It’s week 6 and as we enter the autumn/fall there appears to be a few leaves on the line affecting a few hype trains. Alvin Kamara slipped a little while the Jay train himself Jay Ajayi is now in the repair yard after tearing his ACL.
There are still players building up a head of steam and ready to make an impression at the hype train station so let’s see what’s on the departure board this week.
Standing Room only - Adam Thielen
The first player in the Superbowl era to start a season with 5 consecutive 100+ yard receiving games. Thielin is currently 6th overall in PPR fantasy points and the top WR by over 12 points. Only Deandre Hopkins has more receiving yards and nobody has had more receptions so far than his 47. He’s staking a claim to be the WR1 this season and with only Michael Thomas really keeping pace with him it’s hard to argue against that logic.
Reservations Recommended - Mark Ingram
In one game Mark Ingram has scored more points than Fournette, D.Freeman and every TB back. It was an impressive return which caught me by surprise and is slightly soured by the fact he now has a bye week to contend with. His 2 Touchdown performance will raise many eyebrows, especially for those who own Kamara. People are going to buying shares in a fresh, clearly in the groove Ingram if they can. The issue now (apart from the week 6 bye) is how will he and Kamara split the work. There is going to be weeks where one dominated the other like Ingram did to Kamara in week 5. Both will be relevant the majority of the time but predicting the right player week on week is a risk. Whichever player you own, you are likely to roll them out each week and most of the time you will enjoy the journey.
Ready to depart - Wendell Smallwood
With Jay Ajayi out for the season with an ACL year and Corey Clement struggling to perform the platform is there (excuse the pun) for Smallwood to lead the Eagles backfield. The team hasn’t been particularly effective with their run game but injuries and game script have played a part in that. Coach Pederson would like more of a run game but hasn’t yet had the chance as they’ve been playing from behind a lot. A slightly kinder upcoming schedule and now some stability when it comes to injury status should open Smallwood up to earning a decent role and being a serviceable flex option. Corey Clement does remain a threat to Smallwood being a startable option since he will get opportunities and last season he was able to spell Ajayi brilliantly and chip in at good times. If Clement gets a clean bill of health then the split may go more in his direction, but as he is currently nursing a few issues and this league has been keeping medical staff overworked for years now, Smallwood appears the safer bet.
Delayed - Antonio Callaway
When Josh Gordon left Cleveland the hype for Callaway assembles but so far he’s not really got going. The QB change from Tyrod Taylor to Baker Mayfield hasn’t been a smooth transition but at least the Browns do look like they have the ability to win games. The reason I have Callaway here is his upcoming schedule. He broke out against the Saints in week 2 and was a popular pick-up but since then hasn't really troubled the scoreboard. However, after a potentially tricky matchup this week vs the Chargers, the Browns play @TB, @PIT, vs KC and vs ATL before the bye week. That’s a run where you would expect to see more than Jarvis Landry being relevant. Even Baker Mayfield becomes a streaming option so Callaway will have a big part to play. Rashard Higgins looks to be out for a few games, Njoku isn't turning out to be the receiving weapon people were expecting and Duke Johnson has been rather underwhelming in the passing game. This does leave Callaway as the option so he may currently be delayed, but the wheels have a chance to turn again quite soon.
Cancelled - Marquise Goodwin
I didn’t want to cancel this train before it had a chance to run since Goodwin was productive with CJ Beathard when he was the starter a year ago but it just seems that this is not Goodwins year. Niggling injuries have kept him off the field and even when he is out there his key feature was his athletic speed and he’s lost a step compared to the terror he caused last season. With Jimmy G missing and the team being so underwhelming that they got kicked out of the Primetime slot in week 7, they may just shut Goodwin down, let him get the repair time he needs and bring him out fresh next season.
The Sleeper Train – Donte Moncrief
Different title, same purpose, someone who hasn’t arrived at the station yet but may get going in a hurry. The Moncrief train is already slowly rolling after 2 impressive games against the Jets and the Chiefs but the main reason his stock is rising is the loss of Austin Sefarian-Jenkins. One of the key cogs in the passing game had been struggling to deliver and now he’s on IR the targets have had to find a new home. Keelan Cole and Dede Westbrook have been doing fine as the top 2 options, especially while the running game has been injury riddled but it appears Moncrief has provided an answer to the puzzle. During the last 2 games, Moncrief has 11 catches for 185 yards and a TD and was targeted 15 times against the Chiefs with ASJ out of the side. His role is likely to grow and I think the phrase “good grief, Moncrief” may be coming out on more than one occasion.
There are still players building up a head of steam and ready to make an impression at the hype train station so let’s see what’s on the departure board this week.
Standing Room only - Adam Thielen
The first player in the Superbowl era to start a season with 5 consecutive 100+ yard receiving games. Thielin is currently 6th overall in PPR fantasy points and the top WR by over 12 points. Only Deandre Hopkins has more receiving yards and nobody has had more receptions so far than his 47. He’s staking a claim to be the WR1 this season and with only Michael Thomas really keeping pace with him it’s hard to argue against that logic.
Reservations Recommended - Mark Ingram
In one game Mark Ingram has scored more points than Fournette, D.Freeman and every TB back. It was an impressive return which caught me by surprise and is slightly soured by the fact he now has a bye week to contend with. His 2 Touchdown performance will raise many eyebrows, especially for those who own Kamara. People are going to buying shares in a fresh, clearly in the groove Ingram if they can. The issue now (apart from the week 6 bye) is how will he and Kamara split the work. There is going to be weeks where one dominated the other like Ingram did to Kamara in week 5. Both will be relevant the majority of the time but predicting the right player week on week is a risk. Whichever player you own, you are likely to roll them out each week and most of the time you will enjoy the journey.
Ready to depart - Wendell Smallwood
With Jay Ajayi out for the season with an ACL year and Corey Clement struggling to perform the platform is there (excuse the pun) for Smallwood to lead the Eagles backfield. The team hasn’t been particularly effective with their run game but injuries and game script have played a part in that. Coach Pederson would like more of a run game but hasn’t yet had the chance as they’ve been playing from behind a lot. A slightly kinder upcoming schedule and now some stability when it comes to injury status should open Smallwood up to earning a decent role and being a serviceable flex option. Corey Clement does remain a threat to Smallwood being a startable option since he will get opportunities and last season he was able to spell Ajayi brilliantly and chip in at good times. If Clement gets a clean bill of health then the split may go more in his direction, but as he is currently nursing a few issues and this league has been keeping medical staff overworked for years now, Smallwood appears the safer bet.
Delayed - Antonio Callaway
When Josh Gordon left Cleveland the hype for Callaway assembles but so far he’s not really got going. The QB change from Tyrod Taylor to Baker Mayfield hasn’t been a smooth transition but at least the Browns do look like they have the ability to win games. The reason I have Callaway here is his upcoming schedule. He broke out against the Saints in week 2 and was a popular pick-up but since then hasn't really troubled the scoreboard. However, after a potentially tricky matchup this week vs the Chargers, the Browns play @TB, @PIT, vs KC and vs ATL before the bye week. That’s a run where you would expect to see more than Jarvis Landry being relevant. Even Baker Mayfield becomes a streaming option so Callaway will have a big part to play. Rashard Higgins looks to be out for a few games, Njoku isn't turning out to be the receiving weapon people were expecting and Duke Johnson has been rather underwhelming in the passing game. This does leave Callaway as the option so he may currently be delayed, but the wheels have a chance to turn again quite soon.
Cancelled - Marquise Goodwin
I didn’t want to cancel this train before it had a chance to run since Goodwin was productive with CJ Beathard when he was the starter a year ago but it just seems that this is not Goodwins year. Niggling injuries have kept him off the field and even when he is out there his key feature was his athletic speed and he’s lost a step compared to the terror he caused last season. With Jimmy G missing and the team being so underwhelming that they got kicked out of the Primetime slot in week 7, they may just shut Goodwin down, let him get the repair time he needs and bring him out fresh next season.
The Sleeper Train – Donte Moncrief
Different title, same purpose, someone who hasn’t arrived at the station yet but may get going in a hurry. The Moncrief train is already slowly rolling after 2 impressive games against the Jets and the Chiefs but the main reason his stock is rising is the loss of Austin Sefarian-Jenkins. One of the key cogs in the passing game had been struggling to deliver and now he’s on IR the targets have had to find a new home. Keelan Cole and Dede Westbrook have been doing fine as the top 2 options, especially while the running game has been injury riddled but it appears Moncrief has provided an answer to the puzzle. During the last 2 games, Moncrief has 11 catches for 185 yards and a TD and was targeted 15 times against the Chiefs with ASJ out of the side. His role is likely to grow and I think the phrase “good grief, Moncrief” may be coming out on more than one occasion.
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