Fantasy Football After Action Report: Week 10
SUMMARY
The waiver wire is drying up. Teams are solidifying. Playoff positions are cementing. Do you have what it takes to make the final push? Jump into this week's after action report for the edge you need.
Blue chip medal
Christian Kirk, WR, Cardinals- The Christian Kirk bubble has finally burst. The young receiver exploded this past Sunday, hauling in three touchdowns on the way to ending his TD-drought on the season. Murray is steadily gaining confidence, and Kirk is getting more red zone looks as Fitzgerald looks on nodding proudly and stroking his long white beard. All signs point to massive value for Kirk.
Derrick Henry, RB, Titans- Derrick Henry is currently 5th in the NFL in total rush yards. That's thanks in major part to his 32 fantasy point performance in a win over the Chiefs. The Chiefs' defense is questionable, but what's not questionable is Henry's workhorse load, especially with a quarterback like Tannehill, who is green to the offensive system.
Ronald Jones, RB, Bucs- Are the Buccaneers good? Is milk good for you? Who cares! The Bucs have produced two of the best fantasy scoring WRs this year, and now Ronald Jones looks to be a borderline RB1 tier player moving forward. The big upside to Jones as of late is his pass-catching ability—8 receptions for 77 yards.
Patrick Mahomes, QB, Chiefs- That knee seems to be holding up just fine. Mahomes returned with his superman cape still intact, and although the Chiefs suffered a surprising loss to the Titans, Mahomes continues his dominance as a fantasy stalwart. He even added some razzle-dazzle on a jump pass across the middle of the field for a 63-yard score.
Loss of rank
Stefon Diggs, WR, Vikings- Diggs just posted his second consecutive sub 5 point fantasy performance. Diggs has always been streaky; the truly concerning reason to be cautious moving forward is the fact that his last two duds came in games where Thielen was sidelined. Even with the lion's share of targets, Diggs cannot seem to get anything going lately.
Cooper Kupp, WR, Rams- Congratulations reader! You had as many catches, touchdowns, and fantasy points as Cooper Kupp this week. The Pittsburgh defense (apparently amazing now???) shut Kupp down, and highlighted just how hobbled the Rams offense looks this year with a banged-up Gurley. Goff could not get anything going, and with a tough stretch of good secondaries to come, now may be the time to trade Kupp.
Saquon Barkley, RB, Giants- Daniel Jones posted a 30+ point fantasy performance Sunday. You'd think then, that Barkley had a major role to play. Somehow that was not the case, as a clearly still slightly injured Barkley toughed it out for a measly 8 fantasy points. Barkley saw a loss of snap counts to Wayne Gallman, further signaling the idea that he was not fully 100%. He has a bye week to rest up, but simply put, he has not come within a mile of his supposed #1 pick value this year.
Odell Beckham Jr, WR, Browns- Christian Kirk entered Sunday's matchup with 0 touchdowns. When the game ended, he had three times as many touchdowns as OBJ has had on the year. This isn't for lack of targets, however. Mayfield was practically forcing the ball to OBJ in the red zone, but the two could just not get any kind of offensive rhythm going. Odell may take his talents elsewhere this off-season.
Promotion watch
Brian Hill, RB, Falcons- Devonta Freeman suffered a foot injury, and Ito Smith is out as well. That makes Hill the lone figurehead in the backfield of a fairly potent offensive attack. Hill is the #1 waiver wire pickup in a fairly dry point of the season. He's worth an add.
Jacob Hollister, TE, Seahawks- Hollister filled in nicely for Dissly, as he compiled 14 fantasy points en route to a 49ers upset. Tight ends are slim pickings this year, and with Hollister available on over 50% of leagues, he's worth a waiver add.
Ryan Tannehill, QB, Titans- Tannehill has filled in for Marcus Mariota guns blazing. He's stringing together Titan wins, and (mort importantly for fantasy owners) he's putting up solid numbers. The AM receiver-turned-quarterback product can also get the job done with his legs—boosting his value.
Kyle Rudolph, TE, Vikings- Sure, Rudolph has been somewhat of a "bust" this season from a fantasy standpoint. However, a multiple TD game from a tight end simply can't be overlooked when the outlook is so thin. He hauled in both red zone targets and, while only racking up 14 receiving yards, ended the night with 17 fantasy points. If you're hurting for a tight end (nice) then give Rudolph a shot.
Badass hit of the week
Marshon Lattimore
Marshon Lattimore is one of the best cover corners in the league. Apparently, he wanted to prove to Julio Jones (and the rest of the league) that he's a headhunter too. This Sunday, he delivered a textbook hat-on-the-ball-wrap-up that would make your high school DB coach cream his Nike fleece joggers.
