Welcome to the 12th installment of the weekly series, One Week Ahead. I’m Matthew Ward (@PsychWardFF), and I’ll be your temporary host of this series as I fill in for the effervescent Matt Gruber.
It just wouldn’t feel right to begin this article without Matt’s poetic introduction:
“The 12th week of the NFL season is officially behind us. The long-awaited Sunday has come and gone in a blink of an eye. After countless hours of only moving from the couch to use the bathroom, we look ahead to week 13. With everyone scrambling to the waiver wire, this article will look beyond that.
We will use our fantasy football crystal ball to look ahead to future weeks and try to predict players who will emerge with fantasy relevance. We will try to get a leg up on our opponents by picking up potential fantasy assets before they become a major waiver wire pick-up.”
Without further ado, my favourite players to add before the masses catch wind of the fire.
Trey Lance (QB – SF)
Managers everywhere thought they galaxy-brained their opponents when drafting rookie quarterback Trey Lance in the waning rounds of their season-long leagues. After just one start in Week 5 and no immediate signs of taking over the lead role, Lance’s roster percentages have dropped to a dismal 23.8%.
In my previous edition of Fantasy Fact or Cap, I mentioned how Jimmy Garoppolo’s sustained play had kept Lance at bay. I still believe Lance’s eventual takeover of the starting gig is a matter of “when not if.”
Lance’s incredible athleticism and rushing upside are enough to warrant a stash on any roster. The 49ers finish the fantasy football season against the Falcons, the Titans, and the Texans. These combined teams allow 19.9 PPG on average to opposing quarterbacks in 2021. 19.9 PPG equates to QB10 overall production levels. All three defenses also concede well over the league average of fantasy points to rushing quarterbacks specifically, per the Defensive Points Over Average tool by BRoto Fantasy Football.
Grab Lance now before he is named the starter in the final weeks against these three ineffective defenses.
Khalil Herbert (RB – CHI)
I find it disrespectful that Khalil Herbert is rostered in only 24.0% of collective redraft leagues. An elite handcuff that is available in over 75% of leagues in this economy? Sign me up.
If David Montgomery is rostered in 100% of redraft fantasy leagues (*checks notes* he is), then Herbert should be as well. I previously highlighted the importance of Herbert on fantasy rosters in my article covering the David Montgomery Injury for Dynasty Football Factory and as an offseason stash for BRoto Fantasy Football.
Running backs such as Alexander Mattison, Tony Pollard, AJ Dillon, and Chuba Hubbard have proven why rostering handcuffs is essential, especially this season.
Herbert averaged 15.4 PPG in the three games as the starting running back for the Bears this season. If Montgomery aggravates an injury or misses time with a new ailment, you can expect Herbert to regain his role as the starter.
Much respect, thank you for reading. If you have any continued thoughts and would like to share, I am always available for an open conversation on Twitter: @PsychWardFF or Instagram: @psychwardff.
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