Photo via: Buccaneers.com
What a strange week that was. If you came away with a victory, consider yourself lucky. If you took an L, don't worry, we'll try to find some upgrades on the waiver wire. Also, don't be afraid to send out some trade offers. This is the time of year when fantasy owners tend to get desperate. Alright, let's see which free agents are still available. Keep in mind the owner % mentioned is for 10-team standard ESPN leagues.
Some of these players below are good for the short-term, while others have more long-term value. You have to make the call on what your team needs. Immediate help to start this week, or a player to stash on your bench and hope he breaks out. Let's get started.
QB
Jameis Winston: I'm surprised he's available in over 55% of ESPN standard 10-team leagues. This is probably your last chance to pick him up if you need a QB. Winston looks like he's getting comfortable in Bruce Arians' system, and he has tons of good options to throw to. Nothing scare about his matchup with the Saints.
Jimmy Garoppolo: Jimmy G is coming off his bye week, so there's a good chance he's out there on the waiver wire. This week he gets the Browns at home for Monday Night Football, and the Browns have several players banged out in the secondary including their 2 starting corners, Denzel Ward and Greedy Williams. Both were inactive against the Ravens. He's available in 66% of ESPN standard leagues.
Jacoby Brissett: I don't love him if T.Y. Hilton is out again this week, but either way he should be chasing points against the Chiefs this week. Plus, he did just have 3 TDs against the Raiders. He's only rostered in 32% of ESPN standard leagues.
Gardner Minshew: A tough matchup this week for Minshew, but he's been getting it done with multiple TD passes in 3 of his 4 games. He's only rostered in 14% of ESPN leagues.
RB
Darrel Williams: If he's still out there, pick him up immediately. He's going to continue to get touches in this high-powered offense until Damien Williams comes back.
Ronald Jones: This offense is starting to come to life and Jones is beginning to figure things out. Jones had more carries than Peyton Barber for 2 straight weeks, so he's worth adding for sure. He's out there in about 60% of 10-team leagues, but this is probably your last chance to add him. He gets the Saints this week.
Frank Gore: If you missed your chance to get him last week, he may still be available. He plays the Titans this week, and we'll see if Devin Singletary is ready to return to action later in the week. But if you need help at RB, Franky Gore's been solid for 3 straight weeks. He's rostered in 57% of leagues.
Jordan Wilkins: Wilkins is a great short-term option if Marlon Mack misses time with his ankle injury. You'll have to keep an eye on the practice reports, but Wilkins should get the goal line work with Mack sidelined. I slightly value him over Nyheim Hines, but in a PPR you could do worse than Hines. All of this depends on Mack's status though. After the Colts play the Chiefs this week, they have a bye before facing Houston. The Colts may very well sit Mack this week, and give him extra time to recover before playing the Texans.
Jaylen Samuels: He does have some independent value for owners that don't have James Conner. If the Steelers continue to limit Mason Rudolph, Samuels will be a nice flex option going forward. He's available in about 80% of ESPN leagues. He faces the Ravens this week, but Nick Chubb shredded them in week 4 with 3 TDs.
WR
Courtland Sutton: Flacco was surprisingly good this week and Sutton certainly has the physical traits teams look for in a WR. He's owned 70% of leagues, so grab him if he's still available.
Golden Tate: He returns from suspension this week, and he's available in 50% of ESPN standard leagues.
Geronimo Allison: Allison should get an uptick in targets with the injury to Devante Adams. Adams hasn't been ruled out yet, but I'm guessing he'll miss a week or two recovering from turf toe. He has a tough matchup against the Cowboys, but he's available in about 70% of leagues if you need him.
Keke Coutee: Kenny Stills looks like he will miss some time with a hamstring injury, so Coutee should step right in and get targets. Coutee gets an incredible matchup against the Falcons' pathetic defense, so start him if you need him. He could be a nice affordable daily option in PPR as well.
Mohamed Sanu: There's nothing exciting about Sanu, but he gets a good matchup against Houston this week. He's not a bad option in PPR if you're desperate.
Deebo Samuel: It's hard to know which 49ers WR to start each week, but I think Samuel has the best chance to breakout. Stash him now and hope he starts producing.
TE
Chris Herndon: You can't use him until week 6, so pick him up now if you need TE help. Adam Gase has a long history of getting his TEs involved in the passing game, so you could do worse. He's widely available.
Jimmy Graham: He's no longer a great player, but he'll be targeted a lot in the red zone especially with Devante Adams set to miss a game or two. He's pretty much TD or bust, but most TEs are this year.
Tyler Eifert: He gets the Cardinals this week who have been dreadful at defending TEs. He's worth a shot this week only because of the matchup.
DEFENSE
With the Dolphins on a bye, you can't start their opponent this week. The Eagles and the Titans have good matchups, so grab them if you need them.
If you have any questions, feel free to hit me up on Twitter or listen to my radio show MoneyLine with Jerry Bo Sundays from 10-noon on ESPN 97.5 FM. We talk all things fantasy football and NFL gambling getting you ready for kickoff every Sunday.
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There was a conversation Cleveland guard Donovan Mitchell had during training camp, the topic being all the teams that were generating the most preseason buzz in the Eastern Conference. Boston was coming off an NBA championship. New York got Karl-Anthony Towns. Philadelphia added Paul George.
The Cavs? Not a big topic in early October. And Mitchell fully understood why.
“What have we done?” Mitchell asked. “They don't talk about us. That's fine. We'll just hold ourselves to our standard.”
That approach seems to be working.
For the first time in 36 seasons — yes, even before the LeBron James eras in Cleveland — the Cavaliers are atop the NBA at the 25-game mark. They're 21-4, having come back to earth a bit following a 15-0 start but still better than anyone in the league at this point.
“We've kept our standards pretty high,” Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson said. “And we keep it going.”
The Cavs are just one of the surprise stories that have emerged as the season nears the one-third-done mark. Orlando — the only team still unbeaten at home — is off to its best start in 16 years at 17-9 and having done most of that without All-Star forward Paolo Banchero. And Houston is 16-8, behind only the Cavs, Boston, Oklahoma City and Memphis so far in the race for the league's best record.
Cleveland was a playoff team a year ago, as was Orlando. And the Rockets planted seeds for improvement last year as well; an 11-game winning streak late in the season fueled a push where they finished 41-41 in a major step forward after a few years of rebuilding.
“We kind of set that foundation last year to compete with everybody,” Rockets coach Ime Udoka said. “Obviously, we had some ups and downs with winning and losing streaks at times, but to finish the season the way we did, getting to .500, 11-game winning streak and some close losses against high-level playoff teams, I think we kind of proved that to ourselves last year that that's who we're going to be.”
A sign of the respect the Rockets are getting: Oddsmakers at BetMGM Scorebook have made them a favorite in 17 of 24 games so far this season, after favoring them only 30 times in 82 games last season.
“Based on coaches, players, GMs, people that we all know what they're saying, it seems like everybody else is taking notice as well,” Udoka said.
They're taking notice of Orlando as well. The Magic lost their best player and haven't skipped a beat.
Banchero's injury after five games figured to doom Orlando for a while, and the Magic went 0-4 immediately after he tore his oblique. Entering Tuesday, they're 14-3 since — and now have to regroup yet again. Franz Wagner stepped into the best-player-on-team role when Banchero got hurt, and now Wagner is going to miss several weeks with the exact same injury.
Ask Magic coach Jamahl Mosley how the team has persevered, and he'll quickly credit everyone but himself. Around the league, it's Mosley getting a ton of the credit — and rightly so — for what Orlando is doing.
“I think that has to do a lot with Mose. ... I have known him a long time,” Phoenix guard Bradley Beal said. “A huge fan of his and what he is doing. It is a testament to him and the way they’ve built this team.”
The Magic know better than most how good Cleveland is, and vice versa. The teams went seven games in an Eastern Conference first-round series last spring, the Cavs winning the finale at home to advance to Round 2.
Atkinson was brought in by Cleveland to try and turn good into great. The job isn't anywhere near finished — nobody is raising any banners for “best record after 25 games” — but Atkinson realized fairly early that this Cavs team has serious potential.
“We’re so caught up in like the process of improve, improve, improve each game, improve each practice," Atkinson said. “That’s kind of my philosophy. But then you hit 10-0, and obviously the media starts talking and all that, and you’re like, ‘Man, this could be something special brewing here.’”