Welcome back to another week of Spin’s Fantasy Factory! I’m Spin, UConn’s self-proclaimed fantasy football expert. Even though the “expert” portion of that title may be a bit of an overstatement, that doesn’t stop me from doing what I enjoy: providing just a bit more fantasy insight to help you set your lineup for the upcoming week.
This week, I’ll be focusing on three players you should consider streaming in your fantasy lineups as bye weeks continue to haunt fantasy managers. These are all players that are owned in less than 40% of all fantasy leagues and should be easily acquirable via your league’s waiver wire. Predictions are based on matchups, projections, schemes or even just a plain hunch that I have. Without further ado, here are three favorable streaming matchups for Week 10 of the NFL season.
Zay Jones, WR, Jacksonville Jaguars at KC
This season is only Jones’ fifth as a professional, though it feels like the receiver has had his fair share of bouncing around the league. After three seasons with the Buffalo Bills, followed by three with the Oakland/Las Vegas Raiders, Jones signed a three-year contract to play for the Jacksonville Jaguars. He’s since emerged as quarterback Trevor Lawrence’s second option at the receiver position, seeing the second-highest number of targets on the team and averaging over 40 receiving yards per contest. He’s been consistent all season, snagging at least three catches in every game that he’s played in this year, including a monster 10 catch, 85 yards, one touchdown line that yielded over 24 points in PPR back in Week 3. Though the consistency that Jones has displayed this season has been a welcoming sign, he’s always been known as a big-play receiver. His next opportunity for major production looms in a showdown with the Kansas City Chiefs this Sunday.
We’ve seen teams go neck-and-neck as they try to match the offensive prowess of the Chiefs far too many times in the past to ignore this matchup. As long as Patrick Mahomes can suit up for KC, the team will score points, and their opponent will likely need to play catch-up. If history repeats itself, then this week’s matchup with the Jags will prove no different. The Chiefs will likely turn their attention towards fellow wideout Christian Kirk, who has run away with the top receiving role in his first season in Jacksonville. That means that Jones will be free to find space downfield, an attribute that has defined his career. Sheer potential for opportunity should alone be enough to convince managers to fire up Jones as a FLEX/WR3 option this week, though he remains on the waiver wire in a vast majority of fantasy leagues. Make sure that you’re the manager that picks him up for his breakout game this week.
Jerick McKinnon, RB, Kansas City Chiefs vs. JAX
Kansas City’s backfield is one that lacks true fantasy upside; Clyde Edwards-Helaire began the season averaging almost 19 fantasy points per game in PPR formats but has failed to eclipse double-digits in four contests since. It appears that head coach Andy Reid has committed to a three-man backfield of Edwards-Helaire, rookie Isiah Pacheco and the veteran McKinnon. Though each player is cutting into the others’ fantasy production, the potential for points in a Mahomes-led offense will never run short. As a result, it’s hard to ignore any components of Kansas City’s offense even if they’re splitting looks with other players. Even if he doesn’t lead this backfield in rushing attempts, McKinnon appears to be a good bet for a solid fantasy production this week against Jacksonville.
The Jaguars are yielding fantasy points to opposing running backs at the ninth-highest rate in the NFL this season. In addition, McKinnon is fresh off of a game in which he tallied eight targets, resulting in six catches for 40 yards. His fantasy production relies heavily on game script; when the Chiefs are being forced to throw the ball more, McKinnon tends to see more opportunities through the air. While the Jaguars may not be in the top-half of the league in terms of points scored, we’ve seen them put up strands of solid offensive output throughout this season, especially on the road, where the team is averaging more points scored than they do at home. Look for the team to be highly motivated as they come into this matchup as extreme underdogs and challenge Kansas City to make plays with the ball. For fantasy managers looking to navigate through bye weeks, especially in leagues where points are rewarded for receptions, you could do much worse than the pass-catching specialist in McKinnon. Count on him for at least a couple of receptions, though a couple could turn into a few very quickly if Jacksonville can step up against one of the AFC’s best teams.
Noah Fant, TE, Seattle Seahawks at TB
Quarterback Geno Smith has done a great job of spreading the ball around this Seattle offense to get all of the components involved every week. Though the team still operates in a run-first scheme, all of DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett, Will Dissly and Fant have all seen their fair share of opportunities through the air. As for Fant, fantasy managers seemed to write him off as an invaluable fantasy asset after he had a slow start to the season. However, as more time has passed for Fant to become acclimated with Seattle’s offense, he has seen his opportunities and production rise. After not reaching five targets in each of his first four games this year, Fant now has five or more targets in three of his last five games. He’s fresh off of his best game as a Seahawk, in which he tallied five catches for 96 yards on six looks last week against the Arizona Cardinals. He’ll look to continue the hot streak this week against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The Bucs are allowing the ninth-most fantasy points to opposing tight ends this season. The team just encountered the limping Rams in Week 9, where quarterback Matthew Stafford continued his fall from grace after he completed passes to only four different receivers, none of which were tight ends. That makes Tampa Bay’s ninth-highest rate of fantasy points allowed to tight ends equal parts concerning for the team and mouth-watering for Fant, who figures to actually catch a pass in the upcoming contest. Much like Zay Jones, Fant is not the top receiving option on his team and doesn’t draw the same defensive assignments as Metcalf and Lockett, which should open more opportunities for him to get free. The tight end position has been fairly dry all season as it lacks true depth beyond the top few players at this position, so any positive streaming option should draw the attention of fantasy managers. Given Fant’s upwards trend in the Seahawks offense, consider giving him the nod this week in your lineup.
