Anyone officially out of contention yet?

By Martin Richardson

We’re really into it now; some of you will be in the playoff hunt, others will be scavenged for their players and left with the carcass of what might have been. Me? I’m top of my division this week and looked to lock in and made a move for someone on my good list, which isn’t a shock given his form.
However, there are still some good players going under the radar in some leagues and some that have me very concerned for fantasy players down the stretch.
So, about that trade I made…

ONES TO WATCH: THE GOOD

Now maybe this is because I was drawn into how good he has been over the season and traded for him in my league, but Tee Higgins has been incredible in the past few weeks. With nearly 50 fantasy points across two weeks, Higgins has over 300 yards in the air and three touchdowns. Granted, there will be some that will argue that they were against a weird Ravens team and Titans team that got rid of their best defensive player; however, he hit over a 150 yards against a Jags team that is looking like the real deal this season, so he has that constant threat to be a big contributor, regardless of opposition. What is crucial for fantasy managers is that in some cases, those 100 yard plus games have come from around six receptions, as was the case with the Steelers and Ravens, so when he gets the ball, there are some massive games. 

Looking ahead, he has a game in Madrid against a Falcons team that will be used in the history books in that now infamous Bucs game last week. I can genuinely see that game being too much for the Falcons and someone like Chase and Higgins having another massive haul for fantasy managers. After the Falcons, he has that second matchup with the Steelers and then the Commanders and Saints, so if you are like me and looking to push for the playoffs in your leagues, someone like Tee Higgins is certainly worth looking at to trade for if you want that boost.

Carrying on the Bengals love in here, I want to focus on a player who has a touchdown in every game bar one, and that’s Mike Gesicki. Ranked on ESPN as a top 5 tight end, and only rostered by 25% of players, Gesicki has carved out an important role for him in this team, especially when you consider that he has to content with the dynamic duo of Chase and Higgins at wide receiver. His performances are steady for a tight end, providing fantasy players a steady stream of points that are either for a single catch and touchdown like it was against the Ravens, or for some chunk yardage and a touchdown like it was with against the Buccaneers, Jags and Titans. 

With the likes of the Brock Bowers, Trey McBride and Harold Fannin all having late bye weeks, big someone like Gesicki up now so he can slot in without fuss when it comes to needing a tight end streamer.

Early this season, I had drafter’s remorse for taking Jameson Williams in my league. Why? Because I started him against the Saints (45 yards, 0 touchdowns) and Bills (33 yards, 0 touchdowns) and essentially benched him out of frustration ever since. 

Did I bench him pre-bye week against the Cardinals where he got two touchdowns? Yes, yes I did.

Did I have him ride the pine post-bye week when he hit over 20 points against the Packers? Yes, yes I did.

Did I even bench him last week against the Vikings because it was the Vikings defense and he’ll hit his usual boom or bust form? Yes, yes did.
But no more! 

Now I am all aboard the Williams train and think he can be a difference maker down the stretch for fantasy players. With games against the Dolphins, Patriots and Bucs on the horizon, we’ll see how much he can get involved and be part of the very good Lions offense.

The Ones to Watch: The Bad

In terms of who is perhaps a bad bet in fantasy, we all know where to look by now. No one should be starting a Charger at this point in the season.
But who else is perhaps one to consider taking a long hard look at when it comes to your fantasy lineup? 

Well I want to focus on a player on a team who are in turmoil and that’s Saquon Barkley. 

Something just isn’t right in Philly right now and Barkley is proof of that. Whether it be that he’s carrying too many niggly injuries (he’s back practicing on Friday), or whether it’s because current OC Sean Mannion just isn’t what they hoped he’d be; either way, Barkley is struggling this season to find some consistent form. 

Ironically enough, he has been better since Hurts was out of the lineup, but that may be because they want back up QB Tanner McKee to hand it off and play it safe. But now with cannon-arm Joe Milton under centre, who knows what could happen. 

Barkley is one to watch this week against a Giants team that are on the way up and this could be a game that sees the Eagles continue their losing streak. Hopefully they get their running game going a little more otherwise fantasy players may end up in their own losing streak.

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Ones to Watch: The Wildcards

I mentioned recently that something was not right with Ashton Jeanty and that you need to be concerned about his fantasy consistency. Now, after the performance of Mike Washington Jr in those same weeks has me even more concerned about Ashton Jeanty. 

Washington just looks like a better fit for the Raiders as a true running back in this new Klint Kubiak offense. Now it’s not perfect, don’t get me wrong, with 25 attempts he rushed for 83 yards and didn’t get into the endzone, and in that same game Jeanty hit a meagre 9 yards on the ground but was solid in the catching game. This is certainly one to watch as I assume you’d think Jeanty was a sure fire lock throughout your season with a week 13 bye. But, the emergence of Mike Washington Jr in the run game is one to watch as he is averaging over 4 yards a carry, which is better than Jeanty’s 3.1 yards per carry. 

With tough games coming up against the 49ers, Seahawks and Broncos, it will be really interesting to see who is the lead back for the Raiders against some mean defenses.

I tell you what, the Giants when they are run well and have some kind of direction, they are a fun and feisty team that could be a bit of a wrecking ball down the stretch. That is in part due to the trade for JJ McCarthy. I’m sure in the summer there will be plenty of discourse on McCarthy and Dart, but for now, I want to focus on how fantasy fun McCarthy is going to be.
You may have lost Jalen Hurts for the year, or on the receiving end of yet another Lamar Jackson injury; or you’ve finally given up on Justin Herbert (welcome to the club if you have) or you for some reason has Kyler Murray and Carson Wentz is where you draw the line, and if you have, then chances are you could pick up JJ McCarthy on waivers and not worry about a trade in your league.
He’s only on 27% of rosters and I get that, chances are it’s a small minority who need a QB but McCarthy comes in to a fantasy team and will make a positive impact. Hes better than Wentz; he’s better than Joey Fandango or whatever he’s called in Baltimore; and he’s more productive than Justin Herbert.
Since his trade to the Giants, he’s thrown for nearly 500 yards, an interception and a touchdown. Whilst that doesn’t look as impressive as perhaps I’m hyping up McCarthy, he’s coming off a bye week after being thrust into the starting lineup, so it will click for him and the likes of Nabers and Likely, who will also be the beneficiaries of McCarthy’s form.

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MARTIN RICHARDSON

NFL/FANTASY FOOTBALL ANALYST

A Yorkshireman living in Lancashire, Martin is a massive NFL fan but his heart belongs to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Also a huge Fantasy Football enthusiast and spends far too long crunching the numbers! Follow him at @MRBucsFan31

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