2015 Fantasy Football: Week 10 Rookie Report
Jameis Winston now has a rushing touchdown in each of his last three games, but has failed to pass for a touchdown in the last two games for the Buccaneers, after throwing at least one touchdown in his first seven games. Winston also threw two interceptions, which was his first time turning the ball over since throwing four interceptions against the Panthers in week four. Winston has shown signs of improvement all season and has really been able to take advantage of the weapons surrounding him on the offensive side of the ball.
The Bucs will hit the road in week 11 to take on the Philadelphia Eagles, and the Bucs will need Winston to play more mistake free football if they want a chance to win this game. Last week against the Cowboys (who have lost seven in a row after beginning the year 2-0) was the first time this season where the Buccaneers have won a game that Winston has thrown an interception in. The Eagles have had their fair share of problems so far this year, but Winston will still need to play mistake free football to give his team a chance to win the game.
It was a tough outing statistically for Marcus Mariota and the Titans on Sunday, much to the credit of that Carolina Panthers defense. Mariota completed 16 of his 24 passes for just 185 yards and no touchdowns, and he threw an interception in the second half of the game as well. It was a poor decision on Mariota’s part on the interception he threw, but Dorial Green-Beckham quit on the play that allowed the interception to happen.
It’s been a very up and down season for the rookie out of Oregon, but when you step back and look at the complete body of work that Mariota has put together so far this season, it’s pretty impressive with the help he has surrounding him on that Titans team. The Titans are without two of their four receivers on their roster now due to injury and have featured an undrafted running back out of Western Kentucky for the latter half of the year, which is just about all you need to know about he level of talent that Mariota has to work with. Not to mention, three of Mariota’s last four starts have come against the Panthers, Dolphins and Bills, and he was knocked out with a knee injury against the Dophins.
Mariota hasn’t exactly had many chances to show what he can do in a moment when he has the help or the favorable matchup, but we have seen what he is capable of in two games this season against the Buccaneers and the Saints. I don’t see Mariota being fantasy relevant for the rest of the season, but he would be a nice plug and play option if your top quarterback is on bye and you need someone to fill in his place for one week.
Todd Gurley had just 45 yards on 12 carries in Sunday’s loss to the Bears, where the Rams showed signs of a significant step backward in their progress. The Rams seemed like a team that was taking strides in the right direction and had a chance to be a contender for the NFC West in the near future, but an experiment gone wrong with Nick Foles has led to a disappointing season so far for the Rams.
Gurley has been the obvious bright spot for the Rams offense this year, who has now benched Nick Foles and will start Case Keenum in week 11 against the Ravens. While Gurley had just 45 yards on 12 carries, he did find his way into the end zone for the fourth straight game and has still posted double digit fantasy numbers in each game he has started this season. The Rams fell behind and tried to get back in it with their passing game, but all that did was lead to the decision to bench the quarterback they decided to trade for this past offseason.
Stefon Diggs has now had two games in a row that have been very underwhelming for fantasy owners, posting just five catches for 88 yards and no touchdowns in the last two weeks. Despite just two catches for 46 yards against the Raiders on Sunday, Diggs actually led the Vikings in receiving yards on the day. Teddy Bridgewater is still a little banged up from a hit he took the previous week against the Rams, which led the Vikings to run the ball with their best player all day long.
Adrian Peterson had 203 yards against the Raiders, and the Vikings are now in first place in the NFC North over the Green Bay Packers. The fact that Diggs is still leading the Vikings in either targets or yards just about every game that he has played in this year is a good sign, and I would continue to play him with confidence. He has big time playmaking abilities, which means he could take a screen pass or a deep ball to the house at any given moment.
Jamison Crowder has kind of flown under the radar all year in Washington, but all of the sudden he is second among rookies in receptions this season with 42. While Crowder has not had a breakout game so far this year, he did catch his first touchdown pass this past week against a horrendous Saints defense. DeSean Jackson is back for the Redskins, but Crowder is still getting a respectable amount of targets and catches each and every week for a Redskins team that you NEVER know what you’re going to get from them. Crowder could be a very nice addition if your team has been hit hard with the injury bug or if you have a few key players on a bye this week, as he has put up some of the most consistent numbers across the league this season.
TJ Yeldon had 18 carries for 61 yards and caught five passes for just six yards on Sunday in the Jaguars win over the Ravens. Yeldon hasn’t been much of anything special this season, but he has been a very solid RB2 or flex play in PPR leagues with his pass catching ability.
Yeldon hurt his foot and was in a walking boot on Monday, which is not good news for the rookie out of Alabama. Considering the Jaguars play on Thursday night this week, it sounds like it would be a surprise to see Yeldon suit up. The Titans have been much like the Redskins this season on the defensive side of the ball, where you just never know which team is going to show up. The Panthers marched up and down the field in the first half against the Titans on Sunday, but then was shut down for most of the second half. The Titans sacked Cam Newton a season high five times in the game, so it would be nice for Blake Bortles to have Yeldon as a check down on Thursday night.
Yeldon is averaging 4.0 yards per carry this season, totaling 531 yards on 133 carries. When healthy, Yeldon can suit up and give you solid numbers across the board, but he has yet to light it up and really reward his fantasy owners with the spot he was drafted in.