Breakouts or One Week Wonders? Fantasy Football Outlooks for RJ Harvey, Isaiah Davis, and others

by Andy Smith

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Are these 5 players must-have breakouts? Andy's Week 9 fantasy football start 'em, sit 'em picks for unexpected boom performances from RJ Harvey, Isaiah Davis, Harold Fannin Jr., others.

In This Article hide

2. RJ Harvey, DEN - RB (vs. DAL)

3. Isaiah Davis, NYJ - RB (at CIN)

4. Roman Wilson, PIT - WR (vs. GB)

5. Harold Fannin Jr., CLE - TE (vs. NE)

6. Who Should I Start Tool

8. More Fantasy Football Analysis

Every week, fantasy managers see an underrated player finish near the top of their respective positions in that week. However, it is crucial to take a deeper look to determine if that was a breakthrough performance or just fool's gold.

In this week's edition, we will post a rookie running back and a second-year WR who could be taking the next step in his development.

Should fantasy managers add these players to the waiver wire and plug them into the starting lineups for Week 9? Let's dive in!

Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2025:

Tua Tagovailoa, MIA - QB (at ATL)

Among the top QBs in Week 8, there weren't that many surprises, outside of Miami QB Tua Tagovailoa. In their upset victory over Atlanta, Tagovailoa was near-perfect, going 20-for-26 with 205 passing yards and four touchdowns. This is his first time throwing four passing scores in a single game this season and only his second multi-touchdown performance since Week 5.

Verdict:

While this performance was quite impressive, Tagovailoa remains on the border of a mid-to-high-end QB2 in Week 9. Since Week 5, Tagovailoa has averaged a low 191.5 passing yards per game and led an 8:6 TD:INT. During this stretch, Tagovailoa has only eclipsed 20.0 PPR points twice.

While he has a prime matchup in Week 9 against a struggling Ravens secondary, he is best left for deeper 14+ team formats as a sneaky streaming option. Given his inconsistencies, Tagovailoa could still disappoint despite this prime matchup.

RJ Harvey, DEN - RB (vs. DAL)

RJ Harvey was a popular sleeper candidate in the offseason, but he has seen his fantasy stock plummet. After being selected in the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft, many expected him to immediately operate as the RB1 in Denver. However, J.K. Dobbins has dominated the workload, leaving Harvey as the clear RB2.

However, in their dominating victory over Dallas on Sunday, Harvey enjoyed his best showing of the season, totaling three touchdowns and 51 total yards on eight total touches. While his volume remained low, Harvey flashed the elite upside he possesses with the ball in his hands.

Verdict:

Similar to Tagovailoa, managers should not trust this breakout. Despite his three-touchdown performance, Harvey logged just 26% of the snaps, while Dobbins saw 53%. Since Week 5, Harvey has never logged more than 30% of the snaps in a single game and is averaging just 4.3 rushing attempts per game over this stretch.

While he remains an elite handcuff if Dobbins were to miss time, he should not be started in any standard leagues in Week 9, facing the Houston Texans.

Isaiah Davis, NYJ - RB (at CIN)

The other running back who enjoyed a breakout showing was Jets No. 2 RB Isaiah Davis. Despite operating as the clear No. 2 to Breece Hall, Davis took seven carries for 65 yards and caught all five of his targets for 44 yards. This was his second-straight game seeing at least four targets and catching at least two passes.

Similar to Harvey, while his volume has not been overly high, when given the opportunity, Davis has shown promise both as a ball carrier and a pass catcher.

Verdict:

While Harvey stands as the clear RB2 in the offense, Davis is making a strong case to see an impressive increase in playing time. Over the past two weeks, Davis has logged 48% and 44% of the snaps, respectively. This was a stark jump from the 26% of the snaps he saw back in Week 6.

With Hall's name circling trade rumors, Davis is a top stash candidate in all formats, as he could carry high-end RB2 upside if he were to move into the starting role. Even with Hall in action, Davis carries solid FLEX value in PPR formats, going forward.

Isaiah Davis Sets Season-High in Touches, Yards https://t.co/ggH8TgfET6

— RotoBaller NFL (@RotoBallerNFL) October 27, 2025

Roman Wilson, PIT - WR (vs. GB)

After being an afterthought during his rookie campaign, appearing in just one game (and not catching a pass), Roman Wilson appears to be taking the next step. During their loss to the Packers on Sunday night, Wilson led the Pittsburgh receiving room with four catches for 754 yards and a touchdown. Wilson saw five targets.

In Weeks 6 and 7, Wilson saw just three total targets and appears to be seeing his role gradually increase in the offense.

Verdict:

While Wilson has not entered must-stash territory, he is named to closely monitor, especially those in deep three-WR formats. In this game, Wilson logged 48% of the snaps, which was much lower than the 80% and 95% Calvin Austin III and DK Metcalf saw. However, this was now the second-straight week in which Wilson operated the clear WR3 on the roster, over Ben Skowronek, who saw more opportunities earlier in the season.

Managers in deep leagues should pay close attention to his status this weekend, as he could become a sneaky stash candidate for the second half of the season.

Harold Fannin Jr., CLE - TE (vs. NE)

While Oronde Gadsden fits this article's mold, he was discussed in last week's edition, and for the sake of repeating names, let's take a look at another rookie TE who is beginning to find his footing. Fannin has produced at times this season, but has seen his overall ceiling capped due to splitting time with David Njoku and subpar QB play in Cleveland.

In Week 8, Fannin caught six of his eight targets for 62 yards and a touchdown. This was his third straight game seeing at least five targets and third-straight game bringing in at least four of them.

Verdict:

Fannin should be the priority player to roster in this week's edition. Even with Njoku back in action in Week 8, Fannin is still projected as a top option in the passing attack. When Njoku missed time in Week 7, Fannin led the way, logging 82% of the snaps.

In fact, since Week 4, the rookie has logged at least 74% of the snaps in each game and has eclipsed the 80%-snap mark in three of them. With Njoku's name in heavy trade discussion, Fannin could carry must-start TE1 upside during the first half of the second half. He is a priority wire target in all formats.

Harold Fannin Jr. Leads Browns in All Receiving Categories on Sunday https://t.co/EhIqYwAOpx

— RotoBaller NFL (@RotoBallerNFL) October 27, 2025

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