Isaac Guerendo, RB, San Francisco 49ers: The rookie from Louisville is the next in line at running back for the Niners. Guerendo had 99 yards rushing against the Seahawks on Thursday with Jordan Mason out of action. Mason is listed as day-to-day and Christian McCaffrey is expected back in the coming weeks, so don’t go too extreme with your bid. Whoever is the lead back in a Kyle Shanahan offense needs to not only be rostered, but a starter in all leagues. For example, I am starting Guerendo over the running back situations in Cleveland, Jacksonville and Denver, to name a few.
Ty Chandler, RB, Minnesota Vikings: Chandler took over the Vikings’ run game in relief of Aaron Jones, who exited Minnesota’s Week 5 game with a hip injury and had the Week 6 bye to heal in preparation of this week. Chandler would be the starter against the Lions on Sunday if Jones is out of action. It’s important to note that Minnesota has a quick turnaround with a Thursday night game in Week 8, so the Vikings could opt to sit Jones Sunday to rest up for Thursday. There is also the possibility Jones misses both weeks, making Chandler the starter for two games. If you have Jones, you need to add Chandler as insurance.
Tyrone Tracy Jr., RB, New York Giants: Starting once again for an injured Devin Singletary, the rookie had his best fantasy game of his career, scoring 19.7 points (RB7) in half-PPR leagues. Tracy had just 50 yards on the ground but did find the end zone. The former college wide receiver finally got work as a pass-catcher, tying for the team high in both receptions (6) and yards (57). Singletary was a surprise inactive this week and the Giants haven’t been loyal to a single running back this year, but Tracy has forced himself into getting playing time.
Josh Downs, WR, Indianapolis Colts: This is your last chance to grab Downs, who is owned in just under 50 percent of fantasy leagues. Downs has at least nine targets in the last three games, finishing as WR8, WR27 and WR14 in those contests. The Colts’ pass game has seen a significant increase in production with Joe Flacco under center, but at some point, Anthony Richardson is going to start again. Ride Downs while Flacco is still slinging it, but temper your expectations if it’s Richardson back in charge.
Allen Lazard, WR, New York Jets: It’s no secret that he’s Aaron Rodgers’ guy. He had eight targets in Week 4 and nine in Week 5 and has found the end zone four times already this season. He is also the only skill position player on the Jets to play every offensive snap in a game this year and has done so twice. The Jets play tonight under a new head coach and offensive coordinator so things could theoretically change, but Rodgers will make sure Lazard is involved and gets his share of work. He’s a solid FLEX play as we navigate through the bye weeks.
Romeo Doubs and Christian Watson, WRs, Green Bay Packers: The Packers have the deepest receiving corps in the NFL. That makes it difficult to know who the lead guy will be each week. Jayden Reed leads the team in just about every receiving category, but Doubs has the most snaps, even after missing a week of action because the team suspended him. Watson is a big play waiting to happen on any snap. Dontayvion Wicks picked up a shoulder injury on Sunday, which gives Doubs and Watson even more opportunities. Instead of worrying about the depth the Packers have at receiver, we need to embrace that all four receivers should be rostered in deep leagues.
Zach Ertz, TE, Washington Commanders: Here are some of the names that Ertz is ahead of in fantasy scoring: Travis Kelce, Sam LaPorta, Mark Andrews and Dalton Kincaid. Ertz is not making big plays at this stage of his career, but he still gets the job done on a weekly basis. He is TE12 after the first six weeks as a consistent option for Jayden Daniels. With how dreadful the tight end position has been this season, consistency is key.
Top Handcuffs (Rostered in less than 50 percent of leagues)
Ty Chandler, Minnesota Vikings
Tyler Allgeier, Atlanta Falcons
Braelon Allen, New York Jets
Jaylen Wright, Miami Dolphins
Alexander Mattison, Las Vegas Raiders
Jaleel McLaughlin, Denver Broncos
Antonio Gibson, New England Patriots
Justice Hill, Baltimore Ravens
Kimani Vidal, RB, Los Angeles Chargers
Trey Benson, Arizona Cardinals