ROOKIE WATCH – WEEK 10

By Steve Uetz

Week 10 gave us much to be excited about! We got the Michael Pittman Jr. and Salvon Ahmed breakout games, another Tua victory (!), and plenty of solid rookie performances! We were forced to wait on CeeDee Lamb, Clyde Edwards-Helaire, La’Mical Perine, and Denzel Mims due to the BYE week!

Week 10 Studs:

Michael Pittman Jr., Justin Jefferson, Brandon Aiyuk, Chase Claypool, Tee Higgins, Antonio Gibson, D’Andre Swift, and Salvon Ahmed. More on them below!

Week 10 Duds:

Let’s just get these out of the way…

RB Jonathon Taylor

Taylor’s Thursday night performance was very disappointing… The Nyheim Hines show was on full display…but even Jordan Wilkins out-carried Taylor 8-7…he struggled as he gained only 12 yards on 7 carries and caught both of his targets for 25 yards…The former hype train RB1 is looking shaky even as a FLEX option as the Colts face a tough Green Bay defense in week 11…If you have Taylor on your roster it’ll likely be difficult to bench him but it may be best to shift to other options if possible. Our fantasy darling could very easily earn our good graces back but in this game especially as we are making a push for the playoffs every week matters and trust will be key is setting lineups…

RB J.K. Dobbins

In the wet and rainy Sunday night game against the Patriots, Dobbins was terribly inefficient… he gained 13 yards on 5 carries and caught his only target for 1 yard… Dobbins is still a dynasty favorite of mine but he is looking to be completely unusable for redraft purposes and a bench warmer for dynasty. I’m still a believer in his talent and a perfect fit in a juicy role of a could be elite offense;  but right now the Baltimore backfield is sadly avoidable…he is droppable in redraft leagues, but a major hold in keeper and dynasty leagues…

RB Joshua Kelley 

Kelley’s value is falling in a big and bad way…he continues to be inefficient as he gained 21 yards on 7 carries and didn’t receive a target in week 10. Worst of all, he is being out-worked and out-produced by veteran RB Kalen Ballage who was signed off the street just a couple of weeks ago. Good on Ballage for showing some promise as he gets a little career redemption in the last couple of weeks, but for Kelley’s sake…this is becoming a disaster…

Rookie Quick Hits…

RB Zack Moss

Moss continues to out work Singletary which is positive; but the negative is that he didn’t do much on Sunday. He gained 20 yards on 7 carries and caught 1 of 2 targets for -3 yards…he enters week 11 on BYE but looks like he will be hard to trust as a FLEX unless it is a deep league or out of desperation…

RB Cam Akers 

In the Rams winning effort, Akers led the Rams in carries and rushing yards! He totaled 38 yards on 10 carries including one rush for 17 yards. An overall inefficient day but encouraging for his development to see the added work!

RB Jamycal Hasty

A similar disappointing result as last week Hasty didn’t fair to well against the Saints. 3 carries for 13 yards and 2 for -4 yards…and unfortunately suffered a broken collarbone putting him on IR…such a shame. Still a promising talent but just wasn’t able to fully capitalize on the opportunity.

RB DeeJay Dallas

The Seattle offense struggled against the Rams; Dallas only received 2 carries gaining 8 yards and caught 2 of 3 targets for 23 yards…Alex Collins who was signed off of the street led the team with 11 carries for 43 yards and 1 TD. It’ll be a quick turnaround for the team as they play on Thursday night. I can’t imagine Dallas will be a factor especially if Carson and Hyde are close to returning…

WR Darnell Mooney

The Bears struggled offensively in the Monday Night Football contest. Mooney caught both of his targets for 3 yards…

WR Gabriel Davis

It appears I’ve done my “put some respect on their name to watch them disappear trick” again…he has been up and down all season but in a game where Josh Allen throws for 32 completions you would think he get a few of those… but no, 0 catches on 3 targets…still on the radar as he enters into the BYE week…

WR Henry Ruggs and Bryan Edwards

Ruggs caught 3 of 4 targets for 31 yards…Bryan Edwards returned to action (finally) but caught his only target for 16 yards… in a game where the Raiders scored 37 Derek Carr only passed for 154 yards…all of the Vegas offensive damage was done on the ground or by the foot…

QB Jake Luton

Welcome to the series Jake! In his 2nd straight start for Jaguars he unfortunately registers his 2nd loss. In week 9 he passed for 304 yards with 1 TD and 1 INT while rushing for 13 yards and 1 TD…week 10 he faced a more challenging defense where he struggled a bit. Against the stout Packers defense he passed for 169 yards with 1 TD and 1 INT…week 11 he faces the elite Pittsburgh defense at home which helps but ultimately may not matter, we shall see…

Major rookies roles, stats, and development notes…

QB Justin Herbert 

What’s the old phrase? The three guarantees in life are…death, taxes, and the Chargers losing close games? It’s something like that. Anyway, Herbert led the Chargers to another close game which resulted in loss. Fantasy-wise he took a little bit of a step but still ended up with a decent outing. He completed 20 of 32 passes for 187 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT, and rushed 4 times gaining 10 yards and 1 TD! He looks to have a nice bounce-back opportunity against the Jets in week 11…

QB Tua Tagovailoa

Tua is 3-0! Not only are my pants off but they are gone, nowhere to be seen… but seriously, Tua did not rock the fantasy world here but he did complete 15 of 25 passes for 169 yards and 2 TDs! Tua continuing to win is impressive but what is even better is that he has yet to commit a turnover! Tua is looking great and will likely be getting Preston Williams returning from IR pretty soon! Value is skyrocketing!

QB Joe Burrow

Burrow struggled a bit as somewhat expected in this contest against the elite Pittsburgh defense. He completed 21/40 passes for 213 yards and 1 TD. It was very encouraging that no turnovers were committed in this game which is a positive step in his professional development!

RB D’Andre Swift

Swift really turned a corner in his role in Detroit’s offense as he was given 21 total touches! He carried the ball 16 times, gaining 81 yards and caught all 5 targets for 68 yards and 1 TD! Swift has been a FLEX play in recent weeks but he can be firmly considered an RB2 from here on out! Trending up in a massive way!

RB Salvon Ahmed

Week 9 Ahmed out produced veteran Jordan Howard…while Matt Breida and Myles Gaskin remained Out in week 10 J. Howard was a healthy scratch and Ahmed was given the keys to the car where he made the most of his opportunity! He handled 21 carries for 85 yard and 1 TD! He also caught his only target for 5 yards. Ahmed did that on Sunday and on Tuesday J. Howard was cut…yikes…with Gaskin likely out again and Breida being Questionable to play (at best) Ahmed remains a FLEX option in all leagues. Pretty incredible stuff…

RB Antonio Gibson

Gibson continues to be impressive as he scored 2 rushing TDs in the close but losing effort. He gained 45 yards on 13 carries and caught all 4 of his targets for 20 yards! 17 touches was good enough to create enough of a floor to be a FLEX lay but he is becoming a bonafide RB2 ROS!

RB James Robinson

Another week of quality production and another week of the teams’ 100% RB rush opportunity share…sheesh! The only thing that can stop Robinson is apparently penalties…he had not one but two TDs called back due to penalties… Brutal!! He is now cemented as an RB1 ROS unless proven otherwise.

WR Michael Pittman Jr.

Holy Michael Pittman Jr. Batman! In this week’s Thursday night island game Pittman Jr. was on full display and the breakout performance was glorious! He led the Colts in catches, targets, and receiving yards! He ended the night with 7 catches on 8 targets for 101 yards including one that went for 40 yards! He also gained 21 yards on a rushing attempt! He genuinely reminded me of a younger Mike Evans! I don’t want to get too hot and bothered here after one amazing outing but moving forward he could be a key to unlock more fantasy goodness out of the Indy offense!

WR Jalen Reagor

In another disappointing Philadelphia outing, Reagor led the team in targets! He caught 4 of the 7 targets for 47 yards! He clearly has the juice that this struggling offense needs but will be interesting to see if his involvement remains with some big name playmakers, such as Alshon Jeffrey and Zach Ertz, returning to the field. Deep league flex option but a clear waiver add/bench stash!

WR Jerry Jeudy

The Broncos offense struggled mightily in this blowout loss. Jeudy led the way in receiving yards; he caught 4 of 8 targets for 68 yards. Hopefully Drew Lock won’t miss time after getting a little banged up in this contest…better days are ahead!

WR KJ Hamler

In the offensive struggle, Hamler actually led the Broncos in targets with 10! He unfortunately only caught 4 of the 10 targets for 50 yards…love that he is getting more involved though! Dittoed worries with Jeudy!

WR Tee Higgins 

Higgins continues to dominate as he leads the Bengals in targets, catches, and receiving yards! He caught 7 of 9 targets for 115 yards (including one for 54 yards!) and a TD! Higgins lost a fumble but is easily forgotten as he accounted for over 50% of Burrow passing yards! He was already a solid FLEX option in most leagues but he is now flirting with straight up WR2 territory which is really saying a lot since the WR position is so deep with talent.

WR Brandon Aiyuk

In the losing effort Aiyuk led the 49ers in targets, catches, and receiving yards! He caught 7 of 14 (!!!) targets for 75 yards and 1 TD! The 49ers have been decimated by injuries but Aiyuk is certainly making the most of his time on the field! The 49ers enter their BYE in week 11 making us wait for more Aiyuk goodness until week 12…

WR Justin Jefferson

In the primetime win, Jefferson led the Vikings in catches, targets, and receiving yards! Jefferson caught 8 of 10 (!!) targets for 135 yards including a long of 54! Jefferson has been a little up and down this season, but when he hits – he hits BIG! He remains a FLEX option!

WR Chase Claypool

Claypool remains heavily involved in the Pittsburgh passing attack! He had 10 targets but only caught 4 of them for 56 and 2 TDs! He was also given 2 carries but lost -3 yards with those… Claypool continues to leave fantasy GMs satisfied as a solid FLEX option! He is looking to be one of the biggest value risers into next season!