Why the Colts benched Anthony Richardson and what it means
The Colts benched Anthony Richardson 10 starts into his NFL career. Nate Atkins breaks down the reasons behind the move and where this could go next.
What a wacky Week 9 it has been. Somehow the New England Patriots forced overtime on a last-second touchdown. The Buffalo Bills secured a victory on a last-second 60-yard field goal. The Carolina Panthers earned their second win of the season. And the New York Giants nearly took down the Washington Commanders.
It’s been absolute chaos, but as Littlefinger once said, “Chaos is a ladder.” It provides the opportunity for the fearless to climb up their fantasy leaderboards. If you can spot the players that stood out, you could make a late-season push for the playoffs.
Here are eight players to eye on waivers this week.
*All roster figures are via Yahoo Sports
Despite the emergence of Cedric Tillman, who scored yet again in Week 9, Jeudy has been one of the greatest benefactors of Amari Cooper’s departure. Jeudy led the Browns in receptions (7) and prior to Tillman’s last-second touchdown, Jeudy led the team in receiving yards as well. Jeudy now has 19 targets over the last two weeks and has scored double-digit PPR points in each of those games as well. If you have a deep roster, Jeudy could be an easy target to pick up given that the Browns will be on bye in Week 10.
While rookie Ladd McConkey is the clear-cut WR1 on the Chargers, Johnston has bounced back from his abysmal rookie season to become a serviceable deep threat. Johnston has scored a touchdown in half of his games this year and has only earned less than five targets twice all year. The Chargers have become a slightly more pass-happy team in recent weeks, meaning Johnston could have a solid floor moving forward with touchdown upside.
Did Zach Ertz have a good Week 9? Not at all. One catch on only one target.
That said, prior to Week 9, Ertz had recorded at least five targets in four straight games, and he’d scored at least 10 PPR points in three straight. He’ll bounce back; maybe not next week against Pittsburgh, but he’s still a fairly solid option at tight end with a safe floor.
With Diontae Johnson out of Carolina, the role of the team’s top receiver is up for grabs. Sanders led the team in receiving yards during Sunday’s win over the New Orleans Saints. He’s also had at least five targets in four of his last five games and has scored at least nine PPR points in three of his last four.
Although he has been out since Week 3, Thielen is the most likely player to benefit from Diontae Johnson’s absence. Whenever Thielen returns, which could be soon, there is a boatload of targets that are ripe for the picking. So long as Bryce Young is under center for Carolina, Thielen’s ceiling will be limited, but there’s always a chance that Dalton will be named the starter once again.
With Chris Olave hurt and Rashid Shaheed out for the season, the Saints are going to have to get funky if they want any hope of winning. Hill played a massive role in the Saints’ offense this week, earning five targets, and five carries with a touchdown.
Hill tends to be at his best when the Saints have their backs against the wall. They’ve lost seven straight games. That wall is pressing hard into their backs right now.
Despite playing against a very stout Tennessee pass defense and recording three turnovers, Maye still recorded 15 fantasy points this week. In fact, since taking over as the team’s starter, Maye hasn’t scored fewer than 10 any given week. For someone on such an abysmal offense, Maye has offered a very safe floor for QB-needy fantasy teams.
For two weeks in a row, Noah Brown has had six targets. He’s had at least six in three of his last four and actually led the Commanders in both receptions and receiving yards in Week 9. Although a matchup against Pittsburgh in Week 10 is sure to put a halt to Brown’s momentum, the Commanders follow that up with favorable receiver matchups against Philadelphia and Dallas. Even better, the Commanders’ fantasy playoffs schedule includes matchups against New Orleans and Philadelphia.
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