Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
The top risers and fallers heading into Week 12.
For those who had Pittsburgh Steelers kicker Chris Boswell in their lineups last Sunday, good for you. In the history of the NFL – regular season and postseason – nobody else had made six field goals in a game more than twice. On Sunday, Boswell did it for the fourth time.
Never underestimate kickers in your lineup, especially with the potential of bad weather coming during the fantasy playoffs.
The top risers and fallers heading into Week 11.
For those who drafted some of the top tight ends only to be bitterly disappointed, it would appear the tide has turned.
Kansas City Chiefs TE Travis Kelce has caught 32 passes over the last three games. Sam LaPorta (shoulder) of the Detroit Lions is catching touchdowns after a slow start. Baltimore Ravens TE Mark Andrews has five touchdowns in his last five games.
For those who were impatient, these guys were traded after painfully slow starts. Those who are patient have been rewarded. Only give up on tight ends after National Tights Ends Day.
The top risers and fallers heading into Week 10.
Years from now, the 2024 season will be remembered as the year of the fantasy kicker. With many leagues giving out five points for field goals of 50 or more yards, having a long bomber is a must. Unfortunately, everyone seems to have one.
At the halfway point of the season, only five teams roster kickers who have missed more than 50% of their attempts from 50-plus yards – the Baltimore Ravens, Indianapolis Colts, New York Jets, Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Commanders.
Teams are now expecting kickers to make 60-yard field goals and, as long as they keep asking, kickers will quietly become a more important fantasy roster spot.
The top risers and fallers heading into Week 9.
With the trade deadline looming on Election Day, there are a lot of potential deals that could be made, because the disparity of the haves and have-nots in the NFL is bigger this year than usual.
Buffalo, Houston and Kansas City are already locks for their division titles, the NFC North may send four teams to the playoffs, and NFC West has all four within a half-game of each other.
Will the trade floodgates open? Get your popcorn ready.
The top risers and fallers heading into Week 8.
Before the start of the season, a lot of teams were hyped to make the playoffs and even have a potential deep Super Bowl run.
After seven weeks, many have them have fallen flat, including the New York Jets (2-5), Miami Dolphins (2-4), Cincinnati Bengals (3-4), Cleveland Browns (1-6), Jacksonville Jaguars (2-5), Dallas Cowboys (3-3), New Orleans Saints (2-5), San Francisco 49ers (3-4), and Los Angeles Rams (2-4).
While there is still time for many of them to turn their seasons around, for those who don’t, change may be coming. Younger talent will get a longer look, and they may be sellers at the trade deadline. That could shake things up as much or more as Davante Adams and Amari Cooper being sent packing for greener pastures.
The top risers and fallers heading into Week 7.
On most draft days, there wasn’t a lot of love for the NFC North. Jordan Love was the only QB1 (maybe) in a 10-team league. Jahmyr Gibbs was probably the only RB1. Justin Jefferson and Amon-Ra St. Brown were the only WR1s.
Flash forward two months. Perhaps no division in recent memory has had as many players drafted as part-time starters or backups force their way into weekly lineups.
All four QBs are putting up starter numbers. Five running backs are lineup fixtures. A case can be made for 10 wide receivers and four tight ends when T.J. Hockenson comes back are in lineups. It’s a good time to have players from the 17-5 NFC North. Let’s see if we can identify a few others who are climbing into this tier of fantasy worth.
The top risers and fallers heading into Week 6.
After four weeks of defense-dominated, low-scoring fantasy weeks, we finally enjoyed a taste in Week 5 of what offensive points look like, especially for quarterbacks and tight ends.
Of the 13 games from Thursday to Sunday, nine teams scored 30 or more points – three games included both teams scoring 30-plus. Tight ends came alive, too, posting a season-best 15 touchdowns and making a statement for the league’s most stagnant fantasy position.
Let’s hope it’s the start of more to come.
The top risers and fallers heading into Week 5.
Through four weeks of the regular season, the percentage of points being scored by field goals is the highest it been since 1993. If you’ve noticed that quarterbacks, for the most part, aren’t throwing TDs like you’re accustomed to seeing.
The NFL has a way of self-correcting anomalies as a season goes on, but — for now — with all the long-bomb field goals being made, the right kicker may be one of the most valuable players on your roster.
The top risers and fallers heading into Week 4.
The rookie crop of high-end quarterbacks hasn’t lived up to the sky-high expectations placed on guys like Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels and Bo Nix – all Week 1 starters. Daniels has been the only one of the three who has earned being a fantasy football starter with his explosive play.
Immediate stardom – in the NFL and the fantasy world – has proved elusive. Many high-end picks eventually become stars, but more don’t.
Week 3 was a reminder that blue-chip wide receivers make a quicker and more explosive transformation to the pros. For the Big 3 – Marvin Harrison Jr., Malik Nabers and Rome Odunze – Week 1 was no great shakes. Since then?
Over the last two games, Harrison has caught nine passes for 194 yards and three touchdowns. Nabers has caught 18 passes for 205 yards and three TDs. Odunze has caught eight passes for 145 yards and one TD. It goes to show once again, if you’re going make a significant fantasy draft investment in a prize rookie, wide receivers are the best bet to provide a quick return on investment.
The top risers and fallers heading into Week 3.
We’re only two weeks into the season and there are already a couple teams that fantasy managers should want nothing to do with – the Carolina Panthers and the Denver Broncos. Just two games in, many of us have seen enough.
When critical injuries mount as the season goes on, more teams will likely be added to this poisonous list of teams you want to avoid having any of their players in your fantasy lineups.
