The Top 10: The Cliff's Notes

1. Brandon Aiyuk's Week 5 production indicates his prolonged preseason is over and he's ready to produce.
2. Rachaad White vs. Bucky Irving shouldn't be a referendum on talent. They will remain a committee. 
3. Joe Burrow's pass placement makes him one of the elite throwers in the NFL. 
4. Darnell Mooney has Kirk Cousins' trust and should remain a viable fantasy starter. 
5. James Conner's demise was greatly exaggerated--in 2020! Slower backs like Conner, David Montgomery, and Zack Moss continually prove the impatient wrong. 
6. Darius Slayton was the latest Replacements nominee to deliver. Learn why. 
7. Alec Pierce came up huge in the 4th quarterback -- why he's an ideal WR4 in fantasy lineups with upside.
8. Tank Bigsby vs. Travis Etienne Jr. is the latest referendum on who is more talented. This, too, will remain a committee. 
9. Aaron Jones' pass-catch prowess was on display Sunday but it was also on display at UTEP nearly a decade ago. 
10. Tyrone Tracy Jr. looks promising, even if Seattle's defense was a mess. 

1. Brandon Aiyuk Is Heating Up

As Bob Harris noted in our latest episode of Feel It or F--It, the unofficial prolonged preseason otherwise known as September, is over and scoring came alive in Week 5. So did Aiyuk. The sloppy execution at the catch point disappeared and what was left over was the crisp route runner with excellent YAC skills. 

Good attack and transition by Brandon Aiyuk #49ers pic.twitter.com/njkx0ANd0i

— Matt Waldman (@MattWaldman) October 6, 2024

Brandon Aiyuk with an excellent third down grab.

Great and daring placement by Brock Purdy.

Note Aiyuk’s attack. The opposite of how many WRs do this (and fail). Good approach. #49ers pic.twitter.com/ykXsz0U2Vm

— Matt Waldman (@MattWaldman) October 7, 2024

Brock Purdy's strength as a passer is his anticipation. Purdy's timing routes are the best on the 49ers. Expect Aiyuk to go on a run that vaults his fantasy value up the wide receiver rankings to no worse than top-15 value. 

2. Rachaad White vs. Bucky Irving Equals Foolishness

All month, there has been a referendum on which Buccaneers running back is more talented. The fantasy community has been dogpiling on White because Irving is the shiny new toy with quickness. 

Irving has executed well with the ball in his hands. It doesn't make him the superior talent. Much to the chagrin of media who have downplayed head coach Todd Bowles' assessment of his backfield, Bowles wasn't making empty excuses for White, who has dealt with more difficult scenarios when handed the ball. 

To disclose my frame of reference on White, I was not a big fan of his game when he arrived in the NFL. He was impatient and he didn't use his size to attack defenders where it was to his advantage to do so. 

Last year, White made strides in this area even if the rest of the Tampa Bay ground game didn't open big holes for him. His lack of sizzle with box score efficiencies led the public to sour on him despite showing improvement and maintaining fantasy starter production. 

After watching a few games this year, I'm in Bowles' camp: Irving has benefitted from well-executed plays from his teammates. White has not benefitted as often. 

The public makes Rachaad White - Bucky Irving into a White vs. Irving referendum on talent.

The perception is one is good, the other bad. Nonsense.

Better to make it which play calls for Irving are working better vs which play calls for White aren't.#Buccaneers pic.twitter.com/1md6TWBc4C

— Matt Waldman (@MattWaldman) October 6, 2024

It's not helping that the outcry for Irving could be influencing the playcalling to become counterintuitive. 

The public makes Rachaad White - Bucky Irving into a White vs. Irving referendum on talent.

The perception is one is good, the other bad. Nonsense.

Better to make it which play calls for Irving are working better vs which play calls for White aren't.#Buccaneers pic.twitter.com/1md6TWBc4C

— Matt Waldman (@MattWaldman) October 6, 2024

This may seem like a silly claim, but the media and public outcry have led to executives pressuring coaches to use players more often when the coaches knew better. Even if my claim isn't true, Irving is too small to win with power and White isn't the best option to make opponents miss in compressed spaces on an island as a receiver. 

White and Irving's strengths are complementary. Prepared to remain irritated with their outputs as a fantasy GM.

3. Joe Burrow's Pass Placement Is Elite

There are a lot of reasons Burrow is an elite quarterback with elite fantasy upside. The skill that stands out most for me is his pass placement. Burrow places the ball only where his receivers can make the play. 

Two of these throws that accounted for underneath coverage came in the confines of the red zone to Tee Higgins.

Tee Higgins

- Averaging 16+ FPG
- Elite passing offense
- 2 touchdowns in week 5
- Averaging 10+ targets per game

One of the best #2 WRs on a high powered offense…

Contract year + Joe Burrow is playing elite football = big Tee Higgins season ahead.pic.twitter.com/IYM3gVEz60

— Snoog's Fantasy HQ (@FFSnoog) October 7, 2024

Burrow has always been unstoppable with sail routes. It's easy to see why Mike Gesicki was a free-agent target. 

Tee Higgins

- Averaging 16+ FPG
- Elite passing offense
- 2 touchdowns in week 5
- Averaging 10+ targets per game

One of the best #2 WRs on a high powered offense…

Contract year + Joe Burrow is playing elite football = big Tee Higgins season ahead.pic.twitter.com/IYM3gVEz60

— Snoog's Fantasy HQ (@FFSnoog) October 7, 2024

This deep sideline route to Andrei Iosivas wasn't the only throw Burrow made with great placement with a defensive lineman delivering a gut shot. 

Joe Burrow deep sideline throw under pressure on third down. Stones.

Iosivas with the grab. #Bengals pic.twitter.com/llTyD1Inkp

— Matt Waldman (@MattWaldman) October 6, 2024

Maybe the Bengals still trade Higgins midseason. I'm beginning to believe Higgins will play out the year. Cincinnati has the weapons to make another run. This will help the fantasy fortunes of the entire Bengals offense. 

4. Darnell Mooney Has Kirk Cousins' Trust

Atlanta is using Drake London as a big slot and Mooney as an outside receiver. This is working well except when Cousins targets Mooney on back-shoulder fade routes at the boundary where Mooney's lack of size fails him. 

Mooney is a fine route runner and his quickness makes him a better option on timing routes as an outside receiver. London gets to be a bully inside. It's also clear that Cousins sees Mooney as a go-to option. 

Kirk Cousins TRUSTS Darnell Mooney.

He's the #Falcons Adam Thielen

This is a great example of a jump -up-and-through technique by Mooney on good placement in a thicket of the Buccaneers' coverage. pic.twitter.com/EjVnQDyY0a

— Matt Waldman (@MattWaldman) October 6, 2024

Mooney was fantasy football's WR15 heading into Monday night. Expect Mooney to remain a top-24 producer this year.