Stock Watch: Four Week 6 Risers
D’Andre Swift:
Following the Eagles’ BYE week in 2019, Doug Pederson finally turned to his 2nd round pick and put the ball in his hands. After that Week 10 BYE, Miles Sanders finished the season as RB7 during that stretch. And it was that remarkable stretch of performances that ultimately drove Sanders’ fantasy value into the first and second round of fantasy drafts this year. Could we be seeing the same from D’Andre Swift? Swift recorded a season-high 17 touches on Sunday, piecing together 123 yards from scrimmage to go along with two scores. It was a good matchup, and Adrian Peterson frustratingly logged 15 carries of his own, but Swift was far more efficient. Given the Lions’ mediocrity on offense and the apparent timeshase with ‘Old Man Peterson’, Swift should be thought of as a midrange RB2 for the time being. But considering he likely cost owners a 6th or 7th round pick, this should come as fantastic news.
Tee Higgins:
Perhaps the more intriguing story amongst Cincy WR’s on Sunday was the resurgence of AJ Green. But fantasy owners should be far more excited about the emergence of Tee Higgins. The rookie has drawn 32 targets over the past four games, just behind Tyler Boyd at 35. Joe Burrow has had to huck it a ton so far, and there’s no reason to believe that trend won’t continue. Not only is the volume there, but Higgins has the 16th highest aDOT in the league (average depth of target), he 9th in the NFL in deep targets (9), and has the 21st highest Hog Rate at the position (15.7%). Once the TD’s start coming, we’re going to be looking at the Clemson rookie as a legit WR2. But with the way things have been going, you should feel very comfortable starting the guy as a FLEX.
Le’Veon Bell:
Ohhhhhh sh*t. Le’Veon Bell is a Golden State Chief. Fantasy aside, I can’t wait to see how this plays out. Because let’s take a quick look at how other players have fared once they escaped the tutelage of Adam Gase.
Ryan Tannehill - 5-0 with the Tennessee Titans, with the 4th highest QBR in the NFL.
DeVante Parker - Coming off his first 1,000 yard season in 2019, currently on pace for another in 2020.
Kenyan Drake - Struggling thus far in 2020, but quickly averaged 5.7 YPC after leaving Miami last season.
Robby Anderson - Massively inconsistent under Adam Gase, and now leads the league in receiving yards.
Personally, I’m expecting the same type of improvement from Le’Veon Bell. Let’s not forget, Bell is still just 28 years old. Sure, his best days are behind him - but his 2019 highlight reel will tell you there’s plenty of gas in the tank. The Jets were miserable on offense during Bell’s entire tenure in New York. They failed to establish the run game behind a porous offensive line, and 2019 was poopoo’d by a mono-infected Sam Darnold and backup Luke Falk. Now the former all-pro will join forces with the top offense in the NFL, surrounded by an elite supporting cast. Before you get too excited, rookie CEH has been spectacular. We can’t expect Bell to step in and take anything more than a 50/50 split in the backfield. And even that may be optimistic. But here’s the thing; Bell is going to be far more efficient with the football in his hands, and it’s fair to assume that he may take over goal line duties. The volume might not be there for Bell anymore, but he should still be a strong FLEX play.
Deebo Samuel:
Hopefully you were never down on Deebo to begin with, but Sunday Night Football should have served as a polite reminder as to how unique this guy truly is. After missing the first few weeks of the season with a broken foot, Deebo hosted a ‘Welcome Back Party’ against the Rams. He caught all 6 of his targets for 66 yards and one score. Sure, a few of his catches came behind the line of scrimmage, but have you seen what this guy can do after the catch? His combination of speed and power at that size makes him a true swiss army knife. Shanahan isn’t shy about using his hybrid RB/WR, and that usage should continue with Raheem Mostert heading to the IR. I look at Deebo as a lock for 6-8 touches every week, in an offense led by a play-calling mastermind. You should feel confident starting the South Carolina Gamecock as a high WR3 / FLEX moving forward.
