Week 10 of the NFL is here. With just over a month before most fantasy football playoffs start, team managers are looking to solidify depth on their bench in addition to adding players they think have a shot to break out. There are still a few players to keep an eye on. This week’s players are Kalen Ballage, Jakobi Meyers, and Chris Conley.
Week 10 Fantasy Football Watch List Featuring Kalen Ballage
Kalen Ballage
It has been a weekly guessing game trying to play the right running back in the Los Angeles Chargers backfield since Austin Ekeler went down. Justin Jackson has usually been the main guy, but at times rookie Joshua Kelley shows promise. This week, it was neither of them. Instead, it’s the former Adam Gase-era Miami Dolphins runner, Kalen Ballage, who led the backfield in touches.
This came literally out of nowhere. Even many Chargers fans didn’t know that Ballage had been signed to the team’s practice squad, and elevated to the active roster for Sunday’s game against the Las Vegas Raiders. Ballage finished the game with 15 carries for 69 yards and a touchdown, and also added 15 receiving yards on two catches.
Jackson started the game, but played only three snaps after injuring himself on the first offensive play for the Chargers. Kelley, who has struggled to gain the coaches trust, only got nine carries, which he only turned into a scoreless 28 yards. Neither Jackson nor Kelley have shown much to the coaching staff this season in Ekeler’s absence. Ballage looked like the best of the three backs.
Oddly, Anthony Lynn decided to send Ballage back to the practice squad after Sunday’s game. However, the team can cycle him between the active roster and practice squad a few more times before having to keep him on the 53-man roster. He will undoubtedly get another shot to show last week wasn’t a fluke, and perhaps even increase his role.
The Chargers haven’t been optimistic about when Ekeler could return to the field. In fact, Lynn recently said that Ekeler is “behind on his rehab.” But Los Angeles fell to 2-6 this past weekend, all but ending their already slim playoff hopes. It wouldn’t’ be a surprise to see them just shut Ekeler down for the year, and see what they have in these other three runners. Keep an eye on Ballage, as he could be a solid starter within a few weeks.
Jakobi Meyers
The New England Patriots have a new look this year. Tom Brady is now with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, so now they have former Carolina Panthers signal-caller Cam Newton under center. With Newton, the team has gone to a run-heavy approach, which has seen mixed results, considering the team is 3-5.
Some of it could be the lack of receiving targets for Newton. Julian Edelman looked like a shell of himself before going to injured reserve. Their 2019 first-round pick, N’Keal Harry has been a huge disappointment when on the field, and misses a lot of time with injuries.
But one receiver seems to be heating up the past three weeks, Jakobi Meyers. He was signed as an undrafted rookie last year, but received rave reviews from his coaching staff in preseason last year. In fact, he even led the preseason in receiving yards with 253. Unfortunately, his success didn’t translate over to the regular season, as he only managed 26 receptions for 359 yards during his rookie year.
However, Meyers had a career day in Week 9, racking up 12 catches for 169 yards. It was his second consecutive week where he gets at least 10 targets, and third-straight week with at least six targets and over 50 yards receiving. Prior to that? Meyers had one catch for seven yards.
Keep an eye on how Meyers does this week, and he could be a top add on waivers for week 11.
Chris Conley
Sticking to wide receivers, those who need help with pass catchers should monitor Jacksonville Jaguars wideout, Chris Conley. Conley was trending towards being a forgotten man in Jacksonville. D.J. Chark has established himself as the number one wide receiver there. Then Dede Westbrook and rookie Laviska Shenault were vying for targets behind him. However, Westbrook tore his ACL a few weeks ago. Shenault has been dealing with injuries of his own, and hasn’t done much to establish himself above the rest of the receiver room yet.
Conley made the most of his opportunity, which also included a quarterback change. Jake Luton started in place of Gardner Minshew, who injured his finger prior to the team’s bye week. Conley tied for his season-high in targets, with eight. His seven catches were the most all year, and he topped 50 receiving yards for the second time as well.
The Jags will probably have to throw a lot in the coming weeks, with teams like the Green Bay Packers, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Cleveland Browns coming up. If Conley draws another 7+ targets, fantasy team managers might want to consider adding him to their roster.
