking limited reps last Friday and was ultimately inactive against the Dolphins.

This was only the second DNP of his 3.5 years as a pro, and given its late nature, I’m assuming he’s on the right side of questionable this week.

New England’s run defense has been its calling card this season, but that doesn’t mean its pass defense hasn’t been good. Of course, their competition has fed into that, but they’ve yet to allow a standout WR performance, and with London potentially at less than full strength, it’s difficult to put him into the WR1 discussion.

Christian Gonzalez figures to draw the assignment, and if New England can possess the ball, we are looking at a risk of a down week in terms of both quality of target and raw quantity.

It won’t impact my ranking in a major way when the team names their quarterback for the week, but the math on London is pretty straightforward for me this week: downgrade but play in season-long, fade in DFS.

George Pickens | DAL

The Cowboys weren’t competitive at all in Denver over the weekend. Still, Dak Prescott did continue to concentrate his targets at a near-Flacco fashion (14 of his 19 completions went to either Pickens or Lamb), and that means that both were usable with over 14 PPR points, even in a blowout loss.

I found it interesting that Patrick Surtain spent some time on Pickens, a sign to me that opponents view Dallas’ WR2 as a game-breaker they want to discourage Prescott from looking downfield.

That’s obviously easier said than done, but if they viewed Lamb as substantially more dangerous, the reigning DPOY would have been glued to him. Pickens hasn’t seen his target profile look much different since his partner in crime returned to the lineup, aside from a minor decline in red-zone usage.

Better days are ahead for this offense, and this is a great launching spot for just that. The point distribution will vary every week, but 35-ish fantasy points for the Lamb/Pickens tandem every week is fair, and that’s all we can ask for.

Ja’Marr Chase | CIN

Once we got word that Sauce Gardner would be inactive for the Jets, I immediately texted my football group chat a simple prop:

Ja’Marr Chase targets vs. Justin Fields completions

That’s where we are at these days. Flacco funneled another 19 targets the way of his WR1 (for those wondering, the majority of the chat answered correctly, as Fields’ 21 completions proved to be the winning side), giving him 42 since the veteran took over.

That’s almost hard to understand. Chase has accounted for 53.8% of Flacco’s completions as a Bengal and has been targeted on 51.9% of his throws.

Less than a month ago, we were wondering where the line was. Who was the lowest receiver that you’d play over Chase in a broken Cincy offense?

Now, he’s back where it all started, sitting atop my ranks at the position against a defense that has twice allowed a high-volume receiver to clear 26 PPR points (Amon-Ra St. Brown and Chris Olave).

Jakobi Meyers | LV

Jakobi Meyers was unable to work through a lower-body injury (knee/toe) for Week 7 against the Chiefs ahead of the bye.

Vegas’ top receiver started the season in strong form (10+ targets in both contests), but he’s averaged just 5.3 per game since, and due to the struggles of Geno Smith, the dip in volume is something that can’t be overcome (Meyers hasn’t finished a week better than PPR WR33 since Week 1).

His status made it to the weekend two weeks ago, and that has me confident he plays this weekend: whether or not that matters to you is a different conversation.

Jacksonville’s defense was torn apart by Matthew Stafford (sans Puka Nacua) in London before their bye, but they’ve played mainly above expectations this season. I’d be looking for excuses to go elsewhere for my PPR flex, as I’m not going to bet on plus-volume until we see Smith turn a corner, especially with Brock Bowers penciled in for a strong share in his likely return.

Jalen Coker | CAR

We, as a community, viewed Jalen Coker as the WR2 in this offense during the draft process, but an injury late in the preseason dampened the excitement around him.

Generalized ineptitude from the Panthers’ offense makes this an argument without a real winner, but I do think we got it right.

He returned to action in Week 7 and played just 37.1% of the offensive snaps (Xavier Legette: 8.8%). Last week, however, he was ramped up to 66.1% with Legette’s number falling back to a flat 8.0%.

It would appear to be only a matter of time before Coker is second in command (behind Tetairoa McMillan), and that means we can take pride in having projected this situation accurately.

The problem is, of course, that it doesn’t matter. The Panthers average the fourth-fewest passing yards per game this season (179.5) and allow pressure at the seventh-highest rate. Bryce Young, Andy Dalton, or anyone else you throw under center isn’t going to have the time to move the ball down the field, and that renders the WR2 in this offense all but useless.

I’d rather stash Coker than Legette for the second half of the season, but I’d rather not have to worry about it at all.

Jameson Williams | DET

Detroit has won five of six games since being physically dominated in Lambeau to kick off the season, and in those five contests, Jameson Williams has seven catches on 18 targets.

We thought he was destined to be a centerpiece of this offense; calling him a secondary option isn’t even accurate.

In your living room, you have the primary couch facing the TV and secondary seating for those less invested in what is going on.

And then you have the tray table that you pull out when Uncle Mikey drops in unexpectedly. That’s what Williams is right now. The Lions look like a real threat in the NFC, and their highlight-making receiver isn’t contributing to it.

That’s not entirely true. His 16-yard ADOT requires defensive attention and thus opens up the shorter, more Goff-friendly routes, but if he’s going to continue to be used as a sacrificial piece, how can we justify starting him?

The big plays are going to come, but to hold down a spot in my lineup week in and week out, I need that to be a piece of the puzzle, not the entire thing.

I’m hopeful that he can get on track sometime over the next month and give us a reason to play him as the stakes grow, but for now, I feel no obligation to play him. In 2022, he turned nine targets (across two games) into 30 yards against this hyper-aggressive Vikings bunch.

It’s gotten to the point where I’m OK with benching the 4-97-2 game that feels like it’ll come at some point if it means not having to absorb the risk of another 2-40-0 type of game.

Jauan Jennings | SF

We know that Jauan Jennings is battling through a laundry list of injuries, but until we get bonus points for toughness, we are left with his production on the field, and it’s been lacking in a pretty significant way.

In October, he averaged 4.9 yards per target, and in an offense where his ceiling for looks in a given week is rarely higher than 7-8, that makes him an awfully tough sell when it comes to roster consideration.

Add in the fact that the receiver room is only going to get healthier in the coming weeks, and we could be looking at a cut candidate before the holiday season.

For now, we hold. Ricky Pearsall and Brandon Aiyuk remain banged up, thus opening up reasonable amounts of volume. Maybe the return of Brock Purdy can help, but I’ll believe that when I see it. Right now, he sits outside of my top 40 at the position in Week 9 for me, checking in behind all-or-nothing types like Alec Pierce and Kayshon Boutte, players with a similar risk profile but more upside at the moment given their form.

Jaxon Smith-Njigba | SEA

We spent time this summer worrying about what a move out of the slot would mean for Jaxon Smith-Njigba, with Seattle moving on from the receivers they had banked on for years, thus elevating JSN into a truly featured role.

We nailed the “out of the slot” portion of that.

The “worrying” part? That was silly.

Smith-Njigba’s slot usage has fallen from 77.4% of routes to 19.4%. The loss of those “easier” targets hasn’t mattered in the least.

His average depth of target is up 41.3% from a season ago, and it hasn’t stopped him from earning 10 looks per game. He had a 40-yard catch in each of his first six games this season and has scored in three straight, following his TD in Week 7 against the Texans with an easy dunk on the uprights all in one motion from his route, an impressive athletic feat for a six-footer wearing pads.

I think a 38.3% target share and a 46.3% receiving-yardage share (he has 819 receiving yards and is the only Seahawk at even 300) are probably high-water marks. I have a hard time not penciling in some regression, but even a bit of backtracking keeps him EASILY inside the top 10 the rest of the way.

He’s a matchup-proof alpha. The numbers are expected to continue piling up this week and moving forward, giving you great value based on his preseason ADP.

Whispers … He faces the Panthers in Week 17, giving him every chance to not only be the reason your team makes the playoffs, but the reason you win the whole thing.

Jayden Higgins | HOU

Jayden Higgins was targeted twice on the first drive, led the team in targets (eight), and scored for the second time in four games (12-yard score from the slot).

The rookie is laying some breadcrumbs, but I think his value is more tied to the status of Collins, and that puts him at risk of completely disappearing as soon as the former Pro Bowler returns to action.

Higgins is an interesting dynasty buy if you’re comfortable betting on the future of Stroud, but barring significant injuries around him, I’d be surprised if he hit your lineup at any point down the stretch of this season.

Jayden Reed | GB

Jayden Reed underwent foot and clavicle surgeries in the middle of September, and the first half of November has remained the target ever since.

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.

Jaylin Noel | HOU

Week 8 was funny for the secondary Texan receivers.

On one hand, if you played any of them, you were okay with the production.

On the other hand, did any of them really change how you view them moving forward? The injuries to Kirk and Collins opened up a ton of opportunity last week, so it was good to see some signs of hope down the depth chart a bit.

That said, with the targets essentially being spread evenly, I worry that when Collins and/or Kirk return, the risk outweighs the reward for both rookie receivers in Houston.

I loved seeing the creativity with running Jaylen Noel downfield on a 44-yard catch in the second quarter, and that’s why he’s my favorite moving forward among the non-established WRs on this roster.

Jordan Addison | MIN

Jordan Addison scored on Thursday night in Los Angeles because that’s what he does. The former Trojan has now caught 21 touchdowns in 36 career games, a rate that feels unsustainable, but in labeling it as such, I’ve missed out on much of his fantasy production over the past year.

Don’t get me wrong, his 13.3% target share from last week isn’t encouraging. That said, the QB play in Minnesota has been subpar for much of the season, and while I don’t think J.J. McCarthy channels his inner 2024 Sam Darnold, it does stand to reason that he improves with health and reps.

Addison may not do it in the same way every week, but he’s played four games this season, and he’s cleared 11.5 PPR points every time. There’s risk, but the upside largely mitigates it: the Addison equation, for me, results in him being a strong flex play weekly, even if this matchup isn’t great.

Josh Downs | IND

I’m not sure the talent gap between Josh Downs and Michael Pittman is as close as the 2025 statistics suggest, and that’s going to result in me being higher on the former than most of the industry on a routine basis.

Downs has scored in consecutive games and has worked himself into the slot role, with over 60% of his routes coming there every single week this season.

Could that mean a true breakout game awaits?

The Steelers looked vulnerable all over the field on Sunday night, and, for the season, they rank 20th against that spot on the floor in YPA and 26th in yards per completion.

The fact that Downs has yet to reach 70 air yards caps my enthusiasm, but I don’t think he’s an unreasonable PPR flex this week and is an interesting DFS pivot off of what I assume will be very popular pieces elsewhere on this offense.

Joshua Palmer | BUF

A combination injury (knee/ankle) kept Josh Palmer out of action last week, his first DNP of the season for the Bills, but hopefully, it’s far from it for your fantasy lineup.

Palmer’s name was a hot one this summer in Upstate New York, and with nine targets in the opener, there seemed to be a thread to pull.

Not so much.

He’s earned 11 opportunities in five games since. While the target hierarchy in this offense remains unsettled, it’s pretty clear that Palmer is an accent piece, deployed in very specific spots and nothing else.

There’s no reason to keep holding here. If desperate times call for desperate measures, and you want exposure to a high-powered offense, Palmer has had four games in which he’s played north of 40% of the snaps.

But those have been empty-calorie snaps, and I think there’s a good chance there are a dozen players on your waiver wire that I’d rather roll the dice on over Palmer, even when he’s at full strength.

Justin Jefferson | MIN

Justin Jefferson has 10+ targets and a 35-yard grab in six straight games, and the NFL has no idea how to contain him.

“The NFL” includes the Vikings and their offensive struggles at times this season. The quarterback play has been below average, to say the least, and the running game spotty at best, but no matter the surrounding environment, Jefferson always seems to get his.

That’s what puts him in the overall WR1 discussion for me. I don’t think his ceiling is the same as some of the alpha pass-catchers out there — not as this roster currently stands, anyway — but the ability to overcome the situation and seemingly never let fantasy managers down is a skill reserved for the elite of the elite.

For his career, Jefferson is 37.5% more likely to give you 25+ PPR points than leave you with less than 10. That rate would be amazing if it were a stat for a star receiver split off only in games with a Hall of Fame QB.

That’s not the case. That’s for his entire career. A career that hasn’t exactly been filled with Hall of Fame-level targets.

Kayshon Boutte | NE

Kayshon Boutte does it again!

These single-play weeks are racking up, and while he’s never going to be a comfortable play (22 targets in his past seven games), there is no denying that Drake Maye trusts him when afforded time to throw downfield.

Touchdown Lengths This Season

39 yards (Sunday)
39 yards
29 yards
25 yards
16 yards

Of course, it’s not sustainable, but the odds are that you’re not asking it to be.

If you’re backed into a corner, you’re begging for a single play to make your day, and that’s exactly what Boutte is offering. His 17.7-aDOT ranks among the elite, and with his snap percentage up for a third straight week, this is the dart to throw if you’re in a very specific spot.

Keenan Allen | LAC

A low-volume passing attack hurt Keenan Allen’s bottom line on Thursday night (four catches for 44 yards), but an 80% catch rate and a 20.8% target share are nothing to sneeze at.

Ladd McConkey and Quentin Johnston have had roller coaster seasons up to this point, something that Allen seems immune to. His ceiling may not touch what his younger teammates have access to, but the elevated floor is valuable (I’d argue more valuable in some roster constructions).

Allen has more catches on third down this season than any of his teammates have targets, and his stabilizing force is what gives this pass-centric offense a level of balance. He’s an extension of their running game, and until proven otherwise, I’m ranking that as PPR lineup viable every single week.

Kendrick Bourne | SF

With reinforcements seemingly on the way for the 49ers, Kendrick Bourne is trending off of fantasy rosters with a total of six targets and 58 yards over the past two weeks.

He’s not a bad player, and this is a great system, but it’s hard to pencil him in for much in the way of opportunities when Ricky Pearsall or Brandon Aiyuk return, let alone when both are there.

Due to the lengthy injuries to those ahead of him on the depth chart, I’d keep Bourne rostered. If he’s penciled into the WR2 role in a Kyle Shanahan system, you could do far worse when it comes to streamers.

Be ready to pivot with time, but for right now, he’s a low-end flex that you should only consider deploying if absolutely pressed (under 45 receiving yards in five of his seven games).

Keon Coleman | BUF

If the Bills were struggling, you could sell me on an expansion of Keon Coleman’s ripple, but with them getting the train back on the tracks with a 31-point win in Carolina, he’s basically a fancy Rashod Bateman these days.

I’m kidding.

Sort of.

You like the profile and the offensive environment, but no tangible numbers are pointing to short-term success.

Sounds like Bateman, no?

Coleman has failed to earn more than four targets in four of his past six games, and with the Khalil Shakir/James Cook tandem showing plenty capable of producing next to Josh Allen, what motivation does this team have to feature their big play threat in a way that matters?

Coleman can remain rostered if you want an athletic player to plug in in case you’re absolutely backed into a corner. Still, I can’t imagine a world moving forward in which you’re excited about playing the second-year WR.

Khalil Shakir | BUF

For the third time in four games, Khalil Shakir caught 5+ passes; he just happened to flash his elite YAC ability on one of them against the Panthers, elevating his stable PPR floor into a ceiling week.

He turned a shallow comeback route into a 54-yard catch-and-run, a skill that he has honed during his career.

You obviously can’t count on plays like that weekly, but the efficiency (85.7% catch rate on Sunday and 75.7% for his career) is here to stay. In this Josh Allen-led attack, Shakir holds weekly PPR value, even if the ceiling is rarely overwhelming.

Remember: it’s not the job of every player on your team to put you over the top. Players like Shakir are common on championship teams; they just don’t get the headlines of the highlight makers.

Ladd McConkey | LAC

We are so back.

It was delayed, but you’re now in a position to get what you paid for this summer in Ladd McConkey, as he’s seen double-digit targets in consecutive weeks and has scored in three of his past four.

Over his past three games, 40.9% of his receptions have come on balls thrown past the sticks, a nice spike from the 23.8% rate he had prior and a path to real upside as he absorbs some of the role that the ghost of Quentin Johnston has left behind.

I’m not ready to call him a top 10 receiver the rest of the way just yet. I still worry about a bit of skill repetition with Keenan Allen, but he’s the Bolt WR I want, and he’s a no-brainer starter in all formats.

Luther Burden III | CHI

Luther Burden exited last week’s loss to the Ravens with a head injury and isn’t the type of player we need to be patient with.

The rookie entered the season with some hope, but considering that he has more games without multiple receptions than with, there’s no reason to stay married to this preseason take.

Caleb Williams needs to play better, and this is as good a get-right spot as there is, but his turning things around will benefit at least three other pass catchers more than Burden, and that’s what I have no interest in holding him at the end of benches.

“What do you win if you win?”

The absolute best-case scenario for Burden at this point is that he’s a gadgety player that you never know what you’re signing up for.

I have higher standards.

Marquise Brown | KC

The idea of investing in this Kansas City passing game makes sense, but they appear to be locked into their staple scheme, and that doesn’t leave much food on the table for a fourth option (Travis Kelce, Rashee Rice, and Xavier Worthy are already locked in).

On Monday night, Rice and Worthy cleared 55 snaps and 30 routes while Marquise Brown and JuJu Smith-Schuster both fell short of 30 snaps and failed to surpass 20 routes.

Patrick Mahomes is playing at a high enough level to make up for a limited role, and any injury would open up a tremendous opportunity, so you need to keep Hollywood rostered. Still, I don’t think you can justify considering him for your flex spot until something ahead of him changes.

Not helping his case was the fact that his lone target last week was intercepted, but he caught just two passes the week prior in Rice’s season debut: this isn’t an offense interested in sustaining a third receiver.

Marvin Harrison Jr. | ARI

After a nice 2025 debut, Marvin Harrison Jr. has one top-20 finish and just two weeks as a top-40 performer at the position.

Can we count on a bye to right the ship?

I don’t think so, but banking on a Dallas matchup isn’t a bad idea for those worried about the short-term over everything else.

Harrison has a 30+ yard catch in the majority of his contests this season, and that counts for something. But with just two end zone targets during the five-game losing streak and one game with double-digit expected PPR points over his past six, this profile doesn’t come close to matching the pedigree.

You’re starting Arizona’s WR1 this week because his 5-6 targets hit differently in a matchup like this, but be aware that you’re holding a distressed fantasy asset that isn’t showing signs of emerging as the type of producer we’ve been hoping for.

Marvin Mims Jr. | DEN

Marvin Mims caught six of seven targets in the Week 7 win over the Giants, but that seems to be a red herring. He was held without a catch last week against the Cowboys before exiting with a head injury, and given the depth of pass catchers on this roster, I think you’re safe to move on.

There’s single-play upside in this profile, but we are talking about a receiver who has run under 20 routes in three of his past four and has no more than 30 receiving yards in six games this season.

Mims is averaging 7.2 expected PPR points per game this season, not nearly enough for me to hold through an injury that could well open the door for talented young receivers behind him to work into larger roles.

Matthew Golden | GB

I hate to say it.

I don’t want to say it.

You can’t make me say it.

But I have to say it because you — the people — deserve my honest thoughts.

Matthew Golden can be dropped.

This isn’t because he turned three catches into four yards last week or because he went through October without seeing an end-zone target; it’s because I see a white flag being raised by this offense.

Initially, he was drafted for his big-play potential. The blinding speed was an asset that this offense would use to offset a traditional run game and put the opposition in a bind.

That idea made sense, but they never fully committed to it. And now, with Christian Watson back, where does Golden go?

He’s finished consecutive games with a sub-four-yard aDOT, and that feels forced. They are trying to get him in space, but this isn’t what he excels at, and asking him to make a change like that midseason of his rookie year smells more like desperation than seeing a pathway to success.

Oh, and Reed will return at some point, the king of short targets in Green Bay these days.

I’m sure that Golden will have a few chunk plays over the next two months. Heck, we might see one on Sunday. My larger point is that I believe we’ve reached a point of no return. At no point am I going to feel comfortable starting Golden this season (barring a bunch of injuries ahead of him), and for me, that puts you on the drop list.

I’m not suggesting you drop him for a backup kicker, but I think you understand what I’m saying. This is a profile filled with red flags, and a player without a short-term path to correcting them.

Michael Pittman Jr. | IND

I don’t want to say he’s the most underappreciated receiver in the league, but he’s on the short list.

Michael Pittman reeled in a 21-yard score last week with the defender draped (illegally) all over him. It didn’t matter. The score helped him finish the week as a top 22 receiver for the sixth time this season, and more important than the single play was the target earning.

The risk that comes with potent offenses like this is volume. They score too fast, so the play count suffers, lowering the floor for everyone involved (while also raising the ceiling because of the points they put on the board).

It can be a strange dynamic, but he earned a 34.6% target share last week, and that’s a great way to mitigate that risk. Pittman is capable of winning down the field, but it’s far less predictable than it was a season ago, and with him seeing only 14.3% of his targets 15+ yards past the line of scrimmage (29.7% last season), he’s not reliant on those less efficient plays.

I have Pittman ranked as my WR11 this week, and I’m more concerned about being too low than too high.

Nico Collins | HOU

As expected, the late concussion in Week 7 prevented Collins from taking the field last week against the 49ers.

The quality of looks has been a problem for Houston’s star, but the general role hasn’t been, and that’s why he is still a no-brainer start for me when healthy, something that has been the case for the vast majority of players a week after a concussion DNP.

For his career, Collins owns an 11.6-yard aDOT and a 24.8% on-field target share. This season, those numbers are 11.4 and 26.3% respectively, usage that I’ll trust given the upside in this profile.

Is this matchup great? Of course not. Is his supporting cast great? Not even close.

Is he one of the few players who can overcome that and punish you for doubting him?

For me, unquestionably yes. If the Texans are comfortable enough with his health, I’ll downgrade Collins a touch for the matchup, but not nearly enough to justify any actionable change on your part.

Pat Bryant | DEN

Pat Bryant has yet to reach 25 routes or a 60% snap share in an NFL game, but he got in on the fun last week against Dallas with his first score, a play that served as a good reminder of why we liked this profile in the preseason.

The 24-yard TD was a nice mix of athleticism and awareness: raw ability and grace.

Personally, I think he’s the real deal and a must-get in dynasty situations. When it comes to redraft, I need him to be on the field more before he gets a top 40 ranking from me. The talent isn’t a question in the slightest, but Nix hasn’t been the most consistent QB this season, and you’re playing a thin parlay if you want him to look good during the snaps that Bryant is on the field.

If he can bump into the 70% range of snaps, we might be onto something. That could happen during the second half of this season, though I’m not expecting it. Keep Bryant rostered for now and hope that his path to playing time clears.

Puka Nacua | LAR

The bye week came at the perfect time for the Rams, as all signs point to their time without Puka Nacua (foot) being held to just the one game.

His red zone target rate has nearly been halved from last season (17.2% from 34.3%), so I’m not comfortable blindly assuming that there is more TD equity in his volume than what we’ve seen up to this point.

That said, it doesn’t really matter. He’s recorded 10+ catches in four of five healthy games — a remarkable feat without any context added — but with a 13.8% spike in aDOT, it’s borderline ludicrous.

Nacua has as good a shot to be the top scorer at the position for the remainder of the season as anyone and could put your team over the top as you prepare for the fantasy playoffs (road dates with the Panthers and Cardinals in Weeks 13-14).

Quentin Johnston | LAC

This is getting ugly in a hurry, and while I don’t think we are fully back to the Quentin Johnston expectations (or lack thereof) from the past, we are certainly trending in that direction.

On Thursday night against the Vikings, he turned 27 routes into zero targets. Forget the zero receptions; he didn’t even earn the right to have a chance to hit the box score. Had the Chargers struggled, I could hop in here and say things like “something has to change” or parrot the great Jerry Seinfeld with “if everything they did was wrong, then the opposite has to be right”.

They won 37-10 and looked great.

Ladd McConkey is back in form, and 90% of balls thrown to Keenan Allen or Oronde Gadsden were completed. The explosion of the tight end has come entirely at the cost of their former WR1 (last three games: six receptions on 115 routes), and with the team averaging 30 points over that stretch, what motivation do they have to revert to what we saw in September?

None.

Herbert has dialed back the aggression by 5.1%, making this offense more consistent. Johnston is going to have viable fantasy weeks moving forward, but he’s now much closer to the Matthew Golden mold of field-stretching asset than the Pickens version we saw early on.

Hold for roster depth, but I’m not going to be comfortable in starting him until after I see proof of concept in this post-Oronde Gadsden breakout world.

Rashee Rice | KC

The list of receivers you’d rather have than Rashee Rice moving forward is short at best and potentially non-existent.

52 routes
19 targets
16 catches
135 yards
3 TDs

He walked into a Chiefs offense that was trending up and has made them look close to unstoppable. Washington did about as good a job as anyone with them in the first half on Monday night, but give Andy Reid/Mahomes time, and they are going to eat you alive.

This offense was close to perfect in the second half, and their WR1 was a big part of it. He’s averaged over 2.3 fantasy points per target in both of his games this season and currently owns a 2.8-yard aDOT.

The Chiefs are as creative as it gets, but the plan here is simple. They are aware that defenses prefer them to beat them with paper cuts, and they now have access to one of the premier ‘turn-a-paper-cut-into-a-fatal-wound’ receivers in the game.

Kansas City goes on by next week and still has both Denver games ahead of them. If there’s a last chance for you to acquire Rice, it’s coming up. You’re not going to get him at any sort of discount, but it’s possible that the team with him is struggling, and the idea of an off week followed by a tough matchup might be too much for them to absorb.

Rashid Shaheed | NO

We obviously aren’t talking about a large sample size from Shough, but what we have seen up to this point works in Rashid Shaheed’s favor.

Usage With Tyler Shough Under Center

Shaheed: 8 targets on 23 routes
Juwan Johnson: 6 targets on 30 routes
Chris Olave: 6 targets on 31 routes

Shough missed Shaheed on what probably should have been a 34-yard touchdown last week. Missed opportunities, sadly, are going to be a part of the experience in New Orleans until they solve the quarterback position, and that’s why I don’t think you can feel great about Shaheed as a flex option.

Not yet.

Give me another week of plus-volume, and I may change my tune. But Olave does profile as the stronger target earner, and I am very much skeptical about betting on two members of this offense succeeding in a way that matters to us.

Ricky Pearsall | SF

The 49ers coaching staff continues to tell us that Ricky Pearsall is progressing and hasn’t suffered a setback, but we’ve yet to get much clarity on a return timeline, and that’s a worry.

This is a knee injury that he described as “unstable”. That would be a concerning diagnosis for anyone, never mind a player who thrives on making plays down the field (16.4 yards per catch in his four games this season, 14.3 for his career).

I’m skeptical at best that Pearsall is going to return to the weekly lineup conversation this season, but we have no choice but to wait. This roster as a whole has struggled to stay on the field, and that could carve out an opportunity for Pearsall to earn 5-7 targets weekly if healthy.

But there are many moving pieces. I’m considering Pearsall a bonus if he helps me in the stretch run, assuming I won’t have access to his upside.

Rome Odunze | CHI

I don’t want to be overly dramatic, but Week 8 was good for the soul if you rostered Rome Odunze.

After totaling just 10.3 PPR points across two games post-bye, he was open for much of Sunday’s loss in Baltimore, and even a struggling Caleb Williams was able to find him.

The second-year standout doesn’t come off the field (93%+ of the snaps in three straight) and turned his 10 targets into seven grabs for 114 yards. The 14.1 aDOT this season speaks to Chicago loving what he brings to the table vertically, but don’t sleep on his slot usage, which has always hovered around 30%: this feels like a piece on the chessboard that Ben Johnson is comfortable with.

Odunze caught passes of 7, 13, and 16 yards on the first drive last week, and I think we continue to see him scripted into the action moving forward. The Bengals have struggled across the board defensively for 13 months now, and while that can sometimes mean the ground game takes over, they have allowed a receiver to crack 15 PPR points in five of eight weeks.

Odunze is the clear-cut top threat in an offense that will be forced to be aggressive most weeks: he’s a WR1 for me both this week and for the remainder of the season.

Romeo Doubs | GB

The good news is that Romeo Doubs saw six targets against the Steelers on Sunday night, his fourth straight game with at least that many looks. He’s recorded a catch gaining more than 15 yards in every contest this season, so there’s something to be said for his consistency in this offense, even if the ceiling gets lower weekly.

The return of Christian Watson last week creates one more downfield threat to worry about. I believe that Doubs can win in the short area at a higher rate than Watson or Dontavion Wicks types, but if we are requiring volume for him to pay the fantasy bills, I worry, given the nature of this offense.

Tucker Kreft isn’t going away, and Jayden Reed will be back at some point. Combine those facts with the hard-nosed running of Josh Jacobs, and I think it’s very possible that there isn’t a single Packer WR we are comfortable starting come Thanksgiving.

For now, I think you can get away with using “offensive upside” as an excuse for playing Doubs as a low-end flex. We know he is a capable player with the ball in his hands, and with Jordan Love locked in, this 6-8 target role is going to be good for 10+ PPR points far more often than not.

Stefon Diggs | NE

Stefon Diggs found the end zone for the first time this season last week on a one-yard slant that he’ll cash in whenever given the opportunity.

The score was good to see, but the need for it scares me.

Drake Maye is spreading the ball around at a high level, and that is great for New England but bad for us. Kayshon Boutte is making plays down the field weekly, and DeMario Douglas gets involved on occasion, not to mention the RBs/TEs soaking up looks.

Diggs is my favorite of this bunch: that doesn’t mean he’s a lineup lock, especially should he draw shadow coverage this week. The veteran receiver has been held under 35 receiving yards in four games this season, and with scoring equity low (one end-zone target on his 192 routes this season), the risk is at least equal to the potential reward.

He sits just outside of my top 30 this week, next to names like Quentin Johnston and Xavier Worthy that are carrying plenty of risk themselves.

Tee Higgins | CIN

Tee Higgins wasn’t involved in the first few drives last week, but it can flip in a hurry: 44-yard touchdown as Joe Flacco identified single coverage and went for it.

That’s what was missing from this offense after the Joe Burrow injury: the willingness to take a chance and trust the elite talent.

Was it concerning that Higgins finished the 39-38 loss with just that one catch (two targets on 29 routes)? A little bit, but it’s clear that he is in the Flacco circle of trust and that the veteran QB isn’t going to swerve off that path.

I still think 6-8 targets is the most likely outcome for him against the third-worst YPA defense in the league, and that is a profile I’m buying as my WR2 without a second thought.

Terry McLaurin | WAS

In his return from the quad injury, Terry McLaurin was a part of a rotation. The game wasn’t competitive late, but even in the first half, Deebo Samuel was on the field for 81.3% of Washington’s offensive snaps while McLaurin, Luke McCaffrey, Jaylin Lane, and Chris Moore all checked in from 25-60%.

I expect that to change this week, barring any hiccups at practice, and that means you can feel fine about flexing McLaurin against the Seahawks.

Seattle has an above-average defense, but they have allowed an opposing WR to clear 18.5 PPR points in three of its past four games. We can argue as to who the top receiver is for the Commanders, but McLaurin is a part of that conversation, and that gives him top 15 upside for the week.

I rank him a little lower than that to adjust for the risk, but I’m starting him wherever I have him. I saw enough on Monday night to have me convinced that he is reasonably healthy.

Tetairoa McMillan | CAR

McMillan is coming off catching a career-high seven passes against the Bills in a blowout loss, and we could get a similar path to production this week in Lambeau.

The rookie has earned targets like a player well beyond his level of experience, and that’s a great first step. The quality of targets is the primary issue, and while we can’t fix it this season, the hope is that it gets sorted out over time.

McMillan has cleared 100 air yards five times this season, and I think a sixth such performance is more than likely on Sunday. Playing anyone attached to this offense comes with risk, but the math works in your favor given the role, and that’s why I have T-Mac as a low-end WR2 this week, even in a difficult matchup.

Tory Horton | SEA

This preseason was filled with speculation that Tory Horton could earn the WR2 role in this offense, but there seems to be motivation to do that, and that means you can move on without a second thought.

The rookie hasn’t run 20 routes in a game this season and had consecutive games without a reception entering the bye: there are some prospects to wait on, but this isn’t one of them.

Travis Hunter | JAX

A sharp route, a well-timed pass, and an end zone dance.

It was art in London in Week 7; it just happened to come with the Rams playing conservatively on defense, thanks to a 28-0 lead.

They all count, so Hunter getting on the board was great to see, but I’m far from ready to say that he’s been unleashed. The usage is trending in the right direction, but Trevor Lawrence is struggling to find anything close to consistency. Until that’s the case, I have reservations about using Hunter with confidence.

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

That said, the talent is obvious. He’s a special player with the ball in his hands, and that much is clear. I remain very bullish on the trajectory of the dual threat, and this matchup is certainly an opportunity to flex him.

Just be careful.

This is a struggling offense that needs to show us something before we invest weekly. The big play was great to see, but there’s a reason garbage time was in effect for most of the fourth quarter.

Troy Franklin | DEN

Troy Franklin has scored three times over the past two weeks and has four games in his second season with at least eight targets.

We knew that we wanted a second member of his passing attack to establish himself, and the former Duck is getting close to being just that (four first-quarter targets last week against the Cowboys tell me that his involvement was scripted in).

Nix’s trust is clear and valuable. Franklin has six end zone targets, nine red zone touches, and has been targeted on 40% of his red zone routes. All of those are strong marks, and if he can sustain usage close to that, he’s going to prove worthy of flex consideration down the stretch.

I’m not there just yet.

This is a tough matchup, and Nix still has to show me the consistency I need to rank multiple pass catchers as weekly assets. You’re happy to have Franklin on your roster right now and are being patient about using him as a starter.

Wan’Dale Robinson | NYG

I understand that Wan’Dale Robinson has failed to reach 8.5 PPR points in four of his past six games and went through October without seeing a target in the end zone, but this is a profile I’m holding for now.

The slot machine has run 28+ routes in every game this season, and with the Cam Skaatebo injury, his role could be magnified as the short pass game may be what the Giants turn to as opposed to asking Tyrone Tracy to run RB dives.

It may not be, but the fact that there is a path to an uptick in volume from a highly efficient player and a developing QB is all I need. Robinson isn’t a top-35 receiver for me this week, but I’ll be tracking him closely.

The end of the season can get goofy at times, and matchups with the Commanders, Vikings, and Raiders to close (the Cowboys if your league extends to Week 18) are at least interesting enough for me to stash a player like this whose skill set is proven.

Xavier Legette | CAR

This is why sample sizes are important.

We have a larger sample size showing that Xavier Legette is on the lower end of the average. We had nearly that same data set this time last week; the only difference was that he was coming off a weird outlier game where he went 9-92-1 against a Jets team that used Sauce Gardner to cover the other half of the field.

The recency of the big game made Legette a popular mention in our Start/Sit tool and even spilled over into my social life, with my wife scolding me for recommending she bench him in Week 7.

She started him last week.

Score one for me.

If you’re chasing tail outcomes, you can do whatever you want weekly. If you’re in the business of making responsible fantasy decisions, I don’t think you’re ever going to land on Legette (three targets in a 31-point loss generally doesn’t happen to players that teams view as a vital part of what they want to do through the air.

Xavier Worthy | KC

This is pretty clearly going to require some finessing, but Monday night was a step in the right direction.

Week 7 (Rice’s debut): 30 routes, 4 targets (0 deep), 3 catches
Week 8: 35 routes, 7 targets (3 deep), 5 catches

What the “right” answer is to the Worthy route tree is going to change weekly based on game flow and the matchup, but more involvement last week was good to see, and those shot attempts are obviously how we hit a home run.

Patrick Mahomes hit Worthy for a 27-yard chunk play on the first drive last week: this is an ultra-talented offense that is beginning to find its footing. Worthy is the piece I worry most about, but he remains a flexible piece for me, and it’s easy to see his path to a top 15 week.

Soppe’s Fantasy WR Start-Sit Week 9 Players Include Ladd McConkey, Rome Odunze, Stefon Diggs, and Others