🏃 Grab This TE Off Waivers ASAP

How badly does Jerry Jones want to reunite with Zeke?

In today's Fantasy Life Newsletter presented by Dollar Flight Club:

National Tight End Day might have been on Sunday, but it would appear that the holiday has been extended for the entire week.

George Kittle and T.J. Hockenson led their teams in receptions on Monday Night Football, and now a late-breaking TE is emerging as the premiere Week 8 waiver wire add…

📉 Zach Ertz to IR

The Cardinals placed veteran TE Zach Ertz on the Injured Reserve yesterday after he suffered a quad strain on Sunday.

Ertz started the season red hot—earning 31% of the targets in Weeks 1 and 2—but had seen his role diminish over the past two weeks:

Even with a reduced role, Ertz leaves behind a big void that will now be filled by the second-year TE you should scoop up on waivers…

📈 Trey McBride is a must-add

Even before Ertz got put on the shelf, things were trending up for the former Mackey Award winner who the Cardinals selected in the second round of the 2022 draft.

Over the last two weeks, McBride saw his routes double into the 50% range and his targets increase (five in Week 6 and six in Week 7):

Now with Ertz out of the picture, McBride should be a near-full-time player (with Geoff Swaim realistically mixing in a little as well).

In addition to seeing the field more, there is lots to get excited about with McBride:

1. There is a ton of volume for TEs in this offense. Only three teams have thrown to the tight end more.

2. McBride offers some much-needed athleticism and yards-after-catch ability that the 32-year-old Ertz couldn’t provide at this stage of his career:

3. And as Matthew notes in the embedded post above, he could be getting a big QB upgrade very soon with Kyler Murray back at practice.

It’s hard to find TEs with legitimate upside on the waiver wire this deep into the season. Michael Mayer is still someone to keep holding (Dwain calls him a high-end TE2 with upside here), but McBride offers immediate Top 10 upside at the position going forward.

The targets should be flowing as early as Sunday when the Cardinals play catch up at home as -8.5 point underdogs to the Ravens:

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They say to respect your elders, and that’s certainly true when it comes to veteran WRs in 2023. Today Ian outlines all of the graybeards defying the age cliff in fantasy…

Old WRs are balling out at historically high rates and it’s like none of you even care.

Okay, sorry for coming at you a bit harshly there, but seriously: This is getting ridiculous.

There are a whopping four WRs posting top-12 PPR per game production who have either already lived on Earth for 30 years or will have done so by the end of 2023:

• Bills WR Stefon Diggs (30 in November): 55 rec-678 yards-6 TD, 22.4 PPR points per game (WR2)

• Chargers WR Keenan Allen (31): 46-574-4, 22.3 (WR3)

• Panthers WR Adam Thielen (33): 49-509-4, 21.1 (WR6)

• Rams WR Cooper Kupp (30): 17-295-1, 18.2 (WR11)

And this doesn’t even include Buccaneers WR Mike Evans (30, WR14) or Raiders WR Davante Adams (31 in December, WR16). These dudes are partying like it’s 2019 again.

This phenomenon is truly rarer than even Vincent Vega’s steaks: Just 14 WRs with an age starting with the number three managed to post top-12 per-game PPR production with a minimum of eight games played from 2013 to 2022 – and never more than three in a season.

While young studs like Justin Jefferson, Ja’Marr Chase and A.J. Brown are certainly making their mark, veteran WRs keeping on keeping on into their 30s is starting to become a trend.

Let’s dive into the aforementioned top-four performers and discern why things have gone so right for them – and whether Father Time will come knocking on their door before the end of this season.

👴 Panthers WR Adam Thielen

Thielen’s Next-Gen Stats route trees are a good illustration of just how involved the 33-year-old veteran has been on a weekly basis this season.

Overall, the Panthers’ clear-cut No. 1 WR is on pace to rack up a career-high 167 targets just one year removed from only seeing 107 pass-game opportunities in a full 17 games.

Volume is the biggest piece of the puzzle, but additional optimism is warranted thanks to the reality that Thielen has proved capable of supplying WR1 goodness with both Bryce Young and Andy “The Red Rocket” Dalton under center. Imagine the possible ceiling for Thielen if the former QB finds a way to, you know, not rank dead last in yards per attempt (5.3).

Ultimately, the Panthers’ slot maven has the sort of low-aDOT role (8.1 yards, 58th among 69 qualified WRs) and sure hands to believe this success can continue. Thielen finds himself atop the top of the leaderboard when it comes to most receptions without a drop this season.

• Thielen (49 receptions without a drop)

• Chris Olave (39)

• Darren Waller (35)

• Michael Thomas (34)

• Kendrick Bourne (34)

Is featuring Thielen as your offense’s end-all-be-all No. 1 option in the year 2023 the sign of a highly lethal NFL offense? Probably not, and the Panthers accordingly rank as a bottom-10 offense in points per game, yards per play and EPA per play through seven weeks.

That said, Thielen continues to look a lot like the engine of a unit not exactly overflowing with additional pass-game options that are demanding more work.

I’d bet against Thielen maintaining top-six production the rest of the way, but a legit WR1 finish is firmly in his range of outcomes with a clean bill of health thanks to nothing more than that sweet, sweet fantasy-friendly volume.

🚀 The Best NFL Receivers, per the analytics. ESPN’s tracking data has a fresh look.

🙏 The RB due for a TD. It has to happen soon, right?

📺 UPGRADE these rookies! Dwain, Marcas, and Ian adjust the ranks ahead of Week 8.

📈 You may want to add these players. Everything points to a breakout on the horizon.

👀 Stash this RB. There’s opportunity in this backfield for the starter.

🤦‍♂️ A Saints WR was arrested for reckless driving. C’mon dude.

🏆️ The best team in football? They are crushing in all three phases.

👢 The Rams make a kicker swap. That’s a new name.

🧨 The teams who combine for fantasy goodness. The Colts are fun.

🤣 Tyson Bagent’s dad is electric. Need him doing commentary for every Bears game.

😢 Marvin Jones is stepping away from football. We wish him the best.

Week 7 is in the books! Cooterdoodle is back to walk us through the fantasy landscape from a buy, sell, hold perspective…

Here are some players with plenty of question marks looming.

Whether it be coaching questions, the looming return of elite competition, bad offenses, or the dreaded RB committee. Let’s break down some uncomfortable Buy, Sell, Holds as we head into Week 8.

🛒BUY

📈 Drake London, WR - Falcons

🤬 The Bad/The Ugly: Atlanta’s offense has not looked pretty this season. But it’s also possible that they haven’t looked quite bad enough to make any major changes.

Desmond Ridder has thrown only six TDs in seven games (Zero TDs in two of those outings) and he’s matched that mediocre stat line with six INTs.

You have to wonder, can any WR thrive in conditions like this?

😍 The Good: London’s targets and usage are a major silver lining. In four out of the last seven games, London has seen 100% of Atlanta’s end zone targets. He’s also been able to produce double-digit fantasy scores in spite of ATL’s offensive issues.

If the Falcons make a change at QB, or find a way to improve with the one they’ve got, London is the direct beneficiary. I’m buying.

🛒 SELL

📉 Darrell Henderson, RB - Rams

I’ll keep this one simple. Darrell Henderson is here for a good time, not a long time.

Sure, he saw 18 carries for 61 yards and a TD in Week 7. There’s no denying the volume.

But Kyren Williams will return from IR in the upcoming weeks. Add Williams to an already split backfield with Henderson and Royce Freeman and this is now an RB gamble I’m not comfortable taking bets on.

Oh! And don't forget, if you have Henderson, you got him at an extreme discount thanks to the Zach Evans hype train that got derailed.

Sell high on the Henderson hype.

🛒 HOLD

🤝 Jordan Addison, WR - Vikings

🤬 The Bad/The Ugly: There’s another WR in town named Justin Jefferson. Remember him? He’s the guy that usually catches Kirk Cousins’ multiple TDs passes per game, and his return from IR could throw a wrench in the Jordan Addison hype train.

😍 The Good: We’ve seen rookie WRs thriving in 2023, even in the return of elite veterans (Hi, Puka Nacua). It’s possible that Addison and JJ find a way to share their toys (read: yardage and TDs) like the Rams WR duo has.

It’s also possible that Jefferson’s return takes longer than expected. But even when Jefferson was on the field, Addison saw an average of 13% of the team’s targets with some end zone targets sprinkled in.

While you could absolutely sell Addison for a major haul, I’m holding on to talent.