Each Tuesday, The Heat Index digs into the players whose performances the prior week jumped out to us the most. Along with their stats (half-point PPR scoring) and positional rank for the week, we’ll rank their rest-of-season prospects on a scale of ?-to-?????.
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Quarterbacks
Carson Wentz (QB – IND)
Stat-line: 27-44 passing for 306 yards and 3 TDs plus 2 INTs; 21 yards rushing and a fumble
QB Rank: 5
Analysis: Wentz had an excellent game Sunday from a Fantasy Football perspective. From an actual Football perspective, well, that’s another story. In any case, he’s been a pretty solid Fantasy QB this season outside of three contests. His remaining schedule features QB-friendly matchups Week 13 and Week 17 sandwiched by a bye and tough sledding Weeks 14-16. If you need a QB one of the two former weeks, you could consider streaming him and hope for the best.
Heat Index: ??
Wide Receivers
Jaylen Waddle (WR – MIA)
Stat-line: 9 catches on ten targets for 137 yards and a TD
WR Rank: 1
Analysis: This is Waddle’s 2nd time on The Heat Index this season, as we featured him after Week 6 as well. Since then, despite a few clunkers, he’s been a borderline WR1, averaging 14.6 points per game. Injuries to DeVante Parker (WR – MIA) and Will Fuller V (WR – MIA) have helped turn Waddle into Miami’s #1 option, and that isn’t likely to change even if they come back this season. The rest of the way, his schedule looks pretty good except for Week 14 when the Dolphins have a bye. If you’re lucky enough to have him on your roster, you can feel good about starting him the rest of the way.
Heat Index: ????
DeSean Jackson (WR – LV)
Stat-line: 3 catches on four targets for 102 yards and a TD
WR Rank: 6
Analysis: Jackson demonstrated his blazing speed on a 56-yard TD early in the game last Thursday. As long as he’s on the field, he’s capable of big plays like this, and the Raiders are looking for a serviceable replacement for Henry Ruggs III (WR – FA). Despite this, he’s still probably the 5th or 6th option for targets from Derek Carr (QB – LV), which makes him unusable for fantasy unless you’re in an extremely deep league.
Heat Index: ?
Odell Beckham Jr. (WR – LAR)
Stat-line: 5 catches on ten targets for 74 yards and a TD
WR Rank: 10
Analysis: Beckham was on the field for nearly the entire game Sunday, and his ten targets were tied for the most on the Rams with Cooper Kupp (WR – LAR). This usage is an encouraging sign for those who have Beckham on their roster. Beckham should see plenty of action down the stretch with Robert Woods (WR – LAR) out for the season. While it’s a bit early to know what kind of chemistry he’ll develop with Matthew Stafford (QB – LAR), at the very least, he appears to be in a better situation than he was in Cleveland.
Heat Index: ???
Running Backs
Leonard Fournette (RB – TB)
Stat-line: 100 yards rushing on seventeen attempts and 3 TDs; 7 catches on eight targets for 31 yards and a TD
RB Rank: 1
Analysis: Fournette had already established himself as one of the best draft-day bargains of 2021 before Sunday’s monster effort. In the preseason, most expected the Bucs to employ an RBBC as they did in 2020. In reality, Uncle Lenny has out-snapped the combination of Ronald Jones (RB – TB) and Giovani Bernard (RB – TB) 447 to 254. Fournette’s rest-of-season schedule isn’t great outside of Week 13 against Atlanta and Week 17 against the Jets, but it may not matter on this offense. If he’s on your roster, you’re starting him.
Heat Index: ????
Javonte Williams (RB – DEN)
Stat-line: 54 yards rushing on 14 attempts and a TD; 3 catches on four targets for 57 yards
RB Rank: 8
Analysis: When Melvin Gordon (RB – DEN) came out of Sunday’s game early with a hip injury, it appeared Williams might finally have the Broncos’ backfield to himself. Gordon returned, however, and ended up out-touching Williams despite playing fewer snaps. Williams was more productive, thanks in part to his finding the endzone. The two backs remain in a timeshare, and there are no signs of anything changing at this point. The good news for those who roster Williams, and Gordon for that matter, is that the Bronco’s schedule is pretty fantasy-friendly for RB’s the rest of the season. Thus both remain in the RB2 / Flex mix going forward.
Heat Index: ???
Dontrell Hilliard (RB – TEN)
Stat-line: 131 yards rushing on twelve attempts and a TD; 1 catches on two targets for 2 yards
RB Rank: 11
Analysis: Hilliard is the latest RB to help fill the void Derrick Henry (RB – TEN) left behind when he got injured. Hilliard and D’Onta Foreman (RB – TEN) had nice games Sunday, which was a bit surprising considering how well the Patriot’s defense had been playing. Despite the effort, it’ll be hard to trust Hilliard in your lineup after the Titans return from their bye next week. We may be looking at a 3-headed committee in Tennessee if Jeremy McNichols (RB – TEN) returns from his concussion in time to face the Jaguars Week 14.
Heat Index: ??
Tight Ends
Jack Doyle (TE – IND)
Stat-line: 6 catches on seven targets for 81 yards and a TD
TE Rank: 1
Analysis: Doyle joins teammate Mo Alie-Cox (TE – IND) as Colt’s Tight Ends, who’ve made The Heat Index this season. Doyle’s targets have increased over the past three games as Carson Wentz has looked for him 17 times over that span compared to 22 over the first nine games of the season. Even so, there are likely better options out there for you if you need a TE streamer, as this is the first time all year that Doyle has scored more than ten points.
Heat Index: ?
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Scott Youngson is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Scott, check out his archive and follow him @FantasyMutant.
