The Must Stash: Week 4

Eli Grabanski looks at some deep sleepers to stash before Week 4's games.

Eli Grabanski
Going Deep 3 Years Ago

Every week I will list some players who I think if things go their way, will wind up in those waiver articles the following Tuesday. You don’t have to stash all of them – it depends on who you have on your roster, the depth of your benches, the scoring system of your league, etc. But these are guys that should at least be on your radar. 

Stashing players is only something that can occur in deeper leagues with large benches, so to make this information worthwhile, I will only be recommending guys that are rostered in under 20% of leagues on both Yahoo and ESPN, and in many cases, you’ll see percentages in the single digits. If you’re in a league where guys like Rondale Moore (56.1% on ESPN), Trey Lance (25.3% on ESPN), and Elijah Mitchell (85.6% on ESPN) are on the waiver wire, you’re either in a league too shallow for stashing, or you should go pick those guys up right away.

In addition, for those of you in really deep leagues (16+ teams), we will also include some deep cut players that are rostered in less than 3% of leagues on both Yahoo and ESPN in a section at the end to try and give you the best chance of winning your fantasy league. Without further ado, let’s dive in!

 

Week 3 Review

 

  • Rashod Bateman (WR, Baltimore Ravens): Did not play last week since he was still on injured reserve, but is expected to practice this week. Should still be a good stash option if he’s available.
  • Quintez Cephus (WR, Detroit Lions): Had just one reception on one target for eight receiving yards against the Baltimore Ravens. He’s safe to drop.
  • Jeff Wilson Jr. (RB, San Francisco 49ers): Did not play last week since he is still on injured reserve, but has graduated from the ‘Must Stash’ now that he’s rostered in over 20% of leagues. Worth a stash if you have an IR spot or want another good end-of-the-bench RB lottery ticket.
  • Jack Doyle (TE, Indianapolis Colts): Jack Doyle had one reception on two targets for 10 receiving yards. He had nearly an identical snap share and receiving workload as fellow tight end Mo Alie-Cox, which is a little concerning.
  • Hunter Renfrow (WR, Las Vegas Raiders): Renfrow had five catches on six targets for 77 receiving yards and a receiving touchdown against the Miami Dolphins this past week. He’s graduated from the ‘Must Stash’ now that he’s rostered in over 20% of fantasy leagues.

 

The Must Stash

 

Rhamondre Stevenson, RB, New England Patriots (9% on Yahoo, 8.2% on ESPN)

 

Rhamondre Stevenson was considered one of the more interesting backup running backs going into the year, but that hype quickly died after he had a costly fumble against the Miami Dolphins in Week 1 and ended up being inactive in weeks 2 & 3. But after James White suffered a serious hip injury against the New Orleans Saints, there is a path to playing time for Stevenson once again. The Patriots running backs coach Ivan Fears recently commented on Stevenson potentially taking on some of James White’s work stating, “You know, you only can carry so many guys to the game and he has made big improvements on the stuff that we asked him to make improvements on and we’re happy with him. So, we’re kind of excited to see if he can pick up a new role here.” It’s looking like Stevenson will see an increased workload in the coming weeks, and if starting back Damien Harris also misses some time he has a legitimate path to being a three-down back.

 

Tyler Conklin, TE, Minnesota Vikings (9% on Yahoo, 13.6% on ESPN)

 

Tyler Conklin had a big day against the Seattle Seahawks where he caught seven passes on eight targets for 70 receiving yards and a receiving touchdown. He’s been targeted at least four times in each of the first three games of the season and is currently tied for 10th among tight ends in total targets. Considering all of the other tight ends in the top 12 of total targets are rostered in at least 50% of fantasy leagues, it appears that Conklin is currently undervalued. If you need help at tight end, Conklin is a great player to roll the dice on right now while he’s cheap.

 

Rashod Bateman, WR, Baltimore Ravens (19% on Yahoo, 8.2% on ESPN)

 

Rashod Bateman hasn’t quite graduated from the ‘Must Stash’ (rostered in 19% of Yahoo fantasy leagues) so he lands on this list once again. The Baltimore Ravens spent their first-round pick on wide receiver Rashod Bateman in the 2021 NFL Draft and he’s finally eligible to return to the field this week after spending the first three weeks of the season on injured reserve, so now is a great time to take a shot on the talented rookie without potentially having to use a high waiver or a large percentage of your FAAB budget. If he’s still available in your league and you need help at wide receiver, Bateman is a solid player to use a lottery ticket bench spot on.

 

Dallas Cowboys D/ST (14% on Yahoo, 7.9% on ESPN)

 

The Dallas Cowboys D/ST has looked surprisingly good this year with six interceptions, two fumble recoveries, four sacks, and a defensive touchdown. In addition, in the last two weeks against the Los Angeles Chargers and the Philadelphia Eagles, they’ve only allowed 32 total points. The Cowboys should have another good game this week against the Carolina Panthers whose starting quarterback Sam Darnold has a career 3.0% interception %, and then their upcoming schedule includes games against the New York Giants and New England Patriots. They will be a top-tier streaming option next week, so beat your league mates to the punch and pick them up now if you have an open bench spot.

 

Marlon Mack, RB, Indianapolis Colts (13% on Yahoo, 4.1% on ESPN)

 

Marlon Mack has recently requested a trade from the Indianapolis Colts and it’s expected that he’s traded ahead of the NFL trade deadline. Mack already has a 1000 rushing yard season under his belt (2019) and now that he’s fully recovered from his Achilles injury he could find himself traded to a team where he can legitimately compete for touches. If Mack gets traded to a team like the San Francisco 49ers, Atlanta Falcons, or Baltimore Ravens his value will increase, so if you can afford to roster him with an end of the bench spot until he gets traded it could pay off in the long run.

Deep Cuts

 

(Rostered In Less Than 3% Of Leagues)

Both Websites (ESPN and Yahoo)

 

Collin Johnson, WR, New York Giants (0% on Yahoo, 0.1% on ESPN): Collin Johnson just had a game where he had five receptions on seven targets for 51 receiving yards. He’s gotten some hype in the past by some beat writers when he was with the Jacksonville Jaguars and may have another opportunity to shine this week with both Darius Slayton and Sterling Shepard questionable to play this week.

 

Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, WR, Tennessee Titans (1% on Yahoo, 0.2% on ESPN): Nick Westbrook-Ikhine had four receptions on four targets for 53 receiving yards and a receiving touchdown in Week 3 and there’s a possibility that the Titans will be without Julio Jones and A.J. Brown in the next couple weeks, which would increase Westbrook-Ikhine’s value further.

 

Quez Watkins, WR, Philadelphia Eagles (2% on Yahoo, 1.9% on ESPN): Quez Watkins has been very efficient with the little work he’s gotten, catching seven passes on seven targets for 186 receiving yards this season. He was a training camp standout this offseason, so if he can increase the number of targets going his way he could find himself being fantasy relevant this season.

 

Samaje Perine, RB, Cincinnati Bengals (1% on Yahoo, 1.5% on ESPN): The Cincinnati Bengals have leaned towards a bell-cow approach on the ground even when Joe Mixon has missed time, and now Samaje Perine is the team’s primary backup running back. If Mixon misses time in 2021, Perine will be fantasy-relevant.

 

Kendrick Bourne, WR, New England Patriots (2% on Yahoo, 1.1% on ESPN): Kendrick Bourne had a nice game last week where he had six receptions on eight targets for 96 receiving yards and a receiving touchdown.

 

Mo Alie-Cox, TE, Indianapolis Colts (1% on Yahoo, 0.3% on ESPN): While Jack Doyle emerged as the Colts’ primary pass-catching tight end early this season, Mo Alie-Cox had more receiving work in Week 3. The Colts’ primary pass-catching tight end will have some sleeper potential as long as Frank Reich is calling the plays.

 

J.J. Taylor, RB, New England Patriots (1% on Yahoo, 0.9% on ESPN): The Patriots lost James White to a serious hip injury which opens up some playing time opportunities for some of the other Patriots’ backs. While he’s pretty small, Taylor could be a top candidate for the 3rd down role.

 

Brandon Bolden, RB, New England Patriots (1% on Yahoo, 0.3% on ESPN): Brandon Bolden actually out-snapped Damien Harris against the New Orleans Saints. After the James White injury, Bolden has a shot to be fantasy-relevant in deeper leagues.

 

ESPN/Yahoo Only

 

Royce Freeman, RB, Carolina Panthers (4% on Yahoo, 1.9% on ESPN): While Chuba Hubbard was the big pickup after the Christian McCaffrey injury, there’s a chance that Royce Freeman benefits as well. Freeman has proven himself to be a capable dual-threat back and has the size to handle goal-line carries if Chuba Hubbard struggles.

Demetric Felton, RB, Cleveland Browns (5% on Yahoo, 1.3% on ESPN): Over the last two weeks Felton has caught four passes for 64 receiving yards and a touchdown. He may be worth a look in deeper leagues.

 

 

That’s it for Week 4. Feel free to weigh in and mention any players you believe should be on this list.

 

Featured Image by Justin Paradis (@freshmeatcomm on Twitter)

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