This is a week where there is no clear-cut number one pickup, but there are a number of strong options. One really appealing option is Elijah Moore. The Jets' exciting rookie receiver saw eight targets (tied for most on the team), while leading them in catches (seven), receiving yards (84) and scoring two touchdowns. He scored 27.4 fantasy points, enough to make him the No. 1 receiver heading into Monday Night Football. Moore only ran 63 percent of the routes for the Jets but made the most of the opportunities he did see. He has now seen at least six targets in three straight games, and has scored double-digit fantasy points in each, with his point total increasing each week. The rebuilding Jets have already given the keys to the backfield over to fellow rookie Michael Carter, and you have to believe they want to keep their second-round receiver heavily involved in the offense. Moore should continue to see consistent volume and he brings more explosiveness than the other Jets receivers. There is the chance for him to remain in two receiver sets, as he could jump Jamison Crowder in usage even after Corey Davis returns. His upside is worth taking a shot on off the waiver wire.
Teams on Bye in Week 10: Bears, Bengals, Giants, Texans
Check if available: Hunter Renfrow, A.J. Dillon, Christian Kirk, Odell Beckham, Kenny Golladay
You can drop: Sam Darnold, Tyrod Taylor, Boston Scott, Kenneth Gainwell, Mike Davis, Allen Robinson, Marvin Jones, Tyler Boyd, Jakobi Meyers, DeVante Parker
Do not drop: Patrick Mahomes, Tyreek Hill, Courtland Sutton, Julio Jones, Mike Williams, Kadarius Toney, Kyle Pitts
Quarterbacks
Colts QB Carson Wentz threw for 272 yards and three scores, adding 13 rushing yards, taking advantage of a good matchup against the Jets. That is exactly what he gets next week against the Jaguars. Wentz has now scored 17 fantasy points in all but one game and thrown multiple passing TDs in six straight. He brings a safe floor and upside in the matchup. He is rostered in just over half of NFL.com leagues. That needs to change.
49ers QB Trey Lance’s time could be coming as the Niners just suffered a bad loss to the Cardinals, who were without Kyler Murray and DeAndre Hopkins. Jimmy Garoppolo did throw for 326 yards and two scores with one interception, but much of it came in garbage time, as the Niners trailed 31-7 late in the third. The loss drops the Niners to 3-4 and they are quickly falling out the race. Lance could ignite the offense and at the very least, be a fun fantasy asset. He is a great athlete who will add lots of points with his legs. We saw Lance top 20 fantasy points in one half in relief of Jimmy G and then score 14.6 fantasy points in his lone start. The ceiling is high, think like Jalen Hurts, but with better offensive playmakers around him. Grab him now as a change is likely coming sooner rather than later.
Falcons QB Matt Ryan threw for 343 yards and two scores, adding in 8 rushing yards and a TD in a tough matchup against the Saints. Ryan has now topped 21 fantasy points in three of his last five games. The issue is he has a very low floor for a QB, but he does bring a high ceiling. He can be streamed in favorable matchups, like he has next week against the Cowboys or in a couple weeks against the Jaguars.
Running backs
Bills RB Devin Singletary is available in just over half of NFL.com leagues. Singletary played 71 percent of the snaps after Zack Moss left with a concussion. Singletary saw six carries for 16 yards, but what you really like to see is eight targets, seven catches and 65 receiving yards. He was the lone bright spot in a disappointing Week 9 for the Bills. His 13 touches was the most he had since Week 4. He becomes a streaming option next week in a great matchup against the Jets.
Raiders RB Kenyan Drake played 46 percent of the snaps, in fact, he played just one fewer snap than Josh Jacobs did. He only saw four carries for 30 yards, but he did see huge pass game usage. He had eight targets, six catches and 70 yards. Those eight targets are more than Josh Jacobs has ever had in a game in his career. Drake has double-digit touches in two straight games and over 16 fantasy points in three straight. He has worked his way into the weekly flex discussion and could see a heavy workload if Jacobs was to miss any more time.
Patriots RB Rhamondre Stevenson was the Patriots' leading runner (62 yards) and receiver (44 yards) in Week 9. All together he went for 106 yards on 12 touches. Stevenson has seen at least eight touches in the last four games he has been active for and has topped 12 fantasy points in two of his last three. But he does have a healthy scratch mixed in there. You cannot trust starting Stevenson just yet, but he is explosive and is carving out a role in this offense. He possesses a lot of upside, especially if Damien Harris was to miss time.
Titans RB D'Onta Foreman played 22 percent of the snaps and carried the ball five times for 29 yards. It is not much, but he looked the part in the bit of run he received. The Titans very much seemed like a team trying three different options at running back. Adrian Peterson received the most work, but he picked up just 21 yards on 10 carries. The veteran could be shaking off some rust, but he also could be done. If so, Foreman has a chance to see a larger workload. He is worthy of a flier off the waiver wire.
Colts RB Nyheim Hines had been dropped in a lot of leagues after scoring less than seven fantasy points in five straight games. But, he topped 20 fantasy points in Week 9 against the Jets. He had double-digit touches for the first time since Week 3. He has now had at least five targets in two straight and its only a positive for him that Marlon Mack was a healthy scratch last week. Hines brings a low floor but high ceiling. His usage moving forward is worth monitoring.
Saints RB Mark Ingram played 36 percent of the snaps, but saw nine carries for 43 yards, along with five catches on five targets, for 21 yards. That was good for 11.4 fantasy points. Ingram saw eight touches in his Saints debut last week, but that increased to 14 this week. The five targets also cannot be ignored. He does not bring a lot of upside, but he sees enough volume to be in play in deeper leagues.
Ravens RB Devonta Freeman played 58 percent of the snaps, seeing 13 carries for 79 yards. He also saw three targets, catching two of them for four yards and a touchdown. Freeman has been getting used as the lead back with Latavius Murray out. He likely goes back to the secondary role when Murray returns, but Freeman has played well so maybe he sees a larger share of the touches. He is a flex option if Murray remains out next week.
Eagles RB Jordan Howard played 40 percent of the snaps while carrying the ball a team-high 17 times for 71 yards and a touchdown. He seems to be the Eagles' lead back, at least for one more week while Miles Sanders is out. Howard will give you nothing in the passing game, but he has at least 12 touches in his two games and has scored three touchdowns. He has scored 17.7 and 13.1 fantasy points in the two games Sanders has been sidelined. He likely becomes waiver wire fodder once Sanders returns, but he is a streaming option next week against the Broncos.
Jets RB Ty Johnson had six touches in Week 9, but he did find the end zone. He scored 12 fantasy points, his fourth straight game with over 11 fantasy points. The volume makes him a little tough to trust, but he is producing. He would get a boost if Mike White, the dump off specialist, is able to start in Week 10.
Wide receivers
Cowboys WR Michael Gallup was close to returning in Week 9, but a Week 10 return against the Falcons seems very likely. The Cowboys get the Chiefs after in a string of good matchups. Gallup is a bit of a forgotten man as he was injured in Week 1 and we have not seen him since. He had seven targets in that game and remains a great downfield and contested catch receiver. There is a lot of competition for targets in Dallas, but Gallup, who is available in around half of NFL.com leagues, brings plenty of upside in this offense.
Ravens WR Rashod Bateman has been featured in this column for weeks but remains way too widely available. Bateman saw eight targets, catching five of them for 52 yards. Only Bateman, Mark Andrews and Marquise Brown saw over five targets in Week 9. A concentrated passing attack between these three is exactly what we want to see. Bateman is the third option, but he is a big play threat and can be a strong presence in the red zone, so he brings upside. He has topped double-digits in two straight, showing that he brings a safe floor as well.
49ers WR Brandon Aiyuk saw eight targets, catching six of them for 89 yards and a touchdown. He did lose a fumble, bringing his fantasy point total to 18.7 in Week 9. It is the second straight week Aiyuk has had at least seven targets and double-digit fantasy points. What is especially good to see is he has a team-high two end zone targets in the last two weeks. Aiyuk looked like a superstar in the making at the end of his rookie season, but struggled to consistently see the field early on this season. He is starting to see consistent playing time and usage. We saw last year what his upside is with consistent usage. He is worth taking a gamble on.
Rams WR Van Jefferson was targeted seven times, catching three of them for 41 yards. He now has 20 targets over his last three games, with at least six in each of those games. While he failed to top double-digit fantasy points in this one, he did so in his two prior, but the opportunity is what matters. Jefferson had three red zone targets last night and now has six in his last three games combined. He is carving out a consistent role in the Rams' high powered offense.
Browns WR Donovan Peoples-Jones played 61 percent of the snaps, the second-most among Browns receivers in Week 9. He had three targets, catching two for 81 yards and a touchdown. The volume is far from ideal but only Jarvis Landry (five) had more than three targets. DPJ does not have a safe floor, but he is the Browns' best deep threat and should see increased playing time and volume with Odell Beckham now out of town.
Raiders WR DeSean Jackson will sign with the Raiders. He will fill the void as Vegas’ top downfield option and could see enough volume to flex, especially in strong matchups. Derek Carr has put up numbers this year and Jackson still has some juice left. He is an upside stash, especially in deeper formats.
Falcons WR Russell Gage saw a team-high eight targets and led the Falcons with seven catches. He went for 64 yards and 13.4 fantasy points. That was a week after not seeing a target. Still, he has topped 13 fantasy points in two of the last three. Gage has been up and down, but he has a favorable matchup against the Cowboys next week in a game Calvin Ridley will remained sidelined in. He is a streaming option as a bye week replacement.
Saints WR Deonte Harty led the Saints in targets (eight) and catches (six) in Week 9. He finished with 52 yards and 11.2 fantasy points. He has seen at least seven targets now in three of his last four games and topped 10 fantasy points in those three -- with 8.7 in the other. Harris does not bring a high ceiling, at least he hasn’t shown one yet, but he has had a safe floor and reliable volume. That is useful in deeper formats.
Texans WR Danny Amendola saw seven targets in Week 9, the second most on the Texans. He caught three for 49 yards. But, him getting targets from Tyrod Taylor is starting to look like a trend. He tied for the second-most targets from Taylor in Week 1 and his 13 targets from Taylor this season is the second most on the year behind only Cooks (24). That is the type of trend that you take a shot on in really deep formats.
Tight ends
Jaguars TE Dan Arnold led the Jaguars in targets with seven in Week 9. He caught four of them for a team-high 60 targets. Arnold has seen at least five targets in four straight games and seven or more in three of them. He has topped double-digit fantasy points in three of the past four weeks. He is seeing consistent volume and that is enough make him a borderline TE1 most weeks.
Vikings TE Tyler Conklin was able to take advantage of a good matchup against the Ravens, catching five of seven targets for 45 yards. He now has seen seven targets in back to back games and has just one game with less than five since Week 3. He has topped nine fantasy points in each of the past three games. He remains a TE2 with upside in the right matchups, like he has next week against the Chargers.
Bengals TE C.J. Uzomah saw five targets, catching four for 24 yards. The production doesn’t scream add me, but we know he has big play upside and the five targets was the second-most he saw in a game this season. The Bengals are on bye next week, but do not forget about Uzomah’s usage after the week off.
Saints TE Adam Trautman saw seven targets, tied for the second-most on the Saints in Week 9. He caught four of them for 47 yards. He now has 13 targets in the last two games. His 8.7 fantasy points in Week 9 was his season-high so far, but the usage has been increasing and Trautman is a good athlete who could do damage after the catch and in the red zone. His athleticism is what made him a popular breakout pick in the offseason. He hasn’t had the volume, but that appears to be changing.