
Photo via:Chargers/Facebook
This is the time of year when fantasy owners tend to get desperate, so make some trade offers. You might get a steal from an owner that has to win this week.
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
Josh Allen: Last week I advised anyone that needed a QB to stash Josh Allen. If you didn't do that, now is the time. He gets the Dolphins this week. FIRE HIM UP! He's available in about 50% of 10-team leagues.
Gardner Minshew: He had a tough game last week, but gets the Bengals in his next matchup. He's rostered in about 54% of leagues.
Matthew Stafford: This week's matchup against the Vikings is tough, but he gets the Giants and Raiders after that. He's coming off a bad game, but overall he's been pretty good this year. He's also rostered in about 50% of ESPN standard leagues.
Kirk Cousins: If you're in a deeper league, Cousins looks like a good bet with the Vikings throwing the ball more. He plays the Lions this week, and he's 26% owned in 10-team leagues.
RB
Jamaal Williams: He rushed for over 100 yards against the Lions, and the Packers will continue to use him and Aaron Jones. Finding a RB off waivers is tough, so he's probably the best option out there. At least he plays in an offense with Aaron Rodgers.
Darrell Henderson: He won't do much when Gurley returns, but Gurley is no lock to stay healthy. He's out there in almost 98% of standard leagues and Malcolm Brown didn't do much with his opportunities.
Mark Walton: He's on the Dolphins so you can't feel very good about him, especially with Kenyan Drake taking touches away from him. If you're desperate, he is getting touches and the Dolphins have never fully committed to Drake. He does have a tough matchup against the Bills this week.
Alexander Mattison: He's more of a handcuff, but he could be a league winner if Dalvin Cook goes down. He's available in 85% of leagues.
WR
Phillip Dorsett: Josh Gordon is banged up and Dorsett's hamstring injury shouldn't keep him out of the lineup much longer. He's the best long-term option at WR, and he's only rostered in 27% of standard ESPN leagues.
Jamison Crowder: With Sam Darnold back Crowder is very usable for fantasy. He almost had 100 yards last week against a Cowboy defense that's been stout for most of the season. I'd rather have Robbie Anderson, but Crowder should be solid in PPR.
Auden Tate: Tate also had almost 100 yards receiving this week, so he could continue to be a decent starter until A.J. Green returns. Hell, Green may never play for the Bengals this year, so Tate could be good long-term as well. He's only rostered in 21% of ESPN leagues.
TE
Hunter Henry: He's actually available in almost half of ESPN standard leagues. Grab him immediately if he's out there. All his production came in garbage time, but who cares? He could be a league winner with TE being so terrible for fantasy this year.
T.J. Hockenson: He might have been dropped so you may be able to get him. He's rostered in 56% of ESPN leagues. He wasn't very good against the Packers, but he did drop a TD, so he's in the mix.
Chris Herndon: We he gets healthy, he could come in handy. He's available in about 80% of leagues. Darnold is giving this offense some life.
DEFENSE
The 49ers and the Bills have great matchups this week. There's a good chance the 49ers are owned, but the Bills are coming off a bye and were likely dropped.
If you have any questions, feel free to hit me up on Twitter. Be sure to check out my show MoneyLine with Jerry Bo on ESPN 97.5FM. We're on every Sunday morning from 10-noon, and we'll talk a lot of fantasy football and NFL gambling getting you ready for kickoff every Sunday.
Zack Short hits an RBI single in 11th inning to lift Astros over Rangers
Jul 13, 2025, 12:05 am
Wyatt Langford homered with a career-high tying four hits and Adolis García added a solo shot to lead the Texas Rangers to a 7-3 win over the Houston Astros on Friday night.
The Rangers jumped on Lance McCullers Jr. (2-4) early. There were two outs with the bases loaded in the first when Evan Carter’s single to right field knocked in a pair to put the Rangers up 2-0.
The AL West-leading Astros cut the deficit to 2-1 when Cam Smith scored on a groundout in the bottom of the inning.
García homered for a second straight game with one out in the third that made it 3-1. Carter walked with two outs before a single from Jake Burger. Jonah Heim’s double to right field scored them both to extend the lead to 5-1.
McCullers allowed six hits and five runs in three innings as Houston’s losing streak reached a season-high four games.
Langford’s blast came with two outs in the seventh to push the lead to 7-3.
Jack Leiter (5-6) yielded five hits and three runs while striking out six in 5 1/3 innings.
Christian Walker singled to open Houston’s fourth before Victor Caratini’s home run to right field got the Astros within 5-3.Burger was replaced in the middle of the sixth inning with discomfort in his left quad.
Houston’s top prospect, second baseman Brice Matthews, went 0 for 4 with with three strikeouts in his major league debut.
Key moment
Heim’s two RBI double in the third that pushed the lead to four.
Key stat
The Rangers forced McCullers to throw 36 pitches in the first inning.
Up next
Houston LHP Framber Valdez (10-4, 2.90 ERA) opposes RHP Jacob deGrom (9-2, 2.29) when the series continues Saturday.