This was an odd week in fantasy football. Russell Wilson had a monster game, yet the Seahawks lost. The Redskins benched Kirk Cousins at half time. Justin Forsett continues to be one of the most productive backs in the league. It's hard to get a proper read on the fantasy football landscape with all of these surprises. It's like predicting which child celebrities will have meltdowns years later. You just never know what's going to happen.
In attempt to stay ahead of the curve, there will be millions of waiver claims and free agent pickups over the next week.
Here are three free agents worth looking at.
1. Eli Manning
If you were one of the unlucky Robert Griffin III owners or you waited too long to get a quarterback, you could do worse than Manning as an occasional spot starter. Yes, Manning is prone to some turnovers and the Giants' offense varies in effectiveness from week to week, but New York's signal caller has at least 15 fantasy points in five of his seven outings. That's not a bad sign of consistency. In favorable matchups against poor passing defenses, I wouldn't mind taking a flier on Manning. He did just throw three touchdowns against the Cowboys without top receiver Victor Cruz, and ranks 11th among QBs in fantasy scoring.
2. Allen Robinson
Only owned in 1.3% of ESPN leagues, Robinson has at least 50 yards receiving in five of seven games this season. Obviously, trusting anyone on the Jaguars is a tremendous leap of faith. But coming into Week 7, Robinson led the team in targets, catches and receiving yards. He hauled in his first touchdown of the season against the Browns on Sunday, and has outperformed Cecil Shorts in three of four games since Shorts returned from injury. If rookie quarterback Blake Bortles can find a little more consistency, I think Robinson is solid depth at the wide receiver position.
3. Doug Baldwin
In his first game without Percy Harvin, Baldwin grabbed seven passes on a healthy 11 targets for 123 yards and a touchdown. Baldwin is Seattle's speedy home run threat, and is averaging 17.6 yards per reception this season. With Harvin out of the picture, expect Baldwin to be used more in this offense. He may be streaky, but if you catch him on a good day, he could win you your matchup.
Bonus: Tre Mason, Bryce Brown & Denard Robinson
Owned in only 2.3% of ESPN leagues, third-rounder Mason is emerging from St. Louis' backfield as the most productive player. Mason totaled 18 carries for 85 yards and a touchdown against Seattle yesterday and looks like the most explosive runner in the Rams' stable.
Brown, meanwhile, is about to see a big increase in workload. Injuries to both Fred Jackson and C.J. Spiller have Brown seemingly atop the depth chart in Buffalo. Remember, Brown is just two seasons removed from being a dangerous home run threat with Philadelphia.
Jacksonville's leading rusher is Toby Gerhart with 123 yards on 48 carries. Robinson topped that in one game on Sunday. One hundred twenty seven yards and one touchdown on 22 totes, this marks the first game in Robinson's career that the Jags gave him significant carries. If the increased workload continues, the former Michigan QB could be an interesting flex option.
