Well, we have come to the end of this column for the 2019 season. All good things must end. And hopefully you feel this one is good enough to make a return for the 2020 season. Of course, there have been some hits and misses, everyone has them. It is just important to own both of them. Don’t prop yourself up over one big hit. And also, don’t tear yourself down over a big miss. This is the key to staying sane in a world of fantasy where so many want to come at you for one perceived slight or another.
With this said, let us complete this column with one last article before trade deadlines commence. Let us try to find those last-minute targets who could help you achieve your ultimate goal of a championship. And because I want to go out on a positive note, this week it will be all buys and no sells.
Derrick Henry| RB| Tennessee Titans-
187 rushes for 832 yards and eight touchdowns through 10 games. This is not the number I expected from Derek Henry in 2019, but they are the number we have gotten to the elation of his owners. As a bruising back, his 4.4 yards per carry average is also very nice to see. These numbers only look to go up as Ryan Tannehill has taken over for Marcus Mariota and given the Titans team some offensive life.
The biggest concern for Henry coming into the season was the offensive limitations of Tennessee. We clearly saw those limitations under Mariota and when the change was finally made, everything opened up for him and the team. Moving ahead, Things should only get better as the Titans look to be a team who tries to make a late move into the playoff hunt in the AFC. If this is going to happen, Henry will be the straw which stirs the drink. A.J. Brown has been inconsistent at best and Corey Davis is, hopefully even for his truthers, finally showing he isn’t good. This all leads back to the run game and Derek Henry. Even in a tough matchup against Kansas City, Henry was able to be involved and garner over 30 fantasy points for your team. If he can do this in a game against a high-flying offense like the Chiefs, he should have just as big a role in divisional games coming down the pipe. In these physical games, it will be even more important he shows up. And if last seasons finish is any sign, he is fully able to put the team on his back and do it.
I will admit to not being the biggest Derrick Henry fan. But you have to give credit where credit is due. If you can get Derrick Henry for a player like Le’Veon Bell, make the move. Henry should have a much better finish to the season and with a player like Saquon Barkley or David Johnson struggling. He could easily finish as a top five running back the rest of the season.
Joe Mixon| RB| Cincinnati Bengals-
Yes. I am recommending a Bengal to pick up. It is clear the Bengals stink. They chose the wrong coach and they will have to live with it for the next 15 years until they realize it. But it is also clear Ryan Finley is also bad. Cincinnati realized this quickly and gave Joe Mixon 30 rushes and finally got him over 100 yards in a game. Amazing behind that terrible offensive line. Going forward, Mixon should continue to get more and more work in the run game. Andy Dalton was leading the league in completions and attempts before his benching. After the change at quarterback, the philosophy of throw, throw, throw will also change. This will mean good things for Mixon for the rest of the season. If the injury to Gio Bernard is significant, he will gain even more of the workload as he will also get all the pass game work from the backfield.
While he will not finish in the top five at the position like many thought he would. He could easily finish the rest of the season as a top 10 back. And this is just as valuable as the playoffs start. And best of all, you can get him very cheap. And you should take the chance by doing so.
Darius Slayton| New York Giants-
His price went up after this week for sure. Two more touchdowns from Daniel Jones and a 100-yard game will do that. But if you can convince the owner who has his this was just because it was a bad jets defense much like a putrid Detroit defense a few weeks ago, it might happen.
Either way, the cost should not be so high that it is unreasonable. If they are asking for the moon and the stars, back off. But if you can get Slayton at a good price snatch him up immediately.
With Sterling Shepard likely not to return for a while and the health of Evan Engram being another uncertainty, it will be up to Slayton to step up into the WR two role behind Golden Tate. He has shown so far, an ability to do just this. And we know the Giants love him. So, there is that.
With New York being terrible on offense and especially defense, the team will need to continue to throw to keep up. Games left against the Redskins and two against the Eagles means they will be facing teams who allow this in spades. Having a chance to get a receiver who could finish as a WR two the rest of the way at the price of a WR three or flex rarely happens. But it could happen in this instance. Everyone talks about return on investment. In this case, you would get great return on your investment. Even if you have to trust the New York Giants and rookie Daniel Jones to do so. Sometimes success does not smell like roses. In this case, it might smell like the toxic waste dump which is northern New Jersey.
Golden Tate| WR| New York Giants-
Since returning from suspension, two things are clear. He is the number one receiver in New York, and he is still a YAC machine. Both of these will lead him to returning a high-end WR two value in coming weeks against weak secondaries in Washington and Philadelphia.
With Saquon Barkley still being hampered by his ankle sprain and Sterling Shepard being out, more will fall in the lap of Tate for the Giants. This far, it looks as though he can handle it nicely. Although Darius Slayton is getting the publicity, Golden Tate is the player getting most of the targets.
Where Slayton needs to hit on his big play to be a success, Tate is consistently getting over six targets per game. This means his production is more sustainable. Even if the touchdowns are elusive for Tate, he is still in line for double-digit fantasy points as has been the case in recent weeks. When the touchdowns do come? We have the chance for a monster game like we saw against the Jets in Week 10.
If you want to major boom weeks for the Giants, Darius Slayton should be your target. But if you are looking for consistent 12 to 15-point games, Tate is your man. Which one to go after depends entirely on your team makeup and what you need. Ofmy money, I would go after Tate. He has the past performance to show he will continue to thrive and even if Sterling Shepard or Evan Engram does come back. He has the WR1 spot locked down.
