This is going to be a Green Bay/New York week of Free Agent Acquisition Budget (FAAB) usage. On Monday night, injuries and misplays caused unexpected personnel changes in the Packers offense. One day earlier, the Jets offense looked revived under Sam Darnold and suddenly the Jets passing game looks viable for Fantasy purposes. The outlooks are less clear in Green Bay, but we have a firm view of what to expect from some of the top New York contributors. There may be a handful of interlopers, but this is primarily a “green” Week 7 edition of our FAAB column. With a few other colors for your usage and entertainment purposes, of course.
If your league doesn’t use the FAAB process you should also check out our Week 7 Waiver Wire.
Week 7 Top FAAB Targets
Running Backs
Jamaal Williams, Packers (59 percent owned in FanTrax leagues): Williams is going to be even more widely available on some other platforms and will be possibly the top pickup of the week in some leagues. After Aaron Jones, who had seemingly recently arrived as a true Fantasy RB1, fumbled and dropped a certain TD reception on Monday night, Williams returned from a concussion layoff and stepped in to rush for 104 yards on 14 carries and caught four passes for 32 yards and a TD. How the Packers RBs will be employed going forward remains to be seen, but Williams must be aggressively pursued if you need RB help, especially during these bye weeks. He should be treated as at least a potential flex play.
Recommended FAAB Bid: 57 percent of your budget. Don’t go higher than that due to some uncertainty here on how a Jones/Williams timeshare will work out.
Mark Walton, Dolphins (15): Miami definitely needs a respectable presence in their backfield. Kalen Ballage has looked mistake-prone and overwhelmed as a rookie and was stoned at the goal line in Week 6, proving he cannot even handle a short-yardage specialty role. Kenyan Drake has flashed no big-play ability and dropped a potentially game-winning cross-backfield pass at the end of the latest Miami defeat. Walton gained 75 yards from scrimmage in Week 6 and could emerge as a simply adequate option at RB, which is what the Dolphins are lacking right now.
Recommended FAAB Bid: 34 percent of your budget for a potential starting NFL RB in the near future.
Benny Snell Jr., Steelers (31): He is the new handcuff for at least month in Pittsburgh, and made an impressive debut in the role on Sunday night, as he rushed for 75 yards on 17 carries, getting some extended work as James Conner battled a quadriceps issue. Snell showed the ability to hit the hole quickly and demonstrated some speed to challenge defenders once he reached the second level. Conner has been banged up this season, so Snell is a must-add for those who own the Steelers’ RB1.
Recommended FAAB Bid: 43 percent of your budget if you own Conner (odd number to win any tightly contested bids), 24 percent if you do not.
Wide Receivers
Jamison Crowder, Jets (78): The return of Sam Darnold instantly boosted his Fantasy appeal again, and he should be the top WR pickup this week on other platforms where he was cut by many owners. Crowder and Darnold developed an instant rapport on his arrival in the preseason, and he is the high percentage pass-catcher that the QB was missing in his crew last season. Crowder caught 14 passes from Darnold in their first game together and nine more on Sunday, finishing with just under 100 yards each time.
Recommended FAAB Bid: 51 percent of your budget for an instant starting WR3 in PPR formats. Go even higher if you are desperate for WR help.
Robby Anderson, Jets (87): Another player that may be available in your other leagues on some other sites, Anderson will not be as consistent or as reliable as Crowder. But he has more big-play upside, as evidenced by Darnold’s 92-yard TD pass to him in Week 6, the second-longest play from scrimmage in Jets history. Darnold will realistically have some ups and downs, so Anderson can be boom or bust.
Recommended FAAB Bid: 29 percent.
Allen Lazard, Packers (1): He had only one career catch for seven yards entering Monday’s game, but the second-year wideout was pressed into prominent service against the Lions when injuries further decimated the Green Bay WR corps. He caught a 35-yard TD pass and finished with 65 yards. Lazard will obviously have some appeal if the Packers continue to look thin at the position, but he may only be worth a short term add.
Recommended FAAB Bid: 17 percent.
Quarterbacks
Sam Darnold, Jets (59): He made quite a splashy return in Week 6, throwing for 338 yards and two TDs against a highly-regarded Dallas defense. Such a performance could indicate he is on the verge of a breakthrough. But he has more to prove.
Recommended FAAB Bid: Take the shot at 18 percent in case this is the beginning of his true rise to real relevance.
Ryan Tannehill, Titans (10): Tennessee may be on the verge of pulling a QB switch, and while Tannehill has never been more than a decent Fantasy option in the past, he will have better weaponry than he usually did in Miami. He’s worth a small flier in deeper and long-term formats.
Recommended FAAB Bid: 4 percent.
Tight Ends
Hunter Henry, Chargers (86): On some other of your league sites, Henry was cut by owners who may have expected him to miss even more time with a knee fracture. He returned on Sunday night and instantly showed he is ready to contribute in a major way again. He caught eight of nine targets for 100 yards and two TDs. The TE position is so thin, I declare him the top pickup of the week.
Recommended FAAB Bid: 66 percent or even more if you don’t have a Top 6 or so TE.
Darren Fells, Texans (25): The Texans are trying to incorporate their TEs into the passing game more, and it’s been working recently with Fells. He caught two TD passes in Week 5 and six balls for 69 yards in Week 6. There could be some quiet weeks for him as he historically has been more of a blocking type, but Fells is worth a TE2 add to see if his recent sightings on the Fantasy radar are more than just blips on the screen.
Recommended FAAB Bid: Eight percent.
Fantrax is one of the fastest-growing fantasy sites of 2019. With multi-team trades, designated commissioner/league managers, and drag/drop easy click methods, Fantrax is sure to excite the serious fantasy sports fan – sign up now for a free year at Fantrax.com.
Scott, are you recommending 57% of your yearly budget on Jamaal Williams? Or do you mean weekly budget? You routinely make recommendations >50% of the budget, so you would only be able to make two of those bids in a whole year.
It is yearly. I don’t recommend yearly budgets. Thank you for reading and asking