By: Jake Rajala

The running back position never becomes less dreamy in fantasy football. Although, there are some RB faces that transcend into less-pleasing profiles as the season goes along. With that said, I’m going to untwine a few RBs that fantasy owners should move on from heading into Week 6.

Mark Ingram

The Saints bowling-ball RB, Mark Ingram, was outmuscled by the Taysom Hill show and Alvin Kamara last week. Ingram (rostered in 28% of Yahoo leagues) had nine carries for 16 yards (as he currently has 38 carries for 144 yards and one TD on the season), while Hill had nine carries for 112 rushing yds and Kamara notched 103 rushing yds on 23 carries. It wasn’t a surprise when the former BYU QB that once squatted 626 pounds won NFC Offensive Player of The Week last week. AK isn’t only back to being healthy, but Hill is clearly going to be regularly involved to help heal their prior offensive woes.

James Cook

James Cook may be Dalvin Cook’s brother, but James (rostered in 34% of ESPN leagues) certainly doesn’t have the same magical ability that Dalvin has at this point. In 2022 — James has ousted 17 carries for 89 yards, four catches for 37 yards, & a touchdown. His best single-game performance arrived last week (four carries for 31 yards). There may be a light at the end of the tunnel for his career, but I don’t foresee him being a threat soon.

Rex Burkhead

The world belongs to Rex Burkhead Dameon Pierce, to say the least. Pierce has somehow managed to oust 412 rushing yards, 4.8 YPC, and a few touchdowns right now. I don’t love the road ahead for Rex Burkhead (rostered in 27% of ESPN leagues). He has only registered 64 rushing yards on 20 carries (along with 18 catches for 112 yards).

The post Fantasy: 3 RBs to drop appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

By: Jake Rajala

Week 1 is nearly in the books and it surely didn’t disappoint. There were a few games that were more entertaining than the first season of Squid Game. Furthermore, there were a ton of under-the-radar players that dazzled and deserved to grab the attention of fantasy owners. With that said, I’m going to untwine several waiver wire targets in Week 2.

• Donovan Peoples-Jones

The Cleveland Browns wideout Donovan Peoples-Jones may not have the same resume as Amari Cooper, but he still led the Browns in targets, receptions, and receiving yards yesterday. He is only rostered in 4% of the Yahoo leagues. DPJ should continue to garner excellent match-ups as the WR2 and I expect him to really blossom with Deshaun Watson late in the season.

• Marcus Mariota

I honestly loved Marcus Mariota’s performance in Week 1. The former Heisman winner didn’t come out with a victory against the New Orleans Saints, but he did have 215 passing yards, a potent 72 rushing yards, and a touchdown (and a fumble). It’s also worth noting that Mariota performed well against a likely Top-3 defense in New Orleans.

• Julio Jones

It was noted that Julio Jones was the fastest player on the Buccaneers this off-season. Jones didn’t exactly appear to be washed up in Week 1. The Falcons legend connected with Tom Brady on a 48-yard pass & finished with three catches for 69 yards. Jones is rostered in 62% of Yahoo leagues.

• Jameis Winston

The third NFC South player on this list, Jameis Winston, started to really cook in the fourth quarter of the Saints-Falcons game. Winston unleashed 13 completions on 16 attempts, 213 passing yards, 2 passing TDs, and 0 interceptions. It’s also refreshing to see Michael Thomas back and healthy for his QB (2 TDs in Week 1).

• Jeff Wilson

The illustrious 49ers RB Elijah Mitchell could miss numerous contests after his hurting his knee in Week 1. The 49ers RB2 is none other than Jeff Wilson. His most productive campaign was in 2020 (600 rushing yards, 7 rushing TDs, and 4.8 YPC). He is currently rostered in 16% of Yahoo leagues.

• Rex Burkhead

Rex Burkhead was certainly involved all-around for the Houston Texans on Sunday. He had 40 rushing yards and five catches from Davis Mills. The 32-year-old RB refuses to decay. He is only rostered in 13% of Yahoo leagues and 17% of ESPN leagues.

• Cleveland Browns defense

Myles Garrett was an absolute menace against his former QB Baker Mayfield on Sunday. He sacked Mayfield twice (and almost a third time). The best part is that the hungry Browns team faces a Joe Flacco-led Jets team in Week 2.

The post Fantasy Football Waiver Wire targets in Week 2 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.