Three Up
QB Jordan Love, Green Bay Packers
Early in the season, Jordan Love played some great football. Through Week 4, he was fantasy's QB3 behind only Justin Herbert and Josh Allen, averaging 22.1 per game. From Week 5 through 9, Love cooled off significantly, averaging just 13.4 points and averaging out as fantasy's per-game QB26. And now, over the last four games, Love is averaging 22.5 points per game, more similar to what we saw early in the year. It has been a tale of three seasons for Love, but his recent performances seem pretty indicative of the player he could be. He looks poised in the pocket and displays an ability to extend plays out of structure. A young group of receivers took some time to get comfortable, but they are steadily improving. Despite Love's ups and downs this season, he is still fantasy's QB9 on the year. With the Giants, Buccaneers, Panthers, and Vikings to close out the fantasy year, Love should be viewed as a rest-of-season QB1.
RB Chuba Hubbard, Carolina Panthers
Getting a read on the Panthers backfield this year has been difficult as Chuba Hubbard and Miles Sanders have seen the tables tip in either direction. Injuries to Sanders clouded the usage. But with both backs healthy now, Hubbard appears to be the clear favorite. In Week 12, Hubbard pulled nearly twice as many snaps as Sanders, but the touches were divided evenly. But in Week 13, in the wake of Frank Reich's and Duce Staley's firings, Hubbard took over the volume. He saw 25 carries to Sanders' eight and eclipsed 20 fantasy points for the second consecutive outing. The Panthers have a brutal upcoming schedule, but if this usage continues, volume will push him into weekly RB2 consideration.
WR Deebo Samuel, San Francisco 49ers
No wide receiver has scored more fantasy points over the last two weeks than Deebo Samuel. It's no surprise that Samuel has some boom-or-bust tendencies, but there appears to be some correlation between his production and health. Early in the season, a healthy Samuel scored ten-plus points in three straight outings, including 22.1 and 25.1 points in Week 2 and 3. Then, an injury slowed him down, inevitably causing him to miss a couple of games before his team's bye. But now, healthy and off the injury report, Samuel has been absolutely dominant. He's averaging 20.8 points per game since coming off the injury report and should be viewed as a high-end WR2 as long as he remains healthy.
Three Down
QB Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers
Landing on the "Three Down" section is no fault of Justin Herbert. With a healthy slew of pass-catchers, he started the season averaging 24.1 points per game. The Kellen Moore hiring injected life into the passing attack, and Herbert was the primary beneficiary. Then Mike Williams tore his ACL. Austin Ekeler picked up a high ankle sprain that still appears to be bothering him late in the year. Gerald Everett got banged up. Joshua Palmer landed on IR. Keenan Allen hurt his shoulder. And this series of injuries has negatively impacted Herbert. Luckily, he's making up for it with career-high rushing numbers, but he hasn't been the elite fantasy quarterback we hoped he would be. Since Palmer landed on IR, Herbert is fantasy's per-game QB18. He's had single-digit outings in two of his last five games. He doesn't have the most desirable remaining schedule (Broncos, Raiders, Bills, and Broncos) to close the season. While his ceiling is undeniable, expect a shaky floor in the coming weeks.
RB Devin Singletary, Houston Texans
With Dameon Piece injured in Weeks 9-11, Devin Singletary averaged 20 touches per game. He averaged 15.8 fantasy points over that stretch, providing better rushing output in two matchups than Pierce has all season. Hopes were that Singletary would retain his workload on the high-powered Texans offense despite Pierce's return to the lineup, but that hasn't been the case. In Week 12, Singletary edged Perice every-so-slighty in carries, six to five. He made up for it with six receptions. But in Week 13, Pierce took over the rushing workload, out-touching Singletary 15 to eight. Going forward, it will be a frustrating split, with both running backs being game script-dependant. After seeing most of the red-zone work in Week 12, Singletary ceded almost all of the work to Pierce in Week 13. It's hard to trust either running back in your fantasy lineups going forward despite the potent ecosystem they're in.
RB Ken Walker III, Seattle Seahawks
Zach Charbonnet has looked good in the two outings Ken Walker III has missed. The two backs complement each other well. Walker has the speed and home-run ability to score from anywhere on the field. Charobonnet is excellent at turning nothing into something, picking up hard-nosed yards after contact. Prior to Walker's injury, we saw Charbonnet's workload grow. And now, with Charbonnet proving he's worthy of a more significant workload, we could see even more of a split going forward. While Walker's big-play upside makes him the more alluring of the two, the upcoming schedule is especially worrisome. While we don't know when Walker will return, the Seahawks face off against the 49ers, Eagles, Titans, and Steelers over the next four weeks, the hardest remaining schedule for any running back. If and when Walker returns, he'll likely be viewed as more of a back-end RB2 than the top-10 player he was earlier in the season.