By Nan Jiang
With the second week of bye weeks starting, now’s a great time to load up on free agents to bolster your team.
Quarterback
Sam Howell (WAS, 17.4%)
Get up, DC. Your hometown quarterback might be relevant this upcoming week. Howell has been quietly cooking up a great season. He’s QB14 right now, but when factoring in his disastrous four-pick game against the Bills, his other four games are rock solid. He’s only thrown two picks all season aside from the Bills game, and his Falcons matchup in Week 6 isn’t super hard.
Matthew Stafford (LAR, 34.2%)
Stafford faces the Cardinals defense this upcoming week. Not only are they the bottom team in the NFC West, they also just allowed the imploding Bengals to find their feet again while allowing Ja’Marr Chase to get 192 yards and 3 touchdowns against them. If one star receiver can do that, imagine what the Kupp-Nacua duo can do against Arizona next week. Speaking of Kupp, he hasn’t missed a beat after returning in Week 5, and the week of prep will make the Kupp-Stafford connection all the more lethal.
Gardner Minshew (IND, 0.5%)
There’s little doubt that Minshew is the best backup QB in the league. He is 2-0 as a starter, and he also won in yesterday’s game, where he came in as an emergency backup for Anthony Richardson. With Richardson now due to miss some time, Minshew will be leading the Colts to success against the Jaguars next weekend.
Running back
Emari Demercado (ARI, 0.4%)
Demercado took over for James Conner after he went down last week, and the rookie showed out. He carried the ball 10 times for 45 yards and a score. If Conner stays out next week, Demercado can be a good streamer as he plays the Rams.
Jaleel McLaughlin (DEN, 48.4%)
Jaleel McLaughlin showed out the last two weeks with Javonte Williams injured. It is very possible that he returns next week, but the injury prone Williams makes McLaughlin a very valuable handcuff to own, especially as he seems to be out-dueling Samaje Perine in the backfield battle. Even if Williams does return, McLaughlin should still get some good looks in the offense.
Wide receiver
Joshua Palmer (LAC, 40.2%)
It’s been a few weeks since Mike Williams’ injury, and Joshua Palmer has filled the hole Williams left pretty well. He led the team in receiving yards before the team’s bye week, and he comes back next week against a Cowboys defense that has been pretty suspect these last few weeks. If you’re not starting him, he deserves a bench spot in some deep leagues.
Tight end
Logan Thomas (WAS, 8.1%)
The TE11 of this season is rostered on only 8% of teams. Logan Thomas faces the Falcons next week, alongside his waiver target teammate Sam Howell. Despite the loss to the Bears, the Commanders should have a pretty easy time next weekend considering that the Falcons are an easier defense and that they have had extra days to prepare.
Leave a Reply