Written By George Haraktsis
Quarterbacks
Nick Mullens, San Francisco 49ers (0.8% owned)
Mullens certainly made his mark on Thursday in his debut against the Raiders. The Ole Miss alum, who was not Twitter verified until halfway through the game, completed 72% of his his passes and threw for three touchdowns while filling in for CJ Beathard. Kyle Shanahan is expected to name Mullens the starter in the near future, so the opportunity should be there. At this point in the year, teams in 2-QB leagues can become very needy and you could do alot worse than starting Mullens. With a really soft matchup against the Giants in Week 10, pick up Mullens and expect a solid start.
Running Backs
Mike Davis, Seattle Seahawks (18.5% owned)
Chris Carson tried his best to overcome an injury in Sunday’s game, but it eventually forced him to leave by half-time. Mike Davis stepped in and did a more than admirable job. He finished the day with 15 carries for 62 yards and added 7 receptions for 45 yards on the day. If Carson’s injury issues linger, we should expect to see Davis continue to make starts for the Seahawks. In his last start, Davis ran for 101 yards on 21 carries and scored two touchdowns to go along with 4 catches for 23 yards. It’s nearly impossible to find a starting RB on waivers this late in the season, and Davis could be just that.
Ito Smith, Atlanta Falcons (31.7% owned)
Tevin Coleman will continue to dominate touches in the Falcons backfield, but Ito Smith will still be utilized, as evidenced by 10 carries for 60 yards in the Redskins game and his fourth touchdown in five games. He has nearly twice as many red zone carries as Coleman does (15-8) and would see a huge boost to his usage and production if Coleman were to become injured. Stash him for now.
Duke Johnson, Cleveland Browns (49.5% owned)
The new regime in Cleveland seems hell-bent on making Duke Johnson the team’s pass catching back, and did so by giving him a season-high 10 touches on Sunday against the Chiefs. He finished the day with 9 receptions for 78 yards and two touchdowns. He led the team with 9 targets, and has a great matchup next week against the Falcons who have been awful against pass-catching backs this year. In a PPR league, Johnson should continue to be an RB2 to flex option, and a high waiver priority should be spent on him.
Wide Receivers
Christian Kirk, Arizona Cardinals (8.1% owned)
It’s no secret that the Cardinals offense has been a dumpster-fire all season. That hasn’t stopped Christian Kirk from putting up some decent numbers though. Before the Cardinals’ bye week, Kirk had four straight games with either a touchdown or 50 yards. In Byron Leftwich’s first game calling plays, Kirk saw seven targets, good for second on the team. Kirk should continue to have a safe floor in PPR leagues, and could serve as solid start in week 10 with a great matchup against the Chiefs.
Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Green Bay Packers (20.7% owned)
MVS has been on a tear recently. He has clearly gained Aaron Rodgers’ trust, and over the last five weeks has posted three games with over 100 yards receiving. In the two games he didn’t reach 100 yards receiving, he managed to score a touchdown in each. DaVante Adams is Rodgers’ number one option, but Valdes-Scantling should have that number two spot locked up, even when Geronimo Allison comes back.
Willie Snead IV, Baltimore Ravens (22.6% owned)
No, Snead has not seen the end-zone since week one, but there is still plenty of fantasy value to be had. This last week he saw eight targets for seven catches and 58 yards, all season highs. He is on bye in Week 10, but has a great schedule coming up after that and into the fantasy playoffs. If you’re in any sort of PPR format go grab Snead as a good depth option and solid filler for injuries or byes.
Tight Ends
Jack Doyle, Indianapolis Colts (40.3% owned)
The fun part about players coming off a bye week is that sometimes owners forget about them all together. In his week 8 matchup, after coming back from a lengthy injury, Doyle logged 73% of snaps at TE versus Eric Ebron’s 22%. He tied for the team lead in targets, and caught 6 of those seven for 70 yards and a touchdown. Doyle looks to have established himself as the Colts’ top tight end again, and should continue to be one of Luck’s favorite options on a receiver-needy team. This year tight end has been a very tough position to fill week after week, and Doyle could end up as a top-10 contributor from here on out.
Defense/Special Teams
Los Angeles Chargers (43.9% owned)
Against a solid Seahawks offense, the Bosa-less Chargers put up 14 fantasy points and had a defensive touchdown on the day. The Chargers D/ST have great matchups against the Raiders, Broncos, and Cardinals in their next three weeks and have Bosa returning soon. This will be a great pickup for anyone who needs a defense to get into the Fantasy playoffs.