🧳 2 RBs You Need To Stash

Someone keep AJ Brown away from Chipotle...

In today’s Fantasy Life Newsletter presented by Solgaard:

We have lots of fantasy news to sift through today. Here's everything you need to know...

🚑 Eli Mitchell out 6-8 weeks, CMC day-to-day

Oof, Mitchell cannot catch a break. He's set for another extended absence after spraining his MCL. This should certainly help boost CMC's workload (although he's dealing with knee irritation as well), but make sure to stash both rookie RBs, Tyrion Davis-Price and Jordan Mason. One of them will see touches immediately and both have league-winning upside in this offense if CMC's knee stuff lingers. More on them below.

🚑 Darnell Mooney out for the season

It's been a rough week for the Bears. First, Justin Fields dislocated his left shoulder. Then the Bears got walloped by the Jets. And now they'll be without their top WR for the rest of the year after Mooney undergoes surgery due to an ankle injury he sustained on Sunday. Mooney finished this season with 40 receptions for 493 yards and 2 TDs.

This is a low pass volume offense, so there's not much opportunity to go around, but Chase Claypool will be locked in as the WR1 going forward.

➕ The Chiefs are signing Melvin Gordon

There it is. After getting cut by the Broncos and clearing waivers, the Chiefs are expected to sign Gordon to their practice squad. The Chiefs have clearly been on the hunt for more options at RB since losing Clyde Edwards-Helaire to IR. 

Gordon is still likely an injury away from being fantasy relevant, but he should be stashed on most benches. In case you were sick enough to add Ronald Jones last week (I could be referring to anyone, really), you are free to toss him back.

⚖️ Deshaun Watson set to return

The Browns officially added Watson to their 53-man roster yesterday and he is expected to start vs. the Texans. If he's still kicking around on your waiver wire and you need upside at QB, you won't find a better add.

Let's just not forget:

📁 Misc. files

• Phew, Travis Etienne is going to be ok:

• Joe Mixon (concussion) should be back for Sunday's matchup vs. the Chiefs.

• J.K. Dobbins (knee) will return to practice this week. I know he's burned managers and can't stay healthy, but he should be rostered everywhere. The Ravens really need a spark on offense, and he can provide that.

• Good news for the Jets: Michael Carter is day-to-day with a low ankle sprain and could potentially play this week.

• Damien Harris is dealing with a thigh injury and won't play Thursday. He's considered week-to-week.

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Cooterdoodle is back to walk us through the fantasy landscape from a buy, sell, hold perspective...

Want to buy, sell, and hold REAL athlete stocks? Mojo is the all-new sports stock market that lets you invest in NFL and college athletes and turn your sports knowledge into real money. Trade instantly, anytime, all year long. You can even SHORT an overrated player's stock and profit when the share price goes down. Mojo is fully licensed & regulated.

Trade deadlines have come and gone, but fantasy football perseveres. Let’s zoom out and talk about Buy/Sell from a broader lens this week: Player News & Trends. 

 SELL

🛒 Jordan Love starts Week 13

The love triangle that is: the Packers organization, Aaron Rodgers, and Jordan Love, continues... As with any romantic comedy, we’re stuck in the “will they, won’t they” phase. The fans love Love, who performed beautifully in Week 12 with 6 completed passes for 113 yards and 1 TD. But as with any love triangle, the choice is never easy. Rodgers is proven, familiar, and probably very vocal about the situation. 

Although Rodgers’ injury may be worse than initially reported, the Packers are not eliminated from the playoffs just yet. 

Rodgers expressed after his exit that he wants to play as long as playoff hopes are alive. Regardless of the outcome, there’s one thing that has become very clear:

BUY

🛒 Christian Watson is the WR to roster in GB

I was very skeptical of a repeat performance after Watson’s 4 catches for 107 yards and 3 TDs in Week 10. While he hasn’t reproduced those exact numbers, it is clear that Rodgers and Love trust him. And most importantly, Watson is getting the job done. 

In the last three weeks, Watson has had two 100+ yard games and 6 TDs. It’s hard to ignore. He’s fast. He’s efficient. And he’s making other rookie WRs look bad in the best way possible. I’m sorry for doubting you, Christian.

Consider this my formal apology.

🛒 Garrett Wilson is that dude

Even with Zach Wilson throwing, Garrett Wilson managed 319 yards on 26 catches through 7 weeks. But what’s more exciting is Garrett’s performances without out-of-whack Zach. With QBs Mike White and Joe Flacco, Garrett has brought home 306 yards, and 4 TDs on 23 catches through 4 weeks. That’s right. Say it with me… “Thank you, HC, Robert Saleh!” 

While Saleh expressed intent to start Zach again in the future, his statement came before White’s 315-yard and 3-TD performance. 

Not only has Garrett demonstrated his worth across 3 QBs this season, but he’s commanding targets, leading the Jets in target share in Week 12. As the kids say, Garrett Wilson is that dude.

🔥 The rookie WR setting the league on fire. The man does not believe in regression.

💸 A new Super Bowl favorite has emerged. Do you like their odds at 4/1?

😤 The Raiders are frustrated with their TE. A Derek Carr "subtweet"??

📻 Fantasy Life is back on AMP! Get your waiver questions answered today at 4pm ET!

🔒 A wild Niners stat. How is this possible?

🤢 Poor AJ Brown. That does not sound like a fun night.

👐 Oh hello, George Pickens. He seems to do this every week.

💔 It's like they always say...Love hurts.

😟 Not much is going right for the Rams. This rookie RB might be the only bright spot left. Get him on your rosters. 

Waivers are a crucial component of fantasy football, and nabbing the next league winner ahead of your leaguemates can help you edge out that title. Each Tuesday, Sam Wallace will highlight players to target in your redraft leagues. 

➕ Tyrion Davis-Price / Jordan Mason

• Available in 99% & 100% of leagues respectively

It was a tough news day for the 49ers. RB Elijah Mitchell (knee) will miss 6-8 weeks, while fellow RB Christian McCaffrey is listed as day-to-day with “knee irritation.”

Up next? RBs Jordan Mason and Tyrion Davis-Price. Davis-Price has been a healthy scratch for three consecutive weeks, but he’s our preferred addition. Davis-Price, a third-round pick from LSU, sports 4.48-speed and offers significantly more upside than Mason.

Davis-Price and Mason have both appeared in just three games this season so there’s not much to go on. We’re chasing the upside of TDP on this high-scoring offense.

FAAB: 40% (Davis-Price) / 15% (Mason)

➕ Darius Slayton

• Available in 45% of leagues

Veteran WR Darius Slayton almost had a much bigger fantasy performance on Thanksgiving when he was tackled on the one-yard line following a 44-yard reception. Still, he has either 60 receiving yards or a TD in six of his last seven games. He’s also averaging almost 50 snaps per game (PFF) in that span.

Since Week 5, Slayton has earned a 20% target share, a 30% receiving yard share, and has accounted for 28% of the passing TDs by QB Daniel Jones. Following the loss of rookie WR Wan’Dale Robinson, Slayton is a solid WR3 option with upside the rest of the way.

• FAAB: 35%

➕ Michael Gallup

• Available in 52% of leagues

After a turbulent start to the season, the Dallas Cowboys offense has been firing on all cylinders.  Over their last four games, QB Dak Prescott has nine TD passes and has topped 250 passing yards in each game.

WR Michael Gallup has taken advantage of this trend. Despite scoring just one TD (Week 4), he has earned a 20% target share and an 18% receiving yards share over his last four games. He’s also averaging 52 snaps per game (PFF) over his last six games.

Gallup’s production won’t blow you away, and the lack of TDs doesn’t help. However, getting a piece of an offense averaging 27 points per game since Week 2 is something to strongly consider.

FAAB: 30%

➕ Zay Jones

• Available in 77% of leagues

You won’t find league winners on the waiver wire every week, but you don’t always need a homerun-type pickup. Sometimes you just need a consistent option to fill out the back of your roster.

But what if you could have both? WR Zay Jones might be just what you need.

Jones posted career-high marks in targets (14), receptions (11), and receiving yards (145) in a thrilling victory over the visiting Ravens. Jones also hauled in the go-ahead two-point conversion with less than a minute left. He’s averaging 7.9 targets per game and over 60 snaps per game (PFF) on the season.

By comparison, fellow WR Christian Kirk is averaging 8.2 targets and 60 snaps per game (PFF). Jones is an ideal late-season pickup, especially in PPR formats.

FAAB: 30%

➕ Kyren Williams

• Available in 64% of leagues

Rookie RB Kyren Williams saw his largest workload of the season in Week 12. He handled 58% of the RB rushing attempts and 100% of the RB targets. His 13% target share is also noteworthy.

The Rams will be without WR Allen Robinson for the rest of the season after it was announced he will need surgery on his foot. With few fantasy-relevant options remaining, Williams could be a sneaky addition to fill out your roster with the fantasy playoffs coming soon.

FAAB: 7%

Need more waiver wire guidance? Check out our Waiver Wire Hub for more picks from Sam & Dwain McFarland!