Weekly Hail Mary: Week 9

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 9:

Running Backs

Frank Gore, Dolphins (22% owned). Ok, it’s ugly. But we’re in the midst of a week with 6 teams on bye, so the pickins, they are a-slim. Here’s the case for Frank the Tank. He’s gotten ten or more touches in all but one game this year. He’s got a low floor, so he doesn’t precisely fit the “pay off big” model that we typically recommend with weekly Hail Marys, but at least he’s getting you something.

Nyheim Hines, Colts (31%). With Marlon Mack’s return, he’s less valuable, but still worth something. Last week he had 11 carries for 78 yards rushing and chipped in a couple receptions. He has five or more targets in half the games this year, so he’s seeing work in the passing game. He’s on a bye this week, though, so he’s more of a stash for Week 10.

Elijah McGuire, Jets (6%). McGuire, a second-year pro, has been designated by Gang Green as one of their IR players who is designated to return. He is eligible to return at this point, and could be activated at any moment. He’s got opportunity with Bilal Powell being placed on IR, so don’t be surprised if he inherits Powell’s old role. At this point in the season, it’s hard to find guys who could get 50% of the touches.

Ty Montgomery, Ravens (13%). I’ve never been the biggest TyMont fan, but clearly, the Ravens see something in him - why else would they have traded for him? Plus, their backfield is littered with JAGs, so it stands to reason that Montgomery is going to be given an opportunity to carve out a meaningful role in this offense. Hard to tell how much value he’ll have this week being acquired in the middle of the week, but I would expect his role to grow considerably as the season wears on.

Spencer Ware, Chiefs (5%). More of a handcuff than anything. Ware is primed to inherit the lead back job on the best offense in the league if anything ever happens to Kareem the Dream.

Wide Receivers

Keke Coutee, Texans (20%). Coutee has proven himself to be a reliable target when healthy. The Texans lost Will Fuller to a torn ACL on Thursday night, but promptly replaced him with Demaryius Thomas, so I wouldn’t expect Coutee’s targets to appreciate considerably. Still, he’s shown chemistry with Watson and it might take DT some time to learn the playbook, so Coutee is probably a safe play in the short term.

Donte Moncrief, Jaguars (13%). Bye week alert! Can’t play Moncrief this week, but stash him for next. He’s become the primary target for Blake the Snake Bortles. Former sleeper Keelan Cole played only 15% of the snaps on Sunday (probably due to fumbling) and appears to be getting phased out of the offense. Moncrief, on the other hand, has 50+ receiving yards in four of the past five weeks.

David Moore, Seahawks (4%). I still feel queasy about recommending Moore given his low target share, but he continues to produce. He has four touchdowns in his last three games. Aiding his cause is the Seahawks’ release of Brandon Marshall on Tuesday.

Tre’Quan Smith, Saints (30%). Slot receiver, Saints offense. Worked out pretty well for Marques Colston. Just sayin.

Courtland Sutton, Broncos (10%). Sutton was going to make the list this week even before Demaryius Thomas got traded to the Texans. I’ve been banging the drum for Sutton for a while and proclaiming that he’s better than DT, so it is exciting to see him finally get his chance to shine. He snagged 3 of 4 targets for 78 yards on Sunday, which was far superior to Thomas’ 30 yards on about twice as many targets. Sutton is the pickup of the week.

Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Packers (6%). Dude just continues to produce. He had another TD on Sunday, which is noteworthy since Geronimo Allison and Randall Cobb returned to the lineup. He’s going to make one or both of those guys expendable. Cobb is a free agent at the end of the year, so perhaps MVS takes his job even before the year is out.

Tight Ends

Ed Dickson, Seahawks (1%). Dickson, finally healthy, saw the field for the first time on Sunday. He put up 54 yards receiving and a touchdown. Dickson’s been around long enough that we know he’s not a star, but he’s also in a valuable role in the Seahawks’ offense. Remember Will Dissly’s early season production? Yeah, that’s the role Dickson is stepping into.

Jack Doyle, Colts (26%). I believe he has top 10 tight end potential only because I’ve seen him finish as a top 10 tight end before. A lot of people dropped him after his early season injury, so he may be available in your league. He had 6 receptions for 70 yards and a touchdown in his return. Beware, though, he’s on bye this week - this is a one week stash so you can use him the rest of the season.

Dallas Goedert, Eagles (6%). A repeat name, but his production made him worth mentioning again. He got hardly any attention on Sunday, but he did come down with a touchdown. He’s a red zone weapon for the Eagles. And, seriously, tight end is a wasteland. There’s not much better out the on the waiver wire. He was highly drafted, playing with a good quarterback, and producing a little. There’s not much more you can ask for at this point.