The entire Minnesota offense is trending up, and two Vikings make this week's list. For the players trending down, we may have to decide on some difficult fantasy benchings. Trade deadlines are approaching quickly, and making some last-minute moves now could help bolster your team for a deep playoff run.
Three Up
QB Joshua Dobbs, Minnesota Vikings
Arguably the marquee story of this NFL season, the legend of Joshua Dobbs has grown even more since he joined the Minnesota Vikings two weeks ago. An injury to rookie Jaren Hall thrust Dobbs into the lineup just days after he joined the team. He's since led the team to back-to-back wins while putting up elite fantasy production. Dobbs had a wonky Week 1 in Arizona, where he logged just 1.0 fantasy points. But since then, he's racked up 178.6. Only Josh Allen, Jalen Hurts, and Lamar Jackson have had more since Week 2. He's eclipsed 24.9 fantasy points in three straight games. On the season, Lamar Jackson is the only quarterback with more rushing yards. Jalen Hurts is the only quarterback with more rushing touchdowns. Dobbs' story has been great, but he's also found himself in the discussion as a weekly QB1 in fantasy. He's been trending up quickly since joining Minnesota. And the looming return of superstar Justin Jefferson could elevate his production even more.
RB Ty Chandler, Minnesota Vikings
Two Vikings on the Trending Up section? SKOL! Ty Chandler's opportunity may finally be here. Alexander Mattison suffered a concussion in Week 10, and the odds are against him suiting up for Week 11. Through 130 carries this year, Mattison has been unable to log a single rushing touchdown. Chandler punched one in on his 13th carry of the season when the team lined him up to receive the snap in a goal-line wildcat formation. Frankly, Mattison hasn't been good this year. His -0.68 rushing yards over expectation per attempt rank as the fifth-worst in the NFL. Chandler logged a positive number in his first game with a meaningful workload. The Year 2 back isn't the biggest guy. But what he lacks in size, he makes up for in blazing speed. His 4.38 40-yard dash puts him inside the 98th percentile for NFL running backs. If he can look good in his Week 11 audition, don't be surprised to see him maintain a steady role even when Mattison returns. A consistent workload in this high-powered offense would instantly put Chandler into the startable RB2 tier.
RB Devin Singletary, Houston Texans
In Week 9, Dameon Pierce hit the Trending Down section, and you can read why here. Devin Singletary started to impose a committee in Houston. And an injury to Pierce allowed Singletary to take off with the starting role. In his first game without Pierce, Singletary amassed 141 scrimmage yards and a touchdown, scoring significantly more fantasy points than Pierce has logged in a game this year. Pierce's role won't completely disappear, but the changing of the guard seems apparent after Week 10's explosive outing. The genie is out of the bottle. Singletary proved his abilities as the team's lead running back. What didn't show up in the box score was his relentless pass-blocking late in the game. Expect Singletary to maintain a heavy workload on a surprisingly productive Texans' offense going forward.
Three Down
RB Tony Pollard, Dallas Cowboys
After seeing a sample last year of what Tony Pollard could look like in a starting role, the expectations were high in 2023. Unfortunately, Pollard just doesn't look like himself. Before Week 10's kickoff, there were reports that Rico Dowdle would be more involved in the game plan. He saw 12 carries to Pollard's 15, while Pollard logged single-digit fantasy points for the fifth time in his last six games. Through Week 3, Pollard was fantasy's RB4 with 19.1 points per game. Since then, his 9.3 points per game rank 40th among running backs. Whether it be an undisclosed injury or a struggle to maintain production on an expanded workload, it's impossible to ignore Pollard's lack of production. The Cowboys offense has been humming, scoring the third-most points in the league this year. Unfortunately, Pollard just hasn't seen much go his way. He's a tough player to bench, but with some exciting running backs and wide receivers popping up on the waiver wire over the last few weeks, it might be time.
WR Davante Adams, Las Vegas Raiders
In the competition of early draft picks that crushed your season, Davante Adams is up there with Tony Pollard. A 20-target outing in Week 3 produced 172 yards, two touchdowns, and 42.2 fantasy points. Aside from that game, Adams has failed to log more than 86 yards in a single game and only scored once on his other 96 targets. After cleaning house, the Raiders are on a two-game win streak. And while Adams has pulled 20 targets over those two outings, the target quality from rookie Aidan O'Connell has provided just 120 scoreless yards. Even at age 30, Adams is still one of the league's best receivers. But the team has leaned more on the run Antonio Pierce at coach, and Adams doesn't look like the perennial fantasy WR1 he's been in years past. Like Pollard, it's tough to even think about benching Adams. The target volume makes it especially difficult. But if he can't display a connection with O'Connell soon, you might want to look at other options in your starting lineup.
WR DJ Moore, Chicago Bears
Where Pollard and Adams need nothing short of a miracle to turn things around, DJ Moore just needs Justin Fields to return. Moore averaged 20.0 points per game with Fields under center through Week 6. In the four games undrafted rookie Tyson Bagent has started, Moore averages just 9.8 points per game. The per-game WR47 over the stretch, Moore has hardly been startable. But with Fields set to return soon, this could open a buy window for Moore. A panicking manager might be looking to sell, and Moore could provide WR1 numbers again down the stretch. While he's technically trending down at the moment, Moore could quickly find his way back on an upward trajectory.