“Frankel’s Fantasy Files” is a column by Kyle Frankel about fantasy football.
Finally, I’ve been waiting to say this. Welcome to KIRKTOBER! It’s everyone’s favorite time of the year. That time when Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins reminds the world that he deserves its respect.
Don’t let anyone tell you this fugazi “primetime Kirk” narrative. As far as I’m concerned, it’s fake news because Cousins was balling on Monday Night Football in the Vikings 22-17 win over the 49ers.
All of a sudden, after starting 0-3, the Vikings may be back. More importantly, “Big Kirko” is back.
I apologize. Monday Night Football was too fresh in my mind for me to not celebrate Kirktober just a little bit. Let’s get down to business.
Don’t forget about Darrell
Remember last year when we were all trying to decipher the Rams’ backfield? Well, we may not have fully cracked the code last season, but one constant in the conversation was Darrell Henderson Jr.
Los Angeles’ running game has been far easier to gauge from a fantasy perspective this season. Not only is Kyren Williams firmly No. 1 on the depth chart at running back, but the team’s rushing offense has actually been producing.
Williams finally broke out and is having a stellar sophomore season. Not only is he rostered in nearly every fantasy league, but he’s an every week starter in most of them too. He’s currently the fourth highest scoring running back (in PPR leagues) in all of fantasy football, a crazy thing to be saying about someone carrying the rock for the Rams.
However, Williams was sent to the IR last week with an ankle injury, meaning the earliest he can return is for their Week 12 date with the Cardinals. In the meantime, L.A. needs someone to pick up the slack. That’s where Henderson reenters the conversation.
While his stats from the previous season definitely were not the most illustrious, he had himself a great 2023 fantasy debut on Sunday in the Rams’ 24-17 defeat. He saw 18 carries and took them for 61 yards and a touchdown. This was against a stout Steelers defense as well, so expect him to keep producing with this hefty workload.
With Williams out for at least another four weeks, Henderson is a guy capable enough to immediately slot into your starting lineup. He’s only rostered in 12.2% of ESPN leagues at the time of writing (before waivers have cleared) so chances are he’s still out there in yours.
Ups and Downs
The fact that I’m even able to list this next player as a target on the waiver wire is preposterous. Here’s this wide receiver’s last three-game PPR totals: 15.7, 13.1 and 23.5. Now I don’t know about you, but that’s definitely a better three-week stretch than some of my starters. The fact that he’s only on a roster in 34.6% of ESPN leagues is criminal. Forget proving yourself in the NFL, this dude has proven himself in the fantasy realm.
So who is this mystery pass-catcher I’m raving about? Well, if you guys guessed Josh Downs you’d be correct. The Colts wideout is on a three-game tear, scoring his highest PPR total of the season in last week’s loss to the Brown. With his backup quarterback under center, Downs reeled in five of six targets for 125 yards and a score.
Downs has been a favorite target of Colts quarterback Gardner Minshew when he’s played this year. With starting quarterback Anthony Richardson out for the year, Downs should continue to see a healthy diet of passes thrown his way. He hasn’t had less than six targets in his last three outings — that will be his new normal.
Not to mention, Jonathan Taylor looked like he was getting back to himself on Sunday. When he ramps up to full strength, Indianapolis will be better on offense and Downs’s scoring opportunities will increase accordingly.
Long story short… if he’s on your waivers, he won’t be there very long.
It’s not all bad in Buffalo
It was a bad week to be a Bills fan, as they watched a miracle comeback fall just short in a game in which they should’ve never needed a comeback. Nonetheless, at least from a fantasy point of view, there was definitely a positive to take away from Buffalo’s 29-25 loss to the Patriots.
This positive is none other than rookie tight end Dalton Kincaid. After having opportunities throughout this season, four, five and six targets in respective outings, the former Ute finally broke out.
Kincaid saw eight targets on Sunday and caught all of them, going for a total of 75 yards. This all added up to 15.5 PPR points, by far the best game of his young career.
Despite being substantially out-snapped by Dawson Knox this season, as Knox was initially the clear starting tight end, Kincaid only has one less target. This evidences quarterback Josh Allen’s trust in him as a pass-catcher and bodes well for his future workload.
I think the Bills will start playing some really good football soon, and I expect Kincaid to parlay that into a nice fantasy stretch. He’s still only rostered in 31.4% of ESPN leagues.
“Frankel’s Fantasy Files” runs every Wednesday.