SCOTT SPRATT got into analytics through his baseball work for Sports Info Solutions and writing for ESPN and FanGraphs, but he loves football analytics because of the intricacies of the sport. He is a Sloan Analytics Research Paper Competition and Fantasy Sports Writers Association award winner and was a 2018 finalist for FSWA Football Writer of the Year for his writing for Pro Football Focus. He is an elusive native Charlottean and has the Jimmy Clausen-given scars to prove it.
Backup quarterbacks are always difficult to forecast in fantasy leagues, but Taysom Hill's running skills give him a higher baseline than most. Jordan Love, meanwhile, is an unknown commodity.
The injury to Derrick Henry has affected fantasy leagues around the country. Alex Collins or Derrick Gore might be tempting, but your best option to replace him is Jets rookie Michael Carter.
The Bengals have won four out of five games and their second-year quarterback and rookie wide receiver are the talk of the league but they may see significant drops in fantasy production this week.
It's not all bad for the Bears this year—rookie Khalil Herbert just became the second player in the last two seasons to rush for 100 yards against Tampa Bay. Scott Spratt breaks down Herbert, Elijah Mitchell, Michael Carter, Kenneth Gainwell, and the other young running backs who could win your fantasy league this fall.
The Rams offense has produced a lot of fantasy stars this weekend. So has the Lions defense. So you'll want to start everyone in a Los Angeles uniform—Kupp, Robert Woods, Tyler Higbee, Darrell Henderson, Matthew Stafford, maybe Flipper Anderson and Eric Dickerson—when they play Detroit on Sunday.
A bevy of late-round running backs have suddenly become fantasy-relevant, including Chicago's Khalil Herbert, San Francisco's Elijah Mitchell, and Carolina's Chuba Hubbard. It's Seattle's Alex Collins, though, who has really caught Scott Spratt's eye.
The Detroit Lions have a terrible defense and an offense that can't stay on the field. That spells fantasy gold for their opponents this week, the Cincinnati Bengals, including quarterback Joe Burrow, running back Joe Mixon, and wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase.
Despite catching passes from a backup quarterback for most of the game, Kadarius Toney broke Odell Beckham's Giants record for receiving yards by a rookie. Toney highlights a quality list of wide receivers who could help you win your fantasy league, a list that also includes Emmanuel Sanders, Jerry Jeudy, and Jamal Agnew.