The Fantasy Football waiver wire has had no shortage of viable wide receiver options crop up over the past few weeks, and maybe that's why someone like Donovan Peoples-Jones has gotten overlooked.
While the likes of Kadarius Toney and Christian Watson have (rightly) surged into the 90%-plus range in roster rate, Peoples-Jones entered play Sunday rostered in just 64% of CBS Fantasy leagues. Heck, even guys like Allen Robinson, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, and Darius Slayton are more widely rostered than Peoples-Jones. And I just don't get it.
Peoples-Jones had a strong performance Sunday against a very good Bills defense, catching five of six passes for 61 yards and a touchdown – his first of the season, which I think is why Peoples-Jones has been so overlooked by Fantasy players. He had four straight games of at least 70 yards entering Sunday but had just one game with more than 13.1 PPR points because of his lack of touchdowns.
But those touchdowns were always likely to come – yes, he's in a mediocre offense, but Peoples-Jones has been productive, and his downfield-oriented approach should make him more, not less, likely to find the end zone on a per-target basis. He broke the seal Sunday, and I think there's going to be some solid regression coming his way, especially when Deshaun Watson is allowed to play beginning in Week 13 – Peoples-Jones has the skill set to be a Will Fuller-esque producer with Watson.
I think Peoples-Jones is right there with Toney and Watson and most of the other hyped waiver-wire targets of the past few weeks, and if he's still available in your league, take advantage of your league-mates unwillingness to recognize what he's capable of.
Here's who else we'll be looking to add ahead of Week 12:
If you need a running back, Perine might be the best option for Week 12, though it's hard to know for sure right now. Joe Mixon suffered a concussion Sunday, and Perine had three touchdowns – though not all of them came after Mixon left the game, and the fact that they were receiving touchdowns makes his success a bit flukey. Still, if Mixon is out for Week 12, Perine will probably be a top-15 RB in the rankings in an offense that produces a lot of goal-line opportunities and throws to the RBs pretty regularly. And, for what it's worth, Mixon missed two games when he had a concussion in 2017.
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Akers has been a pretty massive disappointment this season, right alongside the disappointing Rams offense. But he's seemingly worked his way back into the coaching staff's good graces, and even served as the lead back in Sunday's game against the Saints. Darrell Henderson got the start, but his two carries came on the first drive and really weren't involved from that point on. Akers' 14 carries for 61 yards led the team, and that kind of usage would make him worth starting for Fantasy in Week 12, at least.
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Burks didn't do much in his return from IR in Week 10, but he showed us what kind of upside he has in his second game back Thursday. Obviously, the Titans passing game hasn't been great for Fantasy over the years, but A.J. Brown was dominant enough to make it work by being hyper-efficient, making big plays both down the field and with the ball in his hands. Burks may not be quite as good as Brown – few WRs are – but he has the potential to be a useful Fantasy option as Ryan Tannehill's top option down the stretch, and he deserves to be rostered in all formats.
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I thought the trade deadline acquisition of Nyheim Hines might spell the end of Cook's chances of being a Fantasy-relevant player, but Hines has been a non-factor, while Cook showed real upside Sunday. It was a great matchup, sure, and Devin Singletary was still the clear lead option, so Cook probably needs an injury to really take a step forward. However, it looks like Cook, not Hines, is the back to roster in the event of a Singletary injury. At this point in the season, finding high-upside stashes is key, and Cook looks like one.
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QB is in rough shape right now, and Justin Fields' injury Sunday won't make things any better. Perkins got into the game for the Rams after Matthew Stafford was pulled for the concussion protocol, and he might be the best widely available option to replace Fields – better than Trevor Siemian, at least. Perkins gave us a glimpse of why by rushing for 39 yards on five carries Sunday, and he was a very productive rusher in college, racking up 1,692 yards and 20 touchdowns over his final two seasons. He won't replace Fields, but he could be worth using in a game where the Rams will likely be trailing by a bunch of points against the Rams. At least, he could be a viable QB2.
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I don't think there's much to be taken from Robinson's massive performance Sunday, but, for what it's worth, that's two pretty good games in his past three. He sandwiched them around a one-catch, 12-yard showing in Week 9, so Robinson definitely isn't someone you can rely on every week. However, the Ravens need someone to step up in the passing game with Rashod Bateman on IR, and Robinson has been doing it.
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