The Way This Works...
To see this article's purpose, please refer to the intro from Week 2.
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The Running List of Past Recommendations
I'll update this throughout the season so you have a wealth of considerations beyond my weekly recommendations. I change their standing as developments occur.
Scroll past these running lists for new suggestions.
Add Nows
Most of these players will not be available, but you'll get a sense of who has been recommended and who to snap up if they become available.
- Bryce Young
- Isaac Guerendo
- Alec Pierce
- Jameis Winston
- Kayshon Boutte
- Nick Westbrook-Ikhine
- Devaughn Vele
- Noah Gray
Preemptive
These players may not give you production this weekend, but they are worth considering because there's potential for them to deliver due to injuries or personnel changes.
- Sterling Shepard
- Darius Slayton
- KaVontae Turpin
- Ray Davis
- Cam Akers
- Sean Tucker
- Jalen Nailor
- Chris Brooks
- Noah Brown
- Demarcus Robinson
- Mike Williams
- Dylan Laube
- Drew Lock
- Audric Estime
- Kimani Vidal
- Noah Gray
Preemptive/Monitor
You can probably wait until a compelling event creates a potential need for these players.
- Andrei Iosivas
- Tyler Goodson
- Xavier Hutchinson
- Cordarrelle Patterson
- Brenton Strange
- Ameer Abdullah
- Michael Penix Jr.
- David Moore
Monitor
These players have the talent to contribute to your lineup immediately if elevated to a starting role. If you can't find any talent with playing opportunities to have at the end of your roster, it's worth adding 1-2 of these options in case injury strikes, and you can beat the demand on the waiver wire.
- Julius Chestnut
- Tre Tucker
- Brenton Strange
- Dawson Knox
- Nelson Agholor
- Allen Lazard
- Jalin Hyatt
- Cade Stover
- Ricky Pearsall
- Theo Johnson
- Dylan Laube
Forget (For Now...)
They have too many players ahead of them on their depth charts to earn an impact anytime soon. Or they suffered an injury.
- Tyler Badie
- Dalvin Cook
- Rakim Jarrett
- Blake Watson
- Trey Palmer
- Evan Hull
- Dareke Young
- Bub Means
- Chris Rodriguez Jr.
- Adam Trautman
- Jordan Mason (IR)
- Travis Homer
- Jordan Mims
Add Now: TE Michael Mayer, Raiders
The Skinny on Mayer: The 56th-ranked tight end in PPR formats heading into Week 15, Mayer led the Raiders in receiving in Week 14. You can attribute this to a combination of Mayer's role in the offense and turnover due to injuries.
Mayer is a good underneath receiver who excels against zone coverage. He also makes difficult plays in tight coverage and has some skill after the catch. He's not an elite ball carrier or downfield receiver, but with the likes of Jakobi Meyers, Brock Bowers, and Tre Tucker running off coverage, Mayer is a great safety blanket for young quarterback Desmond Ridder.
Data-wise, Atlanta is a neutral match-up against tight ends. They have given up the most points to tight ends who work the underneath zones instead of the seams and boundaries.
Cade Otton, Jake Ferguson, and Ja'Tavion Sanders are good examples this year.
Recommendation: Do you know who else was a good safety blanket for young quarterback Desmond Ridder last year? Jonnu Smith. Although Smith was TE17 at this point last year, he had 50 catches, 582 yards, and 3 scores -- including six games with at least 5 catches, and 50 yards. He also had a pair of 100-yard efforts. If you're looking for points in a pinch, Ridder will be checking down -- and staring down -- Mayer.
Preemptive: QB Will Levis, Titans
The Skinny on Levis: The 2024 Mayonnaise Salesman of the Year faces a bad Bengals defense this weekend. Levis is as likely to give you 2-3 touchdowns on a good weekend as he is 2-3 interceptions. There is also the potential for 30-40 yards on the ground.
Levis has some of his better games when facing bad defenses with good offenses. He earned 313 total yards and a touchdown against the Vikings and 288 total yards and 2 touchdowns against the Texans -- both in November. Against the mediocre Packers defense, Levis generated 272 yards of offense and 2 scores.
Recommendation: These types of opponents have enough offense to generate early leads and not enough defense to stifle Levis. These defenses give up garbage-time production. The Bengals fit this profile. If you need an emergency starter, Levis is worth the risk.
Preemptive/Monitor: QB Jake Haener, Saints
The Skinny on Haener: An underrated college passer at Fresno State, Haener has that young Case Keenum vibe to his game. He's better in and outside the pocket than he may appear, and when he's on, he delivers on and off script with anticipation and toughness.
According to Saints insiders, Haener looked like the best quarterback in 2023's training camp. This was something members of the coaching staff also shared privately.
Spencer Rattler is a more toolsy prospect with higher draft capital and the team told the media that Rattler and Haener are competing for the start against the Commanders this week. According to insiders, there's a belief the team already knows its Haener but doesn't want to share their decision yet.
Recommendation: The Commanders are a neutral matchup for quarterback production. They have given up 11 touchdowns in the past five weeks to the likes of Daniel Jones (2), Cooper Rush (2), Will Levis (2), and Russell Wilson (3). Wilson is the only proven starter of the bunch.
If you're digging this deep for a quarterback, Haener might give you a shot to surprise.
Final Thought
Everything will be okay in the end. If it's not okay, it's not the end.