STOCK UP
Miles Sanders - RB, Eagles
Let’s face it, you listened to Sanders this past summer when he told us not to draft him and you didn’t. I don’t blame you, but who did you think was going to lead the Eagles’ running backs group? Sanders is currently RB9 in PPR formats. I didn’t have him ranked this high myself, but I wasn’t going to avoid drafting him. The Jalen Hurts-led Eagles’ offense is a machine and quite frankly, Sanders has turned out to be the best value on the unit. Sanders saw a season-high 27 carries in a Week 4 game in which the Eagles trailed 14-0 at one point. Even prior to this, he came into Week 4 averaging 15 carries per game which is more than good enough to be in your starting lineups. While Kenneth Gainwell (also sometimes Boston Scott and Trey Sermon) will see his share of the pie, Miles has proven to be the Eagles’ go-to in the running game. He’s a comfortable RB2 in your lineups moving forward.
Despite the RB's comments to the contrary, @LordDontLose makes the case for why you should in fact, draft Miles Sanders.
— Rotoworld by NBC Sports (@rotoworld) July 1, 2022
Read his latest Weekly Wrap-up: https://t.co/mXKxNBEMXv pic.twitter.com/HI4zVLlKCt
Mike Boone - RB, Broncos
The Broncos feared the worst with Javonte Williams’ leg injury. Those fears came to fruition when it was announced that Williams suffered a torn ACL and LCL and will miss the rest of the season. Although his impact was minimal, Boone’s three carries for 20 yards in Week 4 was certainly the most efficient of the Broncos’ running backs. He could be in line for more work with the Williams news. Melvin Gordon, who most (of you) fantasy managers hated since the Broncos draftEd Williams, didn’t do anything to give the coaching staff any confidence after fumbling for the fourth time this season. Gordon is the better back, but they probably won’t give him a true lead-back role because of this. For Williams’ managers especially, you may want to use a small amount of FAAB (6-10%) to acquire Boone on waivers. I can’t say he’ll be a league winner, but he definitely should be on your radar depending on your situation.
DK Metcalf - WR, Seahawks
There’s a few guys I could put there, Geno Smith or Rashaad Penny, because all are on the rise after their recent performances. We’ll focus on Metcalf since he’s a player who’s faced doubts about his potential without Russell Wilson. Well so far so good, Metcalf has continued to ball and Smith is part of the reason why. After a slow start (where he still saw 13 targets) the first two weeks, Metcalf has been WR5 over his past two games. He’s seen double-digit targets in each of the past two games and is thriving with Smith. Tyler Lockett in that same span is WR20, so both are eating. It’s always best to trust the talent over the system or situation and Metcalf has proven that. There were questions about this in the beginning, but Metcalf should be started every week without question.
STOCK DOWN
Kyle Pitts - TE, Falcons
I’m not doing another video with Matthew Berry begging and pleading for Pitts to get more looks. This is so damn bad. I want to curse but I’m not sure how NBC would react even though they know how I am. The only silver lining to Pitts’ lack of production this season is that absolutely no one predicted it. Sure, there may have been some concerns, but no one thought it would be this bad. After teasing us with eight targets, five receptions and 87 yards in Week 3, Pitts put back on his “streaming tight end” costume and caught a pass for 25 yards in Week 4. The Falcons ended up winning the game, so coach Arthur Smith has the upper hand. Pitts has 10 receptions and 150 yards so far this season, that should be his ceiling on any day he plays football. Nonetheless, the results are the results, so how should we adjust? I don’t think you can, you (we) likely drafted Pitts as our plug-and-play tight end and didn’t draft another until the very late rounds. Once Marcus Mariota threw an interception in Week 4, the Falcons all but abandoned the pass. Not even Drake London, who’s been consistent, could get going (2/17/0). Maybe start Desmond Ridder? We got nothing but hope.
Gabe Davis - WR, Bills
Davis’s value is dropping drastically by the week. I actually thought he could have a nice fluke game against the Ravens’ weak secondary, but no. To date he’s averaging 4.6 targets, 2.6 receptions and 46 yards per game. That’s garbage and it’s only good for WR65 right now, one notch below Jakobi Meyers who’s missed the past two games. For team comparison, fellow receiver Isaiah McKenzie is WR33. Davis was set to have a breakout season and maybe it still happens, but through the first quarter of the season it doesn’t look good. He has been hobbled with an ankle injury, but then why play right? Jamison Crowder will be out indefinitely with a broken ankle and McKenzie is in concussion protocol, perhaps he can take advantage of a few busted coverages against the Steelers in Week 5.
Joe Mixon - RB, Bengals
Mixon and the Bengals are not running the ball well at all. Are they running a lot? Yes, but it stinks. Currently sitting at RB15, Mixon is continuing to get the volume that makes him a must-start each week. You have to figure at some point a guy who gets almost 25 touches per game will eventually make more out of his opportunities. The revamped offensive line hasn’t been able to gel enough for Mixon to break loose. While his stock is down, I wouldn’t suggest trading him unless the offer is too good to be true. In fact, I would seek to trade for him because his volume is what will keep him relevant, but a tough start to the season for Mixon individually.
