The Late-Round Fantasy Football Podcast artwork

1145: 15 Transactions for Week 7

STACKED extracted the fantasy-relevant player signal from this podcast and kept the full transcript here for context.

27 min
Duration
Estimated from transcript
Oct 20, 2026
Published
Tue, October 20, 2026
19
Player insights
18
Players mentioned
Topics
Kirk CousinsAntonio WilliamsBryce YoungBucky IrvingChigoziem OkonkwoChristian KirkDeVonta SmithJonah ColemanJordan MasonMike EvansMike Washington Jr.Omar Cooper Jr.Puka NacuaSeth McGowan
Player analysis

Player insights

19

Antonio Williams

PositiveBreakout22:30

Antonio Williams was second on the Commanders in routes run after Terry McLaurin's injury. JJ Zachariason describes him as a really intriguing prospect who has shown flashes this season; in the ZAP model, one of his top comps was Ladd McConkie. Zachariason prioritizes Williams alongside Akonkwo as a waiver-wire target.

Insight page

Bryce Young

NegativeProjection6:01

Young ranks second in NFL passing fantasy points per game (20.4 PPR) but is unsustainable; only two QBs averaged 20+ passing PPR per game over full season in last three years (Stafford 2025 at 7.7% TD rate, Burrow 2024 at 6.6% on 652 attempts). Young has faced sixth-easiest QB schedule to date but Carolina has second-toughest schedule ahead; faces Bengals, Steelers, Seahawks in playoffs. Sell now before schedule toughens.

Insight page

Bucky Irving

PositiveValue14:57

Usage volatile all season (rush share 42%-76%, route share 34%-64%, snap share 55%-85%) but week 6 showed potential: 76% rush share, 64% route share, 85% snap share. Baker Mayfield could return soon; Mayfield targets RBs at 26% rate vs. Jalen Daniels' 15%. Sean Tucker was out week 6 (helped Irving's workload). Expected 13.3 PPR in week 6 despite 6.9 actual PPR; buy-low opportunity if manager frustrated.

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Chigoziem Okonkwo

PositiveRole21:50

After Terry McLaurin's injury, Chig Akonkwo led the Commanders' pass catchers with an impressive 78% route share and 22% target share. JJ Zachariason highlights that Akonkwo's route participation is really good for the tight end position and recommends prioritizing him on the waiver wire this week.

Insight page

Christian Kirk

PositiveSleeper24:42

Christian Kirk's practice window recently opened after being on IR, but he was unable to suit up in week 6. JJ Zachariason notes that the 49ers are running out of healthy pass catchers and none of the remaining options have stepped up; with Mike Evans now sidelined with an Achilles injury, Kirk could be walking into an offense that desperately needs someone to emerge. Zachariason recommends a "vibes-based approach" to Kirk given how little the 49ers' healthy wide receivers have produced.

Insight page

DeVonta Smith

PositiveValue2:47

Despite Jalen Hurts blood clot news, Smith remains a hold. He ranks second in NFL target share behind only Jackson Smith-Njigba; Philadelphia WRs have the fourth-best schedule over the next four weeks and rest of season per adjusted fantasy points allowed. With Tanner McKee at QB, the offense may look different (fewer leg plays) but Smith's underlying usage and talent remain elite.

Insight page

Jonah Coleman

PositiveBreakout11:30

Eligible to return from IR in week 7; Sean Payton took over play-calling duties two weeks ago. J.K. Dobbins has posted 63% and 62% rush share over last two games (vs. 60% once in weeks 1-4) but ranks among worst in efficiency; only Amari and Hampton have worse success rate among RBs with 20+ carries last two weeks. Denver has one of best remaining RB schedules; Coleman worth bench stash as potential breakout.

Insight page

Jordan Mason

PositiveValue9:30

Eligible to return from IR; Vikings RBs have fifth-best rest-of-season schedule and second-best over next four weeks per adjusted fantasy points allowed. Aaron Jones (31 years old) has ranked 23rd in yards after contact per attempt among 42 RBs with 30+ carries; Mason was expected to see significant work entering season (15 carries, 11.5 expected PPR in week 1). Minnesota's strong defense should create neutral/positive game scripts favoring early-down bruiser.

Insight page

Kirk Cousins

NegativeMatchup20:01

Raiders 3-3 but schedule toughens significantly; from now through season, face just one top-10 QB matchup (Cardinals week 17). Over next nine games, only one opponent (Cleveland, 16th in adjusted points allowed) ranks in favorable half for QBs. Over 82% of Las Vegas' offensive TDs have come through air; only four teams since 2016 finished with passing TD share that high. Expect regression; sell or drop in 12-team leagues.

Insight page
NegativeProjection20:52

JJ Zachariason notes that Las Vegas has generated over 82% of offensive touchdowns through the air this season, a pace only four teams since 2016 have maintained. With a tougher schedule ahead, Cousins faces significant regression risk in the touchdown department. In leagues with waiver-wire quarterback depth, Zachariason recommends dropping Cousins; in leagues that value the position, he suggests selling this week.

Insight page

Mike Evans

NegativeInjury24:42

Mike Evans left the 49ers game in the late second quarter with an Achilles injury and was ruled out during the second half. His absence creates opportunity for other 49ers pass catchers, particularly Christian Kirk if he returns soon.

Insight page

Mike Washington Jr.

PositiveBreakout18:30

Seeing significantly more work than Seth McGowan; Ashton Gentry ranks 30th in success rate, 30th in yards per carry, 29th in 10+ yard run rate among 33 RBs with 50+ carries. Washington had 45% rush share (season high) and 33% snap share (season high) in week 6. Historical comps show similar players improved efficiency but lost backfield work; Washington shows more explosiveness. Reasonable chance Washington keeps carving role even with healthy Gentry.

Insight page

Omar Cooper Jr.

PositiveBreakout4:16

Returned from injury in week 6 with 79% route share and led Jets with 24% target share; highly drafted rookie targeted on nearly 30% of routes in limited sample. Despite Jets ranking 21st in EPA per play and WRs facing second-toughest schedule rest of season, Cooper's talent and target-earning ability make him worth a speculative add.

Insight page

Puka Nacua

PositiveRole23:30

With Devontae Adams sidelined for 6-10 weeks, JJ Zachariason projects that Puka Nakua will remain the top target on the Rams, with Terrence Ferguson potentially becoming second on the team in targets. Rams tight ends have a 31.4% target share when Adams is off the field.

Insight page

Seth McGowan

PositiveRole16:57

Carved out small role in Colts offense despite Jonathan Taylor healthy all season; rush share jumped from 7% (weeks 1-3) to 18% (weeks 4+), snap share from 11% to 25%. Chris Ballard fired as GM; front office shakeup raises possibility of Taylor trade (team not competitive in 2026). McGowan worth adding as handcuff with potential for increased work.

Insight page

T.J. Hockenson

PositiveMatchup8:15

Before week 5 concussion, ranked third among NFL tight ends in target share; commanded close to 20% target share even when Jefferson and Addison healthy. Vikings' passing schedule excellent next three weeks (vs. Indy, Detroit, Buffalo—Lions and Bills allow highest passing yards per game); top-10 tight end schedule rest of season, best during fantasy playoffs. Kyler Murray's 6.5 air yards per attempt makes Hockenson perfect outlet.

Insight page

Terrance Ferguson

PositiveRole22:37

Terrence Ferguson is eligible to come off IR in week 8 and appears ready to return. With Devontae Adams sidelined 6-10 weeks with a hamstring injury, the Rams' personnel usage shifts dramatically: without Adams, their 13-personnel rate skyrockets to 86.4%, and Rams tight ends have a 31.4% target share when Adams is off the field (trailing only Raiders, Cardinals, and Giants). JJ Zachariason identifies Ferguson as the most talented pure pass-catching tight end on the Rams and believes there's a non-zero chance he becomes second on the team in targets behind Puka Nakua while Adams is out. In an offense led by Matthew Stafford, this represents significant upside.

Insight page

Terry McLaurin

NegativeInjury21:30

Terry McLaurin played only six snaps on Monday night before suffering a brutal injury that appears likely to sideline him for the season, though not yet officially confirmed. His absence triggered significant changes to the Commanders' pass-catcher rotation.

Insight page

Treylon Burks

NegativeInjury22:50

Trelon Burks was mentioned as a secondary option to monitor after Terry McLaurin's injury opened up Commanders pass-catcher opportunities, but he was banged up towards the end of Monday's game. JJ Zachariason prioritizes Akonkwo and Williams over Burks.

Insight page
Full transcript

Episode Transcript

304
0:00This is an iHeart Podcast. Guaranteed Human. How do you turn 16 games, injury reports, team notes, betting lines, and matchup trends into one clear weekend preview?
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0:51Nationwide Investment Services Corporation, Ember FINRA, Columbus, Ohio. This is the Late Round Podcast with your host, JJ Zacharysen.
0:58JJ Zacharyarysen. What's up everyone? It's JJ Zacharyarysen. In this episode 1145 of the Late Round Fantasy Football Podcast, thanks for tuning in.
1:05Before I get to the 15 transactions this week, I want to remind you guys about the data dump show on the Late Round Fantasy Football YouTube channel.
1:15Every Monday morning at 11am Eastern, Brandon Gadula and David Kitchen are going to be live on the channel talking about all
1:22the week's major injuries, usage trends, and more. It's exclusively on YouTube, so make sure to subscribe to the channel, youtube.com slash at Late Round FF.
1:30Add Jacoby Lane. So a little behind the scenes, I record these episodes on Monday before Monday Night Football.
1:37But right now, today, this is probably the weakest waiver wire of the season.
1:41That's assuming that players like Jeremy Bernard or Jordan Tyson, they're not available in your league.
1:47That's the assumption. And if you've listened to this show, there's almost no chance that Tyson and Bernard are available in your
1:54league because they'd be on your roster. So a lot of the transactions this week are about looking ahead.
2:00And that's where we're going to start right now with Jacoby Lane.
2:04He returned from injury in week six. He didn't have the most productive day in the world, but he should be on your radar.
2:12He had a 58% route share and a 16% target share.
2:16He got four passes for 40 yards. But it was just his second career game.
2:21And in that game, Rashad Bateman got hurt. He hurt his shoulder.
2:25And as we know, Snoop Huntley was under center.
2:28If Rashad Bateman is out, and if Lamar Jackson comes back from his injury, Jacoby Lane could be a lot more usable in fantasy football.
2:36So I don't know if this is going to pay off right away, but I'm always going to take a shot on
2:43a good rookie who looks like his role could be expanding.
2:47Hold Devontae Smith. So this Jalen Hurts blood clot news, it's likely making fantasy managers feel a little bit panicked about Devontae Smith.
2:55He had a strong outing against the Panthers. You're probably thinking, hey, I should sell him.
3:00I should trade him away. But I don't know if that's really the right move.
3:05I mean, look, you can always try to trade him.
3:08But don't you think that everyone in your league knows that Jalen Hurts is sidelined?
3:13The fact is Philadelphia wasn't doing that much through the air with Jalen Hurts under center.
3:19And with Tanner McKee, you at least get a quarterback who's not going to take away so many plays with his legs.
3:26Or at least as many. Including tush pushes. Now that doesn't necessarily make McKee a better option for Devontae Smith.
3:32But it does mean that this offense could look a little bit different than it did with Jalen Hurts.
3:39And look, the bottom line here, Devontae Smith is really good at football.
3:43The underlying numbers are still really good. He currently ranks second in the NFL in target share behind only Jackson Smith and Jigba.
3:51And according to our adjusted fantasy points allowed numbers, Philadelphia wide receivers, they have the fourth best schedule over the next four weeks.
3:58They also have the fourth best schedule rest of season.
4:02The bottom line here, Devontae Smith is a very good player who's commanding a massive share of his offense.
4:08The Eagles might not have the ceiling that we thought they'd have entering the season.
4:13Losing Hurts is not a good thing. And by the way, that whole situation is madness and I hope he gets well soon.
4:21But with the underlying usage for Devontae Smith and the good schedule ahead, I would be holding tight.
4:26Add Omar Cooper. The Jets are a tough offense to trust.
4:30They ranked just 21st in EPA per play this year, their bottom half of the league in most passing metrics.
4:37They've also got a lot of weapons in that offense.
4:40You have Garrett Wilson, you have Brees Hall when he's healthy, you have A.D.
4:45Mitchell when he's healthy, and obviously you have the rookies, Kenyon Sadiq and Omar Cooper.
4:50With that being said, it's not a bad idea to throw that dart at Omar Cooper this week.
4:56He returned from injury in week 6, he immediately saw a 79% route share, and he led the Jets with a 24% target share.
5:04Now, matchup likely played a role in that usage.
5:07But we're talking about a highly drafted rookie who's been targeted on nearly 30% of his routes in the limited sample this year.
5:14I know what you're thinking. JJ, you were saying this about Kenyon Sadiq just a few weeks ago.
5:20Yes, I was. My general rule of thumb is that anytime we see a rookie do something in fantasy football, whether it
5:27be peripherals or actual production, I want to at least consider adding that player off the waiver wire.
5:33Especially if the draft capital really backs them. It's not always going to work out.
5:38In fact, most of the time it won't work out.
5:42But this is how you stay a week ahead with a player like Jeremy Bernard.
5:47Just do be aware that our adjusted fantasy points allowed numbers, they have the Jets wide receivers facing the second toughest schedule rest of season.
5:55Between that, the offensive environment, consistent production, is going to be pretty difficult for Omar Cooper more than likely.
6:01But Cooper's got talent and he has target earning ability.
6:05That makes him worth a speculative ad. Sell Bryce Young.
6:08If you've listened to my show over the last month, you're probably thinking that I'm a Bryce Young hater.
6:14But that's really not the case, I promise you.
6:17What the Panthers are doing right now is perfect for fantasy football.
6:21Their pass rate over expected continues to rank near the top of the league.
6:26They funnel their targets to two really, really good wide receivers.
6:29Bryce Young is throwing it deep at a top 10 rate.
6:33This transaction is not being dismissive of what this Panthers offense is doing.
6:37And how well Bryce Young is playing. But let's look at the production.
6:42Bryce Young currently ranks second in the NFL in passing fantasy points per game.
6:46He trails only Jared Goff. He's averaging 20.4 fantasy points per game with his arm alone.
6:52That sounds all good and fun until you realize that only two quarterbacks have averaged more than 20 fantasy points per game
6:59via passing over a full season over the last three years.
7:03One of those players was Matthew Stafford from 2025.
7:06He had a 7.7% touchdown rate. The other one was Joe Burrow in 2024, who posted a well above average 6.6% touchdown rate on 652 attempts.
7:14It's really difficult to maintain this type of production.
7:17And then you look at the schedule. According to our adjusted fantasy points allowed numbers, Young has faced the sixth easiest quarterback schedule in fantasy football this year.
7:26Every opponent that he's faced has ranked in the easier half of the league for opposing quarterbacks.
7:32That's about to change though. Carolina has the second toughest quarterback schedule from here on out.
7:37Again, that's according to our numbers. You can get those in the members hub over on lateround.com.
7:43During the fantasy playoffs, they get the Bengals, Steelers, and Seahawks.
7:47Two of those matchups are pretty tough on paper.
7:50Again, this is not me saying that the Panthers offense is bad.
7:54I still think they're going to be useful for fantasy purposes.
7:57But there's a difference here between believing in an offense and believing that a quarterback can continue producing at a historically difficult rate.
8:05Young isn't giving you that much on the ground either.
8:08So he's even more dependent on that passing production.
8:11And with the schedule getting a lot tougher, I'd be willing to see what I could get in return for Bryce Young right now.
8:19Add TJ Hawkinson. The Vikings' schedule for the passing game, it looks really good from here on out.
8:25Over the next three games, they get Indianapolis, Detroit, and Buffalo.
8:29The Lions and the Bills have allowed the two highest passing yards per game averages in the league.
8:35And Indy's like a fringe bottom 10 team in that category.
8:38Meanwhile, in the fantasy playoffs, the Vikings get the Lions again, the Commanders, and then the Jets.
8:44So if Kyler Murray's out there, you can add Kyler, for sure.
8:48You could trade for Justin Jefferson if you want to.
8:51But at the very least, I'd be looking to add TJ Hawkinson.
8:55Before his week 5 concussion, Hawkinson ranked third among all NFL tight ends in target share.
9:01Now sure, some of that was due to injury.
9:04Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, they were both banged up.
9:07But even when both of those wide receivers have been on the field, Hawkinson was still commanding close to a 20% target share in the Vikings' offense.
9:16That's good usage for a tight end who's walking into a pretty favorable schedule.
9:20Now you obviously have to monitor that concussion this week.
9:23But Hawkinson's worth snagging off the waiver wire if he's available.
9:27According to our adjusted fantasy points allowed numbers, Minnesota has a top 10 tight end schedule across the rest of the season.
9:34And during the fantasy playoffs, it's the absolute best.
9:37Here's the other thing. Kyler Murray has a 6.5 air yards per attempt rate this year.
9:43He loves to play it safe through the air.
9:46Hawkinson is the perfect outlet for that. That makes this transaction even more favorable.
9:50Buy Jordan Mason. So yeah, like I said, the Vikings have a favorable passing schedule moving forward.
9:56But it's a good schedule for the running backs too.
9:59Jordan Mason's been on IR, but he could return this week.
10:03Since he's been sideline, Aaron Jones has ranked fourth among running backs in snap rate.
10:08He's been fourth in rush share and seventh in route share.
10:12He hasn't been terrible either. Props to him. Among the 42 running backs with at least 30 carries this season, he ranks
10:19a very respectable 23rd in yards after contact per attempt.
10:22But we also have to recognize that Aaron Jones is 31 years old.
10:26And he's posted that production according to our numbers against the league's easiest schedule.
10:31But like I said, the good news for this Minnesota backfield is that this schedule, it's not getting any worse.
10:38It's not getting tougher. According to our adjusted fantasy points allowed numbers, Vikings running backs are the fifth best rest of season
10:45schedule and the second best one over the next four weeks.
10:49And that's obviously where Jordan Mason comes in. He may not be a huge pass catcher, but he was expected to see
10:56significant work in this offense entering the year. In week one, he carried the ball 15 times.
11:02He finished with 11 and a half expected PPR points.
11:05Minnesota's defense looks awesome. The Vikings should find themselves in more neutral and positive game scripts.
11:10And that should favor an early down bruiser like Jordan Mason.
11:14And look, Aaron Jones is still going to mix in.
11:17Don't get me wrong. This isn't about Mason suddenly taking over the entire backfield.
11:22It's about sending something small to acquire a running back who can give you some standalone usability at a position where that's incredibly difficult to find.
11:30And let's be honest, it's not like Aaron Jones is a 25 year old in his prime running back.
11:37Just do be aware that there are some trade rumors swirling that the Vikings could add another running back.
11:43I'd still bet on that not happening. You could also use that in your negotiations to get a better price on Jordan Mason.
11:51Add Jonah Coleman. Jonah Coleman is eligible to return from IR in week seven.
11:55I think he's worth a bench flyer. Sean Payton took over play calling duties a couple of weeks ago.
12:02Also, we've seen the Broncos give J.K. Dobbins a 63% and 62% rush share over those two games.
12:08From weeks one through four, Dobbins reached a 60% rush share just once.
12:12Now keep this in mind though. The Broncos have run just 9.6% of their plays over the last two weeks while trailing by seven or more points.
12:21Across the first month of the season, that rate was 53%.
12:24It's a lot easier to give your early down running back more work when you're playing in a neutral and positive game script.
12:32And despite that increased workload, it's not like J.K.
12:35Dobbins is really earning it. Because he has not been that effective.
12:39Among running backs with at least 20 carries over the last two weeks, only Amari and Hampton has a worse success rate.
12:46And then Hampton and Tyler Algier, they're the only two running backs who rank below Dobbins in yards after contact per attempt.
12:54Guys, the truth is J.K. Dobbins has struggled all season long.
12:57And given that, it doesn't seem so crazy to suggest that Jonah Coleman could eventually prove to be the better option in that backfield.
13:05There's no guarantee that happens obviously. But we're talking about a bench stash here.
13:10But Coleman could return very soon. And Denver, they have one of the best remaining running back schedules according to our numbers.
13:17That's why Coleman's worth adding. Add Jalen Knoll. Fantasy managers are looking at that Jalen Knoll stat line in week six.
13:24And they're really, really excited. I mean, I talked to a lot of members on Discord about this.
13:30They assumed that you were going to have to spend up to get Jalen Knoll this week.
13:36But this is exactly why we have to look at peripherals.
13:39I love Jalen Knoll. I think he's really underutilized in that Houston offense.
13:44I've called him out many times on this show already this season.
13:48But the truth is, that performance in week six, it was kind of fluky.
13:52Now to be fair, we have seen this shift in Knoll's deployment over the last few weeks.
13:58From weeks one to three, Xavier Hutchinson ran more routes than Knoll in every single game.
14:03But over the last three weeks, that's completely flipped.
14:06Knoll's run 60 routes. Hutchinson is at 38. The problem though, is that Knoll's route share is still just 57% over that time.
14:14And even on Sunday, where he had four catches, 107 yards, he had a 60% route share.
14:19He had a 12.5% target share. Nothing really changed from a usage perspective.
14:24But look, I love Jalen Knoll, the talent. He's an ad based on the talent alone.
14:29And hey, maybe this performance leads to something more in that offense.
14:33There's reason to believe that Houston could lean really heavily on the pass moving forward.
14:38They ranked top 10 in pass rate over expected over the last three weeks.
14:43And they added Marvin Harrison Jr. I just want to be level-headed here.
14:47I want to be reasonable. And I know that I can sometimes be unreasonable when it comes to Jalen Knoll.
14:54I think you can add him, but temper your expectations.
14:57Buy Bucky Irving. Bucky Irving's usage has been all over the place this season.
15:02Let's start with the ground game work. In week one, he had a 42% rush share.
15:07He followed that up with a 68% one, 71%, 52%, 57%.
15:11And then in week six, it was 76% a season high.
15:14Now let's look at his route shares. In weeks one and two, they were 58% and 60%.
15:20From weeks three through five, he never topped 34%.
15:23But then in week six, it shot up to 64%.
15:26It's just totally unpredictable. His snap share has been all over the place too.
15:31During that same stretch from week three through week five, he had a snap share that hovered around 55%.
15:37But in week six, his snap share was almost 85%.
15:40This is all to say that Irving is kind of a volatile piece to add to your roster.
15:46But sometimes you need that. Baker Mayfield might be back soon.
15:50And if Irving's week six usage holds, that could be massive for his fantasy production.
15:55On the season, Jalen Daniels, he's targeted his running backs on only 15% of his attempts.
16:00Baker Mayfield has given his running backs a 26% target share.
16:04So if Irving continues running routes at a high rate, he's going to see more work as a receiver.
16:10He's going to be a lot more useful in fantasy football.
16:14But of course, there are caveats. Sean Tucker was out in week six.
16:18That probably helped Irving's overall workload. And when Tucker's healthy, he's still involved in that short yardage stuff.
16:24So Irving might have a difficult time being like a true RB1 in fantasy football, given those opportunities at the goal line.
16:31But don't let Irving's week six box score fool you.
16:35He scored just 6.9 PPR points, but he had 13.3 expected PPR points.
16:39He's now scored fewer than eight PPR points in three of his last four games.
16:44That's really the reason I'd be buying right now.
16:47Because if a manager out there is frustrated, the usage for Irving is much better than the actual production.
16:53And like I said, Baker Mayfield, he could be back soon.
16:57And then on top of that, their schedule doesn't look that bad either.
17:01So right now could be a good buy low opportunity.
17:05Add Seth McGowan. So like I said earlier, it's not the best week in the world for ads.
17:11But you should still be trying to improve your roster.
17:14And one way to do that is to add Seth McGowan.
17:17He's actually carved out a small role in this Colts offense, even with Jonathan Taylor staying healthy all season.
17:24Over the first three weeks of the year, McGowan had a 7% rush share and an 11% snap share.
17:30Since then, those numbers have jumped up to 18% and 25% respectively.
17:34Now that's not enough to make him a reliable fantasy option on his own.
17:39But it's encouraging for a player whose primary value comes from what can happen if that backfield changes.
17:45And speaking of changes, Chris Ballard was fired as Colts general manager.
17:49With that front office shakeup, it's at least worth wondering.
17:52I don't think it's going to happen. But it's at least worth wondering if the Colts would trade away Jonathan Taylor.
17:59Because this team is not going to be competitive in 2026.
18:03So this is just to say that there's one more out for Seth McGowan to see more work in this backfield.
18:10At the very least, you're going to add a handcuff who would probably see a pretty good workload if that starter got hurt.
18:17Add Mike Washington. So if Mike Washington is available in your league, he's a better add than Seth McGowan.
18:23Because he's seeing significantly more work in his offense.
18:26Ashton Gentry has not been great on the ground this year.
18:30Among the 33 running backs with at least 50 carries this season, Gentry ranks 30th in success rate, 30th in yards per
18:37carry, 29th in 10 plus yard run rate, and 19th in yards after contact per attempt.
18:43Now if you listened to last week's mailbag episode, I ran through some historical comps for Gentry.
18:48I looked at running backs since 2016 who had similar backfield usage, receiving workloads, and rushing efficiency through the first 5 weeks of the season.
18:57And the takeaway from that was kind of interesting.
19:00Many of those players remained viable in fantasy football from week 6 onward.
19:04And nearly all of them improved on their efficiency.
19:07But the problem was they started to lose work in their backfields.
19:11That might have contributed to those improved per touch numbers.
19:14And we started to see that happen immediately in week 6 with Ashton Gentry.
19:19Mike Washington had a 45% rush share for the Raiders on Sunday.
19:23That was easily a season high. He had a 33% snap share, also a season high.
19:28Now, Washington doesn't play much of a pass catching role.
19:31Gentry's got that locked down. And if Gentry were to miss time, we'd see Dylan Laube play a lot of that role.
19:39But the shift in this backfield usage should not be ignored.
19:42Gentry's been banged up since August and Washington has shown more explosiveness on the ground this year.
19:48There's at least a reasonable chance that Washington keeps carving out a role, even with a healthy Ashton Gentry.
19:54So at worst, Mike Washington's a handcuff. At best, he becomes a usable flex option during this stretch of bye weeks.
20:01Drop or sell Kirk Cousins. So speaking of the Raiders, they're 3-3 right now.
20:06I don't think anyone expected that, even after losing three straight games.
20:10And Kirk Cousins has played competently. He's been a high-end QB2, low-end QB1 in fantasy football this year.
20:16But unfortunately, things are about to get pretty tough for this passing attack.
20:20From now until the end of the year, the Raiders will face just one team that ranks in the top 10 as
20:27a favorable quarterback matchup by adjusted points allowed. That's not going to come until week 17 when they face the Cardinals.
20:34We don't even know if Kirk Cousins is going to be starting by then.
20:39Over their next nine games, the Raiders face just one opponent that ranks in the more favorable half of the league for quarterbacks.
20:47That opponent's Cleveland, who currently ranks 16th entering Monday Night Football and adjusted points allowed to quarterbacks.
20:52There's also some reason to expect regression in the touchdown department.
20:56So far this season, over 82% of Las Vegas' offensive touchdowns have come through the air.
21:01Only four teams since 2016 have finished the season with a passing touchdown share that high.
21:07So it's going to be a difficult pace for Kirk Cousins to maintain.
21:11Especially with this tougher schedule. So if you're in a league that values quarterbacks, maybe you can sell Kirk Cousins this week.
21:18He had another usable performance against the Bills. Otherwise, he's someone that I think in a normal 12-team league, where there are
21:25other starting quarterbacks on the waiver wire, he's someone that's reasonable to drop.
21:30Add Chig Akonkwo and Antonio Williams. Terry McLaurin played six snaps on Monday night, and then he suffered a brutal injury that
21:37looks like it's going to sideline him for the season.
21:40Though that's not confirmed right now. After McLaurin went down, the commanders really mixed things up with their pass catchers.
21:47But Chig Akonkwo, he led the way with an impressive 78% route share after that McLaurin injury.
21:53He had a 22% target share. And then Antonio Williams, he was second on the team in routes run after that McLaurin injury.
22:00Chig Akonkwo's route participation is really good for the tight end position.
22:04So he's definitely someone that you should be looking at off the waiver wire this week.
22:09And then I think Antonio Williams is just a really intriguing prospect.
22:13He's shown some flashes this season, and don't forget in the zap model, one of his top comps was Ladd McConkie.
22:20You can look at Trelon Burks too, but do note that he was banged up towards the end of that game.
22:27But overall, the two guys I'm prioritizing, Chig Akonkwo and Antonio Williams.
22:31Add Terrence Ferguson. So Terrence Ferguson is eligible to come off of IR in week 8.
22:37It sounds like he'll be ready to go. Shortly after Ferguson suffered his injury, Sean McVay indicated that he'd be good to go following his four-week absence.
22:46And that could be a really big deal, because it was announced on Monday that Devontae Adams is expected to miss 6-10 weeks with a hamstring injury.
22:55With Adams on the field this season, the Rams have operated out of 11 personnel on 75% of their plays.
23:01Nearly all of their remaining snaps have come out of 12 and 13 personnel.
23:06Without Adams though, their 13 personnel rate skyrockets to 86.4%.
23:09I can't even describe to you guys how high that is.
23:13And obviously when there are three tight ends on the field, tight ends are the ones who are benefiting.
23:19When Devontae Adams has been off the field this year, Rams tight ends have a 31.4% target share.
23:25That trails only the Raiders, Cardinals and Giants. And the most talented, pure pass-catching tight end on that team, in my opinion, is Terrence Ferguson.
23:33I think there's a non-zero chance that while Devontae Adams is out, that Terrence Ferguson is second on this team in targets.
23:41Behind obviously Pukunakua. That's a pretty big deal in an offense led by Matthew Stafford.
23:46So obviously this week if Terrence Ferguson is still on your waiver wire, you've gotta add him.
23:51Add the Cleveland Browns defense. So the Browns get the Titans in week 7.
23:56That game's in Tennessee, has a 38.5 point total, and Cleveland is a 1.5 point road favorite.
24:02So it's a pretty favorable spot for the defense.
24:04On the season, Tennessee ranks the 5th worst team in EPA per play.
24:09They've also turned the ball over at an above average rate, and their bottom half of the league in pressure rate allowed.
24:16So between the low game total and Tennessee's offensive struggles, the Browns look like a good streaming defense.
24:22I've got a very quick bonus transaction for you.
24:25It's to add Christian Kirk. The 49ers are running out of pass catchers, and of the ones who are remaining, who have
24:32gotten run, no one's really stepped up. Things got even worse on Monday night.
24:37Mike Evans left that game in the late second quarter with an Achilles injury, and he was rolled out during the second half.
24:45So if Evans misses time, give Christian Kirk a look.
24:48His practice window recently opened after being on IR, but he wasn't able to suit up in week 6.
24:54If he's ready to return soon, he could be walking into an offense that really needs someone to emerge.
25:01And given how little we've seen from San Francisco's healthy wide receivers, why not take kind of a vibes-based approach and go with Christian Kirk?
25:09Maybe he can bring a little magic to this offense.
25:12That's it for today's show though. Thanks to all of you for listening.
25:16If you yet subscribed to the Late Round Fantasy Football Podcast, make sure you are messaging for it.
25:22Pretty much anywhere podcasts can be found. And don't forget to follow me on Twitter and on Blue Sky, at LateRoundQB.
25:29Thanks for listening everyone. I'll catch you tomorrow with the weekly 10 Trends episode.
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