Quarterback
Drew Lock, DEN (at Atlanta)
Lock had a career-reviving second half against the Chargers. Was it a sign of him turning the corner and getting on the same page as the offensive coaching staff, or just the Chargers adding to their long list of epic collapses? Lock will try to stay hot against a Falcons defense that was one of the most generous to opposing offenses in the league until they shut down Teddy Bridgewater last week. The Broncos could get back Tim Patrick for this one, and Noah Fant is getting healthier, so there’s a chance that Lock could carry over his success.
Tua Tagovailoa, MIA (at Arizona)
How much can we really know about how ready the Dolphins new quarterback is for NFL defenses from Week 8? He was overwhelmed early, leveled off, and then wasn’t really needed to deliver the win. Tagovailoa will have to put the offense on his shoulder with Jordan Howard likely starting at running back and Kyler Murray likely forcing Miami’s offense to score more than Jared Goff did last week. The Cardinals defense is very solvable, allowing three total scores to Teddy Bridgewater and two to Matthew Stafford.
Kyle Allen, WAS (vs New York Giants)
Allen threw for 280 and two scores just three weeks ago against this same Giants defense. The Giants put up a valiant effort against the Buccaneers on Monday night and will be facing their division rival on a short week of rest while Washington is coming off of a bye with two weeks to game plan. The Giants tend to encourage teams to pass against them, with the last three quarterbacks they’ve faced throwing at least 40 passes, including Allen, which should help his case as a sleeper this week.
Jake Luton, JAX (vs Houston)
Luton is a sixth-round rookie, but so was Gardner Minshew. He’ll face a Texans defense that allowed 301 yards and two scores to Minshew in the first meeting between these teams. Houston will also be without Whitney Mercilus and Jake Martin, two of their best edge rushers. The Jaguars have had two weeks to prepare Luton and he is a system quarterback who might have success running Jay Gruden’s playbook against a defense that has allowed eight passing scores in their last two games. The Jaguars will also have a rested and healthier wide receiver group coming out of the bye. Luton could hit as a desperation play.
Running Back
JaMycal Hasty, Jerick McKinnon, SF (vs Green Bay) **Thursday**
The 49ers are down to only Hasty and McKinnon going into a matchup with the Packers. The loss of talent in the backfield and multiple starters on the offensive line could kneecap the running game, but the 49ers had their way with the Packers in two matchups last year and Hasty has proven to be a good fit in the Kyle Shanahan running game. He should get the majority of the carries. McKinnon has slowed down as a runner, but he did have a short yardage score last week and he might do a lot of work as a receiver this week with the 49ers missing their top three wide receivers and George Kittle.
Jordan Howard, MIA (at Arizona)
Howard has been ineffective as a runner, but he is dependable at the goal line, so there’s a decent chance that he’ll score this week and he could get multiple scores if the Dolphins defense controls this contest. Matt Breida has a hamstring injury and he is unlikely to play and Patrick Laird will handle passing down. The Lions, Jets, and post-Dak Cowboys are the only teams to fail to post at least one running back touchdown against the Cardinals.
Le’Veon Bell, KC (vs Carolina)
Bell and Clyde Edwards-Helaire were both duds against the Jets last week because the Chiefs smartly chose to attack the Jets pass defense instead of their run defense. Kansas City has shown a willingness to lean on the run when teams are soft on the ground, and the Panthers are one of the easiest run defenses to beat. Opposing running backs have notched 30 and 25 carries in the last two games, so there should be plenty to go around for the Chiefs backfield, which gives Bell a chance to come through in a thin week at running back.
Tyler Ervin, GB (at San Francisco) **Thursday**
Double check to make sure that Aaron Jones doesn’t play - he’s a game time decision, but the Packers medical staff is usually conservative - as long as he doesn’t, Ervin is the play. They will likely call up Dexter Williams to help on early downs, but Ervin can collect receptions from the backfield and he has the quicks and speed to break a run or two as the lead running back if you’re needing an RB2 from the waiver wire this week.
Deejay Dallas, SEA (at Buffalo)
This one will hinge on the status of Chris Carson and Carlos Hyde. Carson was a game time decision with no practice last week, so if he can get in some practice this week, he could play, but mid-foot sprains are tricky and the Seahawks have Super Bowl aspirations, so they should be cautious with him. Hyde was doubtful with a hamstring issue last week and neither he nor Carson practiced on Wednesday. Dallas was not efficient getting the bulk of the work against the 49ers, but he scored twice and caught five balls, which is enough to be a strong RB1 play. If he’s the lead back against a defense that has allowed five running back scores in the last four games, including one to the Jets, you should find a way to get him into your lineup.
J.D. McKissic, WAS (vs New York Giants)
McKissic and Washington have a rematch with the Giants this week, which bodes well for his fantasy prospects. He had 84 total yards and six receptions in the first matchup, which is nothing to sneeze at in PPR leagues if you’re desperate for an RB2. The Giants have allowed three running back receiving scores and in five of the last seven games, opposing backfields have caught at least six passes against them.
Wide Receiver
Henry Ruggs, LV (at Los Angeles Chargers)
Ruggs hasn’t gone off since he faced the Chiefs before the Raiders Week 6 bye, but he’s facing the Chargers secondary that fell apart in the second half last week. Justin Herbert should test the Raiders defense and this could easily turn into an old school AFL vertical passing game shootout, which would give Ruggs a sky high fantasy ceiling that you don’t want to miss out on.
Darius Slayton, NYG (at Washington)
Slayton hasn’t done much in the last three games, but that isn’t his fault. He was open all night against the Bucs, but Daniel Jones couldn’t hit him. He did score in the first matchup with Washington, when Jones only threw 19 times. If the Giants line can give Jones a little more time to throw downfield than he had against Tampa, Slayton could be the main beneficiary. He, would have had at least 100 yards and a score on Monday night if Jones had been more accurate.
Jerry Jeudy, DEN (at Atlanta)
Jeudy has a chance to put up his biggest game of the year with Drew Lock exuding confidence and the Falcons secondary unable to handle skilled receivers. Atlanta has allowed ten receivers to go over 80 yards and six have gone over 100. Jeudy could be the first read in a simplified Broncos offense designed to help Lock succeed by not asking him to go through extended progressions and process the whole field.
D.J. Chark, JAX (vs Houston)
Chark has been banged up this year and he has also been up and down in the fantasy column. The bye should help his nicks and bumps heal and there’s some talk that the offense will feature more downfield passing with Jake Luton replacing Gardner Minshew. The Texans have given up eight scores to receivers in the last three games, including two to Jaguars receivers but none to Chark because he was nursing an ankle injury.
Jakobi Meyers, NE (at New York Jets)
Meyers quickly emerged last week as a suitable replacement for Julian Edelman to help Cam Newton move the sticks in passing situations. The Jets pass defense has given up eight scores to opposing wide receivers in the last five games and Cole Beasley posted an 11-112 line against them two weeks ago in a similar role to the one that Meyers will play on Monday night.
Jakeem Grant, MIA (at Arizona)
The Dolphins traded Isaiah Ford to the Patriots this week, freeing up slot snaps. Some will go to Mike Gesicki, but some should also go to Grant, who broke a punt return for a score last week and provides speed to an offense that will have a barely functional running game. The Cardinals couldn’t handle Tyler Lockett in their last game, and Jamison Crowder also posted a big game against them. Tua Tagovailoa could zero in on Grant if he’s creating separation in a way that the bigger Dolphins targets don’t.
Tight End
Ross Dwelley, Jordan Reed, SF (vs Green Bay) **Thursday**
With George Kittle out and the 49ers missing their top three wide receivers, Nick Mullens should rely on his backup tight ends. Dwelley is the safer play, having scored last week after Kittle went out, while Reed has a higher ceiling, but is also no sure thing to finish the game. Both are suitable what the heck tight end plays and both could hit.
Logan Thomas, WAS (vs New York Giants)
Thomas scored in back-to-back games heading into the bye, and one of those was against the Week 9 opponent, the Giants. New York also gave up a score to Rob Gronkowski last week, and a 6-85 line to Richard Rodgers the week before that. He’s a fine waiver replacement for Kittle if pickins are slim.
Jordan Akins, HOU (at Jacksonville)
Akins is expected to return to play healthy this week coming off of the bye and he’ll get the Jaguars defense that let Darren Fells have an easy score from distance in the first matchup. Akins had a touchdown and a 7-55 line in his first three games before getting hurt and he was on his way to another nice game with 3-46 before departing after only playing 19 snaps in Week 4. The Jaguars have already allowed seven scores to opposing tight ends this year.
Albert Okwuegbunam, DEN (at Atlanta)
It looked like Noah Fant left Okwuegbunam in the dust last week, but the rookie scored and two of his target turned into key pass interference calls for the Broncos. Albert O is still Drew Lock’s main man in the red zone, with as many red zone targets as anyone on the team in the last two games, and that doesn’t include multiple end zone targets from outside of the red zone. The Falcons have allowed eight touchdowns to opposing tight ends this year.
