Weekly Hail Mary: Week 8

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, as you can likely grab them for free off your waiver wire. We only focus on players who are available in at least one-third of Yahoo! leagues.

In other words, if you’re desperate, we’re giving you a prayer. The Hail Marys for Week 8:

Running Backs

Kenjon Barner, Patriots (1% owned). For one week, at least, it looks like Barner may have a meaningful role. Sony Michel suffered a knee injury on Sunday, and with Rex Burkhead already on injured reserve, the Patriots are awful thin at running back behind James White. Don’t be surprised to see Barner get 12-15 touches against the Bills on Monday night.

Malcolm Brown, Rams (2%). It’s handcuff season, and this guy is the handcuff to the top back in the NFL. He had almost as many carries as Todd Gurley on Sunday, and more rushing yards.

Trenton Cannon, Jets (0%). Bilal Powell suffered a neck injury on Sunday, and Cannon stepped in and took his snaps. Cannon ended up leading the team in receiving yardage, as well. The Jets thought highly enough of Cannon to spend a late round draft pick on him, so he is worth a stash for a few weeks to see if his role increases. We already know Isaiah Crowell is nothing special (his big outburst a few weeks back notwithstanding).

Chris Ivory, Bills (8%). Recommended last week as well, and now thrust into a starring role due to LeSean McCoy’s concussion on Sunday, Ivory responded with 16 carries for 81 yards and also had a strong 6 targets in the pass game. Marcus Murphy, his backup, is also worth monitoring in the coming weeks.

Doug Martin, Raiders (26%). Marshawn Lynch is on injured reserve and has likely played his last down for the Raiders. His backup, the Muscle Hamster, is the likely recipient of the first and second down work. Third down work likely still belongs to Jalen Richard, who was recommend as a pickup in this column last week. Richard remains a viable PPR play.

Wide Receivers

Danny Amendola, Dolphins (10%). Hello, old friend. Given all of the injuries to Dolphins receivers, Amendola is suddenly relevant. Albert Wilson suffered a potentially serious hip injury, and Kenny Stills is out for at least this week after suffering a groin injury. The Dolphins play on a short week this week, and the conventional wisdom (I know, we should challenge that) says Amendola is the top target this week, following up on his performance this past Sunday where he had 84 yards. Beware of the Brock Osweiler effect, though.

Christian Kirk, Cardinals (26%). Don’t let his meager output last Thursday night scare you off. Kirk still had 6 targets, returned punts, and led the team in receiving yards. And with the Cardinals’ long-overdue firing of Mike McCoy, there’s a chance this offense could improve. I’ve never been the biggest fan of new offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich - he kinda busted as a player - but it’s hard to envision the Cardinals getting worse with him at the helm.

Donte Moncrief, Jaguars (11%). Moncrief has 10 or more targets in 2 of the past 3 games. It’s odd that he’s owned in significantly fewer leagues than Dede Westbrook despite outproducing him nearly all season. Moncrief appears to have emerged as the Jags’ receiver to own - if there is such a thing.

David Moore, Seahawks (2%). Same warning as last week: while Moore has seen back-to-back weeks with a touchdown, he’s not getting a significant target share. He had only 3 targets in Week 6, and 4 in Week 5. He’s certainly making the most of those targets, but his production is unsustainable unless his role in the offense grows.

D.J. Moore, Panthers (16%). Also recommended last week, but his ownership is declining. He had 5 targets this week, he’s returning some kicks and punts, and he’s getting a rush attempt here and there. That many touches, for someone with his athletic profile, is bound to lead to production. I like him as a volatile flex.

Damion Ratley, Browns (1%). Barf. I almost recommended him last week and couldn’t bring myself to do it. But Ratley continues to get targets. He’s the third WR in the pecking order in Cleveland, and very well might be better than presumed #2 Antonio Callaway. It looks like this passing game goes through Jarvis Landry and David Njoku, but there could be enough volume to support a third option.

Chester Rogers, Colts (18%). Another repeat name from last week. Rogers didn’t have a great stat line this week, but still was second on the team in targets. Being Andrew Luck’s #2 receiver has its advantages.

Tajae Sharpe, Titans (0%). He seems to have become the #2 option in the Titans’ passing game, overtaking Taywan Taylor. Last week he grabbed 7 of 9 targets for 101 yards. Rishard Matthews is gone, so his opportunities should continue to be there. Don’t forget, as a fifth round rookie two years ago, this guy earned a starting job. He’s now impressed two different coaching staffs enough to earn serious playing time.

Tre’Quan Smith, Saints (17%). Last chance to get him, folks. Second on the team in targets last week. He has the opportunity to see his targets grow and is catching passes from one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time. What’s not to like?

Courtland Sutton, Broncos (5%). Sutton was out-targeted by teammate Demaryius Thomas, but it was Sutton who had the touchdown. There are rumors that DT could be on the move at the trade deadline, which would open up even more opportunities for Sutton. I’d grab him now while he’s still free and relatively under the radar, and hope for a big payoff.

Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Packers (8%). Just in case you forgot about him coming off bye. He has a 35+ yard catch in two of the past three games, and also has 100 yards or a score in back to back games. His role may diminish when Randall Cobb and Geronimo Allison return, though, which could happen as soon as this week.

Tight End

Dallas Goedert, Eagles (5%). Tight end is a wasteland. Most anyone with a pulse is rostered. Goedert was a high draft pick (the Eagles traded up to get him in the second round) and has had some success so far in the NFL. The Eagles don’t have reliable pass catchers behind Alshon Jeffery and Zach Ertz - yes, that means I think very little of Nelson Agholor - so that could lead to opportunities for Goedert. He’s fairly boom or bust because of an inconsistent target share, but this past week he caught 4 of 5 targets for 43 yards and a touchdown.

Chris Herndon, Jets (1%). Like I said, tight end is ugly. Herndon doesn’t play a ton of snaps and doesn’t get many targets, but he does have touchdowns in back-to-back games, so he’s at least worth. The Jets have a lot of questions with their pass-catchers - Quincy Enunwa is hurt, Terrelle Pryor got released, and Rishard Matthews just got signed - so it’s hard to know where Sam Darnold is going to look when he’s in the red zone.