The Wire - Week 9
By Levi Ellis
Welcome to week 9 and if you’re reading this article then congratulations because that means you’re likely still in playoff contention. This could be a tricky week with four teams on bye and injuries around the league piling up. One of the most important factors in fantasy football that many people often overlook is DEPTH. As you are placing your bids this week don’t just focus on this week, focus on future weeks with such considerations as upcoming bye weeks, current injuries and players that are close to returning. Also, both Baltimore and Las Vegas are returning from bye so it’s always a good idea to see if any of their players were dropped last week due to desperate measures. Happy bidding!
All players are listed in priority order based on position
Bye Weeks - Detroit Lions, Seattle Seahawks, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Washington Football Team
(2 QB Leagues Only)
Mike White - 37/45 405 yards, 3tds, 2ints, 5 carries, -1 yards - All I can say is WOW! Not only did White throw for over 400 yards in first career start but he also led the Jets to a victory and they only have one other win this season. He’s a short term starter with Wilson likely only missing one or two more weeks but after last week he’s worth consideration in deep leagues. 5% of your remaining faab budget.
Cooper Rush - 24/40 325 yards, 2tds, 1int, 1 carry, 2 yards - I think it’s likely that Dak is back this week but we have seen crazier things happen and Rush was outstanding against the Vikings last week. 5% of your remaining faab budget.
Tervor Siemian - 16/29 159 yards, 1td, 2 carries, 2 yards - Winston has a torn ACL and will miss the remainder of the season. This means that Siemian could potentially be the starting QB but keep in mind that Taysom Hill could return from injury and I would not be shocked to see the Saints trade for a QB, maybe someone like Andy Dalton or Nick Foles or even sign a free agent like Cam. 2% of your remaining faab budget.
Taysom Hill - Refer to the above. 2% of your remaining faab budget.
PJ Walker - 0/1, 1 carry, -1 yards - Sam Darnold suffered a concussion last week and if he’s not able to play then Walker should get the start. It is still possible that Carolina trades for a QB before the Tuesday deadline but even if that were to happen I can’t imagine that player would start this week. 1% of your remaining faab budget.
JD McKissic - 3 carries, 10 yards, 8 targets, 8 catches, 83 yards - He should be owned but if he’s not and if you can stash him for a week (on bye) then he’s a must own. 40% of your remaining faab budget.
AJ Dillon - 16 carries, 78 yards - Dillon should also be owned by now as this is a split backfield and if anything were to happen to Aaron Jones then Dillon could be a league winning player. 25% of your remaining faab budget.
Adrian Peterson - A few weeks ago I would not have predicted that Adrian Peterson would be in this article but here we are. Derrick Henry is on IR and expected to miss about 8 weeks leaving a major void in the Tennessee run game. Peterson was a bonafide stud in his prime and even at 36 years old he’s probably 99.99% better than any other RB at his age, I still find it hard to fathom that he was the best candidate for Tennessee to bring in at this point. Regardless of those thoughts, you have to give consideration to Peterson at this point. It’s quite possible that he’s getting 20 touches a game for the next 7-8 weeks and regardless of age, that has value in fantasy football. 20% of your remaining faab budget.
Carlos Hyde - 9 carries, 32 yards, 8 targets, 6 catches, 40 yards - We don’t yet know the severity of the James Robinson injury so grabbing Hyde could prove beneficial. 15% of your remaining faab budget.
Ty Johnson - 4 carries, 15 yards, 6 targets, 5 catches, 71 yards, 1td - The Jets backfilled has turned into a two back system with both Michael Carter and Ty Johnson having crucial roles. If something were to happen to Carter Johnson could be in for a huge workload. 15% of your remaining faab budget.
Boston Scott - 12 carries, 60 yards, 2tds, 1 target - I don’t love the Eagles running game but Scott has talent and it showed this week. He’s worth a flier in deep leagues. 5% of your remaining faab budget.
Jordan Howard - 12 carries, 57 yards, 2tds - See above. 5% of your remaining faab budget.
Possible real life trade candidates: Marlon Mack, Phillip Lindsay, Rex Burkhead & David Johnson. 5% of your remaining faab budget.
Elijah Moore - 6 targets, 6 catches, 67 yards, 1 carry, 4 yards - It’s only a matter of time before Elijah Moore is a household name. I’m not sure if now is that time but I’m not willing to miss out either. 20% of your remaining faab budget.
Jamal Agnew - 12 targets, 6 catches, 38 yards, 1td - Yes you read that correctly, twelve targets last week. Yes, they were playing from behind but to be fair they play from behind every week. 8% of your remaining faab budget.
Nico Collins - 4 targets, 4 catches, 55 yards - In theory we should see more of Collins as the season wears on but time will tell if it actually happens. 5% of your remaining faab budget.
Tajae Sharpe - 6 targets, 5 catches, 58 yards - With the Calvin Ridley news someone in Atlanta other Pitts and Patterson is going to have to catch the ball. I’m not sure if Sharpe will be the guy but he’s worth a dart throw. 5% of your remaining faab budget.
Cedrick Wilson - 3 targets, 3 catches, 84 yards, 1td, 1/1 35 yards - Wilson has been really good all year but is often overlooked. Gallup is due back soon and that will likely move Wilson farther down the depth chart however he is a great player to stash in case Cooper, Lamb or Gallup go down. 5% of your remaining faab budget.
Tre’Quan Smith - 3 targets, 3 catches, 33 yards, 1td - The passing game in New Orleans hasn’t exactly been good this year and now that Winston is hurt we don’t know what to expect but the talent is there with Smith so he’s worth a flier. 2% of your remaining faab budget.
DeAndre Carter - 6 targets, 3 catches, 51 yards, 1td - He’s emerging as a legitimate contributor but he is on bye this week so take that into consideration. 1% of your remaining faab budget.
Possible real life trade candidates: Will Fuller, N’Keal Harry, Jamison Crowder, Denzel Mims & Desean Jackson. While I think there are many other WR candidates that “could” be traded, most of those guys are already owned (Brandin Cooks, Allen Robinson, Odell Beckham Jr., etc). 5% of your remaining faab budget.
Pat Friermuth - 7 targets, 4 catches, 44 yards, 1td - The future is bright for this guy and in time his name will be mentioned when talking about the best TE’s in the game. That time may be sooner than anyone would have thought. 40% of your remaining faab budget.
Dan Arnold - 10 targets, 8 catches, 68 yards - Since joining Jacksonville Arnold has been very involved and that’s more than a lot of TE’s around the league can say. 5% of your remaining faab budget.
Tyler Conklin - 7 targets, 5 catches, 57 yards - Conklin has been steady all year. 5% of your remaining faab budget.
Jordan Akins - 5 targets, 5 catches, 53 yards - If you’re desperate and I mean desperate. 1% of your remaining faab budget.
Brevin Jordan - 4 targets, 3 catches, 41 yards, 1td - See above! 1% of your remaining faab budget.
Possible real life trade candidates: Hayden Hurst, Kyle Rudolph & Jimmy Graham. 2% of your remaining faab budget.
Dead to Me (redraft leagues only)
Jared Goff - To be fair he’s been dead to me for years
Sam Darnold - He lost what little magic he had
Nyhiem Hines - I think Indy forgot about him
Lions - everyone not named Swift
Robby Anderson - This shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone
Odell Beckham Jr. - Also not a surprise
Allen Robinson - I love this guy but he’s just not startable right now
Seahawks TEs - It’s as if they don’t exist
On Life Support
Myles Gaskins - Only reason he isn’t dead to me is because he is used in the passing game
Julio Jones - He just can’t stay healthy
Jonnu Smith - I want to believe in the talent but something isn’t working
Check me out on Twitter @FFStock_Man37 or on my YouTube channel (The Locker Room)
