Jason Ferris here with my Fantasy Football Stats: Surprising Trends from Week 6. As you and your league mates jockey for position, the importance of these next six weeks are crucial to the success of your team. This week’s trends examine potential targets to help you solidify your team for a playoff run.
You can read Jason’s Surprising Trends through Week 5, here.
Red Zone Money
One of the metrics I utilize when drafting my teams is how often players are targeted in the red zone. This stat lets me know how comfortable a Quarterback and Offensive Coordinator are with certain players. Six weeks into the 2021 season, here are the red zone target leaders thus far:
RB WR TE
Jonathan Taylor-29 Chris Godwin-13 Tyler Higbee-9
Nick Chubb-24 Cooper Kupp-12 Darren Waller-9
Derrick Henry-23 DeAndre Hopkins-10 Noah Fant-8
Aaron Jones-22 Keenan Allen-10 several at 7
Ezekiel Elliott-22 Tyreek Hill-10
Now obviously these players are already on a roster. But let’s take Higbee for example. Potentially sitting there on another team’s bench. Knowing that he is leading the NFL in redzone targets for TEs, do you see yourself making a move for him? Something that may not cost you an arm and a leg but some may consider a steal. Throw the line out there and see who bites.
Not all trading partners are created equal
The arrival of bye weeks often coincides with an increase in waiver and trade activity. It also signals Bad Trade Szn. We all have seen the desperate 2-4 team make trades that just don’t make sense. Don’t be that player. Don’t make moves that hurt your team. Educate yourself and use your knowledge to strengthen your hold on a playoff position. Here are a few possible targets for you:
Quarterback: I never would have thought this possible even three weeks ago, but Jalen Hurts has more fantasy points than Lamar Jackson. Hurts (151.2 ppg/25.2 avg) is quietly winning games for his fantasy owners. Jackson (147.7 ppg/24.6 avg) is as well. One is in the MVP conversation on a team that is a Super Bowl contender. The other plays for the Philadelphia Eagles. This is the perfect storm for a smoke and mirrors trade. I am not advocating that you actively seek to ditch Lamar for Jalen, but for the right price, some nice assets, and future picks, a deal like this might not only set you up for the future but will still keep you in the game this year.
If you do pull off a deal here, I’d love to hear about it.
Tight End: So who is ahead of Kyle Pitts, Rob Gronkowski, Higbee, George Kittle, and Dallas Goedert in fantasy scoring currently? Well, Mike Gesicki of the lowly Miami Dolphins is, that’s who. At 11.7 ppg in PPR, Gesicki certainly deserves a look and possible roster spot on your team going forward.
Wide Receiver: Rank these three in both Standard and PPR (in your head is fine): DJ Moore, Marquise Brown, and Deebo Samuel. Did Brown top your list in both? He should. He is WR5 in Standard and WR7 in PPR. Go get him from someone who doesn’t realize his value.
TBass is kicking ass
Have you lost a league matchup this year yet from a missed FG or XP? Many have. Tyler Bass owners have not. Bass has made all 21 XPs and 14 of 15 FGs. In a consistent, high-value offense, Bass is a must-get. Today.
Get moving and shaking and get that roster primed for a Week 7 victory.
