Say Hello
Running Back
Nyheim Hines, Indianapolis (14% owned, Yahoo!). He’s emerging as the most consistent fantasy producer in this backfield by committee. Hines had his best game of the season against Houston, catching 9 of 11 passes for 63 yards and two touchdowns, and adding four rushes for 10 yards. He’s not getting it done on the ground but has seen a healthy amount of targets (26) and is making the most of it (22-119-2). With Marlon Mack injured and Jordan Wilkins failing to produce, Hines should see a sustainable workload going forward.
Nick Chubb, Cleveland (19% owned, Yahoo!). It will be hard for the Browns to ignore what Chubb did with his three carries against the Raiders (3-105-2). His touchdown runs of 63 and 41 yards definitely opened some eyes, but if anyone can ignore talent it’s Hue Jackson. The three carries match a season high for Chubb, who has yet to be targeted in the passing game. He’s clearly behind Carlos Hyde, who has been playing at a high level. Chubb is more of a stash at this point but Hyde owners should consider him the handcuff to own.
Mike Davis, Seattle (2% owned, Yahoo!). Coming out of nowhere, Davis leapfrogged rookie Rashaad Penny after Chris Carson (hip) was a scratch. Davis averaged a robust 4.8 yards per carry while racking up 101 rushing yards and two touchdowns. He caught all four of his targets for 23 yards. Don’t get too excited, though. His performance came against one of the worst run defenses in the league, as the Cardinals give up the second-most fantasy points to opposing running backs. If Carson continues to miss time Davis could be in line for a huge role, but this situation could also turn into another ugly timeshare if Seattle decides to feature both Davis and Carson while mixing in Penny.
Wide Receiver
Dede Westbrook, Jacksonville (17% owned, Yahoo!). Westbrook is every bit as talented as Keelan Cole and might just be the receiver to own in Jacksonville. Westbrook has two great games (4-82-1 vs. Patriots; 9-130-0 vs. Jets) and two so-so games (5-51-0 vs. Giants; 3-31-0 vs. Titans). He leads the team in targets (28), receptions (21) and receiving yards (294). It’s a bit hard to trust Westbrook with Blake Bortles throwing him the football, and he has fumbled twice. But as evidenced by his 61-yard touchdown catch against New England, Westbrook is a serious big play threat who can score at any time.
Taylor Gabriel, Chicago (6% owned, Yahoo!). His breakout comes with a quarterback caveat. Mitchell Trubisky had a career day while throwing for 354 yards and six touchdowns against a horrible Bucs secondary. But Taylor (7-104-2) was outstanding nonetheless, catching all of his team-high seven targets. He’s seen only three fewer targets than Allen Robinson this season, and has more fantasy points than Robinson regardless of format. If Trubisky continues to improve in his sophomore campaign I think Gabriel will settle into his role and have weekly fantasy value.
Keke Coutee, Houston (2% owned, Yahoo!). The rookie impressed in his NFL debut (11-109-0) and gives Houston another weapon in an already potent pass attack. He missed the first three games with a hamstring injury but got his shot with Bruce Ellington going on injured reserve. Coutee vaults into the third option for Houston and could see a larger role as Will Fuller V appeared to re-aggravate a hamstring injury. Fuller sat out the second half. It’s one game, but Coutee saw more targets (15) than DeAndre Hopkins (12). It will be very interesting to see what the target share looks like if all three receivers play against Dallas.
Quarterback
Marcus Mariota, Tennessee (33% owned, Yahoo!). The elbow injury that has hindered Mariota appears to be a thing of the past as he threw for two touchdowns and ran for another against the Eagles. He also threw for 344 yards after failing to pass for more than 103 yards in his first two games. Another great sign for Mariota? He rushed 10 times for 46 yards, reminding us that when he’s healthy he has a safe floor. Mariota’s connection with Corey Davis (9-161-1) looks legit and the duo will be dangerous going forward.
Mitchell Trubisky, Chicago (15% owned, Yahoo!). Mitchy Biscuits’ coming out party continues as Chicago won its third straight. He threw a ridiculous six touchdowns – a career high and one shy of the league record – against Tampa Bay. While he certainly won’t do that every week he’s a competent quarterback with an awesome arsenal who doesn’t make too many mistakes. You’ll need to play the matchups with Trubisky, but he’s someone who can be a boon for teams streaming quarterbacks. Don’t pick him up expecting a weekly play in season-long leagues, you’ll be disappointed.
Tight End
Cameron Brate, Tampa Bay (24% owned, Yahoo!). Brate figures to see an increased workload with O.J. Howard sidelined by a strained MCL. You won’t get any use out of Brate in Week 5 though, as the Bucs have their bye week. He’s worth the add simply because he plays in one of the league’s best offenses, but he’s also topped 10 PPR points in each of his last two games.
Waive Goodbye
Running Back
Jordan Wilkins, Indianapolis. The numbers don’t lie and Wilkins’ have been bad. He’s seen 38 carries and turned them into 136 yards (3.6 YPC) and no touchdowns in a timeshare with Nyheim Hines. While both backs have struggled on the ground, Hines (22-119-2) has been much better in the passing game and has three total touchdowns. Hines has seen 26 targets to eight for Wilkins.
Peyton Barber, Tampa Bay. After his dismal start to the season the Bucs finally started to move away from Barber. He’s averaged 3.0 yards per carry, gaining 148 yards on 50 carries with zero touchdowns. Ronald Jones II was active for the first time this season against Chicago and promptly out-touched Barber 11-9. All signs point to Jones taking over this backfield.
Wide Receiver
Brandon Marshall, Seattle. The return of Doug Baldwin renders Marshall virtually unplayable, but he was pretty bad even without Baldwin. Over the past three games he’s had seven receptions for 79 yards and no touchdowns.
Quarterback
Josh Allen, Buffalo. Hopefully you didn’t pick up Allen after his huge game against Minnesota. But if you did let me remind you that he scored less than two fantasy points in Week 4.
Tight End
Jake Butt (Denver), Will Dissly (Seattle) and Tyler Eifert. Injuries further depleted the most shallow position in fantasy last week. Butt (torn ACL), Dissly (patellar tendon) and Eifert (broken ankle) were all placed on injured reserve.
