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.
Editor’s Note: Rotoworld’s partner FanDuel is hosting a one-week $2.5 Million Fantasy Football league for Week 11’s games. It’s only $25 to join and first prize is $300,000. Starts Sunday, November 16th at 1pm ET. Here’s the link.
Hot List:
1) Denard Robinson, RB JAX
Back in Week Seven, second year running back Denard Robinson drew the surprise start for the Jacksonville Jaguars. While this did come as a surprise to many fantasy players, considering Robinson had a very quiet rookie season in 2013, the move makes sense. The Jaguars had already started two backs by that time and both had struggled mightily. Since that time, Robinson is the RB8 and has totaled over 100 yards in three of four contests. Robinson is also displaying a nose for the end zone, scoring four times in the past month. The Jags have a nice upcoming schedule, especially once the fantasy playoffs begin, so expect Robinson to continue making a fantasy impact.
2) CJ Anderson, RB DEN
It wasn’t long ago that Broncos’ running back Ronnie Hillman was featured on our Hot List, but sometimes dynasty owners are forced to have short memories. Last week, Hillman suffered a foot injury early in the game and with Montee Ball not yet ready to make his return to the field, it was unheralded CJ Anderson who got the majority of touches out of the backfield, and he made the most of them. Totaling over 160 yards to go along with a touchdown, Anderson was the second highest scoring running back in PPR league, behind only Marshawn Lynch. While Ball is expected to return in Week Eleven, it’s Anderson who should carry the load again. Hillman’s status is uncertain, but he will be out at least the next two weeks.
3) Odell Beckham, Jr., WR NYG
Although he’s been an official NFL player for less than a year, Giants’ rookie receiver Odell Beckham’s dynasty value has zig zagged out of control, with quick hitting rises and falls. First, the Giants selected Beckham higher than most expected, which led dynasty owners to draft him higher as well, increasing his value. Next, he suffered an injury that kept him out of action for the first month of the season. While Brandin Cooks, Allen Hurns and other rookie receivers were making a big impression early on, dynasty owners began to lose faith in Beckham. When he finally did return though, he took over and showed what he can do. Since Beckham returned in Week Five, he’s the WR17 in PPR leagues. With the unfortunate injury to Victor Cruz and the inconsistency of Rueben Randle, it can be argued that Beckham is already the Giants top receiver.
4) Mark Sanchez, QB PHI
Here’s another surprise. I’m guessing none of you ever expect to see Mark Sanchez’ name on the Hot List, but thanks to an injury to starter Nick Foles and the quarterback friendly system of Chip Kelly, here he is. Sanchez made his first NFL start since 2012 and got off to a great start. Sanchez was a top five quarterback in Week Ten and is another player with some nice matchups down the stretch. The dynasty value of Sanchez is limited somewhat due to his past poor play, along with the uncertainty of his role once Foles returns.
5) Mychal Rivera, TE OAK
It should come as no surprise that the top two quarterbacks over the past month are Jimmy Graham and Rob Gronkowski, but would you have guessed that the TE3 over that span is none other than the Raiders’ Mychal Rivera. Rivera has been on a tear over the past three weeks especially. So much so, that three of his four highest scoring fantasy games of his career have come in the past three weeks. The big question though, is can Rivera continue this pace? The key to Rivera’s success has simply been volume. Entering Week Eight, Rivera’s season high in targets was five, back in Week Two. Over the past three weeks, he’s seen seven, eight and six targets respectively. With the Raiders’ receiving corps dealing with a plethora of injuries, expect Rivera to continue to be a focal point of the offense.
Also considered: Mike Evans, Martavis Bryant, John Brown, Blake Bortles, Eddie Lacy, Theo Riddick, Bryce Brown, Terrance West, Emmanuel Sanders, Jordan Matthews, Jarvis Landry, Mohamed Sanu, Chris Hogan, Chase Ford, Austin Seferian-Jenkins
Cold List:
1) Justin Hunter, WR TEN
Maybe our expectations were just too high for Justin Hunter entering his second season with a new coach and lacking a NFL caliber quarterback to throw the ball. Hunter is currently the WR69 in PPR leagues, meaning even in the deepest of leagues or the most challenging bye weeks, Hunter should not sniff your lineup. While he will likely have a couple more big games through the remainder of the season, good luck predicting when those will occur.
2) Michael Crabtree, WR SF
With the large number of disappointing young wide receivers like Hunter, Cordarrelle Patterson, Michael Floyd and others, we’ve seemingly given a pass to some veterans who are letting us down. Michael Crabtree is one of those. The 49ers veteran receiver is WR39, meaning he is outside of WR3 range and not a reliable starter, especially for contending teams. Many have questioned the chemistry between Crabtree and his quarterback Colin Kaepernick, and we’re seeing cause for concern. After getting off to a great start through the season opening three weeks, Crabtree is just WR66 over the past seven weeks. If you can somehow get some value for Crabtree as the trade deadline nears, make that move.
3) Bishop Sankey, RB TEN
While I’m not a believer of building dynasty teams around the running back position, rookie runner Bishop Sankey intrigued me as we entered the 2014 season. After all, he was a playmaker in college, had solid measurable and impressive numbers and landed in a perfect spot. The Titans had only underwhelming veteran Shonn Greene and pass catching back Dexter McCluster. Sankey should have easily won that job and when he didn’t, I became concerned. Then, Greene suffered an injury and my interest in Sankey was revitalized, but he’s still failed to do anything with the opportunity.
4) Marqise Lee, WR JAX
All the talk of the 2014 season has been about the rookie receiver class, which could be the best if all-time. One player who hasn’t gotten in on the fun is also one of the players who was drafted the earliest. Former USC receiver Marqise Lee was the sixth receiver taken in the draft, yet has failed to live up to the hype. To be fair, Lee has been hampered by an ankle injury, but even when healthy, he’s failed to make a mark, while his rookie counterparts, Allen Robinson and Allen Hurns have led the team in receiving. The good news, for Lee’s prospects at least, is the recent foot injury suffered by Robinson. Without their leading receiver, targets should be available. The next few weeks will give fantasy owners a hint of what is to come for Lee and his dynasty value.
5) Branden Oliver, RB SD
With Ryan Mathews and Donald Brown injured a few weeks ago, the team turned to undrafted rookie Branden Oliver, and he looked the part. He quickly drew comparisons to former Chargers’ back Darren Sproles, which should have alerted us all that he was not the every down back of the future. During the three game stretch from Week Four through Week Six, Oliver finished as the RB4 in PPR leagues. Over his past three games, he’s down to RB35 and Mathews is expected back this week. Oliver could still prove to be a Sproles-lite as a speedy pass catcher out of the backfield, but he’s not going to be reliable as a weekly fantasy asset.
Also considered: Michael Floyd, Travis Kelce, Austin Davis, Devonta Freeman, Bernard Pierce, Zac Stacy, Latavius Murray, Antone Smith, Cordarrelle Patterson, Zach Ertz, Vernon Davis
