Back in 2014, Odell Beckham Jr. helped many fantasy football teams win a championship after a late-season breakout. Beckham exploded into the league after the New York Giants bye in week nine. He scored nine touchdowns and put up at least 90 yards receiving in every game for the rest of the year. Now, Buffalo Bills wide receiver Robert Foster is no Beckham, but he is quietly doing something similar. Foster has put up excellent numbers since his team’s bye, making him a possible league-winning add for the fantasy championship.
Robert Foster Just Might Win Some Fantasy Football Teams a Championship
Late Season Breakout
Foster began the season with the odds stacked against him. He had laughingstock Nathan Peterman at quarterback and was way down on the depth chart. Kelvin Benjamin was attempting to act as the team’s number one wide receiver with other more experienced receivers like Andre Holmes and Zay Jones ahead of him on the depth chart. Foster appeared in a few games early in the year, before being put on the practice squad until mid-November.
Since then, the team has seen a ton of turnover. Jones is the only wide receiver left after Benjamin and Holmes were cut. Now, Foster is finally getting his chance behind a young, but improving, Bills offense. So far, he is making the most of his opportunities. In fact, since being activated to the 53-man roster, Foster has appeared in all five of the Bills games. He has at least 90 yards in four of those games and went over 100 yards in three of them.
Injuries at the Position
It is still hard to trust a rookie in the championship game next week, but some teams might have to give him a look. Los Angeles Chargers wideout Keenan Allen suffered a hip-pointer in his Thursday night game against the Kansas City Chiefs. Houston Texans star DeAndre Hopkins looked seriously hobbled at the end of their win against the New York Jets. Tyler Boyd of the Cincinnati Bengals exited their game against the Oakland Raiders with a knee injury. With all their statuses for next week unknown for now, it would be wise to have a backup plan.
At this point, there aren’t many wide receivers left on the waivers, especially many with as high a ceiling as Foster. He is only 13% owned as of Sunday, so chances are he is available. The only other wide receivers under 50% ownership in Yahoo leagues are players like Marquise Goodwin, Nelson Agholor or Robby Anderson. Anderson is the only one putting up comparable numbers recently, but mostly due to touchdowns. Foster is a much better option than any of them.
No Competition for Touches
Another reason to take Foster over other options on the waiver wire is the fact that Foster really doesn’t have any competition for targets. Running backs LeSean McCoy and Chris Ivory have been banged up and missed week 15’s matchup. Then, the third and fourth-string running backs went down in the game, leaving quarterback Josh Allen to act as the team’s leading runner. Who knows who will suit up at running back next week for the team.
At wide receiver, Jones is the only competition for targets, but Jones has been extremely ineffective converting his targets. Jones has 25 targets the last four games but has only turned those into eight catches. It is no surprise that Allen is starting to look to Foster for a more reliable target. Allen has been improving as a passer as the season progresses, and his rushing prowess will keep teams honest even if they don’t have a real running back next week against the New England Patriots.
Last Word on Robert Foster’s League-Winning Potential
Obviously, Foster is not a guy that fantasy team owners want to rely on in the most important fantasy game of the season. However, with Foster’s performance the past five weeks, he should be considered a bit better than a blind dart throw. Teams with questions at wide receiver should not feel too nervous about picking him up and slotting him into their wide receiver spot. He just might be the right guy to bring home a championship.
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