By: Malcolm McMillan

It is officially the fantasy football playoffs. I can only assume that you made it into the fantasy football playoffs or are preparing for next year. In either case, congratulations on doing the right thing. Prepping ahead of the competition and being active in your dynasty league will pay off next year. You know you can wait until after the Super Bowl to take a break from fantasy football.

This week’s article will be a little different. Like in previous weeks, these players are still widely available, though one of them is only available in about 40% of Sleeper dynasty leagues. The goal is to find players with 50% rostership or less, but after last week two sets of players stand out. One set of players for those managers still making their playoff run, the other for dynasty fantasy football managers looking beyond the 2021 NFL season (though redraft people can pay attention too).

First up, two running backs that could make a difference in the 2021 fantasy football playoffs.

Jermar Jefferson vs Craig Reynolds vs Godwin Igwebuike: Which Detroit Lions Running Back Do You Want?

Last week everyone thought that they made a killer waiver wire addition in Jermar Jefferson. After all, both D’Andre Swift (shoulder) and Jamaal Williams (COVID-19) were out for the Detroit Lions Week 14 matchup against the Denver Broncos. Sure, Jefferson had been sick in the lead-up to the game, but plenty of experts assumed he and fellow running back Godwin Igwebuike would see the work out of the Lions backfield.

Unfortunately, neither Jefferson nor Igwebuike saw meaningful work in Week 14. Igwebuike at least got to touch the ball; Jefferson was on the field for a mere six snaps. Instead, Craig Reynolds stole the show (relatively), with 11 rushing attempts and a pair of receptions that resulted in an RB20 finish in half-point-per-reception (half-PPR) formats. Williams and Swift are both out again for the Lions Week 15 matchup against the Arizona Cardinals, so the pressing question is: which Lions running back do you trust?

In terms of athleticism, betting on Jefferson is not smart. Per PlayerProfiler he lags behind both Reynolds and Igwebuike in every athletic metric. Igwebuike is the most athletic of the three, though Reynolds does have some mildly impressive agility. The problem is that none of that has mattered all season. All three running backs have been anything more than bench depth until now. Jefferson had a brief flash in Week 10, and Igwebuike has been involved regularly on special teams, but Reynolds made his season debut in Week 14.

Unfortunately for Jefferson and Igwebuike, Reynolds made the most of that debut and probably qualifies as the “hot hand” going into Week 15. If you have to trust a Lions running back in the fantasy football playoffs, Reynolds is the player to roster, though do not be surprised to see Igwebuike cut into Reynolds’s workload. Detroit is not seeing what they have here. All three of these running backs are undrafted or seventh-round picks firmly behind Swift and Williams on the depth chart. The Lions just need a body to carry the ball, and that body will look like Reynolds’s until Swift or Williams returns.

Jalen Guyton and Josh Palmer: A Dynamic Dynasty Duo

If Jalen Guyton and Josh Palmer are still available in your dynasty leagues, they need to be on your roster. Now. The Los Angeles Chargers passing attack has become red hot with Justin Herbert under center, and it is not just the usual suspects that are benefiting. Keenan Allen and Mike Williams still dominate the wide receiver room. The Chargers’ current studs each have over 100 targets after 14 games. However, both Guyton and Palmer are flirting with fantasy football relevance recently.

Let us start with Guyton. Guyton showed a connection with Herbert in 2020, but things have heated up over the past few weeks. In half-PPR fantasy football leagues, Guyton led the Chargers wide receivers in fantasy football points from Week 12 to 14. Week 15 was more subdued but still saw Guyton score a touchdown for the third game in a row. With Mike Williams headed for free agency after this season, the Chargers may make Guyton the next man up. He already has a connection with Herbert and an impressive athletic profile. At just 24 years old, what is not to love?

But Guyton is not the only intriguing up-and-coming wide receiver on the Chargers roster. While not as athletic as Guyton, Palmer was the Chargers’ third-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, which is not insignificant. Plus, while Guyton has been the third wide receiver this season, Palmer did fill in for Allen in Week 14 to great success. Palmer’s seven targets that week led all Chargers players, and the five receptions, 66 yards and a touchdown were enough to finish WR16 on the week. The best part is Palmer is flashing this production all before turning 23. He will be just 25 when his and Allen’s contracts expire at the end of 2024. The Chargers bringing back their 25-year-old WR rather than the 32-year-old wide receiver will not be a surprise, and this role seems to be Palmer’s for the taking. Worst case, he should become one of the top three wide receivers in Los Angeles when Williams leaves at the end of the year.

The Chargers already have their quarterback of the future in Herbert, but it is expensive (if not impossible) to acquire that piece of their offense if you are a dynasty manager. However, you can get either””or both””of their wide receivers of the future for dirt cheap right now. The return on investment will not be instant, but it will be worth it.

The post Deep Fantasy Football Stashes for Week 15 appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

By: Malcolm McMillan

This week the three players are more likely to be relevant. In fact, one player is a potential FLEX option rest-of-season, who is still available in nearly 60% of all Sleeper dynasty fantasy football leagues. That an NFL team’s starting running back is still so widely available is an unexpected surprise this late in the season, but it is also the truth. Read below to see who it is.

Gardner Minshew II: QB, Philadelphia Eagles

Jalen Hurts’ status for Week 13 is currently up in the air, but if the Philadelphia Eagles starting quarterback is out, then Gardner Minshew is the next man up. If Minshew gets the start, he immediately becomes a streaming quarterback option in 1 QB leagues, and a FLEX in Super Flex leagues. Why? Well, because he gets to play the New York Jets, who are awful. So in 1 QB leagues fantasy football managers would be wise to stash him now, and then cut him on Sunday morning if Hurts gets the start. Same with those in redraft Super Flex leagues. Minshew is not worth stashing in those situations due to the Eagles Week 14 bye.

In dynasty Super Flex leagues though, it may be worth it to hold Minshew until next season. The former Jaguars starter was pretty good last year before the Week 8 bye. Through seven weeks in 2020, Minshew was QB12 overall and QB16 in points per game (PPG). In 1 QB dynasty leagues that may not be worth using a roster spot for, but in Super Flex leagues those 19.34 PPG in a FLEX spot matter. The 2022 NFL draft class is not the deepest at quarterback, and an NFL team may want to start Minshew for a year rather than reach for a rookie quarterback if they miss on a big free agent/trade target like Aaron Rodgers. Stash Minshew until the free agency carrousel wraps up in the offseason, and then cut him if he is still a backup.

Kene Nwangwu: RB, Minnesota Vikings

Picking up Kene Nwangwu could ultimately be a total bust for fantasy football managers. However, if he sees time with Dalvin Cook out, the Minnesota Vikings rookie backup running back could return a nice return on investment. Of course, the main hurdle will be getting around Alexander Mattison, who is ahead of Nwangwu on the Vikings depth chart.

The argument for Mattison: Mattison is ahead of Nwangwu on the depth chart (as previously mentioned). He has filled in for Cook on several occasions, mostly doing well with the opportunity. He also has one more year on his contract, so Minnesota may want to see what they have with him in case they need to rely on him in 2022 (due to injuries for Cook or Cook’s potential legal trouble), or even want Mattison to replace Cook in 2023 (the Vikings have a potential out in Cook’s contract in 2023).

The argument for Nwangwu: Mattison’s athletic measurables are nowhere near Nwangwu’s athletic measurables. They are both 23, both former middle round picks (Mattison in the third and Nwangwu in the fourth) but Nwangwu is under contract for two years more than Mattison. Finally, when Nwangwu has touched the ball he has been explosive. He is currently averaging eight rushing yards per attempt, 41.25 yards per kick return and a touchdown every four kick returns. Are those numbers sustainable? Of course not, but they highlight an explosive ability that Minnesota may shift to if Mattison struggles as the fill-in starter these next two weeks. All it would take is one big game from Nwangwu for dynasty fantasy football managers to trade a waiver pickup for draft capital.

Rex Burkhead: RB, Houston Texans

Remember in the introduction when it was mentioned that an NFL starting running back was still available in free agent pools? Well, wait no longer, because that running back is Rex Burkhead, who may shockingly be the Houston Texans starting running back for the rest of the 2021 season. Yes, Burkhead is 31, which is ancient for a running back, let alone in dynasty fantasy football. However, sometimes fantasy football managers need a win now rental, and Burkhead is an excellent candidate for that. The past two weeks he has seen over 15 opportunities per game, and his snap count went from 42% of offensive snaps and 24% of special teams snaps in Week 11 to 61% and 0% respectively in Week 12. Typically, that trend indicates the team needs the player more on offense and does not want them out there to get hurt on special teams.

Again, it is understandable for fantasy football managers not to want Burkhead on their rosters, especially in dynasty leagues. But with his work increasing and an excellent Week 14 matchup coming up, Burkhead is worth stashing on a roster.

The post Deep Fantasy Football Stashes for Week 13 appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

By: Malcolm McMillan

Just when the Byepocalypse was finally behind fantasy football managers, a slew of injuries came out of nowhere. Well, maybe not nowhere. After all, this is fantasy football; injuries are to be expected. However, it is always the worst when an injury hits in conjunction with a bye week. Last week, fantasy football managers had to deal with the absence of Las Vegas Raiders tight end Darren Waller, which thanks to a bye is now continuing for a second week. This week, fantasy football managers get the unpleasant surprise of missing out on star Los Angeles Chargers running back Austin Ekeler. Ekeler was on a bye in Week 7, and now a sudden injury may have him absent for their game against the New England Patriots on Sunday.

Again, this really should be nothing new, but it still feels like a total surprise when it happens. Luckily, even in dynasty fantasy football and deeper redraft leagues, there are still some players that could merit rostering this week. If fantasy football managers are desperate, they could even play these guys in Week 8.

Joshua Kelley: RB, Los Angeles Chargers

For the first two weeks of 2020, Joshua Kelley was a fantasy football darling. 12.6 point-per-reception (PPR) points per game, double-digit rushing attempts, he felt like the Robin to starting running back Austin Ekeler’s Batman. Unfortunately, the next two weeks Kelley had two key fumbles are never returned to the same prominence for the Chargers. However, 2021 is a new year, with a new coach, and Brandon Staley may be starting to increase Kelley’s opportunities. Kelley has only played in two games so far this season; a Week 5 shoutout win against the Cleveland Browns and a blowout loss in Week 6 to the Baltimore Ravens. Despite the drastic differences in the two games, one thing remained constant: Kelley had the second-highest snaps of any Chargers running back.

There is no guarantee that this trend will ultimately result in a valuable standalone role for fantasy football managers. However, fantasy football managers that pick him up may have the backup to Ekeler on their roster. That is a role that could be valuable as soon as this week.

Freddie Swain: WR, Seattle Seahawks

At the beginning of the season, fantasy football managers were getting hyped about second-round draft pick D’Wayne Eskridge. Nobody was even thinking about Freddie Swain. Unfortunately, Eskridge’s rookie season has been marred by a serious concussion problem, and he may not even play this year. Swain has filled in Eskridge’s stead and has had an okay season. He even had an incredible Week 2 performance against the Tennessee Titans defense, where he scored over 20 fantasy football points in PPR leagues.

Luckily, Swain gets a chance to repeat that performance against a Jacksonville Jaguars defense in Week 8 that is””well””not great. Plus, unlike his teammate Tyler Lockett, Swain has seen his targets increase since backup quarterback Geno Smith took over from Russell Wilson partway through Week 5. If Smith feels more comfortable with Swain versus Lockett, that is huge for Swain’s potential as long as Smith is the Seattle Seahawks quarterback. Even when Wilson takes his job back though, Swain has been the Seahawks’ third target so far this season. That is a role that could be valuable going forward.

Mo Alie-Cox: TE, Indianapolis Colts

Over the past four weeks, the Indianapolis Colts have really caught fire. They are 3-1 during that stretch and it has coincided with Mo Alie-Cox taking over as their starting tight end. Seriously, from Week 4 to Week 7, Alie-Cox has been TE9 in PPR fantasy football leagues, averaging over 12.1 points per game. During that same time, fellow tight end Kylen Granson has been TE63, and veteran tight end Jack Doyle has been just behind Granson at TE65. That is a massive gap. Doyle admittedly still sees a fair amount of snaps per game, but he has not seen more than a single target in a game since Week 3. Alie-Cox is relevant for fantasy football managers as long as he holds onto this role, and as long as Colts quarterback Carson Wentz continues targeting him inside the 20-yard line.

The post Deep Fantasy Football Stashes for Week 8 appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

By: Malcolm McMillan

Welcome to Week 5. This is both the last week before bye weeks begin and the first week with a game in London. It is also officially difficult to find deep fantasy football stashes out there. Especially those stashes that are still available in the majority of dynasty fantasy football leagues. Luckily, Pro Football Mania was able to scour the deep recesses of the free-agent pool and found three players that are still relatively available for fantasy football managers in deep leagues.

Jeremy McNichols: RB, Tennessee Titans

For most dynasty fantasy football managers, Darrynton Evans, not Jeremy McNichols is the more attractive prospect of the Tennessee Titans running backs. Evans is younger and is guaranteed money beyond this season. However, this is already reflected in their rostership percentage, as McNichols is the only one still available in over half of Sleeper dynasty fantasy football leagues.

So why pick up McNichols then? Well, for a start, he is the only one of the two that is healthy. Evans on just activated Evans from the injured reserve list. In his absence, McNichols has carved out a role in the offense and was even the RB18 in point-per-reception (PPR) fantasy football leagues. This is a role that could continue even with Evans back, as McNichols was the better receiver in the college of the two running backs. Their athletic profiles are also not too dissimilar. Evans is faster, but McNichols has decent speed and agility. McNichols may not be the long-term stash, but for running back depth in 2021, he provides a solid option to fantasy football managers in deeper leagues.

Olamide Zaccheaus: WR, Atlanta Falcons

Chances are that many fantasy football managers are now looking to scoop up Olamide Zaccheaus for Week 5. Especially now that fellow Atlanta Falcons wide receivers Calvin Ridley and Russell Gage will be out for their game against the New York Jets. But at the moment Zaccheaus is still rostered in less than 50% of Sleeper dynasty fantasy football leagues. So the question is, can he be viable for more than Week 5?

So far this season, the answer is a resounding maybe. Zaccheaus is currently the second-most targeted wide receiver on the Falcons, but just the fifth-most targeted player on the roster. Add in that Russell Gage has seen slightly more targets per game (four to five versus just over four), and there are reasons to be concerned. However, Zaccheaus is a solid stash in deeper leagues given his potential role in the offense after Week 5. Given their relative ages and costs, Zaccheaus could be the wide receiver that returns in 2022, not Gage. If fantasy football managers can, they should either pick up Zaccheaus now or wait for their league-mates to drop him once Ridley and Gage are back. Either way, in deeper leagues he should be on rosters.

Darnold Parham: TE, Los Angeles Chargers

A decade separates the Los Angeles Chargers tight ends Jared Cook and Donald Parham. The good news for Parham is that not much else separates these two players. Yes, Cook is admittedly seeing nearly five times the targets that Parham is seeing, but they are producing similar results when targeted. Both players are averaging 11 to 12 yards per reception, catching approximately 60% of their targets, and each has a receiving touchdown.

So if the results are similar, and the players have similar builds, why bring back the older more expensive player in 2022? Based on their current salaries, Parham (who will be a restricted free agent) will cost more than four times less than Cook, who is an unrestricted free agent after this season. Unless Cook goes down with an injury in 2021, picking up Parham would be a long-term move for any fantasy football manager. However, given how tough it is to find a player at the position that is viable week-in and week-out in fantasy football, it could pay off to stash Parham now and see what happens in the offseason. Especially if the Chargers continue to target the tight end at the rate they have so far in 2021.

The post Deep Fantasy Football Stashes For Week 5 appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

By: Malcolm McMillan

The fantasy football season is almost a quarter of the way done. It feels like only yesterday that #RhamondreStevenSZN was trending and that The Sun God was ascendant. Unfortunately, now that fantasy football managers have three games under their belt, they know exactly what they got wrong in their drafts. Hopefully, not a lot still needs fixing on your roster, but just in case, there are some incredibly deep stashes still out there.

All three of the players below are posied to have an impact not only in Week 4 but potentially the rest-of-season and beyond. They are also all available in approximately 50% or more of dynasty fantasy football leagues on Sleeper. That means once you read this article, there is a good chance you can take action and scoop one (or more) of these players up.

J.J. Taylor: RB, New England Patriots

In my “A Week Too Early Waiver Wire” article this week at The Lateral one of the players highlighted was J.J. Taylor. The New England Patriots running back has real potential to cement a role in their rebuilding offense with fellow running back James White out for the season. For dynasty fantasy football, this could have huge implications, as White held a valuable role in Bill Belichick’s offense for years. Especially in points-per-reception (PPR) fantasy football scoring formats.

White never had the most impressive rushing stats (though his 4.0 career yards per carry is surprisingly good). However, he saw massive work in the receiving game. In fact, from 2015 to 2020, White played just under 15 games per season with an average of 60-61 catches on 82 targets each season. That means White had a floor of 60 points in PPR fantasy football leagues just by being reliable in Belichick’s offense. White will be a free agent next year, and given the similarities in White’s athletic profile and Taylor’s athletic profile, the Patriots may already have their replacement.

Kalif Raymond: WR, Detroit Lions

Most fantasy football managers were surprised to see Kalif Raymond leading the Detroit Lions wide receivers in targets in Week 3 against the Baltimore Ravens. He currently leads all Lions wide receivers in targets through three games. Still, despite his fantasy football-relevant performance in Week 3, he remains an afterthought to most fantasy football managers other than a streaming option. This is understandable given Detroit’s instability at wide receiver. A different player has led the Lions wide receivers in targets each week.

However, this instability also provides opportunity. Yes, Raymond is a career journeyman aged 27. He also is not guaranteed to be on the Lions roster in 2022, which is not the case for four of the Lions other wide receivers. But, there are still bright spots. First, Raymond does have excellent speed. Second, wide receivers typically peak at around 27. So it could be that Raymond is now in his prime and finally has a chance to break out in a rebuilding Lions offense. If he is the wide receiver that quarterback Jared Goff locks onto, there is no reason head coach Dan Campbell will force him out of the lead wide receiver role. Raymond is a highly speculative play, but given the cost, he is very much low-risk.

Nick Westbrook-Ikhine: WR, Tennessee Titans

Kalif Raymond was not the only surprise fantasy football-relevant wide receiver last week. Just ahead of him was Nick Westbrook-Ikhine (in PPR fantasy football scoring), who took advantage of an injury to fellow Tennessee Titans wide receiver A.J. Brown. Westbrook-Ikhine is going to have a chance to take advantage of Brown’s absence in Week 4 against the New York Jets. Both Brown and Titans wide receiver Julio Jones will be out Week 4, giving Westbrook-Ikhine a rare opportunity to be the lead wide receiver.

Most likely, Westbrook-Ikhine is fighting to become the permanent third option for quarterback Ryan Tannehill, even if he is the top wide receiver in Week 4. Luckily for Westbrook-Ikhine, Tannehill already is developing a connection with the sophomore wideout. Plus, that position is relatively wide open at the moment and has the potential to be valuable for fantasy football managers. Dynasty fantasy football managers should look to roster Westbrook-Ikhine. He could be solid bench depth, or if things continue to break his way, a possible starter or trade asset for dynasty fantasy football managers.

The post Deep Fantasy Football Stashes For Week 4 appeared first on Pro Football Mania.