RADIO
Time to gear up for Week 3 and with that comes another edition of #TrendingNow. This week I want to cover a couple sets of teammates that may be heading in two different directions. It may be in with the young and out with the old for these teammates and we need to get out ahead of the curve.
Not only are these players teammates, but we are sticking to wide receivers this week. The main goal in a dynasty league is to grab onto as many young players as possible and hope they all work out. My guys who are #TrendingUp this week all fit the profile of young players with years of upside ahead of them.
Before we get into the players for this week, let's break it down first. #TrendingNow is all about a player’s current value and whether it is #TrendingUp or #TrendingDown focusing both points on the long-term outlook of the player. So, if a guy had a huge first week, but he’s not listed here, either I didn’t have enough room, or I haven’t jumped on his long-term bandwagon as of yet. Enough of the small talk, let’s get to it!
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Detroit Lions
#TrendingUp - Kenny Golladay - WR
I thought we would need to wait one more year for the Kenny Golladay breakout, but the good news is that if you hung onto him, you may have the Lions new WR1. Golden Tate has been as consistent as ever the last few years for the Lions and it appears he will still be in PPR league (especially considering the defense is awful) but Golladay is going to be a mix of Tate and Marvin Jones offering a heavy dose of volume to go with some big playmaking ability and touchdowns.
Golladay is currently second on the team in targets and receptions while also leading the team in receiving yards. Golladay is currently averaging 15.6 yards per reception and if he continues to grab six receptions per game, he would end the season with 96 receptions for almost 1,500 yards. If Golladay keeps this up, the Lions will surely walk away from Tate at the end of the season. That would leave Golladay and the guy who I believe is heading in the opposite direction.
#TrendingDown - Marvin Jones - WR
I was 100% on board for the Marvin Jones breakout last season and wasn’t surprised when he put together the season he did. Heading into 2018 though, you had to worried if a repeat performance was coming or if he would have issues replicating his 2017 numbers. When you look at the tape, Jones had some amazing catches en route to his WR1 season and unless he was going bring some of that luck along with him, it wasn’t happening.
I am concerned that Jones will only have value with his touchdown receptions this year. Tate and Golladay are cemented atop the receiver pecking order but Theo Riddick, who has more targets and receptions than Jones, is also receiving a lot of volume right now. It may be wise to also consider Kerryon Johnson as a threat to take some targets away as well. Johnson only has nine as of right now, but if he can carve out a larger role, his volume in the passing game will also increase. I still think Jones is a viable receiving option, but there is no WR1 season ahead of him.
Jacksonville Jaguars
#TrendingUp - Keelan Cole - WR
For the third time this week I am bringing up Keelan Cole. Between this article, my waiver wire article for wide receivers and the RotoRevolution, I have said plenty. I couldn’t help but just bring him up again, because his value was so good for so long and now it could be gone. With 116 yards on seven receptions to go with a touchdown, plus a highlight reel catch, Cole’s value isn’t going to be cheap anymore.
Prior to waivers this week, Cole was still owned in less than 50% of leagues, but it appears the WR1 in Jacksonville has some value even if Blake Bortles is his quarterback. Cole led all wide receivers in yards per reception last year and appears to be picking up where he left off. Cole only need a couple of plays to make a difference each week.
#TrendingDown - D.J. Chark - WR
The second round pick out of LSU hasn’t even gotten his career off the ground, but I haven’t been a fan of DJ Chark since the draft. The biggest factor in his rise to the second round was his straight-line speed, but does he have the overall talent to jump above Cole, Donte Moncrief and Dede Westbrook?
Chark has big playmaking ability written all over him, but if he can’t get on the field it won’t matter. In two weeks, Chark has been on the field for 43 snaps and has one catch for 13 yards. The Jaguars won’t have to throw this much all season and being the fourth receiver on a team that wants to control games through the defense and run, there are not a whole lot of opportunities. Invest in one of the top options if you feel the need to add a Jaguars receiver to your team.
New York Jets
#TrendingUp - Quincy Enunwa - WR
We had to wait a year for the Quincy Enunwa WR1 breakout to happen, but we have finally reached that time and I couldn’t be more excited. Enunwa has 21 targets in the first two games of the season hauling in 155 receiving yards. It’s clear who Sam Darnold’s favorite target is. Enunwa’s 11.9 yards per reception is slightly down from his career average of 14.5 but he is well on his way to a campaign with 100 receptions. Darnold isn’t playing like a rookie and will be feeding Enunwa in 2018 and beyond.
#TrendingDown - Robby Anderson - WR
The Jets WR1 from 2017 has found himself in WR3 territory this season. If you drafted Anderson to be a WR2 or WR3 for your team, you have been disappointed so far and more than likely will continue to be disappointing for the rest of the season. Anderson is currently fourth on the team in receptions and targets and if it wasn’t for one big play in Week 1 against the Lions, his stat line would look even worse right now.
Putting a player in your lineup every week hoping for one big play isn’t a wise move in fantasy football. Anderson has become a droppable player at this point with little to no upside as Terrelle Pryor appears to have settled in for a larger role on the Jets than what most expected. When Isaiah Crowell has one less target than you, it’s time to step up.
