It finally has arrived: the last of three NFL weeks with six teams getting a break from action.
Houston, Indianapolis, Minnesota, New England, San Diego and Washington all are on byes this week, leaving some of the best fantasy players out of lineups this week.
A few breakout performances in Week 9 and the continued success of some widely available players will lead to another busy week on the waiver wire.
Here are a few players to target this week:
Running Back
Word of Giovani Bernard’s injury status came too late for this column last week, but rookie Jeremy Hill had a standout game Sunday against Jacksonville. The Bengals running back burst for 154 yards and two touchdowns, one of the best performances for any running back this season. Bernard likely is out again this week, with the Bengals playing the Browns on Thursday Night Football, and Hill is a must-start. He now has five touchdowns this season, and expect his workload to cut into Bernard’s, once Bernard returns in Week 1.
Arian Foster exited Sunday’s game with a groin injury, another torturous moment for the Texans and Foster’s fantasy faithful. The Texans are on a bye this week, but expect to see results from a magnetic resonance imaging test on Foster’s groin to appear later this week. If he is out, it will be time to add backup Alfred Blue.
Blue hasn’t impressed this season with zero touchdowns and only one game over 50 yards, but he will be worth owning if Foster misses more than a week.
One deep-league player to watch is Terrance West in Cleveland. He had a receiving touchdown Sunday along with 48 rushing yards in the Browns’ frustrating timeshare. Fifteeen touches were the most for West since Week 2, and that number could continue to grow if he finds rhythm.
Wide Receiver
Tampa Bay rookie Mike Evans had another big game Sunday. I’ve been raving about Evans all year, and he went off for 124 yards and two touchdowns on seven receptions Sunday. Evans still is owned in less than 40 percent of fantasy leagues, and he has four touchdowns in the last four games he has suited up. Pick him up, and start him this week against the Atlanta Falcons’ defense.
Three weeks in a row, Martavis Bryant has made the column. He hauled in two more touchdowns Sunday night against Baltimore, and the young Steelers receiver now has a whopping five touchdowns in his last three games. Pick him up, consider him as a flex play every week, and hope Ben Roethlisberger’s MVP-caliber season continues. Oh, and expect Roethlisberger to be added in all leagues this week after his second consecutive six-touchdown game. He went from available in half of leagues two weeks ago to must-start.
One more wide receiver to keep tabs on is Philadelphia’s Jordan Matthews. The Eagles have transitioned into more and more three-wide-receiver formations, limiting tight end Zach Ertz’s production in a big way, as Brent Celek has stayed on the field to help block. Matthews has been more productive than Riley Cooper, and he is available in more than 85 percent of leagues. Though having Mark Sanchez throwing to him could be a bit concerning, Matthews looks to have the second-best value of the Eagles’ receivers behind Jeremy Maclin.
Tight End
With several quality tight ends, including Rob Gronkowski, on byes this week, it is a good time for a spot start. This week, Oakland’s Mychal Rivera might be the guy. Rivera has caught 15 passes the last two weeks to go with 121 yards and two touchdowns. Those two scores came last week in an eight-catch, 38-yard day against the Seattle Seahawks. Count on Rivera to continue the trend this week against a Denver Broncos’ defense that was torched by Gronkowski last week. The Raiders should trail early in that game, leading to plenty of passes for Derek Carr to spread around.
Survivor Pool
If you’re looking for a winner this week, look no further than the Denver Broncos to beat the Oakland Raiders or the Baltimore Ravens at home against the Tennessee Titans. This might be the safest week to use the Ravens all year.
John Livingston is a sports writer at The Durango Herald and a member of the Fantasy Sports Writers Association. He can be reached at jlivingston@durangoherald.com or on Twitter @jlivi2.
