Luke Williamson
This week, I’ll go over Dameon Pierce, David Montgomery, Tee Higgins, and a few others. This article is meant to help you decide whether or not they should have a spot on your fantasy football roster. Let’s get into it.
First off, we have Kenneth Walker. A big waiver wire target after he became the RB1 in Seattle, Kenneth Walker put up a whopping 29 points in PPR against the Chargers on Sunday. He is clearly the Seahawks guy moving forward, playing 52 of the teams 71 snaps. Some might still be hesitant to start Walker because he played a team that’s allowed a lot of yards to running backs and has not been the RB1 for long, but because he is on such a dynamic offense, you can expect high numbers in week eight.
Now, Tee Higgins may be the WR2 in Cincinatti, but on good weeks he has WR1 value. This will be a good week for the Bengals, who have begun to heat up after dropping 35 points on the Falcons. The Bengals are not going to slow down this week. They are going up against divisional rivals, the Cleveland Browns, who have already allowed opposing teams to score at least 30 points three times. There has only been one time that the team playing the Browns scored less than 20 (week 3 against the Pittsburgh Steelers). Tee Higgins may has had his ups and downs, but against sub-par defenses he has been very strong and I would expect some production this week.
Lastly, I want to talk about some quarterbacks. Sometimes you have an injured QB1, or someone you don’t trust (Tom Brady), so you're looking for another option. Because you can find solid QB starts among the free agents, these guys are available in most leagues. Some middle-of-the-pack quarterbacks I suggest this week are Daniel Jones and Tua Taigovailoa. Daniel Jones was great on Sunday against the Jaguars (29 points), and has been doing really well against bad defenses. This week the Giants are playing the Seahawks, who have allowed an average of 26.6 points against opposing teams this year (fifth worst). Switching to Tua, the matchup is great for him. He is playing the Lions this week and looked healthy against the Steelers. The Lions have allowed the most points in the NFL with an average of 32.3, and should not fare better against the high powered offense the Dolphins run. Miami is a pass heavy team with great receivers and an awesome matchup, so despite qualms about Tua’s skill or health I recommend starting him.
Now let’s look at some guys you probably shouldn’t start. Starting off, Dameon Pierce. This might come as a surprise because averaging 15.8 points, he has been a stud and even put up 26 points in week 4. However, it is important to consider the attributes of the teams Pierce has played against when assessing his skills. Some of the teams he has done best against; the Bears, Jaguars, and Raiders; do not have strong defenses or run protection. The Titans have a very strong rushing defense, allowing the fourth least rushing yards per game with an average of 96.8. That stat is good, but it is even better when you consider that in the last three games, the Titans have allowed an average of 48.7 rushing yards, the least in the NFL by 17 yards. In the last three weeks, they have played 2021 rushing yard leader Jonothan Taylor twice as well as the solid Commanders running back Antonio Gibson. Dameon Pierce is alright, but the Titans run protection is better.
For our wide receivers of the week, sit anyone on the Packers. Many fantasy managers have wondered who the WR1 in Green Bay is, and who they should start. While there have been good weeks, there is no clear favorite for Aaron Rodgers, and every time someone has played well they have done badly soon after. Rodgers may be the 2021 MVP, but coming off three tough losses to the Giants, Jets, and Commanders, I wouldn’t trust him or any of his targets. This week the Packers are playing the Buffalo Bills, arguably the best team in the entire league, so if you have any wide receivers from Green Bay, put them on your bench.
David Montgomery has been on the fence as a fantasy starter the entire year. Averaging 10.4 points and with a projected 13.1, he has been mediocre (it is important to note this average has been brought down by his 1.1 point week 3 game where he was injured). This is true, but, for the David Montgomery managers out there, don’t start him. This week the Bears are playing the Cowboys, who have a great defense and have been solid on the ground. Dallas is second (to Tennessee) in rushing touchdowns allowed, with the opposing team only running for 0.3 a game. Montgomery’s good weeks have depended on touchdowns, but the Bears’ weak offense will likely struggle to get many this week, so sit their mid-tier running back.
To recap, Kenneth Walker and Tee Higgins are some good skill players to start, and at quarterback Jared Goff and Daniel Jones should do well this week. On the other side, I have very little faith in the Packers’ receiver core, and running backs Dameon Pierce and David Montgomery are both looking at tough weeks.