It’s still very early in the fantasy football season. This feels like something I’ve been repeating every week since the start of the season, but it remains true! Players can make up for a slow start to the season very quickly. Sometimes that might feel like a one-off game; However, when this comes from a player with a history of volume and efficiency, there is reason to believe the scoring outburst is not coincidental.
The fantasy season doesn’t stabilize until midway through the year (Weeks 8-9), and even then, players have as many games as they’ve played so far to make up ground. Every year we see slow starters and hot second halves. Identifying them is not that difficult either. As long as the player is healthy, attacks well enough, and receives average volume, the production will come. Patience is a virtue, and here are some players that should pay off as early as Week 6!
Be sure to check out the latest tools on Razzball.com: Slot versus wide PPG allowed | WR slot vs. wide| DEF targets allowed | Home vs. away | Wins vs. Losses | TD tool | RB Zone vs. Gap Rushing | DEF zone vs. gap rushing |
Want more data-driven stats and tools to help you win your fantasy league? View the Razzball Fantasy Football premium subscriptions for $0.00 upfront with our 3-day free trial!
RB Kenneth Walker (SEA)
The Seahawks will continue to play Zach Charbonnet, but that doesn’t make Kenneth Walker useless. Walker is having his most efficient season yet, thanks in large part to his shared role at Charbonnet. Technically, Week 3 was Walker’s “breakout” fantasy game with two touchdowns on 17 touches, but he only produced 50 total yards.
The Jaguars’ defense ranks 24th by DVOA (via FTN), and they are coming off a shorter week after playing on Monday night. Walker touched the ball just 11 times against the Buccaneers last weekend due to the shootout that necessitated 34 pass attempts from QB Sam Darnold.
Nevertheless, Walker managed to amass 86 yards on just 10 carries, against the league’s fourth-best defense. Expect the Seahawks to attack the Jaguars’ weak spot this week with a lot more Walker and some Charbonnet as well.
WR Ladd McConkey (LAC)
Ladd McConkey had his best fantasy day of the season in Week 5, and that was a paltry five catches for 39 yards and a touchdown. That touchdown was his first of the season and took care of most of the heavy lifting on his scorecard. The Chargers face a Dolphins defense that ranks as the second worst against the pass so far and is unlikely to improve much this season.
Quentin Johnston is also expected to miss this week’s match, which should create more opportunities for McConkey early and often. Keenan Allen remains a mild nuisance, but he only plays a limited number of snaps per game. Allen hasn’t played more than 80% of snaps in a game this season, playing above 65% just once.
McConkey is this team’s best playmaker and could even be deployed out of the backfield on jet sweeps to get the ball in his hands more after the loss of RB Omarion Hampton. The Chargers will have to rely on him if they want to control this game, even against a lesser opponent like the Dolphins.
WRBrian Thomas Jr (JAC)
Speaking of Seahawks vs. Jaguars, Seattle is missing three key pieces in their secondary. Devon Witherspoon and Tariq Woolen are both out at CB, while S Julian Love will miss another game. Last week was Brian Thomas Jr.’s first game with 10 half PPR points in fantasy football, and he looked more like himself during the game against a tough Chiefs pass defense.
The Jaguars give Thomas Jr. not as their WR1 despite a slow start to the season. He has a healthy 23.3% target share and 38.9% of the team’s air yards. Jacksonville’s passing attack will go the way BTJ goes, and that’s heading in a positive direction, especially with Travis Hunter providing a good complementary option for the defense to respect. Hunter still isn’t playing a full-time role in the offense, which is great news for Thomas Jr. to continue his alpha role throughout the season.
Start Thomas Jr. this week and hoping for the best. Unless he gets injured, that gaudy 42.1% catch rate won’t last long and will deteriorate sooner or later.
WR DJ Moore (CHI)
The Bears are coming off their Bye Week and will likely see highly paid DJ Moore in the coming weeks. Moore has been performing as an afterthought this season, but is too talented to ignore. Last year’s top-10 pick at WR, Rome Odunze, is playing like a star, but will likely draw more attention from defenses as we move forward.
Meanwhile, Moore has just 21 goals this season. This ranks third on the team behind Odunze and Olamide Zaccheus in the offseason. While it’s fair to criticize Moore for this, he also started slow last year (albeit with many more targets). Moore had just 189 yards on 34 targets in the first four games last season. He has 173 yards on just 21 targets this season. Moore went on to post 777 yards over the next 13 games of 2024 and could do something similar this year.
The Washington Commanders’ defense ranks 18th against the pass this season, and we can expect the Bears to pass by a wide margin as their battle against Washington’s top-five defense continues.
WR Jakobi Meyers (LV)
I’m not sure if Jakobi Meyers would be classified as a “fantasy stud”, but he’s been a consistent fantasy contributor annually and is off to a slow start this season, so sure… why not? Meyers has scored 22 goals between the first two weeks of this season, and just 17 in the last three weeks. He hasn’t scored a touchdown or rushed for 100 yards in a game.
With Brock Bowers sidelined, everyone expected Meyers to have his first big game in Week 5. Unfortunately, he put together one of his worst games this season with four catches and 32 yards on six targets in a game where Las Vegas trailed all four quarters. The Raiders’ game script should be much friendlier this week against a poor Tennessee Titans roster, but they should get more production out of Meyers against a bottom-eight pass defense.
TE Trey McBride
The Arizona Cardinals are starting QB Jacoby Brissett this week and this could revive TE Trey McBride. McBride is seeing his usual dose of targets this season, but isn’t as efficient as his 2024 season. The addition of Brissett could shake up the offense as the Cardinals take more shots downfield and rely less on dinking and dunking.
McBride has taken advantage of the passing attack, but it has also limited his TD advantage. Since entering the league in 2022, Trey McBride has recorded 251 touches and just eight touchdowns. Last year he had 112 touches and this only resulted in three total scores!
Brissett hasn’t been a great TD thrower throughout his career (3% TD rate), but this Cardinals offense has perhaps the most captivating talent he’s ever played with between McBride and Marvin Harrison Jr. Maybe we’ll see a short-lived hot streak from Brissett while Murray is out of commission? In any case, the bar is quite low to perform better this season.
#Dormant #Deadly #Fantasy #Studs #break #Week