The Hype Train Station

It’s time to take another trip to the Hype Train Station and see who is on the right track, who might give you a nice journey, who might get a little stuck en route and who isn’t even leaving the station.


Standing Room only - Keelan Cole
The Jags wide receiver might have already produced the catch of the season with the one-handed grab under pressure along the sideline against the Patriots and I think there’s more to come. Cole has some hype pre-season and that gathered steam when Marquise Lee went down. With so many receivers in the mix in Jacksonville, there were a number of trains in the station and the question was which one would set off first. Cole has a monster day on Sunday in the vengeance victory against New England, reeling in 7 catches for 116 yards and a touchdown. The week before he was the teams’ top receiver and that should continue. Any game Fournette missed could be a monster for Cole but even with the bruising running back in the game Cole is a popular alternative outlet for Bortles. Now you know which train to board, get your ticket quickly, he’s not going to be down at 45% owned after this Wednesday's waiver wire processes.

Reservations Recommended - Will Fuller
Fuller returned from injury with quite a bang, although it’s maybe wasn’t as loud as the bang of Deshaun Watson crashing back to earth after last year. Fuller had 8 catches for 113 yards and a TD which even bettered Deandre Hopkins tally. He’s back and the Texans offence will be better for it. The reason I have reservations is that Watson needs to get his head back into the game and get his decision making back on point. The talent is definitely there and I think that whole Texans offence plays better when both h Hopkins and Fuller are in there. Fuller does look like a great option going forwards so a lot of players are going to be heading towards his platform.

Delayed - Royce Freeman
This one pains me as I have a lot of stock in Freeman and I was one of many hyping him during the offseason. The situation was the best for a rookie to fall in to and whoever went there was set to be a great asset. That statement is still factually true but it would appear the player is Phillip Lindsey. Lindsey has had 178 yards from 29 attempts and 3 receptions for 35 yards and a touchdown in his 2 games so far. Meanwhile Freeman (who was often being picked in the 4th or 5th round) has managed 99 yards on 23 attempts and one touchdown. Interestingly he’s yet to catch a ball in his NFL career so even Fullback Andy Janovich is ahead of him in receiving yards. Freeman looked a real talent on film but in play he’s just not lived up to it and Lindsey has surpassed everyone’s expectations. It’ll be hard for the Freeman hype train to get the signal to leave the station again. It’s quite plausible it’ll be declared a failure and dragged back to the depot. Don’t count him out too soon though, there’s still a chance he can break out, as opposed to break down.

Cancelled - Jameson Crowder
Last week I chose someone with a hype train rolling that I said not to get on in Jay Ajayi which I nearly felt vindicated in saying when he went down but of course he returned to get a TD. I’m still not grabbing a ticket but I’ll at least take a picture of the train. This week I’m going to mention a guy who had a hype train all offseason but so far it’s barely left the depot.
Jameson Crowder looked ready to be Alex Smiths new favourite target after his move to Washington and the Fantasy community had high hopes. With how low Jordan Reed, Josh Doctson and Paul Richardson fell most felt he was the guy to own but as it stands, he’s not even released the brakes yet. In 2 games he has a combined 5 catches for 40 yards and no touchdowns while also rushing twice for 29 yards against the Colts. He’s just not clicked with Alex Smith yet and on the evidence, we have so far, it may take a while for him to do so.

The Empty Stock train - OJ Howard
After last week suggesting Enunwa might give you a good journey, this week I’m thinking about grabbing a drinks complimentary ticket so I can get some OJ. OJ Howard looks to be the redzone Tight End for the Buccaneers. With Notorious Fitzmagic at the helm he’s looked a real threat and with 3 catches for 96 yards and a TD after grabbing 54 yards in the opener and leaving Brate with a goose egg, he’s a guy to target. Owned in only 21% of ESPN games he’s may well be out there and if you’re one of those streaming the tight end, he could prove more than just a matchup-based play.