Priority will be classified in 4 ways:
HIGH – immediate starter on most teams and trade bait at worst; be aggressive!
MEDIUM – probable FLEX-level starter right now; add if you have need at the position.
LOW – still a lottery ticket, but showing signs of growth; add if you have bench room.
FREE – likely can add post-waivers without using FAAB or priority if your league allows.
Players with “PPR+” designation mean they will be extra useful in formats that reward receptions.
Snap rates courtesy of Jared Smola (@SmolaDS) who was tweeting them out all Monday morning!
First Aid Kit
Players set to inherit a bigger role due to injury
Chase Daniel, QB, CHI (priority MEDIUM in multi-QB leagues) – The best thing Matt Nagy said about Mitch Trubisky’s shoulder injury is that he “doesn’t think its season ending.” That’s what we like to call “not great.” Daniel is a seasoned veteran who came in and manged the offense similar to Trubisky. Neither QB is an exciting start, but given Trubisky’s production I don’t think Daniel will present a major dropoff.
Matt Barkley, QB, BUF (priority LOW in multi-QB leagues) – Josh Allen left week 4 with a possible concussion. I can barely get myself to recommend Barkley but every starter should be rostered in multi-QB leagues. Heaven help you if you have to put him in your lineup next week, though.
Jordan Wilkins and Nyheim Hines, RB, IND (priority HIGH pending Marlon Mack’s status) – Mack left the game with an ankle injury, although he said he could have played through it after the game. Many times the Sunday adrenaline masks te severity of injuries so we’ll have to wait and see how the dust settles on this one.
Its highly likely the Colts played it safe and wanted to use Nyheim Hines in comeback mode the second half. Should Mack miss next week’s premium matchup with the Chiefs, either backup is worth a start. Wilkins would be an immediate RB2 option although Hines has an edge in PPR given his role and likely game script.
Geronimo Allison, WR, GB (priority MEDIUM pending Davante Adams’ status) – All-World Davante Adams left the game late with a turf toe injury that usually requires some time to heal. Should he miss games, Allison is a decent bet to soak up the targets. He is unexciting but a veteran who has earned Aaron Rodgers’ trust. I’d label him a plug and play WR3 since the Packers will probably have to be aggressive next week to keep up with the Cowboys in Dallas.
Parris Campbell, WR, IND (priority LOW, PPR+) – The Colts laid an egg Sunday, and Campbell’s 5-25 stat line doesn’t pop off the page. However, in TY Hilton’s absence he was tied for the team lead with 8 targets. I still think that Hilton’s quad injury is going to take another week or two at best, creating opportunity in this offense.
Dontrelle Inman WR, LAC (priority LOW) – Mike Williams was a sleeper heading into 2019, however injuries continue to follow him around. After battling through a knee prior to week 2, he missed week 4 with a back injury. This is extra concerning because he has a history of neck and back issues going back to his days as a Clemson Tiger. Inman stepped up and got the most looks from Philip Rivers hauling in 5 of 7 targets for a solid 76 yards. Of course, it was against the Dolphins but the second receiver for Rivers is worth a roster spot and can give you a non-zero day in a pinch. UPDATE – Inman was injured himself late in the 4th so check in on that before submitting a bid.
Andy Isabella, WR, ARI (priority LOW, PPR+) – It is with great sadness I report that Christian Kirk left with an ugly injury against the Seahawks. Coach Kingsbury didn’t have any update after the game, but it appeared to be an ankle or knee that got caught under a tackler. We’ll have to wait on the news but I am concerned this is a multi-week situation.
While there are multiple players who could get the nod, I would take a stab at the second round rookie Isabella. Reports all summer suggested that he struggled with the press, so taking Kirk’s slot role would alleviate that issue. Isabella does have some enticing attributes such as 4.3 speed, a teenage breakout at UMass and a whopping 52% college dominator rating.
Powerbars
High calorie options to grab for a boost
Dwayne Haskins, QB, WAS (priority MEDIUM in multi-QB leagues) – It appears that the Case Keenum era has ended in Washington. We had some good times, and he ushered in McLaurin F1 which was nice. But alas, he was benched in favor of the first round rookie on Sunday. Haskins performed as you might expect a non-Gardner Minshew rookie would, thrust into a negative game script. He was awful. Haskins tossed 3 picks and was not the jump start Jay Gruden probably hoped he would be. As a young starting QB with draft pedigree, he’ll be added in multi-QB leagues but he’s not an immediate 2QB fantasy starter like Minshew and Daniel Jones.
Darrel Williams, RB, KC (priority MEDIUM) – The Chiefs’ DW 2.o clocks in a little above the 30% threshold for this column, but he needs a spotlight again this week. Williams out-snapped a healthy Lesean McCoy and was used as the goal line hammer, plowing in twice to keep the Chiefs undefeated. We basically want any and all meaningful parts of the KC offense and while Damien Williams is shelved, this DW has proven to be reliable.
I haven’t run the exact numbers but a touch on the Chiefs has to be worth at least 1.5 touches on any other team. So that means Darrel’s 11 touches Sunday are like 16.5 non-Chief touches, which will play in your FLEX. There is literally nothing about his metrics/measurables that I can highlight to show he’s exciting. The best thing about him is that he’s tied to Patrick Mahomes. Sometimes, that’s all you need.
Jon Hilliman, RB, NYG (priority FREE in deep leagues) – Freshly promoted off the practice squad, the former UDFA Hilliman logged 10 carries for the Giants on Sunday. He only totaled 33 yards and did not register a target, but should anything happen to Gallman, he appears to be the next man up. There is some athletic intrigue here as well, Hilliman ran a 4.49 at his proday.
Mark Walton, RB, MIA (priority FREE in deep leagues) – This is a blurb just to update the Dolphins depth chart. Walton jumped Kalen Ballage in the RB pecking order this week. That doesn’t mean much for fantasy, but I don’t know what kind of savage 16 team, 50 man bench leagues ya’ll might be in.
Preston Williams, WR, MIA (priority MEDIUM) – Williams is going to be the first player drafted to the Sherpa All Star Team. This is a record third time he’s been mentioned following Sunday’s 4-47 performance. The stats won’t shock you but this is now two weeks in a row he’s lead the ‘Fins in targets. You can absolutely do worse than the primary target on a team that has played with a lead for about 4 minutes in 2019. It won’t be pretty but there should be plenty of empty stats here.
A.J. Brown, WR, TEN (priority LOW) – For the second time this season, AJB took the lemons of the Titans offense and turned them into a batch of 3-94-2 lemonade. Still, this is going to be an offense of low passing volume and he only registered 3 targets. With his explosive production, he’s worth an end-of-bench spot but I would only start him if you have very limited options.
Chris Herndon, TE, NYJ (priority MEDIUM) – You still have to wait a minute as his suspension runs through week 5, but Herndon has easy TE1 potential once reinstated. As a bonus, his return coincides with the resolution of Darnold’s mono.
Dawson Knox, TE, BUF (priority MEDIUM/LOW) – Knox can now be considered in onesie leagues during the bye weeks. Following his first career TD in week 3, he established himself as a consistent contributor in this passing game with a 3-58 day. Given the dearth of TE options, he’s certainly worth a look.
Rickey Seals-Jones, TE, CLE (priority LOW in deep leagues) – Could this finally be what we’ve been waiting for with RSJ? Honestly, probably not. He did have a big game for Cleveland catching 3 balls for 82 yards and a score, but he seems to be in a TE timeshare with Demetrius Harris who scored last week. RSJ is interesting because he is a catch-first TE who played WR in college, but only managers in the deepest of leagues need to put in a bid.
Stragglers
Leave these guys behind, it’s time to move on
Antonio Brown, WR, NA – He’s still rostered in 62% of ESPN leagues. What? Playing for the future in this game is a fool’s errand. If you want some potential week 10 asset I’d rather have Kareem Hunt or Tony Pollard.
Dion Lewis, RB, TEN – If you can’t get a passing back going against the Falcons, it’s just not happening.
Rashaad Penny, RB, SEA – The injury is unfortunate but any grasp he had on a split with Carson may have evaporated. CJ Prosise is also healthy (for now) and flashing. Penny is a pure handcuff and probably in a timeshare even if Carson goes down.
Keke Coutee, WR, HOU – You can safely end this relationship. Stash a RB hancuff instead.
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