Ultimate Fantasy Rookie Performances to Follow: Week 9

This week we have a collection of old friends who had disappeared for a while and a brand new talent making the list at number one. It’s Likely you can guess who that is if you paid attention to the games last week (Hahaha, not so thinly veiled foreshadowing!). We also had our first tie! What are the chances? Going forward, ties will be broken based on who hurt me less emotionally, whether it’s via fantasy heartbreak or the real life depression from watching the Panthers lose.

In a week where it felt like every game went over for bettors, rookie scores were at the lowest they’ve been since week one. They must have been excited to go out trick or treating this week. The top 5 have been ranked by the amount they scored in PPR with the score in parenthesis.

5. Dameon Pierce (14.1)

This game happened. That’s about as exciting as I can try to make it. Dameon Pierce played in this game. He had 15 rushes for 35 yards (2.33 yards per carry). He also had 3 catches for 16 yards and a touchdown, which dragged him kicking and screaming onto the list this week. Things should be better going forward, but the Texans are bad.

I told you this was a light week for rookies.

Fun Fact: the third quarterback taken in the Draft this year, Malik Willis, made his first start in this game. He went 6/10 for 55 yards and an interception. He also had 5 runs for a total of 12 yards. For those keeping track at home, that’s a whopping 1.4 fantasy points. From a quarterback. Who won the game. The NFL is weird this year. I truly can’t wait to have a real rookie quarterback race next season.

4. Romeo Doubs (16.2)

Romeo Doubs led the team in targets from the Aaron Rodgers conducted trainwreck of an offense. Doubs caught 4/7 balls for 62 yards and a touchdown. Time and time again, Doubs has shown he is the most talented receiver on the Green Bay Packers, and yet, he’s still being underutilized (only 18.1% target share on the year). With the offense as bad as it is, it’s hard to tell how successful Doubs will be from week to week, but he is a decent flex choice in their upcoming matchup against the Detroit Lions.

3.Tyler Allgeier (17.5)

This one hurt. The Carolina Panthers have not been particularly good against the run this year and ultimately, the Atlanta Falcons rode their two rookie running backs to victory. Allgeier had 14 rushes for 39 yards and 3 catches for 46 yards and a touchdown. I’ve spent the whole season trying to figure out how the Falcons keep covering the spread* and I’m honestly still confused (if anyone wants to explain this to me I would genuinely love to hear it). Huntley and Allgeier almost split the carries down the middle (16 to 14, respectively), but Allgeier has the ability to catch the ball. It only gets more complicated whenever Cordarrelle Patterson comes back as early as next week.

*Except the time that I bet on them. My power to mush is almost all encompassing.

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2. Garrett Wilson (17.5)

The streak of a Jet on the countdown was in jeopardy after the devastating loss of Breece Hall last week. Garrett Wilson now has to carry the Jets’ rookie torch on his own. The good news is, Zach Wilson finally found him!  This week, he won Where’s Wilson! Garrett even had the second most targets on the team (7 vs Tyler Conklin’s 10)! He caught 6 of those balls for 115 yards. Will Wilson witness Wilson waltz wayward weekly? We’ll wait and watch!

1. Isaiah Likely (19.7)

It ‘s Likely’s Thriller,

Thursday Night

Scoring all the points and making catches left and right.

–Michael Jackson likely, if he had watched Thursday Night Football

For a kid that Baltimore allegedly really liked, it took him a long time to explode onto the scene. It only took an injury to Mark Andrews on a Thursday night game to do it. Six catches, 77 yards and a touchdown were enough to catapult Isaiah Likely to the top spot this week. Despite the solid line, it is hard to project Likely’s impact going forward. Baltimore’s offensive philosophy is mostly run based, with some passes sprinkled in. The passing game flows through the tight ends, but it’s the Mark Andrews show when he’s healthy. The Ravens didn’t make any moves for a wide receiver at the trade deadline and Rashod Bateman will be out for multiple weeks, so there are targets available for the taking. As long as Andrews is out, Likely will have a massive role in this offense. Hopefully going forward, they find a way to put both tight ends to use on the field. Pick him up, but wait to see his usage going forward before starting him.

Here are some pretty pictures I made to show my work.

Thank you to everyone who made last week my most read article of the season! Writing is a wild hobby. Share it if you like it and let me know how I can improve.

Sincerely, 

@MeLlamoMoron

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