Fantasy Football Saturday Mailbag for Week 10 (Fantasy Football)
Good morning, FootClan, and welcome to Week 10 of The Fantasy Footballers’ Saturday Morning Mailbag! As is the case every Saturday morning, As always, I am here bright and early on Saturday morning to select a few of your questions from The Fantasy Footballers’ Discord server, answer some of the hot-topics that didn’t quite make it to that week’s edition of The Footcast. The Ballers’ Discord is home to the biggest and best online fantasy football community in the world, and is your go-to if you are looking to talk about all things fantasy football. Head over today and get involved with thousands of members across dozens of dedicated channels for start/sit questions, trade advice, and waiver wire insights, as well as exclusive areas that are only available to members of the FootClan.
Guten Morgen, FootClan, und willkommen zu Woche 10 der Fantasy-Football-Saison! Another week, another NFL International Series matchup, and this time the Detroit Lions “host” the New England Patriots in the home of Oktoberfest – the beautiful Bavarian city of Munich. For those in the USA, it is another early kickoff; for me here in Scotland, it is a good excuse to tuck into some bratwurst and some helles at 2:30 pm in the afternoon… prost! In the week that saw the NFL trade deadline come and go with relatively little incident (sorry, Kirko Chainz), it was another injury that grabbed the headlines, with Rams superstar Puka Nacua (eventually) hitting the IR late on Thursday night. What does this mean for LA and your fantasy team? We will discuss that, and a whole lot more! As usual, we’ve got a lot to cover…so let’s dive right in! Es ist Zeit für Fußball.
Question #1 – Trade Talk (Silence of the Rams Edition)
Amber Searls-Imagn Images
Puka Puka, Pokeballers! What’s the upside on Davante Adams when he comes back with Puka going on IR? Would you try to trade him or ride him out? (I snagged him off waivers and have Puka) – It’s Pukachu!
Answer: And a Puka Puka to you, It’s Pukachu!. Kudos for taking the time to write in with your question on what I can only assume has been a difficult and traumatic week for you – as it has been for all Puka Nacua fantasy managers. Despite Sean McVay telling the media on Wednesday that the Rams’ star WR would not be heading to the Injured Reserve due to “roster mechanics”, the 25-year-old Nevandan was placed on the IR less than 24 hours later, thus starting a minimum four-game absence. Nacua is reportedly suffering from an MCL, PCL, and turf-toe-related injury, and despite some outlets reporting he may be back on the field immediately in Week 14…it is looking increasingly likely that a season – which has Matthew Stafford’s favorite breakfast buddy as the overall WR2 in FPPG – is over.
Approaching Tuesday’s NFL trade deadline – and off the back of the Puka injury news – the whispers in the bushes were that Stafford himself was a trade target for the QB-needy Minnesota Vikings, suggesting the Rams may be giving up on 2026…but with Kirk Cousins now back in Minneapolis and Stafford staying put in the City of Angels, it seems as if McVay and Co. aren’t quite throwing in the towel just yet.
Part of this renewed hope may be the rumored return of Davante Adams to the field “sooner rather than later.” In the same press conference, McVay told the press that Puka would not be hitting the IR; the Rams’ 10th-year Head Coach was quoted in saying he was “optimistic” that Adams would soon be back in action and that Week 12 against Green Bay was a “realistic timeline for him”…are we back?
One thing looks certain: Davante Adams will be back at some point after L.A.’s Week 11 bye, and if he is indeed fit and ready to go as early as the Packers’ visit to SoFi…he could be a potential season saver for the Rams, and a league winner for fantasy football managers. In the two games the now 33-year-old has played without Puka Nacua, Adams has been the WR2 and WR12, notching up 15 receptions, 332 yards and 2 TDs in the process…not bad for an old-timer.
Through the first five weeks of the season, Adams was the overall WR5; averaging nine targets per game (WR7), six receptions (WR9) and 88.2 yards (WR5), with his four TDs being second only to some unknown named Jaxon Smith-Njigba. There is a risk that Adams may get shut down if it is no longer possible for the Rams to reach the post-season, but if he is back to business in two weeks, their chances of making it there look a whole lot better than they did this time on Thursday. It is unlikely another manager will be willing to offer a haul for him, but Adams could be a high-end WR1 over the last 5-6 weeks of the season…just hold him and hope for the best.
Question #2 – Season-long Strategy (Not So Happy Feet WR Special)
IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Yo yo yo Ballers! In a 10-Team PPR league, is Jaylen Waddle droppable? I have Colston Loveland on a bye, and I have to drop one of Emmett Johnson, Antonio Williams, or Waddle to grab a replacement TE. I’m 6–2 and the Kenneth Walker owner – Strib Clubz & Coker headz
Answer: Remember when Waddle got traded to the Broncos back in March, and the fantasy community rejoiced? Finally, we get to see Waddle as a true alpha on a team with a legitimate franchise QB! Well, well, well…how the turntables. Through nine weeks, the former Dolphin is on course for career lows in total snap %, targets per game, receptions per game, successful catch %, yards per catch, and, most importantly to us as fantasy football players…fantasy points per game – woof.
Up until last weekend’s 26-21 victory over Carolina in Charlotte, Waddle was at least achieving something he historically has not…staying on the field. However, after a particularly painful-looking hit late in the first quarter, Waddle left the field and never returned…being placed in the League’s concussion protocol soon after. Denver has a bye this week, so it’s likely The Penguin won’t miss any additional time…but even if he were to, would many of us really notice?
Sunday was almost the perfect summation of Denver’s season – they are more than capable of winning without their apparent WR1 on the field. The Broncos are 7-2, and with Jonah Coleman returning from his own stint on the sidelines, it finally looks as if Denver has their run game back and is happy to win games on the ground, rather than put the ball in Bo Nix’s somewhat temperamental hands. Sean Payton seems content operating at a relatively slow pace of play, with the men from Mile High currently running only 57.9 plays per game…29th in the National Football League. Understandable, perhaps, when the team sits atop the AFC West, boasting a defensive unit allowing a mere 20.7 points per game.
With Defensive Coordinator Vance Joseph doing such a great job with the men on his side of the ball, it is easy to see why HC Payton may be hesitant to entrust Bo Nix to sling it about any more than absolutely necessary. Heading into Week 10, Denver ranks 26th in both passing yards and passing completion…hardly surprising then that even as the team’s leading pass-catcher with 25% of total team targets in Weeks 5-8, Jaylen Waddle is only the overall WR33 on the season. It is looking like a lost year for the former sixth overall pick, with only three of his nine starts resulting in double-digit fantasy points…and in two of those, he only eclipsed the 10-point mark thanks to finding the end zone.
Genuinely…I think I would drop Waddle in your situation. Antonio Williams has grown into this Washington Commanders’ offense throughout his rookie year, and despite not seeing high target volume, he is clearly a favorite option of Jayden Daniels. As for Emmett Johnson, as you roster Kenneth Walker, he is a must-hold… but even if you didn’t have Ken Bone, I prefer the upside he offers as we enter the latter part of the season. Set The Penguin free and watch him landmine someone else’s roster.
Question #3 – Trade Tale (Usurper to the Throne – Bears RB Special)
Studly Ballers. Should I be trading D’Andre Swift while he’s on his bye before Kyle Monangai comes back? – Big T
Answer: If you were to get your hands on my wallet, Big T, you would open it up and find not cash, but a small laminated bit of cardboard that says “D’Andre Swift Fan Club” in bold lettering alongside my name and membership number 0001. I have championed My Guy King Swift all the way through the off-season, defended him in the Fantasy Court, and kept the fires of my love for him burning into the draft and pretty much every.single.week since…until now.
Don’t hear what I’m not saying, I still love D’Andre Swift…but his successes of late seem very much made from circumstance rather than pure, raw talent. On the season, the seven-year veteran is the overall RB8, and is well on track for his first-ever RB1 season for fantasy football…but when we dive a little deeper, are things exactly as they seem for the Bears’ number one guy and the league’s current rushing TD leader?
In the five games the 27-year-old has played without stablemate Kyle Monangai, Swift has been the overall RB3 for fantasy – scoring more in those weeks than any RB not named Bucky Irving or Jahmyr Gibbs – he has been unstoppable. However (and it’s a big “however”), he has been criminally inefficient with his opportunities, and to be honest…looks tired. In the weeks King Swift has played without Monangai, he has been on the field for 70% of Chicago’s offensive snaps, averaging over 17 carries per game, scoring 16.7 FPPG in the process…this is good. Over that same time period, however, Swift has seen his average yards per carry dip from 4.5 Y/A with Monangai to just 3.1 Y/A without…it appears as if the additional workload is starting to take its toll on my King of Consistency…this is bad.
On the year as a whole, Swift is averaging just 3.7 Y/A; that is a very nice 69th amongst all RBs, or 33rd if we limit it to those with 50 or more carries. If anything, I think we see that number regress to the mean when the sophomore Monangai returns…but this will also be at the expense of snaps, carries, and overall opportunities for the current RB8. When playing together, Swift’s share of the workload dropped to just 56% of total snaps and an almost even timeshare of 52% of RB attempts. His opportunities will go down, but we may see him do more with them, with Monangai there to keep his teammate a little fresher.
Swift is not a trade-away candidate as such, but if there is someone in your league who may be tempted to buy-high on the promise of a top-8 back the rest of the way…then by all means, go get an upgrade at the position. I have just sent out an offer in my own League of Record to the Kenneth Walker manager who is struggling at 3-6 – Swift + a WR2 for his Ken Bone. I’ll miss my King if the other manager accepts…but I’m playing to win titles, and if I have to commit fantasy regicide to do so, I am fine with it. The King is (maybe) dead…long live the King!
It’s time for Rapid Round…
Yo Ballers! If your matchup is still balanced going into Monday Night Football, do you prefer trailing with one player left or being ahead and your opponent having one player left? – Mmmmitch
Answer: The Monday Night sweats are real…especially when you live on this side of the pond and do not even get to watch the game! Nothing quite beats the feeling of waking up at 6:00am, grabbing your phone and seeing you’ve got the W in the books! I prefer to come from behind, as I always feel that my guys can do the business – if I am less than 15 ahead and my opponent has literally anyone, I get the fear. Snatch victory from the jaws of defeat…and not the other way around.
IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Sup Dads! If you had Joe Burrow, would you trade away Brock Purdy for Zay Flowers? – A Hint of Moobs
Answer: I am not a huge proponent of rostering two QBs, especially if they are both top-tier QB1s…but if I am sacrificing my elite level back-up, I’m going to want more than Zay Flowers. Sure, he may be a solid WR2 with Jacoby ‘Where’s the Beef?’ Brissett…but Purdy is a potential league winner on another roster, so that’s exactly what I’d want in return. If you can get Jettas – or even Malik Nabers after his mediocre TNF performance – that would be a whole other story.
When do you guys start thinking about playoff strength of schedule? How much do you factor in possible cold weather games? – CinnAmon Toast Crunch
Answer: Mr Toast Crunch, I’m already there. I’m 6-3 in my main League of Record, and I am feeling confident I will at least make the Wildcard rounds, so any trades or pick-ups I am looking to make are with one eye firmly on Weeks 15 through 17. Start now and stay ahead of your competition.
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
Ballers! I need help with my RB situation. Ollie Gordon is my RB1 – who is a complement I could try and shop Trey McBride for? – HoffmanMN
Answer: If there was a time to try and move on from McBride…it is now. He may be on record setting pace in terms of targets at the TE position…but we have no idea how things are going to move forward with Carson Beck under center after Gardner Minshew landed on the IR following Jacoby Brissett being benched and subsequently traded (what a wild 7 days that was). McBride is still a top-tier talent, so you should be looking for an RB1-level player who is even better than Gordon. Why not test the mettle of the Derrick Henry manager, or potentially enquire about Kyren Williams – use his time-share with Blake Corum as your opening gambit and see if they bite.
Bougie Boys! Please give your thoughts on the following areas of Disney World – Cinderella’s Castle, Pandora, Toy Story Land, and Drinking Around the World in Epcot. Also, are we saying Disney World > Disney Land? – Freckle Foot
Answer: If only The Happiest Place on Earth occasionally did the Happiest Happy Hour on Earth, then this answer would maybe be a little more straightforward. Having been fortunate enough to experience Disney World, Disneyland, and Disneyland Paris, I feel I am in a position of authority to comment here, and it’s as easy as this:
Epcot > Toy Story > Cinderella’s Castle > Pandora
Get that overrated, two-hour wait, unobtanium-mining garbage out of my life. Why go to just one land when you can travel all around the world with a fine selection of adult beverages? Epcot rules all. Happy travels.
That will do it for this week, FootClan – good luck for Week 10!