Studs and duds
By: Jake Rajala
Week 6 is nearly in the books. The two Monday Night Football games are all that’s left to watch. Hence, it’s time to discuss some fantasy football. I will unfold studs and duds from this high-scoring, scrappy weekend.
Studs
Drake Maye
It was wise to start (and trade for) the second-year, New England Patriots QB Drake Maye, to say the least. Yes, he’s my quarterback. Maye unleashed 27 points, which was a season high for him. He tossed a few touchdowns. He also spread it around, so it wasn’t just Stefon Diggs. He did a fine job stepping up in the pocket, when the Saints edge rushers got pressure.
Rico Dowdle
Wake up! The Carolina Panthers RB Rico Dowdle had 32.4 points in Week 5. He somehow elevated his play and scored 33.9 pts in Week 5! So, what was the secret? It was: give him the darn ball! He had 23 carries in Week 4 and then 30 carries today. He’s in an offense that is cooking. They are quite balanced, too.
Kayshon Boutte
Don’t sleep on Kayshon in New England. If a young QB has a go to guy, it won’t be easy for him to move on from that target. Kayshon had 26.3 points today. He’s also 23 years old, so he’s clearly just scratching the surface. I believe Stefon will pass the torch to him after he leaves.
Tee Higgins
We all saw Ja’Marr Chase flex his muscles. Well, the production from WR2 Tee Higgins in the game deserved to be mentioned. He had a season high of five catches. He only had 11 pts, but I would keep an eye on him with Joe Flacco (and not Jake Browning) at QB.
George Pickens
It would be an understatement to say George Pickens is balling out with Ceedee Lamb on the sideline. Pickens unleashed 31.8 points against the Panthers. This was the second most points by him in a game this season. Pickens is still 24 years old, which is two years younger than Lamb.
Duds
Matthew Stafford
Sure, the LA Rams won. Well, it wasn’t exactly sexy. They only won 17-3. Stafford only had 181 passing yards and one TD. Stafford only had 9.34 points, which was a season low for him. To make matters worse, Puka Nacua is injured, so will be extra difficult for Stafford to play like a Pro Bowl-caliber QB.
Jahmyr Gibbs
The blistering fast RB, Jahmyr Gibbs didn’t only lose, but he wasn’t effective in the SNF contest. He had 7.5 points, which was a season low, as it was his first time under 10 points. David Montgomery also had 8 points, which wasn’t intimidating. Gibbs has still had a very quality season, and he’s still a Top-6 RB, so P.S. Don’t Panic.
Juwan Johnson
Ouch. The Saints TE Juwan Johnson fell off a cliff recently. He had 5.8, 3.7, and 1.5 pts over the past few weeks. He is clearly not showing he’s worthy of his rich contract he inked this past offseason. Juwan also fumbled today, which really makes him look bad. Perhaps he was hanging around Jared Cook this past week. I believe it would be worth trading Juwan, if that’s a possibility. Or it may be worth trading him for a sleeper at the TE or flex spot.
Michael Pittman
The Colts WR1 Michael Pittman was a borderline average WR. Well, he put himself in a hole today. He scored only 4 points and that was half of 8 points, which was his previous single-season high. Pittman only had two catches. We should expect J-Taylor to have dominated by hearing Pittman’s input? Yes, he had 123 rushing yards and a touchdown, which came out as 23.7 points. The return of Alec Pierce could have slightly hindered Pittman’s outlook.
Jake Elliot
I’m still waiting to see Jake Elliot to be a Top-10 kicker. It’s safe to say that likely won’t happen. He has scored 10+ points in one game. It would certainly help Elliot if the Eagles didn’t do a tush push on 3rd and 4th down.
It’s also important to keep track of many underrated players. I covered QBs, RBs, WRs, and even a kicker on this list, as well. I really tried to lay down the direction with many of these players spoken about.
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