Quarterback
Bo Nix, Broncos (Rostered in 25% of Yahoo leagues)
Nix is in this article nearly every week, typically as a bet on his rushing production. While he found the end zone for the fourth time this year on Sunday, his arm got him to the top of the waiver wire rankings this time around. Nix threw for 284 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions in Week 8. Nix has seven passing touchdowns and one interception over his past four games. He gets a date with a Baltimore defense that ranks 28th in EPA per dropback allowed in Week 9.
Matthew Stafford, Rams (39%)
Stafford has played in two games with Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua active this year. He threw for 596 yards and five touchdowns in those games. Dating back to the start of 2023, Stafford has averaged 264 yards and two touchdowns when both wideouts are active. His pace of 18.7 fantasy points per game with a healthy receiving room would be good for a QB8 ranking this season.
Jameis Winston, Browns (6%)
We got the full Winston experience in his first start with the Browns. Cleveland logged a +5% pass rate over expected.
Winston had an 11.7 aDOT and led all quarterbacks with 14 intermediate throws (attempts between 10 and 19 yards downfield). He threw for 334 yards and three scores. Pro Football Focus charted him with three turnover-worthy plays, none of which resulted in disaster. Winston will be the best quarterback add most fantasy managers get on the wire for the remainder of the year.
Others receiving votes: Trevor Lawrence and Justin Herbert
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Running Back
Braelon Allen, Jets (37%)
Allen fell out of favor in the Jets backfield for a few weeks but came back with a vengeance on Sunday. He saw 12 carries to Breece Hall’s 16. Allen also punched in a short touchdown. Surprisingly, it was Allen’s first carry inside the five-yard line of the year. The rookie is besting Hall in both PFF rushing grade and yards after contact per attempt. His role is far from stable, but Week 8 should give us some hope that he will have a sliver of standalone value going forward.
Tyler Allgeier, Falcons (37%)
Allgeier saw 12 carries in Week 8 versus the Bucs, falling just one short of Bijan Robinson. He took the field for 37 percent of Atlanta’s snaps. Allgeier has hit double-digit touches in four games this season and has just as many carries inside the five as Robinson. Both backs have two such attempts. Allgeier has averaged 10.6 carries in wins compared to five attempts in losses. The Falcons are favored in every one of their remaining games.
Kimani Vidal, Chargers (11%)
We’re running low on good running back additions already. Vidal only saw six carries in Week 8. J.K. Dobbins ran the ball 17 times. Even that, however, was a step in the right direction for Vidal. His 24 percent carry share was a season-high. Vidal is averaging 3.1 yards after contact per attempt compared to 2.9 for Dobbins. Dobbins’ number is also buoyed by his first two games, the only weeks in which he averaged more than three yards after contact. Vidal is a long-shot to usurp Dobbins as the starter, but it would make sense for the Chargers to continue expanding his role.
Isaac Guerendo, 49ers (8%)
Guerendo took over for Jordan Mason on Sunday Night Football after the latter went down with a shoulder injury. It’s safe to assume Mason re-aggravated the AC joint sprain he suffered in Week 6. Guerendo ran 14 times for 85 yards and a touchdown. He also caught three passes for 17 yards. Guerendo is a fourth-round pick with unparalleled athleticism.
The downside is that San Francisco gets their bye next week and Christian McCaffrey is expected to return in Week 10. Guerendo is unlikely to be needed after the week off, but the payout if he is the starter is enormous.
Others receiving votes: Roschon Johnson, Ezekiel Elliott, and Jaleel McLaughlin
Wide Receiver
Cedric Tillman, Browns (19%)
As previously mentioned, the Browns instantly had the most fun passing attack in football once Winston took over. Tillman was the primary beneficiary of this with seven catches for 99 yards and two touchdowns. He led the team with 159 air yards, though all three wideouts topped 100 air yards. Elijah Moore paced the trio in targets while Jerry Jeudy led the way in routes. This is what their usage looks like in two games without Amari Cooper.
It’s only a two-week sample, but a hierarchy is already developing. Tillman is seeing both the most looks and the highest-value targets while Moore can easily out-pace Jeudy in total opportunities.
Ricky Pearsall, 49ers (37%)
Pearsall’s second game, a potential breakout week, was a quiet one. He caught four passes for 38 yards but did add 39 rushing yards on his lone carry. He ran a route on 71 percent of Brock Purdy’s dropbacks. Pearsall’s role should remain strong coming out of the 49ers’ bye week, but it’s more than a small concern that Chris Conley ran more routes than him on Sunday. If Jauan Jennings is back from his hip injury in Week 10, Pearsall’s role could take a hit.
Keon Coleman, Bills (41%)
Coleman has come alive over the past two weeks, catching eight passes for 195 yards and a touchdown. He has more receiving yards in his previous two games than in the first six weeks of the season. There hasn’t been a drastic change in Coleman’s role over the past two weeks in terms of how he is used. The shift has simply been that he is getting used more. Coleman’s target share is up from 14 percent to 23 percent. His cut of the air yards and end zone targets are also on the rise. Amari Cooper’s role should grow as he gets more familiar with the offense, but that’s not a reason to fade a first-round rookie playing his best football of the year.
Josh Downs, Colts (47%)
Downs finally posted a breakout performance in a game Anthony Richardson finished. He caught four passes for 109 yards and a touchdown with the bulk of his production coming on a 69-yard house call. That was not even close to his most impressive play of the day.
WHAT A CATCH BY JOSH DOWNS.
— NFL (@NFL) October 27, 2024
📺: #INDvsHOU on CBS/Paramount+
📱: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/1WMCZDj8G3
This catch was ruled down at the one. Downs had his highest aDOT of the season at 12.1, nearly doubling his second-highest target depth. If the Colts plan to use him more on deep routes, Downs could still be a relevant fantasy option with Richardson at quarterback.
Xavier Legette, Panthers (15%)
Diontae Johnson missed Week 8 with a rib injury and is a candidate to be traded ahead of next week’s deadline. Legette tied Miles Sanders for a team-high in targets at seven apiece. He also led the way in air yards (114) and saw the team’s only end zone target which resulted in a touchdown catch in the first quarter. Legette only ran a route on 63 percent of Bryce Young’s dropbacks. Fellow rookie Jalen Coker logged an 80 percent route rate and earned six targets. Coker made a handful of impressive plays including this marvelous grab.
What a catch!
— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) October 27, 2024
📺:CBS pic.twitter.com/OHno2U3157
Legette is the top add in this receiver room but Coker is still worth a look in deeper leagues.
Jalen McMillan, Bucs (49%)
McMillan ran a route on 90 percent of Baker Mayfield’s dropbacks but only earned a 15 percent target share. His seven targets still led the Tampa Bay receiver room. Mayfield peppered his running backs and tight ends with 24 targets, leaving a jumbled receiving group to fight for scraps. The Bucs get a tough matchup with the Chiefs in Week 9 but will also be forced to throw often if they are playing from behind. McMillan still has WR3 upside until Mike Evans returns.
Others receiving votes: Kalif Raymond, Kayshon Boutte, and Parker Washington
Tight End
Zach Ertz, Commanders (28%)
Per usual, Ertz headlines the week’s top available tight ends. He is currently the TE9 on the year and is coming off a seven-catch, 77-yard performance on 11 targets. Ertz is seventh in target share and eighth in air yards share among tight ends. His quarterback is on pace for a historic rookie season. He should be rostered in nearly every Yahoo league.
Will Dissly, Chargers (1%)
Hayden Hurst missed his second week in a row, keeping Dissly in a full-time role versus the Saints. He earned a 25 percent target shared and was targeted on a quarter of his routes. Both numbers are elite for a tight end. Dissly will remain a high-end TE2 if Hurst remains out for Week 9 against the Browns.
Jonnu Smith, Dolphins (6%)
Smith saw 27 percent of Miami’s targets from Week 5 to Week 7 and was targeted on 32 percent of his routes. Things normalized last week with Tua Tagovailoa back under center, but Smith’s role remained strong. He earned 17 percent of the team’s targets and Tua looked Smith’s way on 21 percent of his routes. Smith could be a legitimate TE1 contender if he holds onto this role and the Miami offense regains their 2023 form.
Others receiving votes: Hunter Henry and Mike Gesicki
