Week 9 was not a great week for my quarterback recommendations. I usually write this article on Monday morning, and it was looking like Tua Tagovailoa and Taysom Hill were going to play. Neither did. And for that, I am sorry. My dark horse, Baker Mayfield, had a decent game but considering that the Browns killed the Bengals, scoring 41 points, his fantasy day was rather prosaic, scoring less than 20 fantasy points.
My tight ends recommendations were ok. I don’t know how Pat Freiermuth will fare since he plays Monday night, but my other two had decent days. Tyler Conklin scored about 10 points. He was tied for the most targets (7) with Adam Thielen. The same can be said for Dan Arnold. He also scored 10 points and also had seven targets, which led the Jaguars. Unfortunately, it would have been better if both got in the end zone.
It was a strange week all around. Jacksonville beat Buffalo and beat them with their normally questionable defense. Arizona beat San Francisco easily without Kyler Murray and Nuk. Denver, who has been floundering for weeks, beat Dallas, one of the favorites to be in this year’s Super Bowl. And finally, what has happened to Patrick Mahomes? Kansas City beat a Rodgers-less team but barely. He threw for 166 yards and averaged a staggering 4.5 yards per attempt. As a Chiefs fan, I am now officially worried.
But onwards and upwards. We now enter Week 10. Remember – be prepared if some of my recommendations don’t end up playing. It has been that kind of year. Also, remember that the Bengals, Bears, Texans, and Giants all have their bye week.
Check to see if Logan Thomas is available – He’s rostered in 53% of Yahoo Leagues, so he is technically above what I look at but barely. If he’s available, then he is my top recommendation. WFT lacks pass-catchers, so after Terry McLaurin and maybe J.D. McKissic, Thomas will get a lot of attention.
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Quarterback Streamer of the Week: Taysom Hill (NO) vs. Tennessee Titans
If he plays, I’d play him. Despite their performance against Matthew Stafford last week, the Titans were 10th worst versus quarterbacks. They tend to have difficulty when facing mobile QBs. Kyler Murray, Russell Wilson, and Josh Allen each put up huge numbers against them. Maybe they can contain and pressure a pocket passer like Stafford, but Taysom Hill is the kind of quarterback that should have a decent day. Let’s just hope he can at least throw the ball as good as Jalen Hurts.
Alternate Streamer of the Week: Tua Tagovailoa (MIA) vs. Baltimore Ravens
Another play him if he plays. The Ravens are not the defense of old. Tua needs to keep producing because of his future. When he plays, he’s been productive. This could end up being a fun game to watch as two young guns face off against each other. Baltimore is middle of the pack versus quarterbacks. The choices this week aren’t glorious, so if Tua is under center, I like his chances to not win the game but play from behind. He should be chucking the ball a lot in this game, which translates to yards, touchdowns, and most of all, fantasy points.
Dark Horse: Trevor Lawrence (JAX) @ Indianapolis Colts
T-Law’s season has not been what many have hoped. I have never thought of him as the next Andrew Luck, to be honest. I have stayed away from him in all formats. Despite his poor season so far and coming off a less-than-convincing win against Buffalo, I see him having a breakout performance. The Colts are winning, but their defense was not lights out against one of the worst offenses last week that had a third-string quarterback. They allowed journeyman Josh Johnson to put up over 300 yards in about three quarters. He also threw for three touchdowns to go along with Mike White‘s one tuddy. I think this game will be the antithesis of the Bills game. I see this as a high-scoring affair in which the Jags lose but keep it interesting.
Tight End Streamer of the Week: Pat Freiermuth (PIT) vs. Detroit Lions
I’m going to keep advocating Pat Freiermuth until his rostership goes over the 50% line. He’s talented, and he’s the perfect fit for Big Ben, whose yards per attempt favors both Diontae Johnson, who plays in the slot, and Meuuuuth! The Lions can be good and keep it close, or they can show up looking absolutely putrid. I am hoping it is close, causing Pittsburgh to keep chucking it even if the chucks are 5-10 yard passes to their best tight end. I can’t remember when I have given a tight end top recommendation honors three weeks in a row, but here we are. Freiermuth isn’t Travis Kelce or Darren Waller, or even Kyle Pitts. He’s that dependable tight end who plays like Zach Ertz and is quickly becoming the Steelers’ best tight end since Heath Miller.
Alternate Streamer of the Week: Tyler Conklin (MIN) @ LA Chargers
Tyler Conklin is being used, as seen by his seven targets last week. He’s becoming a good and consistent streaming option in the dead land of tight end streamers. If he keeps producing, he will price himself out of the streaming zone, but until then, I am going to keep recommending him. Let’s hope he can grab a touchdown, too, since the Chargers are the third-worst team versus tight ends. Conklin is not the fastest tight end but does have an 89th-percentile Burst Score, 76th-percentile Agility Score, and an 82nd-percentile Catch Radius on Player Profiler. And he’s taking advantage of his opportunity in Minnesota.
Dark Horse: Dan Arnold (JAX) @ Indianapolis Colts
Like Conklin, Dan Arnold is a player that is being used all over. Both have seemingly safe floors at this point, as seen with their target share, and the Colts have been very nice to tight ends. They are ranked eighth easiest among all teams. Arnold will get receptions, and if he can manage to score then, you are looking at a TE1 for the week. He’s an athletic beast who runs a 4.68 40-Yard Dash which is in the 78th-percentile. And that pales in comparison to the rest of his athletic profile. His Burst Score, Agility Score, and Catch Radius are all above the 90th-percentile. He’s also Urban Legend’s favorite new toy. Well, maybe not quite his favorite (lol).
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Marc Mathyk is a featured writer at FantasyPros and co-founder of Veridian Global, a fantasy football apparel company. For more from Marc, check out his archive and follow him @Masterjune70.
