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 $2.25 Million Fantasy Football league for Week 14’s games. It’s only $25 to join and first prize is $250,000. Starts Sunday, December 7th at 1pm ET. Here’s the link.
Hot List:
1.) DeAndre Hopkins, WR HOU
As the Houston Texans returned to Ryan Fitzpatrick as their starting quarterback, expectations were high for wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins. Using the RotoViz Game Splits App, we see that Hopkins is averaging over 30 more yards per game and scoring over seven more fantasy points per game with Fitzpatrick as compared to the games in which Ryan Mallett started. With that said, no one expected the huge game Hopkins put up in Week 14, as he scored more fantasy points than any other receiver this season, totaling nine receptions for 238 yards and a pair of scores. With Fitzpatrick under center for the remainder of the season, Hopkins is locked in as a starting wide receiver in all fantasy formats.
2.) Coby Fleener, TE IND
A season ago, Colts’ tight end Dwayne Allen suffered a season ending injury and expectations for his fellow tight end Coby Fleener skyrocketed, only to see him fall flat. This year has been different though. Allen has missed the past three games and over that short span, Fleener is the top overall tight end, even outscoring Rob Gronkowski. Fleener had one of the best games of his career with seven catches for 127 yards and two touchdowns. He even dropped what could have been an easy third touchdown. With Fleener performing so well and once again earning the trust of his former Stanford teammate Andrew Luck, it will be interesting to see how things play out when Allen returns, which could be this week.
3.) Dan Herron, RB IND
Even to the ultimate Trent Richardson haters, the sudden solid play of Colts’ running back Dan Herron must come as a surprise. Herron has been in the league for three years now, though he’s never really had a shot at extensive playing time until now. In each of the past two games, since starter Ahmad Bradshaw has been hurt, Herron has set new career highs for rushing yards. Also over those two games, he’s the RB11. Being able to find a starting running back on the waiver wire at this late point in the season is the type of move that can propel a team to a championship.
4.) Torrey Smith, WR BAL
One of the surprising stories from the early part of the season was the disappointing play of Ravens’ receiver Torrey Smith. While his new teammate Steve Smith was stealing the show and playing like a 25 year old, Torrey Smith was only the WR48 through the season’s first eight games. Since that time though, the younger Smith has shown what made so many fantasy owners trust him and has been the WR19 since Week Nine. As the clear top option in the Ravens’ offense, expect Smith to continue his strong recent play.
5.) Kenny Stills, WR NO
Speaking of some impressive recent play, did you realize the Saints’ Kenny Stills is a WR1 over the past three weeks? That’s right, since rookie receiver Brandin Cooks went down with a broken thumb, Stills’ role in the Saints’ offense has grown and he is the WR11 over the past three games, including a new career high of 162 yards last week against the Steelers. With the Saints battling for a playoff spot, expect them to continue to throw the ball around the field and Stills makes a fine weekly starter for the remainder of the season.
Also considered: Andrew Luck, Tre Mason, Le’Veon Bell, CJ Anderson, Donte Moncrief, Jordan Reed, Keenan Allen, Stedman Bailey, Mark Sanchez, Josh Gordon, Davante Adams, Jermaine Gresham, Dion Sims
Cold List:
1.) Jimmy Graham, TE NO
Don’t get me wrong, Saints’ tight end Jimmy Graham is still an excellent weekly play and I’d never consider benching him, but for a player who was considered head and shoulders above all others at his position, he has been a slight disappointment. Maybe Graham has just spoiled us over the years, but he only has one game this season with over 100 receiving yards, while Patriots’ tight end Rob Gronkowski has three such games and two more with over 90 yards. Coming off a major let down in which Graham failed to even see a target, his dynasty owners are on tilt. Come off the ledge a bit and I’m sure Graham will be back to hit top two tight end status soon, just don’t expect the once dominant force we’ve been accustomed to seeing.
2.) Rueben Randle, WR NYG
While Giants’ wide receiver Rueben Randle had an average game last week, catching three passes for 52 yards, he was actually benched for a period of time in the Jaguars game. Reports are the benching was due to Randle being tardy for a team meeting, but this is just another wrinkle in the consistently frustrating career of Randle. He has had opportunity after opportunity to step up and become a top receiver, both for the Giants and for fantasy owners, and he continues to disappoint. I’ve been a huge proponent of Randle, but he’s really giving fantasy owners little reason to trust him and he has begun to fall down my rankings.
3.) Colin Kaepernick, QB SF
Colin Kaepernick has opened himself up to a lot of criticism with his behavior off the field. No, he’s not breaking laws, doing drugs, beating his girlfriend or some of the other terrible behavior we’ve seen from athletes recently, but he also seems to indulge the fame that has come with his starting quarterback position. If he does that while posting fantasy stats and winning games, everyone is happy. If either of those two fall off, trouble arises. Kaepernick has not been a QB1 since Week Six and only has three top 12 performances on the season. Kaepernick was once a fan favorite, but with his performance this year, he is not a safe option to use, especially in the fantasy playoffs where a loss signals the end of the season.
4.) Zach Ertz, TE PHI
Eagles’ tight end was expected to make the leap to the upper tier of fantasy tight ends in 2014. After all, he ended the 2013 season on a strong note and was part of the high-powered Chip Kelly offense in Philadelphia. When you factor in they lost receiver DeSean Jackson, it only made sense that Ertz would play a pivotal role, which would delight his dynasty owners. That hasn’t really happened though. Not once this season has Ertz scored as a top five tight end and he’s only TE18 on the season in PPR scoring. While the Eagles overage over 31 points per game, Ertz has only found the end zone twice this entire season. Ertz is still a player I like for the long-term, and maybe 2015 will be his true breakout season, but he should not be anywhere near your starting lineup the remainder of 2014.
5.) Brian Hoyer, QB CLE
The appearance of Cleveland Browns quarterback Brian Hoyer on the Cold List is less about Hoyer and more about who he is blocking…rookie Johnny Manziel. After playing poorly and falling behind in Week 13 at Buffalo, Hoyer was benched and Manziel got his first shot at extended play in the league. Manziel played less than a quarter, but still outscored Hoyer both in fantasy scoring, as well as actual points, scoring the team’s only touchdown of the day. In a surprising decision, head coach Mike Pettine opted to return to Hoyer as his starter for the upcoming game in Week 14, though reports are that he will be on a short leash, meaning Manziel could see some time if Hoyer’s struggles continue.
Also considered: Jonas Gray, Isaiah Crowell, Cordarrelle Patterson, Martavis Bryant, Trent Richardson, Cam Newton, Zac Stacy, Toby Gerhart, Christine Michael, Bernard Pierce, Darren McFadden, Charles Sims, Michael Crabtree, Michael Floyd, Hakeem Nicks, Vernon Davis, Eric Ebron, Ladarius Green
