Anyone getting nervous yet? The fantasy playoffs are just a month away. Some teams might be looking to lock up week 14 byes. Others are still fighting for a playoff spot. Their teams might be on the fringe of having the talent to compete with the big dogs in first and second place. That could all change with one waiver pick. But it must be a wise one, and not one that is spur-of-the-moment or based of a single breakout performance. Our fantasy football weekly watch list is the go-to spot for the best advice on players with breakout potential that teams need to watch.
Week 11 NFL Fantasy Football Watch List
Will Someone Ever Emerge as the Number One?
This week we start off by highlighting the Seattle Seahawks latest attempt at finding a number one running back. J.D. McKissic saw a limited number of carries last week, but he made them count. Every other back on the roster has gotten their chance and couldn’t run away with the job, so McKissic will undoubtedly get his chance.
In week 10, McKissic got five carries and turned them into 26 yards (5.1 yards per carry). He also caught four passes for 20 yards. For the limited work he got, that’s not a bad output. Hopefully the Seahawks will see his potential, and give him more opportunities. Last week he saw 32 percent of the Seahawks offensive snaps. The past two weeks he’s seen the highest percent of snap totals of all season. It’s obvious the coaches are giving him his chances.
Incumbent starter Thomas Rawls saw 47 percent of offensive snaps but he’s been below subpar all season. He’s averaging a paltry 2.6 yards per carry, and hasn’t topped 40 yards once all season. Seattle knows that if they stand a chance in the postseason, they have to get a run game going at some point. McKissic will get his crack at it for the next few weeks, so teams should add them to their watch list and monitor his play.
A Trade Beneficiary
Moving on to our next watch list candidate, we have the recently arrived Chicago Bear, Dontrelle Inman. Inman was a member of the San Diego and Los Angeles Chargers for the past few years, and has been a solid receiver, but he plays behind all kinds of guys, including Keenan Allen, Tyrell Williams, and even rookie Mike Williams. A change of scenery was just what he needed.
As of this week, running back Tarik Cohen has the most catches for the Bears with 29. Usually teams do not want a halfback to be leading the team in that stat this late in the season. Kendall Wright has the most yards on the Bears with 305. That is just sad. To be fair though, Chicago did lose their top two receivers, Cameron Meredith, and Kevin White, to injuries early in the season. Also Alshon Jeffery went over to the Philadelphia Eagles in the offseason.
Inman looks to step into the role of the number one wideout that the Bears have been missing. In his first game since being traded, he caught six passes for 88 yards. It’s only one game, but he should only get better as he learns the offense of his new team. If he does, he will be worth an add at some point this season.
New Leader, New Role
Arizona Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer is undeniably the leader of their offense. Well, he was injured a few weeks ago, and now the younger Drew Stanton takes his place. Many times, new quarterbacks find new favorite targets. They usually look to tight ends during this time too. This puts Jermaine Gresham in a good spot in the fantasy world.
In Palmer’s starts, Gresham didn’t have a very big role in the offense. He averaged just 2.5 catches per game and didn’t score any touchdowns. With Stanton, he’s averaging one more catch per game, and scored a touchdown in both of Stanton’s starts. The question now is if the quarterback carousel continues. Stanton is doubtful for this week, and third stringer Blaine Gabbert is going to get the start.
Still, Gabbert might lock in on Gresham just as much, or even more. He is someone who’s target share needs to be closely monitored, and could be worth an add in deep leagues in weeks to come.
Rapid Redux
Last week we had Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Marqise Lee at the top of our list of watch list candidates. Well, things can change rapidly in this league, and that is what happened with Lee. Injuries have improved his fantasy outlook, and made him a player teams should grab now before it is too late
The Jaguars second wide receiver, Allen Hurns, is out at least this week with an ankle injury. Even before that, Lee has been playing well. He has scored 13.5 fantasy points in each of the past two weeks. Lee also hasn’t seen less than six targets in the last four games.
Aside from week 12 at the Arizona Cardinals, Lee has some great matchups for the rest of the season. Some of these include Indianapolis, Houston, and San Francisco, all of which have been terrible against the pass. He gets the Seattle Seahawks week 14, but they aren’t looking as threatening anymore without a key member of their secondary in Richard Sherman.
Lee needs to be picked up and owned immediately in all formats.
