The Hot Sheet looks at which top prospects are excelling and which ones are struggling on a week-to-week basis. The consensus top-flight players may not always appear on this list because we are trying to help you find the next group of breakout players before your league mates do.
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Hot List:
1) Jeremy Hill, RB CIN
All attention was on the Bengals’ rookie running back in Week 9 as Jeremy Hill got the start in place of injured Giovani Bernard and the former LSU Tiger didn’t disappoint. Hill carried the ball 24 times, gaining over 150 yards along with two scores. While the rookie wide receivers have gotten most of the attention from dynasty owners, Hill is reminding us of the importance of a banger at the running back position. His dynasty value is on the rise big time, and with so many question marks at that position in the league, you could argue that Hill is already a top 12 dynasty back. His recent dynasty ADP placed him at RB12, and that was before his breakout game.
2) Mike Evans, WR TB
Here we have one of the aforementioned rookie wide receivers, Mike Evans of the Buccaneers, who had the best game of his brief career in Week 9, hauling in seven passes for 124 yards and, like Hill, finding the end zone twice. Evans’ short-term upside may be limited, we’ll get to that later, but his long-term value is off the charts. He fits the mold of the current elite tier of receivers and after showing a glimpse of what he can do his dynasty value has skyrocketed.
3) Mark Ingram, RB NO
The Saints’ running back usage has been tough to figure over the past few years, but we are gaining some clarity, at least over the past two games. Fourth year back Mark Ingram, a free agent at the conclusion of the season, has exploded the past two weeks, rushing for a total of 272 yards and scoring three touchdowns. In Week 8, Ingram set his career high for carries in a game with 24 and he bested that in Week 9 with 30, showing he can handle a heavy workload. Over his four years as a pro, each time Ingram has received a minimum of 14 carries, he’s gained at least 50 rushing yards. Ingram’s play of the late, along with the pedestrian performance from Khiry Robinson and Pierre Thomas finally showing his age, will present the Saints with a difficult decision at the conclusion of the season.
4) Jeremy Maclin, WR PHI
Another player soon to become a free agent is Eagles’ wide receiver Jeremy Maclin and fortunately for him, he’s enjoying a career year. The knock on Maclin through his first four seasons in the league has been that he has been unable to elevate his game to an elite level, failing to break the 1,000 yard mark in any season thus far. That could change this year as Maclin already has over 800 receiving yards through just eight games and is easily the top option in Chip Kelly’s up-tempo offense. Maclin’s dynasty ADP has risen from 83 in the pre-season to 35 currently, showing us just how much value Maclin is gaining.
5) Dwayne Allen, TE IND
In a season where the tight end position has taken its lumps with multiple injuries along with disappointing play from others, one of the most consistent players in the league has been Colts’ tight end Dwayne Allen. Through nine games, there have only been two in which Allen has failed to reach paydirt. Allen has not had the explosive game to really get the attention of dynasty owners, but he has consistently provided his owners with 12-15 fantasy points and ranks as the TE8 on the season. We’ve mentioned how players benefit from playing with quarterback Andrew Luck and Allen is another one of those. Be sure you’re taking advantage of this safe option.
Also considered: Martavis Bryant, Rob Gronkowski, Ronnie Hillman, Denard Robinson, Ben Roethlisberger, Andrew Luck, Ryan Tannehill, Terrance West, http://www.nbcsports.com/edge/player/NFL/5698/Antonio-BrownAntonio Brown, Mohamed Sanu, Kenny Stills, Randall Cobb, Mychal Rivera, Chase Ford, Taylor Gabriel, Mark Sanchez
Cold List:
1) Nick Foles, QB PHI
It’s been a difficult season for Eagles’ quarterback Nick Foles. First, there were some whispers in the pre-season that he could be challenged for the starting job by Jets castoff Mark Sanchez, who had played well during the exhibition portion of the season. While Foles did earn the starting gig, he has not had the same magical season as a year ago and after suffering a broken clavicle in Week 9, his season just got shorter. Sanchez will take over the team for the next several games with Foles expected to be out up to six weeks, which makes him almost useless from a fantasy perspective for the remainder of the season. Now, we are again hearing the reports that some factions preferred Sanchez anyway. If the former first round pick plays well, there is a chance a quarterback controversy could be brewing.
2) Zach Ertz, TE PHI
I mentioned Foles not looking the same as he did a season ago and that has been to the detriment of young tight end Zach Ertz. Many were rightfully predicting a breakout season from Ertz, but he been quiet almost all season. After the first two weeks of the season, Ertz was the TE9 with back-to-back solid performances, but in the seven weeks since, he’s only TE25. Not only is he not a starting level player, he hasn’t even been scoring as a reliable backup player. As a young player in the Kelly offense, Ertz still has plenty of upside, but he has been a huge disappointment this year and his value has taken a hit.
3) Michael Floyd, WR ARZ
Cardinals’ wide receiver Michael Floyd has been one of the most disappointing players in the league. Those are clearly strong words, but Floyd is a player that was being counted on heavily in both redraft and dynasty leagues as a breakout player. While he has flashed in a few games, the games in which he’s struggled, including his goose egg game of Week 8 was a real disaster for fantasy owners. Floyd will have other big games this year, just as he did in Weeks 1 and 3, but good luck predicting when those will come.
4) Ryan Fitzpatrick, QB HOU
Mike Glennon, QB TB
This may not be major news for anyone outside of 2QB leagues, but both Mike Glennon and Ryan Fitzpatrick got benched this week in what can best be described as questionable decisions. The Buccaneers have been destined for a high pick, playing poorly all year, and it’s fairly obvious that neither Glennon nor his replacement Josh McCown is the long-term answer at the quarterback position. The Bucs will likely use a high pick to add a rookie quarterback this off-season. The bad news here is how McCown could affect Mike Evans and the rest of the Tampa offense. After forming a solid connection with Glennon, the Bucs will be starting fresh.
In Houston, the Texans have looked like a playoff team at times this year, but losing four of their past five games has forced their hand and they will now give the ball to Ryan Mallett, the talented former Patriot. Though it seems like Mallett has been around forever, we’ve seen almost none of him in meaningful game action, so the pressure will be on when he takes the field in Week 11. Again, this change is more about how Mallett will affect receivers Andre Johnson and DeAndre Hopkins and less about fantasy owners losing Fitzpatrick.
5) Julius Thomas, TE DEN
It’s tough to place the TE5 and a player who has already scored 10 touchdowns on the cold list, but in the past three games, we’re seeing the effect of Payton Manning having so many options and it’s hurt tight end Julius Thomas, who has a total of 22 points through three games. He’s had two games earlier in the season where he scored more than that. The Broncos’ offense features other top pass catchers like Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders, so the tight end can’t have a big game every week. Manning is well-known for force feeding his slumping teammates, so don’t be surprised if Thomas has a big game in Week 10 against the lowly Raiders.
Also considered: Cordarrelle Patterson, Zac Stacy, Russell Wilson, Jerick McKinnon, Tre Mason, Giovani Bernard, Toby Gerhart, Marqise Lee, Stedman Bailey, Steve Smith, Terrance Williams, Jace Amaro
