ROS: Dream & Nightmare Lineup
RED ALERT: The fantasy postseason is just three weeks away. By now, hopefully you have a good understanding of where your roster stands. Maybe you’re in cruise control, patiently awaiting the fantasy postseason while pushing for a first round BYE. Maybe you’re scrambling to finetune your roster for a last-minute playoff push. Or maybe you’re prepping for Fantasy Basketball.
In today’s article, we take a look at ROS (Rest Of Season) rankings, in an effort to identify our dream lineup, and our nightmare lineup. Hopefully y’all can use this exercise to identify potential buy/sell opportunities as most fantasy league trade deadlines draw near.
Dream Lineup:
QB: Kyler Murray
There’s only one right answer here. In Murray, you’re getting a QB1 and an RB1 in the same player. Not only is he having the most prolific fantasy season of all time on a PPG basis, but his recent play has put him on a short list for NFL MVP. 2020 owners should appreciate what they have right now, because K1 will require a 2nd or 3rd round pick next season.
RB1: Dalvin Cook
Don’t get me wrong, I’d love to own Alvin Kamara in this spot - but Dalvin Cook has been on a different level recently. I’ll admit the fantasy playoff schedule is a tad intimidating (TB, CHI, NO), but how many RBs can you name that get 25-30 touches every week? Kamara gets it done with efficiency, but I’d prefer to bank on Cook’s elite volume.
RB2: Kareem Hunt
I think we all would’ve liked to see more out of Kareem Hunt during Nick Chubb’s stint on the IR, but he’s still a fantastic RB2. In Chubb’s first game back, the Browns weren’t shy about giving him the ball early and often, but Hunt was still heavily involved. Hunt gets all of the passing game work, and will still receive 12+ carries per game. There are some appealing matchups coming up too.
WR1: Davante Adams
10+ targets in five straight games, leading the league with a 34.5% target share, with an elite quarterback who almost exclusively looks his way in the Red Zone. He’s the top wideout in fantasy. No debate necessary.
WR2: Terry McLaurin
I’m kind of cheating with this one, considering the numbers state Terry McLaurin is a WR1, but I figure he was drafted as a WR2 in the vast majority of leagues. Washington’s aerial attack funnels through McLaurin, but opposing defenses haven’t yet figured out how to consistently keep the second year wideout in check. He’s 6th in the league in targets, while leading the league in YAC. Imagine what he’d be doing with a franchise QB!
WR3: Tee Higgins
Higgins was one of my bigger rookie misses heading into the season. Behind Tyler Boyd and a healthy AJ Green, I thought there was no way Higgins would find himself in fantasy relevancy. But here we are in Week 10, and the rook has found himself in a 1A-1B situation in Cincy. In fact, Higgins has out-targeted Boyd the past two weeks. He’s been one hell of a waiver wire steal in all formats.
TE: Travis Kelce
With George Kittle sidelined likely for the remainder of the season, this one isn’t even close. #1 in targets, #1 in air yards, #2 in target share, and #3 in hog rate.
FLEX: D’Andre Swift
It was an ugly start to the season, but things are looking more and more promising. Swift’s opportunity share is spiking in the Detroit backfield, as it looks like HC Matt Patricia is finally moving on from Adrian Peterson and Kerryon Johnson. We know Swift has the draft equity to perform given the opportunity, and his explosivity in the passing game only heightens his ceiling. If the backfield is truly his, the Georgia Bulldog could be more than just a mere FLEX option.
Nightmare Lineup:
QB: Deshaun Watson
No one can deny Deshaun’s talent. In fact, if I were drafting a real NFL roster from scratch, I’d have Deshaun as the 3rd or 4th QB off the board. But the upcoming schedule is pretty intimidating with two Colts matchups remaining and a date with Khalil Mack & the Bears in Week 14. He’s had his moments, but Deshaun has largely disappointed this season, and I’m not buying shares right now.
RB1: Ezekiel Elliot
The Cowboys offense is just brutal. Hopefully Andy Dalton’s return in Week 11 will open things up for Zeke a little bit, but the OL is still a huge problem. I won’t blame you for betting on talent and volume, but there’s been little reason for optimism lately. Zeke just isn’t the top five back we drafted him to be.
RB2: Jonathan Taylor
When Marlon Mack went down, Jonathan Taylor looked like he’d be an RB1 lock. But now Nyheim Hines looks like a new player, and now Jordan Wilkins is seeing work? The Colts backfield is a mess, and I want no part of it.
WR1: Mike Evans
2020 Mike Evans is the definition of touchdown reliance. He’s #1 in red zone targets, but that’s the only thing keeping Evan’s WR1 status afloat. 52nd in target share, 78th in hog rate, 29th in air yards, and 46th in aDOT. Yikes. Antonio Brown’s involvement is only going to make things worse.
WR2: Amari Cooper
Dak’s season-ending injury wasn’t just a crushing blow to Zeke Elliot, but it seriously hurt Amari Cooper’s fantasy prospects as well. Coop was actually pretty solid in his one full game with Andy Dalton under center, but it’s pretty clear this entire Dallas offense has taken a monumental step backwards. Coop may still be a low WR2 with upside, but he’s no longer the borderline WR1 that demanded a 3rd round investment.
WR3: Marquise Brown
Bust city. Hollywood Brown had sooooo much preseason hype in August, but it just hasn’t panned out. Lamar Jackson is partly responsible as he seemingly hasn’t improved as a passer, but Brown hardly warrants a start at this point. His game-breaking speed provides big time upside, but history tells us you’ll be burned more often than not. Hollywood is looking like more of a Best Ball Fantasy asset as opposed to a reliable redraft league contributor.
TE: Hunter Henry
Justin Herbert is a star in the making, but he hasn’t leaned on his TE all too often. In fact, Henry has had nearly the same stat line for the past 5 weeks, with a couple of TD’s sprinkled in. Fellow TE Donald Parham Jr. and Mike Williams seem to be the rookie’s preferred red zone targets, with Keenan Allen obviously standing in as the clear-cut #1 option. With Hunter Henry as your TE1, you’re just hoping and praying for a TD.
FLEX: LA Rams Backfield
Do you really want any of these three? Malcolm Brown gets the goal line work, Darrell Henderson looks the most explosive, and Cam Akers is the young rookie who the Rams selected with their first pick in the draft. And the backfield is almost a perfect three way split. Sean McVay hates fantasy football.
