The Must Stash: Week 7

Eli Grabanski looks at some deep sleepers to stash before Week 7'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 (47.7% on ESPN), Trey Lance (27.1% on ESPN), and Damien Williams (61.4% 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 6 Review

 

  • Rhamondre Stevenson (RB, New England Patriots): Rhamondre Stevenson carried the ball five times for 23 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown on the ground and caught three passes for 39 yards through the air against the Dallas Cowboys this past week. He’s worth a hold if you have room (14.1% on ESPN, 17% on Yahoo).
  • Ricky Seals-Jones (TE, Washington Football Team): Ricky Seals-Jones caught four passes on six targets for 58 receiving yards and a touchdown against the Kansas City Chiefs. He’s graduated from the Must Stash now that he’s rostered in over 20% of leagues on ESPN (36.4%) and Yahoo (45%).
  • Jerick McKinnon (RB, Kansas City Chiefs): Jerick McKinnon carried the ball three times for 10 rushing yards on the ground and caught one pass on four targets for five receiving yards through the air. If you need a roster spot during BYE week apocalypse he’s safe to drop, otherwise, feel free to hold him as long as Clyde Edwards-Helaire is out.
  • Rashaad Penny (RB, Seattle Seahawks): Rashaad Penny may not have played last week, but is “raring to go” off the injured reserve. With Chris Carson out for the foreseeable future, and Alex Collins his only competition, he’s worth consideration for one of your final bench spots. He’s no longer eligible for the ‘Must Stash’ since he is rostered in over 20% of Yahoo leagues (32%).
  • David Njoku (TE, Cleveland Browns): David Njoku only had one reception on two targets for six receiving yards against the Arizona Cardinals this past week. It appears that his receiving usage will be inconsistent from week to week so he’s safe to drop if you need a spot.

The Must Stash

 

Marlon Mack, RB, Indianapolis Colts (6.9% on ESPN, 19% on Yahoo)

 

We included Marlon Mack on the ‘Must Stash’ a few weeks ago after he requested a trade, but he’s been put on the back burner in recent weeks for players who may have more of an opportunity to immediately make an impact. With the trade deadline approaching quickly (November 2nd, 4 PM ET), now seems like the perfect time to pick up Mack since there’s a good chance he gets traded. We’ve seen Mack be productive in the past with a 1000 rushing yard season back in 2019 and he looks recovered from his Achilles injury based on the 20 carries he’s gotten over the past three weeks. If Mack gets traded to an RB desperate team like the Kansas City Chiefs or Baltimore Ravens, his value would explode…so beat your league-mates to the punch and take a shot on him now when he’s rostered in under 20% of leagues.

 

Amon-Ra St. Brown, WR, Detroit Lions (13.9% on ESPN, 18% on Yahoo)

 

Amon-Ra St. Brown has been pretty involved in the Detroit Lions’ passing attack over the last three weeks, catching 18 passes on 23 targets for 161 receiving yards during this stretch. Given the lack of quality passing options on the Detroit Lions outside of T.J. Hockenson and D’Andre Swift, St. Brown has a legitimate opportunity to maintain the workload he’s seen in recent weeks for the rest of the season. If you play in a deeper league (12+ teams) and are desperate for a wide receiver that has good upside for the rest of the season, take a shot on this rookie.

 

Devonta Freeman, RB, Baltimore Ravens (5.5% on ESPN, 7% on Yahoo)

 

Deciding between the Baltimore Ravens’ running backs has been a nightmare this season. Early on this season, many thought that Ty’Son Williams was going to be the guy but his poor pass-blocking has led to him being a healthy scratch in recent weeks. Then many jumped to Latavius Murray since he was getting the biggest workload (9.83 carries per game) and most of the goal line carries (0.67 rushing touchdowns per game). But with Latavius Murray now dealing a minor ankle sprain, it opens the door for Devonta Freeman and Le’Veon Bell to get a larger workload in the coming weeks. Considering Devonta Freeman has been pretty efficient with his touches thus far this season (5.9 YPC), he would likely have the leg up on Le’Veon and could work his way into a position where he’s a decent bye week RB fill-in.

 

Los Angeles Chargers D/ST (3.1% on ESPN, 18% on Yahoo)

 

The Los Angeles Chargers D/ST is on a BYE week this week, which has dropped them into a range where they are now eligible for the ‘Must Stash’. While they did have a rough go in the two weeks before their bye week against the Cleveland Browns and the Baltimore Ravens, their upcoming schedule looks very nice after the BYE with only one matchup against a top ten scoring team (Kansas City Chiefs, Week 15). They have been pretty solid defensively all year despite playing some very good offenses in the first half of their schedule, so with the scheduling lightening up, Brandon Staley’s defense could be a difference-maker down the stretch. If you somehow have an open roster spot during the Bye Week Apocolypse, the Chargers D/ST is a great option to shore up your D/ST for the rest of the season.

 

Quez Watkins, WR, Philadelphia Eagles (3.3% on ESPN, 2% on Yahoo)

 

Quez Watkins has been one of the most consistent inclusions in the ‘Deep Cuts’ section of this article series, but he finally makes his first appearance on the ‘Must Stash’ this week after two consecutive weeks where he played over 75% of the Eagles offensive snaps. Watkins has been pretty productive this season with 16 receptions on 22 targets for 311 receiving yards (19.4 yards per reception) despite his modest snap counts for much of the season. He was also a training camp standout this offseason and with his workload now increasing, he could find himself in a position where he is fantasy-relevant later this season.

Deep Cuts

 

(Rostered In Less Than 3% Of Leagues)

Both Websites (ESPN and Yahoo)

 

DeeJay Dallas, RB, Seattle Seahawks (1.8% on ESPN, 3% on Yahoo): DeeJay Dallas saw his biggest workload of the season in Week 6 with four carries for 17 rushing yards on the ground and five receptions for 33 receiving yards through the air. With Chris Carson out at least a couple more games, there’s an opportunity for the other Seahawks running backs.

 

Jeremy McNichols, RB, Tennessee Titans (2.9% on ESPN, 3% on Yahoo): We’ve featured Jeremy McNichols on the ‘Must Stash’ in the past, and he’s got a path to fantasy relevance if Derrick Henry ever misses time.

 

Benny Snell Jr., RB, Pittsburgh Steelers (0.7% on ESPN, 1% on Yahoo): Benny Snell took five carries for 20 rushing yards against the Denver Broncos in Week 5. If Najee Harris ends up missing time at any point this year, it’s likely Snell would step into the role as the lead back.

 

James Washington, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers (1.1% on ESPN, 1% on Yahoo): James Washington has been a solid receiver over the course of his career and will have an increased role with JuJu Smith-Schuster out for the year. He may have some value after Pittsburgh’s bye week.

 

Cam Newton, QB, Free Agent (1.1% on ESPN, 1% on Yahoo): It’s been reported that Cam Newton is now vaccinated (which will boost the chances an NFL team takes a shot on him as a backup) and that the Seattle Seahawks may be interested in signing him after the injury to Russell Wilson. Newton may not be the best passer, but if he signs with the Seahawks his rushing ability could make him a worthwhile streaming option.

 

ESPN/Yahoo Only

 

Tyrod Taylor, QB, Houston Texans (3% on ESPN, 4% on Yahoo): The Houston Texans have said that Tyrod Taylor will need to log a few practices before making his return to the field, and it’s already announced that he won’t be the starter in Week 7. But once he returns, he should be a very capable fantasy quarterback with his rushing ability.

 

Chris Evans, RB, Cincinnati Bengals (2.4% on ESPN, 4% on Yahoo): Chris Evans had a nice game against the Detroit Lions where he carried the ball four times for 18 rushing yards on the ground and caught three passes for 49 receiving yards and a receiving touchdown through the air. If he continues to play well, he could find himself in the ‘Giovani Bernard‘ RB pass-catching role later this year.

 

Jaret Patterson, RB, Washington Football Team (1.3% on ESPN, 7% on Yahoo): Jaret Patterson carried the ball four times for 13 rushing yards in Week 5 against the New Orleans Saints and once for five rushing yards in Week 6 against the Kansas City Chiefs. If Antonio Gibson were to miss time (he’s been banged up quite a bit this year), Patterson would have an opportunity to be fantasy-relevant.

 

 

That’s it for Week 7. Feel free to weigh in and mention any players you believe should be on this list.

 

Featured Image by Justin Paradis (@JustParaDesigns on Twitter)

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