With Davante Adams hobbled and a question mark for this week,
I think both MVS and Allison are potential WR3/FLEX plays. Valdes-Scantling
has already compiled 29 targets this season as the second fiddle
and Allison made an impact last week against Philly when Adams
went down. If Adams plays I think it’s mostly as a decoy,
and the fact that Green Bay is near the bottom of the league in
rushing means this is like to be a pass-heavy gameplan. I always
want as many shares of an Aaron Rodgers led offense as possible,
so let’s see what happens!
Word of warning. Anderson is only in this spot if Sam Darnold
starts this week, otherwise stay far away from this entire offense.
If Darnold is good to go, there are no secondaries in the NFL
that have given up more fantasy points to receivers than this
Philly team and Anderson is the kind of deep threat guy that could
feast this week. The Eagles have surrendered a 100+ yard receiver
in each game this season (they actually gave up two against the
Falcons) and their secondary continues to be banged up. The Jets
have been nearly unwatchable on offense this season, so this is
always a risk, but Anderson has the potential to make an impact.
I think I’ve decided to just make this section of my SCR
weeks as the “darkhorse” pick of the week. Last time
out I failed miserably with a rookie who had a chance to shine due
to injury...so being a glutton for punishment, I’m doing it
again! This time it’s Auden Tate, the 2018 7th rounder from
Florida State. With A.J. Green on the shelf indefinitely, and John
Ross just put on IR with a shoulder injury, Tate is thrust into
a major passing game role. The loss of Ross leaves upwards of 8
targets a game for the taking, and Tate gets the chance to soak
them up. Tate’s production wouldn’t come out of nowhere,
as he’s seen 16 targets over the last two games and turned
those into a decent 138 yards. The matchup with Arizona is a juicy
as it gets, as this has the potential to be a “defense optional”
kind of game. I’m rolling with Tate as a WR3 in one of my
leagues, so I’ll join you on this merry adventure!
Despite seeing a decent dose of targets (especially in the red
zone), Metcalf has been a one-trick pony for the Seahawks. With
a route tree limited to fades and deep fly patterns, Metcalf has
only caught 10 of his 23 targets (43%) and a 1-6-0 line last week
in a potential blow-up spot against Arizona was a low point. This
Seattle passing game is running through Lockett and Dissly, with
Metcalf being used to clear things out underneath. Although he’s
due to hit on one of these red zones looks real soon, he’s
a blank in PPR leagues, and has too low of a floor in standard leagues
to trust as a starter right now.
WIthout Brees, this New Orleans passing game is Thomas and Kamara,
and frankly no one else. After being drafted as a TE1, Cook has
been a tremendous disappointment, failing to find the endzone
or surpass 37 yards. He’s even been useless in PPR leagues
with only 8 total receptions on the season. The passing scheme
will continue to feature safe, short throws, an area of the field
where Cook can’t utilize his speed to its full potential.
Even before Brees went down Cook didn’t seem to have a defined
role in the offense. I don’t see that changing this week,
or in the near future. If the position wasn't such devoid of depth
Cook might be waiver fodder.
The ship seems to have sailed on JuJu as a reliable WR1 this season.
With Roethlisberger on the shelf, zero weapons to take pressure
off him, and an offense currently relying on gimmicks and short
passes to move the ball, things look bleak. In 16 games last season
Smith-Schuster saw fewer than 10 targets only 6 times. He’s
yet to get to 9 in any game this season. Nursing a toe injury,
and hitting the road against a grumpy Ravens team, it’s
really hard to imagine JuJu being much more than a low end WR2
at best.
