Well, Week 9 was about as ugly a group of box scores that I have seen in a long time. Fantasy managers could have napped through the morning games while games with point totals in the teens dragged on. Then, the afternoon games kicked off, and the Green Bay Packers trio of Jordan Love, Christian Watson, and Matthew Golden lit up the scoreboard. From me to you, as we approach the holiday season, I hope to see more of those excellent Packers stat lines. I will be away next week, so get all questions in this week for me to address.
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WAIVERS:
ADD OF THE WEEK = Seth McGowan – 33% rostered feels like the best add of the week based on the numerous rumors of Jonathan Taylor being dealt at the deadline. The Colts are not a great offense, or team, but a starting NFL RB has value in today’s fantasy world. McGowan getting the goal line carry in Week 9 is a good sign.
QB: Kirk Cousins – 62% rostered now sits at QB5 on the season. His Week 9 was not great, but 17+ fantasy points are still positive based on some of the other numbers we saw last week. The rumor mill is firing up with ‘analysts’ attempting to manifest Captain Kirk back to the Vikings. If he is dealt to Minnesota, then his value could skyrocket with Justin Jefferson being the main reason.
Honorable Mention/Cheaper Options:
Geno Smith – 19% rostered is the QB15 as it stands today. He has a solid upcoming schedule for a team that will throw enough to benefit Smith as a bye week filler.
RB: Corey Kiner – 5% rostered might be the lead back for the Patriots in Week 10 with TreVeyon Henderson on IR and Rhamondre Stevenson nursing a knee tendon issue. Stevenson is already slated to miss Week 10, so Kiner is a super addition, probably less expensive than McGowan. Consistent with the ‘Add of the Week’, Kiner found the end zone in Week 9. A deeper add is the RB that will probably back-up Kiner in Lan Larison – 0% rostered.
Honorable Mention/Cheaper Options:
Audric Estime – 5% rostered is a third name that found paydirt in Week 9 and could be in for a larger role, especially with the news that Kendre Miller was released last week. The Saints are not a great running team, but similar to McGowan’s note above, a starting RB is worth an add.
Kaelon Black – 39% rostered is the RB2 for an offense that is truly humming right now. The value of this recommendation comes down to one thing; will HC Kyle Shanahan start giving Christian McCaffrey some plays off? If, and when he does, Black is the top option to gain touches.
Chris Rodriguez – 33% rostered should be added everywhere. A TD in Week 9 is a positive look for the backup RB. Add to this the fact that Jacksonville is getting better each week and does not need to play their starters in the 4th quarter of late. That should provide additional opportunities for Rodriguez.
WR: Ryan Flournoy – 44% rostered finished Week 9 with the fewest receptions (2) that he has logged all season. With George Pickens possibly missing Week 10 with a hamstring issue, Flournoy is a solid play against San Francisco.
Adonai Mitchell – 49% rostered might be free this week after posting a horrendous line of 0-0-0 on seven targets. Focus on the process over the results here. Seven targets are nice and should continue into Week 10 versus a weak (on paper) Buffalo pass defense. The Jets will be trailing so the game script leans to a passing attack against the Bills.
Antonio Williams – 31% rostered has posted 8-79-0 on 13 targets since Terry McLaurin went down with injury. The upcoming schedule is WR-friendly until Week 16 when the Commanders face the formidable Minnesota defense.
Honorable Mention/Cheaper Options:
Rather than bore you with invented explicative comments about middling WRs, I will simply give you a list to consider. These are players that stepped in, possibly stepped up (a little) for their team in Week 9: Caleb Douglas, DeMario Douglas, Konata Mumpfield, Jordan Watkins, Jakobi Meyers, Xavier Hutchinson (Houston ran a 5-man WR set…no joke), Pat Bryant, and Jahan Dotson. With bye weeks still occurring, add these players if you must. Do not count on any of them to be world beaters or league winners.
TE: Tyler Higbee – 18% rostered might see an uptick in targets, receptions, and yards with the possibility of Puka Nacua missing significant time. I think Higbee turns into a volume hog if Nacua is out in Week 10 and further.
Darren Waller – 7% rostered came out of nowhere with 23 PPR points in Week 9. If Bryce Young feels comfortable with the veteran TE, and he appears to, and the two WRs are going to see the top coverages on defense, then fire up Waller moving forward.
As mentioned above, it has only been one week, so if you lost, got blown out even, relax. It will be OK. There is no need to rush to drop any specific player.
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-Stiles-
