The bye weeks are on the horizon as we head into Week 4, so it’s time to start being very selective about who you roster, what you’re getting from then and what you could get from them in the future.
It is essential to save your FAAB or waiver wire priority for players who are worth it. In this column, we’ll give you guys you can currently scoop up for free before next week’s waivers. All players are rostered in fewer than 50% of Yahoo leagues.
The bye weeks are on the horizon as we head into Week 4, so it’s time to start being very selective about who you roster, what you’re getting from then and what you could get from them in the future.
It is essential to save your FAAB or waiver wire priority for players who are worth it. In this column, we’ll give you guys you can currently scoop up for free before next week’s waivers. All players are rostered in fewer than 50% of Yahoo leagues.
Over the coming weeks, Geno Smith and the Seahawks play the Lions this weekend then the Giants and 49ers, whose defense looks very porous compared to expectations. The Seahawks’ offense under Ryan Grubb seems to be gelling perfectly for Smith with them first in pass rate over expected (PROE). Aside from the game against Miami where the Seahawks weren’t pushed, Smith has been a top-10 quarterback each week. Smith ranks third in completion rate. It feels like we’ve still not seen everything this offense is capable of.
We’re still not seeing the kinds of rushing returns we’d expect from Justin Fields, who put up a paltry six yards in Week 3. Part of that can be explained by the way Arthur Smith is using Fields, with him playing more play-action and snaps under center, which forces Fields’ eyes away from downfield and potential rushing lanes. With Fields starting to gel with the passing game, it shouldn’t be a surprise if we see him rush more soon. The Steelers play three poor rush defenses in a row in the Colts, Cowboys and Raiders, which should further help Fields’ claim to the QB1 spot and help him sustain his 72% completion rate.
Zamir White has yet to eclipse seven PPR points in a game this year with Alexander Mattison seeing all the high-value touches we care about for fantasy football. Despite seeing only 12 rush attempts to White’s 32, Mattison has an equal amount of first downs gained and two more touchdowns. White will have his opportunities in games with a more neutral game script, but the Raiders are so poor they’re unlikely to find them anytime soon.
The Bears had made Roschon Johnson inactive for the first two weeks of the season, trying hard to make D’Andre Swift happen. In return, Swift ranked 50th in success rate, 51st in rush yards over expected (RYOE), 51st in expected points added (EPA) and 49th in yards after contact per attempt out of 51 qualifying RBs. Swift is simply not running well and is unable to make up for a poor offensive line. When the Bears made Johnson active in Week 3 it was the first sign of change and then the coaching staff talked about getting Johnson more involved. There’s a world where the Bears simply no longer want Swift’s 1.8 yards per carry to be part of their game plan. Make fantasy start sit decisions accordingly.
Bijan Robinson takes all the headlines but Tyler Allgeier continues to shine in limited samples. Allgeier has 5.6 yards per carry to Robinson’s 4.1, has a similar juke rate (10% vs 13%) and has 12 yards per reception to Robinson’s 8.1. If anything happens to Robinson, Allgeier could be a top-12 RB every single week of the season. Allgeier should be rostered in every league.
Another Falcons player who should be rostered more is Darnell Mooney, who is averaging six targets per game and has gone over 65 yards in back-to-back games. The Falcons’ schedule is about to get NFC South heavy with games against the Saints, Buccaneers and Panthers on tap. This division is always a little funky and things can be unpredictable in division games, but Mooney has an established role as the No. 2 pass-catcher on this team. Yes, ahead of Kyle Pitts. Mooney will benefit from the coverage teams dedicate to Drake London.
The Rams shifted dramatically to 2-TE sets in Week 3 without their two stud wide receivers, playing 12 personnel 44% of the time, compared to a league average of 19%. In these formations, though, there was one constant — Demarcus Robinson, who played on 93% of the snaps. Robinson has been a reliable contributor dating back to Week 11 of last year when he became a fixture in 3-WR formations and scored 13+ PPR points in every game down the stretch. Robinson might not have produced in Week 3, but he’s worth rostering and seeing if the Rams can get back on form in Week 4.
The current PPR WR28, Andrei Iosivas has shown why people shouldn’t expect to see Jermaine Burton in a featured role any time soon. With Tee Higgins returning in Week 3, Iosivas still played on 77% of the snaps, identical to Week 2, and saw a season-high seven targets (five receptions, 52 yards, one touchdown). Iosivas now has three touchdowns on the season and two top-24 weekly finishes. In deeper leagues, or for rosters in need of bye-week cover, Iosivas has games against the Panthers, Ravens and Giants — defenses who have all given up plenty of passing yards.
Before the Week 3 game against the Patriots, the Jets talked about getting Tyler Conklin more involved and the squeaky wheel narrative held true with Conklin seeing six targets, catching five for 93 yards. Conklin might not be able to repeat that performance each week, but things are difficult in the tight end wasteland and Conklin has little competition for snaps, playing over 90% in each game and seems to have Aaron Rodgers’ trust.
In really deep leagues, Erick All has the potential to be a huge value. The rookie tight end has hauled in all eight of his targets in the last two weeks and has been a top-24 tight end in both weeks. All isn’t an uber-athlete but he has impressive agility and quickness off the line of scrimmage. Iowa has been a tight end factory supplying the NFL with George Kittle, Sam LaPorta, TJ Hockenson, Noah Fant and now All. That’s the kind of pedigree to take a dart throw at.
Cincinnati Bengals rookie TE Erick All has been awesome with limited opportunities: (among TEs with 25+ routes run)
– 29% target per route run rate (TE2) – 10.7% first-down per route run rate (TE6) – 1.93 yards per route run (TE6)
The Raiders might have a difficult time in Week 4 without Maxx Crosby as they take on the Browns, but their upcoming schedule includes Bo Nix, Justin Fields and a Rams offensive line that has allowed defenses to do what they want.
I'm a fantasy football addict, particularly in love with best ball and DFS. I can often be found scrutinising ADP and looking for edges in the best ball streets.
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