Weekly Hail Mary: Week 5
Each week, HMF will provide you with at least one “Hail Mary” at RB, WR, and TE - a guy who is not generally regarded as a starter for the week, but who has the potential to pay off big. These are lottery tickets that are not likely to hit, but if they do, you’ll be thrilled.
In other words, if you’re desperate, we’re giving you a prayer. The Hail Marys for Week 5:
Running Back
Buck Allen, Ravens. Listing him for the third week in a row. Allen has established himself as the team’s passing down and goal line back. This role was only cemented this week when teammate Alex Collins fumbled on the goal line, to the ire of Coach John Harbaugh.
Nick Chubb, Browns. Everyone in your league is probably running to grab him because of the impressive stat line (3 carries, over 100 yards, 2 TD). I’m just here to tell you that the production is sustainable once the Browns commit to him. Before his knee injury in college, Chubb was viewed as a blue-chip prospect. It looks like his decisiveness and explosion is finally back. If anyone in this class has a chance to be better than Saquon Barkley, it’s him.
Mike Davis, Seahawks. Davis played 71% of his team’s snaps on Sunday, better than all but seven other running backs in Week 4. Coach Pete Carroll has declared that Davis has earned himself snaps going forward, even after the return of Chris Carson. This is a backfield to monitor.
Nyheim Hines, Colts. Hines had 11 targets in Week 4 and scored twice. This offense is still sorting out who is going to get the touches in their backfield. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to bet on the guy who is the best pass-catcher.
Aaron Jones, Packers. Repeating it because he’s still not heavily owned. Jones is the best back in the Packers’ backfield, and soon he’s not going to be available on your waiver wire. Get him now.
Wide Receiver
Antonio Callaway, Browns. Last chance to buy low. He followed up ten targets in Week 3 with another 9 in Week 4. With Baker under center, he’s going to get a lot of attention, especially when teams focus on stopping Jarvis Landry.
Keke Coutee, Texans. I made the wrong call on Vyncint Smith last week, as it was Coutee who saw the uptick in looks for the Texans. Coutee played 93% of the Texans’ snaps last week, and should continue to receive opportunities in all three-wide sets and in two-wide sets for as long as Will Fuller is out.
Quincy Enunwa, Jets. Enunwa isn’t a league-winner, but he’s out there on nearly every play (95% of snaps). That usage has translated into targets, and volume is king in fantasy football. He has yet to finish a week with fewer than 8 looks, so he has a relatively safe weekly floor.
Taylor Gabriel, Bears. We’ll chalk this up under “I told you so.” After being recommended as a Hail Mary last week, he chalked up over 100 yards and 2 scores.
Zach Pascal, Colts. As long as TY Hilton is hurt, Pascal is a name to know. A relative unknown before Week 4, he was pressed into service following Hilton’s injury, and was targeted 10 times in the passing game.
Courtland Sutton, Broncos. You heard it here first: Sutton will finish the season with better stats than Demaryius Thomas. Thomas hasn’t looked like the same player since the Broncos’ last Super Bowl, and appears to be on the decline. He has yet to top 65 yards receiving in a game this year.
Taywan Taylor, Titans. The Titans’ offense is intriguing now that Marcus Mariota appears to be over his thumb injury. The release of Rishard Matthews and the injury to Delanie Walker have opened up targets in the passing game, which is great news for Taylor. Corey Davis is likely to see the lion’s share of the targets, but either Taylor or Dion Lewis are likely to be the second option.
Dede Westbrook, Jaguars. Probably an obvious name after his performance this week, but it wasn’t a fluke. He saw 13 targets. I do not, however, buy into the performance of his teammate Donte Moncrief, who put up similar production on only 5 targets.
Chad Williams, Cardinals. Williams has played at least 85% of the snaps in all but one game this year, and finally rewarded fantasy owners with a touchdown on Sunday. His arrow continues to point up with Josh Rosen under center.
Tight End
Jared Cook, Raiders. It will be a wild ride - Cook has never been “consistent” - but he’s getting looks in the Raiders offense. He got 12 targets in Week 1 and 13 in Week 4, but only 10 combined in Weeks 2 and 3.
Tyler Kroft, Bengals. After suffering a gruesome lower leg injury, Tyler Eifert is done for the year. In steps Kroft, who has become accustomed to filling in for Eifert over the past couple seasons. In 2017, he had a sneaky 7 scores. Given the dismal state of tight end in the fantasy landscape right now, he’s certainly worth a dart throw. The Bengals face Miami this week. [Editor’s note: On October 5, Bengals beat writer Katherine Terrell reported that C.J. Uzomah has passed Kroft on the depth chart, and is expected to start in place of Eifert.]
Ricky Seals-Jones, Cardinals. The production hasn’t been there yet, but it’s coming. The former five-star recruit is now catching passes from Josh Rosen, and Arizona is desperate for playmakers. Tight ends, running backs, and slot receivers are a security blanket for rookie quarterbacks, so I expect Rosen to lean heavily on RSJ, David Johnson, and Larry Fitzgerald moving forward.
Nick Vannett, Seahawks. Will Dissly is now out for the year, and Doug Baldwin is still not 100%. Someone has to catch passes from DangeRuss.