To the arrogant fantasy football manager who claimed to know all the answers in August, compare your preseason cheat sheet to Week 10’s rankings.
Yes, DeAngelo Williams and Todd Gurley top the standard-scoring chart, while Eddie Lacy and C.J. Anderson are nowhere to be found. Owners will comfortably start Darren McFadden, James Starks and Stefon Diggs, but they face a tougher decision with Jeremy Hill.
The three players highlighted below from Week 10’s standard and point-per-reception (PPR) rankings opened the season injured or buried down the depth chart. Now they’re prominent starters and fantasy options, albeit ones with difficult matchups this Sunday. In most cases, managers will start them anyway.
Jeremy Langford, RB, Chicago Bears
Matt who? Forte. Come on, surely you didn’t forget about the Chicago Bears running back after one missed game, his first since 2012.
On Friday, he admitted to dealing with the same MCL sprain that cost him four games in 2011. Questionable for Sunday’s bout with the St. Louis Rams, Forte expressed progress to ESPN.com’s Jeff Dickerson:
I feel a lot better than last week. A ton of improvement. Probably, I don’t know, like 80 percent more improvement. Because I wasn’t running or anything last week and it was really inflamed. I still have fluid in my knee and stuff like that. But it takes time for that to get out. So I’m just taking it day by day, really, to see where I get from there.
In his absence, Jeremy Langford picked up the slack with 142 yards (72 rushing, 70 receiving) and a touchdown. Although Chicago stunned everyone by starting Ka’Deem Carey, Langford stole the show, earning 21 touches to Carey’s seven.
Rushing Forte back doesn’t make sense for anyone. The pending free agent shouldn’t risk further injury for a 3-5 team who will want to keep auditioning its impressive 23-year-old rookie. The newcomer should get another opportunity against St. Louis, a much tougher adversary than the San Diego Chargers.
While the Chargers relinquish 4.9 yards per run, the Rams limit the opposition to 3.8. Still, Langford‘s explosiveness as a pass-catcher keeps the door open for gains against a defense that has coughed up 47 receptions for 415 yards to running backs, per ESPN.com.
If Forte sits out again, Langford remains a viable option despite the difficult matchup, particularly in PPR formats.
Charcandrick West, RB, Kansas City Chiefs
Charcandrick West has deftly filled the Jamaal Charles void, compiling 251 total yards and two touchdowns over the Kansas City Chiefs’ last two games. Interestingly enough, head coach Andy Reid is utilizing the young replacement more than the star running back while healthy.
West has received at least 20 carries in back-to-back games. Charles, meanwhile, has not enjoyed such heavy usage since October 2013. The injured rusher surpassed 20 carries once in five 2015 games before tearing his ACL, accruing 21 handoffs during a Week 2 loss against the Denver Broncos. Eight weeks later, West is looking for a similar opportunity.
Before shooting West’s stock to the moon, both high-volume outings came in double-digit victories. Force-feeding the ground game with a heavy advantage will prove difficult against the Denver Broncos’ No. 1 defense.
Despite surrendering 125 rushing yards to Charles, Denver ranks No. 5 against the run while surrendering a minuscule 3.5 yards per carry. West also established his floor during his first start, amassing 39 yards and a fumble against the Minnesota Vikings.
Due to the volume directed his way, West should preserve a spot in Week 10 starting lineups. Three Yahoo Sports’ writers ranked him as their No. 1 overall PPR play, according to FantasyPros, but the matchup makes him more a No. 2 running back or flex option.
Martavis Bryant, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers
Martavis Bryant has scored four touchdowns in as many games this season, giving him one more than Pittsburgh Steelers teammate Antonio Brown. That’s the same Brown who gained more receiving yards last weekend (284) than Bryant has all season (262). Nobody said the fantasy gods are just.
Since a sizzling season debut, the second-year wideout has recorded 10 catches for 125 yards through his last three games. While losing Ben Roethlisberger again hurts Pittsburgh’s offense, ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler noted Bryant’s success with Landry Jones:
All three of Jones’ touchdown passes have gone to Bryant, who had eight targets in Jones’ first start at Kansas City. Jones has turned the ball over when throwing in the middle of the field, but he throws a good deep end zone ball, which caters to Bryant’s skill set. Bryant and Jones have been getting extra reps together this week in preparation for the Browns.
Bryant has done the heavy lifting, especially on last weekend’s elusive score. While he’s not reeling in massive reception numbers, he is averaging eight targets per contest.
Although hardly a safe play like his stud teammate, 12 touchdowns through 14 games is tough to ignore. Allowing 7.9 yards per pass attempt, the Cleveland Browns are susceptible to deep plays Bryant needs to flourish. Continue to treat him as a high-upside play.
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