Quietly 9th among receivers in targets with 70, Waddle has turned
those chances into 48 receptions for 413 yards and 3 scores. While
not exactly inspiring totals, opportunity is king in fantasy football,
and Waddle and the Dolphin offense should have plenty of that this
week against the Texans even with Tua banged up. Houston has given
up the 12th most fantasy points to receivers, and that’s with
several teams taking the 2nd half off in blowouts.
The biggest beneficiary of Big Ben being unable to throw a consistent
deep ball, Johnson has used his short area quickness to dominate
the middle of the field. Toss out Week 5 (where he even had a long
touchdown), Johnson hasn’t had a game with fewer than 5 receptions
or 10 targets. With JuJu gone, Johnson is the clear alpha in this
passing game, and should have no problem finding room to roam against
a Chicago defense that is a shell of its former self.
Injuries delayed his debut, but Bateman has seen steady involvement
since returning in Week 6. He’s had 6 targets in each game,
and has had the bye week to continue to get in shape and become
more comfortable in the offense. With defenses busy keeping tabs
on Andrews and Hollywood, Bateman can use his elite route running
to frequently flash open for Jackson.
While Johnson has flourished under the fading arm of Roethlisberger
and quick release playbook of the Steelers, Claypool has largely
floundered. While he’s always a threat for a 50+ yard touchdown,
consistency is an important trait for successful fantasy receivers,
and you won’t have that with a guy who runs such a limited
route tree. After racking up 9 scores in his rookie season, he’s
only found the endzone once in 2021 and his 6 receptions for 62
yards over the last two games doesn’t inspire confidence.
Poor quarterback play, and the Patriots ability to erase a team’s
best player both conspire against Moore in Week 9. Sam Darnold left
Week 8 with a concussion, and early week practice reports aren’t
looking great. So a banged up Darnold, or not ready P.J. Walker
will be under center for the Panthers this week. Moore is a great
player, but the reality is he hasn’t been over 73 yards, or
found the end zone since Week 5, and the Panther offense is a mess.
Another player who has faded after a hot start is rookie Devonta
Smith. With 107 empty yards over his last 4 games, Smith has been
the victim of an offense with no identity or consistency. Jalen
Hurts isn’t progressing much as a passer and the NFL seems
to be much more prepared for Smith than the SEC was. I need to see
more production before I can turn back to Smith as a starter.
