The first few weeks of the NFL is always wild. With the huge amount of injuries recently, this year has allowed a lot of second-stringers and practice-squad players to get playing time. But who should you trust for the future? Who’s a flash in the pan, and who’s for real? Who should you trust in Dynasty?
Scotty Miller
You will not believe how happy I am that Scotty Miller is getting the opportunities he deserves. His speed and deep-threat ability is elite. He showed what he could do in limited opportunities in his rookie year, and he has connected well with Tom Brady so far.
Related | Scotty Miller: A Fantasy Football Dynasty Diamond
Miller is currently the WR32 with 46.7 points in PPR formats. As the WR3 with the Buccaneers, he has been a vital part of their offense that has surprised people, not using Gronk as much as people had predicted. Whilst partially benefiting from the absence of Godwin, Miller had five receptions alongside Godwin and Evans. Defences can’t afford to focus on Miller with those two studs on the field, but even as the WR2, Miller has burnt defenders.
Trust Miller as a legitimate NFL receiver for the next half-dozen years at least. If you managed to pick him up after my first article involving him, fair play because you got a stud for essentially nothing. While he develops and grows, he can benefit from the distraction of playing with two studs, but as he enters his prime, the 23 year old will have great seasons.
Verdict: BUY, BUY, BUY
Russell Gage
Gage was incredibly productive last season when Sanu left. People doubted that he would win the WR3 role again when Treadwell, a former first-round bust, joined the Falcons. Whilst benefiting from Julio Jones’ injury which has been holding him back, Gage has scored a touchdown in one game and went for over 100 yards in another whilst playing in the star-studded offense that is the Falcons’ offense.
Gage is at his best as a slot receiver working the short to intermediate part of the field. Whilst Ridley and Jones are better downfield using their speed and route-running, Gage uses leverage and his burst to win in tight areas. I’m buying his success so far.
Verdict: Buy, Buy, Buy
James Robinson
As a Fournette-truther this hurts, but there’s a chance Robinson is legit and here to stay. After sharing snaps with Chris Thompson, the assumed best receiving back, the undrafted rookie showed enough to earn a majority of the snaps against Cincinatti in Week 4. Averaging 15 carries and 3.5 receptions per game, Robinson has been relatively efficient, despite playing against bad teams.
How he does against Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Baltimore, and the Chargers will shape his future outlook. Whilst those games are likely to be blow-outs where Minshew throws a lot, Robinson should get some opportunities to show his talent on the ground. Whilst he has been impressive, and is clearly the top dog, I need to see him against better defences to know whether he’s real. I would be cautious about him, but he has potential to be the lead dog in an exciting, young offense.
Verdict: Buy Low
Robert Tonyan
The tight-end position is one that is affected by touchdowns the most. The big guys tend to not get peppered with targets on a weekly basis, unless you’re Mark Andrews, Darren Waller, Travis Kelce, or George Kittle. Tonyan is a great example of benefiting from playing in a strong offense. Getting his receptions as both a first-read and when the play breaks down is a great sign for him. The issue is that his success has come whilst Davante Adams and Allen Lazard have missed time.
Tonyan is someone I would keep an eye on. He’s worth picking up in the hope that he continues his production but it’s not guaranteed. He could fade into obscurity when the team’s top two receivers are back, or he could explode when opponents are forced to focus on Adams, Lazard, and Jones. LeFleur scheming him touches on flat routes to use his athleticism after the catch is promising, but I just need to see him do it when they’re all healthy.
The biggest reason for this is that he only had two catches for a touchdown in the first two weeks when everyone was healthy. Being able to prove he’s an elite touchdown scorer whilst playing in a packed offense will do wonders for his stock.
Verdict: Buy low/Wait
