Two. More. Weeks. So many of us are vying for a playoff spot, trying to avoid a last-place toilet bowl, itching to spoil a run for our archnemesis or secure another couple of weekly high-score prizes to finish off the fantasy regular season.
Hopefully, these names can aid in that effort.
Quarterbacks
Mike White (QB – NYJ): 3% rostered
Uhh … what just happened? The Jets just went to their third-string quarterback coming into the season, and he completed 22 passes for 315 yards and three touchdowns in a 21-point win. Next week he gets Minnesota. They’ve allowed more passing yards per game to opposing teams than any other team in the league.
Jared Goff (QB – DET): 29% rostered
On a long week, coming off Thursday’s brutal, last-second loss to the Bills, Goff and the Lions could come out with a chip on their shoulders against the Jaguars. Goff has trusted receiving options in Amon-Ra St. Brown, D.J. Chark, and D’Andre Swift, giving him a fine floor if you’re scraping by at the QB position.
Running Backs
JaMycal Hasty (RB – JAX): 1% rostered
Travis Etienne left today’s game with a foot injury. If he misses any time, Hasty projects as the lead back in Jacksonville. Granted, the Jags just added Darrell Henderson a few days ago, so he figures to cut into that workload a bit.
Zonovan Knight (RB – NYJ): 0% rostered
Second-year RB Michael Carter never returned to today’s game after leaving with an ankle injury. In his place, Knight carried the ball 14 times for 69 yards, adding three catches for 34. Knight, a 2022 undrafted rookie, got the job done today and, depending on Carter’s outlook, could be a priority add.
Wide Receivers
Treylon Burks (WR – TEN): 37% rostered
We can’t call Burks a league-winner yet, though I certainly see why you’re eager to board his hype train. The first-round rookie had lofty expectations after the Titans traded A.J. Brown, and after Burks’ stint on IR, he returned with a bang. Burks has 14 catches and 205 yards on 20 targets in three games. He is a must-add in nearly all formats, and we assume this momentum keeps pace.
Zay Jones (WR – JAX): 31% rostered
A popular (and generally wise) piece of advice in fantasy is to avoid chasing points. That basically means don’t prioritize a player simply because their score from last week was high. Always try to gauge the bigger picture. Zay Jones has been in the league since 2017 and, before this season, has surpassed 70 receiving yards in a game three times. However, over his last three games, he’s amassed 253 yards, 24 catches, and 29 targets. Those numbers are too lofty to ignore. With the Jaguars taking on the Lions next weekend, Jones is absolutely in flex consideration.
Richie James (WR – NYG): 1% rostered
James isn’t winning you any weeks. However, with all the injuries to the Giants’ WR room, he’s probably not losing you any, either. James is competing with Darius Slayton for New York’s weekly lead in targets now that both Sterling Shepard and Wan’Dale Robinson are out for the season.
Tight Ends
Hunter Henry (TE – NE): 25% rostered
Henry caught three of five targets for 63 yards and a touchdown on Thanksgiving, not including a ball that was about a millisecond of ground contact away from being a touchdown. The Patriots’ passing game switches its top target like I switch my fantasy team’s kicker, so Henry could vanish into space. However, with the lack of a true WR1 in New England, he has as good a shot as anyone to command targets.
Trey McBride (TE – ARI): 6% rostered
While I’m writing this, McBride has four targets in the first quarter. *Checks notes* Yeah, that pace will suffice if I’m looking for a waiver wire TE. With veteran Zach Ertz out for the season, McBride, a 2022 second-round pick, is getting a shot to flash the potential in which the Cardinals invested.
Defense/Special Teams
Cleveland Browns (9% rostered)
The Houston Texans haven’t scored more than 24 points this season, scoring 17 or fewer in each of their last five. Go for it if you can afford to prioritize the Browns’ defense.
Tennessee Titans (33% rostered)
The Houston Texans seem to be finishing this season in as obvious a tank mode as I’ve ever seen. Houston’s next five opponents are as follows: Cleveland, Kansas City, Dallas, Tennessee, and Jacksonville. I’d advise adding any of these defenses as early as possible without dropping a reasonably valuable asset.
Kickers
Cade York (K – CLE): 16% rostered
York has the potential to run up your kicker points pretty impressively. Although his scores have been tame, the rookie has an iron boot, and the Browns have a consistent offense. York has attempted at least two field goals in all but one game this season.
Cameron Dicker (K – LAC): 9% rostered
Since being acquired by the Chargers, Dicker has made all seven of his field goal attempts and 8/8 PATs.
If you want to dive deeper into fantasy football, be sure to check out our award-winning slate of Fantasy Football Tools as you navigate your season. From our Start/Sit Assistant – which provides your optimal lineup, based on accurate consensus projections – to our Waiver Wire Assistant – that allows you to quickly see which available players will improve your team and by how much – we’ve got you covered this fantasy football season.
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