Brandon Weeden, Quarterback, Cleveland Browns
Owned: 8.8 Percent
Over the course of the next two weeks the likes of Joe Flacco, Andy Dalton and Tom Brady are going to have byes. Whether you are looking to find a QB2 option or someone to start for a week while your quarterback is on a bye, look no further than Weeden.
The rookie quarterback from Oklahoma State have put up an average of 14.7 fantasy points since his disastrous Week 1 performance against the Philadelphia Eagles. For comparisons sake, Flacco has put up an average of 13 points during that very same span.
Weeden is now eighth in the NFL in passing yards and 13th in passing touchdowns. Cleveland also has some friendly matchups in the coming weeks. It goes up against the Baltimore Ravens, Oakland Raiders, Kansas City Chiefs and Washington Redskins, all poor pass defenses, in four of its next seven games.
Rashad Jennings, Running Back, Jacksonville Jaguars
Owned: 13.7 Percent
With the news that Maurice Jones-Drew is going to miss substantial time due to a leg injury, many people are going to start looking at Jennings as a solid waiver-wire pickup. The backup running back has done nothing but perform well when he actually sees the football field.
Andre Roberts, Wide Receiver, Arizona Cardinals
Owned: 35.9 Percent
Surprise. Roberts is second on Arizona in both receptions and yards and first in touchdowns. If I didn’t know better, they spent a first-round pick on him in April, not Michael Floyd. As it is, the former third-round pick from Citadel has been one of the most surprising fantasy wide receivers in the NFL this season. He is currently on pace for 820 yards and 11 touchdowns.
More importantly, Roberts, who is fourth in the NFL in receiving touchdowns, is only owned in 36 percent of ESPN fantasy leagues.
Of course people will point to Arizona’s disastrous quarterback and offensive line play when drawing conclusions about his ability to maintain this performance. However, he has done it with that very same lackluster play through the first seven weeks of the season.
Cecil Shorts III, Wide Receiver, Jacksonville Jaguars
Owned: 1.9 Percent
Shorts played in nearly 97 percent of Jacksonville’s offensive snaps last week, an absolutely amazing numbers. While the second-year players has only been targeted 29 times in six games, he seems to be an up-and-coming presence in their offense. He has recorded double-digit fantasy points in three games this season, while still showing a lack of consistency in the Jaguars other three outings.
As I mentioned before with Arizona, some will be hesitant on picking Shorts up because of the uncertainty at Jacksonville’s quarterback position. That is a valid point.