Fantasy Football Outlook: Rachaad White, Gus Edwards, Emari Demercado, Dalton Kincaid

I was pleased with how the smash starts went outside of Isiah Pacheco and Dameon Pierce last week. We knew Pierce was a risky recommendation, but it was shocking to see Pacheco struggle along with the rest of the Chiefs. In any case, we were happy with everything else, and it has us ready to keep rolling here!

The premise behind this article is simple. Identifying fantasy football smash plays that are on the fringe of your starting lineup. We rarely recommend a top-20 player at any position, but we want to help you fill those critical flex spots! Here are all of our smash fantasy football starts for Week 9. Below we dive into a few notable players.

Fantasy Football Outlook

Running Backs

Rachaad White (TB) at HOU

Rachaad White has been the primary back in Tampa all year, and we’re finally seeing him produce. His pass-catching has been his primary asset, recording at least six catches and 65 receiving yards in back-to-back games. That’s substantial since he’s regularly seeing double-digit carries, making White a candidate for a sensational second half of the season. The matchup with the Texans is terrific, too, because Houston has allowed the third-most fantasy points to opposing running backs since the start of last season.

Gus Edwards (BAL) vs. SEA

With JK Dobbins getting injured in Week 1, Gus Edwards has taken over this Baltimore backfield. Edwards has steadily seen his workload rise over the last month, averaging 15.2 carries over his last five outings. That’s quite the workload in one of the best offenses in the NFL, leading to Edwards scoring 21 and 29 fantasy points in his two most recent outings. That recent bump makes Edwards an excellent flex option against Seattle, ranked 16th in total defense. It’s also a home game for the Ravens, and Edwards could be looking at a handful of goal-line carries in this favorable gamescript.

Emari Demercado (ARI) at CLE

Emari Demercado looked like a bust of a waiver wire add a few weeks ago, but he’s taken over this Arizona backfield the last two weeks. The James Conner injury has allowed Demercado to dominate touches, playing in over 70% of the snaps over the last two weeks. He’s also got 17 and 21 touches in those two games, accumulating at least 75 total yards in both. That’s on par with what we’ve seen from Conner, and it’s clear the Cards will ride with Demercado until Conner is ready to return.

Tight Ends

Dalton Kincaid (BUF) at CIN

We had Dalton Kincaid in here last week, and he’s genuinely looking like one of the best waiver wire adds of the season. The tight end position is undoubtedly the weakest in fantasy football, but Kincaid has been an excellent add for anyone who needed one. What’s allowed him to take over is the injury to Dawson Knox, pushing Kincaid to play a career-high 84% of the team’s snaps in Week 8. He’s also had his two most productive games since that injury, scoring 12 and 15 fantasy points in his two most recent outings. We also love that this is expected to be a shootout, especially since Cincy is surrendering the fourth-most fantasy points to opposing tight ends.