Fantasy Football Heat Index: Isaac Guerendo, Romeo Doubs, Mark Andrews (2024)

Every Monday of the NFL regular season we look at breakout performances from the weekend and analyze their potential for sustained success. We will rank these performances from 1-5 based on whether we believe they are momentary or long-term options for your fantasy teams.

Fantasy Football Heat Index

Quarterback

Caleb Williams (QB – CHI)

Stats: 23-of-29, 226 passing yards, four passing touchdowns, one interception, four carries, 56 rushing yards

Position Rank (pre-MNF): QB1 (28.64 points)

Analysis: One week after finishing as the QB6, Bears quarterback Caleb Williams took it one step further on Sunday morning. Williams tossed four touchdown passes and scored a career-high 28.64 fantasy points in Chicago’s 35-16 victory over Jacksonville at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London. He’s the current QB1 on the week.

Williams is finally showcasing the talent that made him a “generational prospect” coming out of USC, but you also can’t ignore the context. While the last two weeks have been promising, it’s come against bottom-dwellers Carolina and Jacksonville. We’ll need to see it against better competition before we lock him into QB1 territory.

Luckily for fantasy managers, the schedule doesn’t toughen up in the immediate future. After their Week 7 bye, Williams and the Bears offense have winnable matchups against Washington, Arizona and New England. After that, it gets tougher with a stretch of games against Green Bay, Minnesota (twice), Detroit (twice) and San Francisco.

Heat Index: 3

Running Back

Isaac Guerendo (RB – SF)

Stats: 10 rush attempts, 99 rushing yards, zero touchdowns

Position Rank (pre-MNF): RB22 (9.9 points)

Analysis: With Christian McCaffrey on injured reserve (IR) and backup sensation Jordan Mason nursing a sprained AC joint, rookie running back Isaac Guerendo saw double-digit touches for the first time in his young career. The athletic freak (9.9 relative athletic score) out of Louisville responded with 99 rushing yards on 10 carries.

Considering he was an ill-advised slide away from 100+ and a touchdown on the ground, Guerendo will be a popular waiver wire pickup this week. Even with Mason seemingly avoiding major damage — he is reportedly day-to-day — Guerendo should be considered a top handcuff until McCaffrey returns. And if Mason misses time, look out.

Heat Index: 2

Wide Receiver

Romeo Doubs (WR – GB)

Stats: Three receptions, 49 receiving yards, two touchdowns

Position Rank (pre-MNF): WR7 (18.4 points)

Analysis: What a difference a week makes. Seven days after being suspended for conduct detrimental to the team, Packers wide receiver Romeo Doubs responded with his best fantasy performance of the season. He scored two touchdowns on his four targets and is the current WR7 on the week.

While many will point to the “squeaky wheel” narrative, Doubs didn’t see a massive uptick in usage against Arizona. He simply found the end zone (twice) for the first time all season. Looking ahead, Doubs will remain a boom-or-bust WR3/Flex fantasy start sit option, but keep an eye on the Dontayvion Wicks injury. Doubs will be easier to trust if Wicks misses time.

Heat Index: 2

Tight End

Mark Andrews (TE – BAL)

Stats: Three receptions, 66 receiving yards, one touchdown

Position Rank (pre-MNF): TE3 (14.1 points)

Analysis: After failing to reach double-digits in a single game all season, Ravens tight end Mark Andrews scored 14.1 fantasy points in Week 6. While your natural inclination might be to slide Andrews back into starting lineups next week, I wouldn’t overreact to one fluky performance.

Andrews is still in a triple-headed timeshare with fellow tight ends Isaiah Likely and Charlie Kolar and only plays around 50% of Baltimore’s offensive snaps. That makes Andrews a boom-or-bust touchdown-dependent tight end instead of the target-hog we are accustomed to.

While others are debating on starting him next week, you should sell high if anyone in your league is interested. Andrews is still a big name and you might be able to use his season-high performance as a selling point to tight end-needy fantasy managers.

Heat Index: 3