BYE WEEK MADNESS!! 6 teams are on bye weeks and we are quickly approaching the playoffs, so I hope you are ready! If you need some players to get you through this week or a gem to ride you to the playoffs, look no further! The amount of players with potential is low this week but no matter there is some good choices to be made if you are quick to the waiver wire and ready to drop dead weight.
BEST:
Matt Moore, Miami Dolphins QB
Moore isn’t the best quarterback in the league, obviously, but with so many injuries to quarterbacks (like Carson Palmer) and six teams on bye-weeks, he has definitely shown enough potential to get a spot in your roster if you are in search of a streaming option. He started slow off the bench against the Jets, but ended with 188 yards and two touchdowns on 13 of 21 completed passes.
He has a gunslinger mentality and will likely turn the ball over against the Ravens defense next week, but that doesn’t discredit the fact he will be airing the ball out. Miami is the only team without a rushing touchdown so far this season and Jay Ajayi only managed 51 yards on 23 carries this week. Expect the Dolphins to put enough faith in Cutler’s replacement to take some deep shots with big yardage possibilities.
Latavius Murray, Minnesota Vikings RB
After Jerick McKinnon ran his way into the starting spot in Minnesota, Murray quickly dropped out of the picture for fantasy owners looking for a hot hand, especially because of his nagging ankle injury. Not to be forgotten, Murray jumped into the driver seat when the Vikings began to run out the clock and put the Ravens away.
Rushing for 113 yards with a touchdown on 18 carries may seem like a flash in the pan for a running back riding the backseat on the depth chart, but he could satisfy a flex position or even RB2 status if Minnesota gets off to a good start against the Browns next week. It is also important to note that he only trailed McKinnon by 4 snaps and has just as many carries as McKinnon over the past three games (45).
Kenny Stills, Miami Dolphins WR
A disappointment so far, Stills showed he may be on the rise with a new quarterback in the seat after Matt Moore took over for Jay Cutler. He didn’t show any excitement until the end of the game when he netted six catches for 85 yards and two touchdowns, but there is also a past history of a working connection between Moore and Stills. He caught three touchdowns in the four games Moore started last season, and also pulled one in against the Falcons last week. This is highlighted by the fact DeVante Parker is sidelined and Stills will be starting as the number 2 wideout for the Dolphins. I wouldn’t put too much faith that he is going to heat up and be a deadly target, but he will definitely get looks and the opportunity for some touchdowns and big yards as defenses focus on Landry.
O.J. Howard, Tampa Bay Buccaneers TE
Tight end is a position that continually forces you to reevaluate who you have on your roster and if they are worth keeping moving forward. If you are disappointed with your players and want to shake it up, look to Howard. He hasn’t been the most deadly weapon for the Buccaneers this season, but played 69% of snaps on Sunday and caught all six passes thrown his way for 98 yards and two touchdowns. That is more catches than he has for the rest of the season (5), but he has begun to shape a relationship with Jameis Winston and could be relied on more as Winston dials back the long throws due to his shoulder injury.
Corey Davis, Tennessee Titans WR
Wide receiver is without a doubt the hardest position for quality pickups this week, so it may be worth to snag up Davis before comes back from injury to actually draw attention as a WR2. He will be seeing more targets after Delanie Walker suffered a sprained ankle against the Browns and could start to find a role on the Titan’s receiving corps. He saw 10 targets in his first game, so don’t be surprised if he comes back as a trusted target for Mariota.
WORST:
Martavis Bryant, Pittsburgh Steelers WR
I feel bad for anyone with Bryant, because it seems like he has decided to quit his job as a professional football player in favor of going back to middle school and joining the coolest clique who will take him.
Before I get into his antics, his production has been absolutely abysmal this season. Besides 91 yards and a touchdown in week 2, he has only averaged 23 yards per game with including a 3-yard total last week against the Browns. In those games, he has 15 catches and 0 touchdowns. While it may be strange to see this lack of production from a player who was an absolute weapon in previous years for Pittsburgh, it is not surprising he is being targeted less when you look at his drama with the Steelers.
Last week he complained that teammate Juju Smith-Schuster was worse than him and still getting more attention than him, and then called in sick to a team meeting. Although he denied the claims he wanted to be traded, more and more reports are surfacing that reaffirm this is true. He won’t be in Pittsburgh for long, but I would offload him before he is spending his Sunday’s waiting for a plane ticket.
Jonathan Stewart, Carolina Panthers RB
When you thing of the Panther’s with Cam Newton at the helm, you think of a multi-faced running attack that will beat you on the ground and then strike deep when you least expect it. That isn’t the case this year, with the Panthers averaging just 3.4 yards per carry on the ground. Stewart leads the team with 99 rushing attempts, but only has 297 total yards and a 3.0 yards per rush average to back it up. I wouldn’t expect the Panthers’s running production to skyrocket anytime soon, so give up on it and let Stewart go.
Theo Riddick, Detroit Lions RB
The fact he is still owned in 70% of leagues is simply Riddickulous. Pardon the overused pun, but it really does blow my mind considering how badly he has performed this year. Not only has he shown time and again he is absolutely useless, but has been unable to break into the depth chart. His season high 12 touches shows he isn’t even a thought in the Lions offense attack despite Ameer Abdullah only breaking 50 rushing yards twice this season. For some reason people are still holding onto him, don’t fall for it. Get rid of Riddick ASAP.