Waiver Watch:
After the Sunday night thriller between the Packers and the Cowboys, Green Bay’s wide receiver Romeo Doubs became an overnight sensation when he scored 30 Fantasy points paired with three touchdowns: his personal best. Now, although skyrocketing to 20th in the position rankings, he is rostered on less than half of Fantasy teams according to ESPN. While Doubs does have a bye in this upcoming week, he plays the weak Bengals defense in Week 6, where he will replicate this outstanding performance.
This rookie finally gets a chance to show off a glimpse of his senior season during college football in the NFL. Dillon Gabriel, starting in favor of Joe Flacco, is now first in the Browns depth chart. While being rostered on less than 2 percent of Fantasy teams, he will still be on many league’s waivers.
Trade Targets:
While the Raiders’veteran quarterback, Geno Smith, is nearing the end of his career, he has had some exceptional games this season, putting up 18 points and 26 points during Weeks 1 and 3. However, by putting up less than 15 points in the other two weeks, he has been unpredictable since the start of the season. Because of this, his trade stock has drastically lowered; however, as he meets two weak defenses, the Colts and Titans, he will prove himself once again in the weeks to come.
Another player worth trading for is the Patriots’ Hunter Henry. Rising to the 2nd in the tight end position rank, he’s been both hot and cold this season. With a high of 30 points and a low of not even 2 points, he is guaranteed to at least perform well for any Fantasy team. Leaving him on the bench for future reference is a great idea, as his trade stock is slightly lower than what it should be.
Injury Interruption:
One player that I would have liked to include on the Rising Rookies section would have been the Giants’ Malik Nabers; however, sadly, he suffered a gruesome ACL tear during last week’s game against the Chargers. After putting up an unheard of 38 points in week 2, he is unfortunately out for the rest of the season, meaning a drop to the waiver wire is probable for him.
Another receiver with a similar injury is the Dolphins’ Tyreek Hill; he suffered a disgusting leg injury, both dislocating it and tearing it in multiple places. While some think he’ll be out for the season, I presume this will put an end to his career, meaning a certain drop to the waiver wire.
The Cowboys’ CeeDee Lamb is another player worth noting in this category. After being rostered on nearly every single Fantasy team in the nation, he has been out with an ankle sprain and dropped significantly in the position ranks, and some would say he has even been overshadowed by George Pickens. While a drop to the waiver might seem unnecessary for Lamb, with the amount of drops he had had this season, a secondary or bench spot is where he belongs.
Rising Rookies:
The Raiders’Ashton Jeanty’s performance yesterday finally showcased a resemblance to his amazing college season last year; with an impressive 34 points, the most out of any rookie running back, he encounters an unimpressive Colts’ defense next week. In the off chance he has not been picked up in your Fantasy League, immediately rush to pick him up off the waiver.
Another is Buccaneers’ Emeka Egbuka. After a very strong performance Week 1, he dipped under the radar with sub 15-point performances the next two weeks; thankfully, he had his best performance catching-wise, scoring a strong 20 points against a higher-tier Eagles’ defense. After mentioning his last week, he has risen to the seventh spot in the position ranks. While he will match up against a very impressive Seahawks defense next week, in the absence of Mike Evans he will continue to be targeted heavily.
The rising Colts’ rookie tight-end Tyler Warren is an outlier when it comes to most tight-ends due to his point scoring ability. He’s been extremely impressive among his fellow players as evidenced by his rising to fourth in the position ranks and his 18 point performance last week against the Rams. Playing an easy Raiders defense next week, he will continue to add to his grand rookie campaign, in which he is the frontrunner for Offensive Rookie of the Year.
Blown Bets:
As a Texans fan, it is exceptionally hard to call any of their players a bust yet; however, the team’s running back Nick Chubb has been doing poorly so far. After going against mediocre defenses these past few weeks, like the Jaguars and Titans, he has averaged a lowly 9 points. As he eventually shares snaps with the injured Joe Mixon, his subpar performance will continue to stutter throughout the remainder of the season.
Yet another is the highly-touted Sam Leporta of the Lions. He has significantly dropped in the tight end position ranks, and his performance has continued to stumble since Week 1, only averaging 8 points. Since he is playing against an appalling Bengals defense this week, managers like myself are hopeful that he can turn around this slow start to his season.
Although all these predictions are based on stats and logic, nobody can foresee what will happen in any given Fantasy league. It is up to you as a manager to make your roster choices and hope for the best.
