Boom or Bust

Predicting the players who will break out–or fail–to meet expectations

Leonard Fournette, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers-Boom: After a 17.2 point performance against Washington, Fournette looks to continue that pace against the Giants this week. The Bucs should have no issue moving the ball, which should open up opportunities for Fournette to score.

Dak Prescott, QB, Dallas Cowboys-Boom: Coming off  a huge 40-point win against the Falcons, Prescott and the Cowboys look to keep the momentum going against the Chiefs. Expect this one to be a shootout with both offenses trading shots all game. 

Russell Wilson, QB, Seattle Seahawks-Bust: Wilson came back for the Seahawks last week, but did not look amazing with only 161 yards, 0 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions. He may still be rusty after missing the past month with injury. Even in the two games before his injury he was unusually average. This trend looks to continue with the Seahawks not showing many signs of improvement across the board.

Adam Thielan, WR, Minnesota Vikings-Bust: Thielan has been decent this year with a few big games and a few duds. This week the Vikings play the Packers who shut out the Seahawks a week ago– even with Russell Wilson being inserted back into the lineup. Because of this, do not expect Thielan to have one of his bigger games.

Start or Bench

Deciding the best players to play this week

James Conner, RB, Arizona Cardinals-Start: Conner exploded in week 9 against the 49ers with a 40-point performance but had an average game last week with 15 points. This week, Conner’s Cardinals play the Seahawks who allowed AJ Dillion to score 26.8 points last week for the Packers. Another 40 point performance for Conner is unlikely, but 20+ points is certainly in the realm of possibility.

Jakobi Meyers, WR, New England Patriots-Start: Meyers scored a touchdown last week against the Browns for the first time all season despite having pretty solid numbers all year. The momentum looks to carry on this week when he plays the Falcons who are coming off of an embarrassing loss to the Cowboys. If you’re looking for a flex option, Meyers might be the guy.

Adrian Peterson, RB, Tennessee Titans-Bench: Similarly to Jeremy McNichols the week before, many fantasy football players saw Adrian Peterson as the answer in the Titans’ backfield. However, it seems that the Titans are content with doing a running back by committee with no real feature back. This makes Peterson a very risky start. 

Antonio Gibson, RB, Washington Football Team-Bench: Even though Gibson is coming off a 21.8 point week, he has shown inconsistency in production this year. He had three straight single digit outings leading into last week. This week, Washington plays Carolina who had a big win against the Cardinals and shut down their offense for most of the game.

Best Pickups

Finding players on the waiver wire to best impact your team

D’Onta Foreman, RB, Tennessee Titans: Foreman got more carries than Adrian Peterson last week and caught two passes for 48 yards. He may become more of a feature for the Titans searching to find an answer to Derrick Henry’s injury. 1.5% owned in ESPN leagues. 

Van Jefferson, WR, Los Angeles Rams: Due to the injury to Robert Woods, Van Jefferson continues to move up the depth chart for the Rams. Even with the addition of Odell Beckham Jr, expect Jefferson’s production to rise. 36.2% owned in ESPN leagues. 

Rhamondre Stevenson, RB, New England Patriots: Stevenson had a huge week for the Patriots with 100 yards and two touchdowns on the ground and five receptions for 14 yards. Games like that will get Stevenson on the field more and allow him to continue that production. 9.9% owned in ESPN leagues.

Injury News

Staying up-to-date on the latest injuries in the NFL

Dallas Goedert, TE, Philadelphia Eagles: Goedert suffered a concussion last week and is questionable for this week. His status for the Eagles’ game against the Saints will most likely be unknown until game time.

Aaron Jones, RB, Green Bay Packers: Jones exited last week’s game against the Seahawks with a sprained MCL. This leaves him questionable for this week, but unlikely to play.

CeeDee Lamb, WR, Dallas Cowboys: Lamb left the game early last week with an arm injury. He will most likely be available for this week’s game against the Chiefs, but remains questionable. 

Robert Woods, WR, Los Angeles Rams: Woods tore his ACL in practice, which has ended his season.