With the trade deadline shaking things up in the NFL this week, it creates some opportunity for players. Of course, every week there is also a new injury that opens the door for someone else to come in and make an impact. As the waiver wire gets thinner, Last Word on Sports continues to do the dirty work and look through the wasteland of free agents to find the next big fantasy football star.
Week Nine Fantasy Football Watch List Featuring Ty Montgomery
Ty Montgomery
Ty Montgomery burned his bridges badly with the Green Bay Packers prior to the trade deadline in his Week Eight game against the Los Angeles Rams. Montgomery was initially praised a few years ago for taking one for the team and switching from wide receiver to the much more physical running back position. However, he struggled to lock down the position due to injuries and the emergence of Jamaal Williams and Aaron Jones last season.
Frustrated with this lack of playing time, Montgomery opted to go against the coach’s decision and take a kickoff out of the end zone rather than take a knee. He ended up fumbling and costing the Packers a shot at winning the game against the Rams. It got Montgomery his wish, as he was shipped out of Green Bay to the Baltimore Ravens.
Although his role is still to be determined, it does put him back on the fantasy radar. He will likely start behind incumbent Alex Collins, but likely already plays in front of his backup, Javorius Allen. Neither back has been especially effective, but Collins has flashed at times. Like Montgomery, Collins does have issues fumbling, which could cost him playing time. If given his opportunity, he could grab hold of the starting job.
Montgomery should be monitored the next few weeks and could become an add at some point.
D.J. Moore
A name that has been getting a lot buzz lately is rookie D.J. Moore from the Carolina Panthers. Moore’s ownership has been skyrocketing lately, rising about 30 percent in most formats this past week. It may be a bit too early to grab him now, but he has an excellent slate of games coming up that likely make him a top waiver pickup as early as next week.
The next two weeks he goes against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Pittsburgh Steelers. His fantasy playoff matchups are nice as well, taking on the New Orleans Saints and Atlanta Falcons. Moore got his first start last week over an injured Torrey Smith. With his performance, he has a good shot at keeping the job.
Moore has only had two games with double-digit numbers in standard scoring, but his targets have been steadily growing all season. He may have hit his ceiling at six targets last week. Still, he made the most of them, turning them into five catches for 90 yards. His catch rate is very good for a rookie, reeling in 75 percent of passes thrown his way.
Moore is much more dynamic than current WR1 for the Panthers, Devin Funchess. If he gets the starting job for good, he even has a chance to start robbing his targets. Keep an eye on his fantasy numbers this weekend.
Dak Prescott
After being an excellent fantasy option at quarterback a few years ago, Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott has been a forgotten man. For good reason too. Up until two weeks ago, Prescott only had one game with over 15 fantasy points this season. After watching the team play the first two weeks of the season, they looked like they were going to have one of the most boring offenses in the league in 2018. However, they have steadily improved, and with it, so has Prescott’s fantasy numbers.
It started with the team torching the Jacksonville Jaguars vaunted defense to the tune of 40 points. Prescott threw for two touchdowns and added 11 rushes for 82 yards and another touchdown. His rushing attempts are a big reason for his increase in point totals, as he has rushed at least six times in three straight games.
A big reason for his lack of points was the sorry state of the receiving corps early in the year. Slot guy Cole Beasley was attempting to act as the number one option, which was not working out well. They couldn’t stretch the field, making them extremely one-dimensional. Jerry Jones knew he had to do something to improve that, so they traded for former first-round pick Amari Cooper. While it is debatable if Cooper was worth the first-round pick the Cowboys gave to the Oakland Raiders to get him, he provides an obvious upgrade and gives the team a new dynamic.
If Prescott can put up another solid performance as he did against the Jaguars this week under the Monday Night nights, he will be worth an add for quarterback-needy teams.
Christian Kirk
Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Christian Kirk makes his third appearance to the watch list despite being on his bye this week. Surprisingly, Kirk is still well under 50 percent ownership in all formats after a month of solid production. While he hasn’t had any real blowup games, he’s shown a solid floor that warrants FLEX consideration on a weekly basis.
Again last week Kirk saw a healthy seven targets and scored for the second time in the past month. His chemistry with rookie Josh Rosen is undeniable and continues to improve. The offense is finally getting running back David Johnson involved in the passing game, which makes the offense more dynamic and should keep them on the field more.
Now the team gets the bye week to get more familiar with new offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich’s scheme. They also have an excellent slate of games ahead of them, taking on the Kansas City Chiefs, Oakland Raiders, and Los Angeles Chargers in the AFC West their next three games. If he is still available, he can be scooped up now without even wasting a waiver claim.
