Keeping up with fantasy football can be a challenge, especially as the NFL season delivers fresh storylines and unexpected opportunities each week. Whether you’re searching for the next breakout player or hoping to stay ahead of waiver trends, staying informed is the key to building a winning lineup.
Changes in team roles and injuries create chances for new names to emerge on fantasy football radars. This week, several wide receivers are drawing attention as managers weigh upside against risk.
Brandon Aiyuk, San Francisco 49ers
Rostered: 41%
Another player who has been on the cut list for several weeks is Brandon Aiyuk. That’s because once it was revealed he would miss more than half the season, it became reasonable for fantasy managers not to hold onto him.
The thesis with Aiyuk hasn’t changed. He won’t contribute for many weeks, and what he does provide may not be usable in fantasy anyway. He’s a very speculative add who will give fantasy managers 2-3 weeks of regular-season utility at most.
But last week, we finally got some sort of movement on Aiyuk’s timetable. Head coach Kyle Shanahan said the team might open its veteran receiver’s three-week window to return ahead of Week 9. That would put Aiyuk on track for a Week 10 or 11 activation.
How useful will Aiyuk be? Who knows? But if you have the ability to do so, now is the time to stash him.
Aggressiveness Rating: 3.0
Mack Hollins, New England Patriots
Rostered: 0%
The New England Patriots have a great passing game with Drake Maye playing at an MVP level. In an era where so many teams opt to dink and dunk on offense, Maye pushes the ball downfield.
We’ve seen every Patriots receiver have a big game at some point. This week, it was Mack Hollins’ turn. The veteran journeyman caught all seven of his targets for 89 yards, posting 15.9 fantasy points.
Prior to this week, Hollins hadn’t scored more than 7.8 in any week. This is not a thing. Do not add Hollins.
Aggressiveness Rating: 0.0
Malik Washington, Miami Dolphins
Rostered: 15%
Jaylen Waddle is the clear alpha on the Miami Dolphins. But he can’t catch every pass. Someone else has to get involved.
Malik Washington has been operating as the WR2 behind Waddle. But until this week, he hadn’t really done much.
Unfortunately, there’s nothing to be excited about here. Washington’s usage didn’t change. He caught four passes, marking the fourth consecutive game he’s caught exactly four or five balls. He just happened to score this time. He is not a priority add.
Aggressiveness Rating: 1.0
Jaylin Noel, Houston Texans
Rostered: 9%
With Nico Collins and Christian Kirk out, Houston had to rely on their pair of rookies plus Xavier Hutchinson. Jayden Higgins got the touchdown, but Jaylin Noel was the most involved. He caught five of six targets for 63 yards. It was his second consecutive game with double-digit fantasy points.
There’s a decent chance Collins is back next week, but the Texans still need a secondary option. Perhaps Noel is emerging into that guy.
Noel plays the slot, making him more of a replacement for Christian Kirk, who doesn’t appear any closer to returning from a multi-week hamstring strain. He’s worth a speculative add.
Aggressiveness Rating: 2.5
Troy Franklin, Denver Broncos
Rostered: 37%
Perhaps Troy Franklin is starting to break out for real this time. He’s now posted consecutive weeks with double-digit fantasy points.
Franklin caught six passes for 89 yards and two touchdowns. Now, to be fair, it was against the hapless Cowboys. There won’t be an easier matchup. But Franklin has now seen 18 targets over his past two games. I don’t quite buy it, but it would be foolish not to say Franklin is worth a speculative add.
Aggressiveness Rating: 4.0
Chimere Dike, Tennessee Titans
Rostered: 8%
The answer to who will step up during Calvin Ridley’s absence was not Elic Ayomanor. It was Chimere Dike. The rookie has posted games of 16.9 and 16.4 fantasy points in each of his last two.
It remains to be seen when Ridley will return. Conventional wisdom suggests he will sit again in Week 9, with the Titans on bye in Week 10, and be back in Week 11. That means Dike should have at least one more game as Cam Ward’s top target.
The Titans are the worst team in football. They are constantly in a negative game script, which creates passing volume. You can certainly do worse than Dike.
Aggressiveness Rating: 5.0
Christian Watson, Green Bay Packers
Rostered: 16%
After a lengthy recovery from a torn ACL, Christian Watson made his 2025 debut on Sunday night against the Steelers. Watson was supposedly going to be used in a limited role, given how long it’s been since he played live football. Instead, he looked all the way back.
Watson played 56% of the snaps and ran a route on 65% of Jordan Love’s dropbacks. Those numbers aren’t what we typically expect from starting receivers, but in the context of the Green Bay Packers wide receiver rotation, that is very good.
Most notably, Watson played six fewer snaps and ran four fewer routes than Matthew Golden. It’s only one game, but it’s already abundantly clear that Watson is coming for that WR2 role opposite Romeo Doubs.
Watson caught all four of his targets for 85 yards. He exceeded all expectations and his role will only grow from here. With Love and the Packers offense humming, Watson needs to be rostered in more leagues.
Aggressiveness Rating: 7.5
