Another week in the NFL season has passed and more stars are falling than unbeaten teams. After 9 weeks, a record number of teams sit at 8-0. We did drop to three from four after Denver lost a squeaker in Indianapolis. However, the loss was much more costly for the Colts as Andrew Luck is out up to six weeks with a lacerated kidney and a partially torn abdominal muscle. Ouch. The Colts do reside in the only division that has every team under .500 so they can still weather the storm and make the playoffs. I suppose that is something. They are definitely looking like a one-and-done team though. The Panthers impressively beat Green Bay even if they let a vanquished foe have a late shot at a big comeback once again. New England and Cincy continue to roll with no challenge ahead. The Patriots did lose scatback Dion Lewis for the year though. You have to feel bad for the guy as he was having a great year out of nowhere.
Injuries did not stop there. Big Ben was dropped again and it is unsure how long he will be out. I would have loved to see him finish the game as WR Antonio Brown was having a game for the ages with 17 catches for 284 yards. LeSean McCoy is also an unknown on how long he is out with a shoulder injury. Both could be back this week. Hard to say. You need to prepare for the worst though. Multiple players (Teddy Bridgewater, Latavius Murray) had concussions and their return is always hard to predict since they have to pass stringent checks in the new protocol. Odd to see Wes Welker get signed after this recent spate of concussions. Other players did hit the gridiron and tried to play through injuries; Chris Ivory, Ronnie Hillman, and Eddie Lacy to name a few, with only Ivory playing effectively.
Back to an active Waiver Wire again this week. After harping on backing up your studs all year, it goes without saying that LeSean McCoy owners should have had Karlos Williams by now and Eddie Lacy owners should have James Starks. Players that should be sought after as new waiver wire meat are:
QB Marcus Mariota (TENN) - after missing a few games, Mariota came back and didn't miss a beat. Not only did he crush the hearts of those picking the Saints in Survivor Pools, but he rewarded faithful owners who rolled the dice on his start with 371 yards passing and 4 TDs with no INTs. Bear in mind that they face Carolina at home in week 10 though.
RB James White (NE) - yes, Branden Bolden took over when Dion Lewis went down this past Sunday but that was due to White being Inactive for the game. White did fill in when Lewis was out a few weeks ago and I am guess that White is the main benefactor in Lewis' injury. I really think that New England is going to see what he can do as he has not received consistent opportunities since being drafted. Of course, if he is not available and you have roster space, it wouldn't hurt to grab Bolden.
RB: Joique Bell (DET) - Bell has been long forgotten about this year and happily discarded by his original owners early in the year. Since the entire team has been a bust, I believe he shifts back to the RB1 position since he is finally healthy. It probably won't prove to be worth much in Green Bay this week, but could pay later dividends.
RB: Taiwan Jones (OAK) - as stated above, it is unknown if Murray will pass the concussion protocol this week so Jones is a speculative add. Murray doesn't quite fit into the backup-your-stud RB class unless you are in a very deep league so Jones is available in 90% of MFS leagues.
WR Devin Funchess (CAR) - Funchess was expected to be a project this year as a QB-turned-WR, but expectations went through the roof in pre-season when WR Kelvin Benjamin went down for the year. As expected, Funchess was not near ready to join the starting lineup. As recent as a week ago, HC Ron Rivera mentioned that Funchess' blocking must improve for him to be on the field for more snaps. Now, he did post a 3/71/1 line against Green Bay so it looks like he is ready to produce even if he is on the field for only half of the game.
WR Dorial Green-Beckham (TENN) - after 8 weeks of being ignored, Tennessee's new coach decided to see what kind of chemistry DGB had with his rookie QB and it looked good. Though he only caught half of his Targets, a 5/77 line is a promising start.
TE Garrett Celek (SF) - the Niners traded their long-time starting tight end and started a retread QB, got an upset win and put Celek on the map. Now, not every catch of his is going to be in the end zone, but 2-for-2 against Atlanta will keep him on the radar for down the road since he is on Bye this week.
TE Austin Seferian-Jenkins (TB) - ASJ burst onto the scene at the beginning of the season but then dropped off the map after getting injured. He should be back this week and makes for an interesting add if you need a tight end. QB Jameis Winston only has eyes for WR Mike Evans right now, but defenses are picking up on that so HC Lovie Smith should have plenty of plays ready for Austin if healthy.
No comments:
Post a Comment