ASK THE EXPERTS appears weekly from training camp through the Super Bowl with answers to a new question being posted Thursday morning. How the guest experts responded when we asked them: Bye weeks are here. Who is one of your favorite fill-ins?
SCOTT SACHS
Michael Wilson has been wowing them in Arizona since he walked in the building. As a rookie in a crowded receiver room, he has increased his production every week, even with a journeyman quarterback. This past week he broke out with 2 TDs and over 25 fantasy points, catching all 7 of his targets. The Cardinals haven't been the pushover everyone expected, and Wilson should continue to produce. Will be very interested to see how he does when Kyler Murray finally returns.
With 2 perfect seasons and multiple league championships to his credit, Scott Sachs runs Perfect Season Fantasy Football, featuring LIVE Talk & Text Advice. He is a 3-time Winner of the Fantasy Index Experts Auction League, as well as a previous Winner of the Fantasy Index Experts Poll.
LUKE WILSON
Think I have to go with the perpetually disregarded Romeo Doubs here. Doubs is available in a shocking percentage of leagues for a guy with a plus quarterback and ample target share, and the matchup on Monday night against the very punishable Raiders secondary is thoroughly inviting. Honorable mentions for both Michael Wilson and Jaleel McLaughlin though!
Wilson is a Fantasy Index contributor who hosts the Fantasy Index Podcast.
JASON WOOD
In looking at the teams on bye this week, the wide receiver position is the most impacted, as Amari Cooper, Keenan Allen, DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett, Mike Evans and Chris Godwin are all important fantasy starters. The highest-rated receiver that's widely available on waivers is rookie Michael Wilson. The former Stanford Cardinal broke out last week with seven receptions for 76 yards and two touchdowns and has played nearly 70 percent of team snaps. He was a standout throughout training camp and earned a starting role over Rondale Moore. The Cardinals face off against a beleaguered Bengals defense in Week 5, making Wilson a potential cure for the byes that ail you.
Wood is Senior Editor at Footballguys.com and has been with the company since its start in 2000. For more than 20 years, Footballguys has provided rankings, projections, and analysis to help fantasy managers dominate their leagues.
DAVID DOREY
My suggested streamer of the week is the Washington Commanders defense. They are at home and facing the Bears wonderful offense that ranks No. 31 in fantasy defense points allowed. At this rate, I'd follow them nearly every week if possible. Secondly, the Miami Dolphins are at home facing the N.Y. Giants who are teetering on a team implosion...but Miami may end up mailing in that win. You know Washington will take it to the Bears.
Dorey co-founded The Huddle.com in 1997. He's ranked every player and projected every game for the last 23 years and is the author of Fantasy Football: The Next Level. David has appeared on numerous radio, television, newspaper and magazines over the last two decades.
IAN ALLAN
I sure like the look of this game tonight. The Bears can’t stop anyone, making some of these usually nominal Washington players look appealing. Sam Howell and Joey Slye look like top-5 players at their positions to me. I would be very comfortable plugging them into lineups against this leaky Bears defense. And if I were in a pinch at tight end, Logan Thomas is a guy I would consider. He caught a touchdown in half of a game at Denver (before leaving with a concussion) and he’s gone over 40 yards in his other two starts. I think he looks like an acceptable option for the week.
Allan is the senior writer for Fantasy Football Index magazine. He is a member of the FSGA’s Fantasy Sports Hall of Fame and the Fantasy Sports Writers Association Hall of Fame. He is an avid runner, swimmer and cyclist.
COLT WILLIAMS
With the Browns, Chargers, Seahawks and Buccaneers on bye, I figured the best spot-start fill-in would have to be a wide receiver given how many good fantasy receivers are on these teams. My suggested pickup is second-year receiver Romeo Doubs. His availability varies depending on what platform you play on, but I’ve seen him available in 65 percent of leagues on ESPN. In half-PPR rankings, he’s the wide receiver 17 through four weeks. Doubs leads the team in routes run, air yards, targets, receptions, receiving yards, touchdowns, first-target reads and endzone targets. One could say basically every important statistical receiving metric. Even with his teammate Christian Watson coming back, I’m fine rolling Doubs into my lineup as a high-end wide receiver. Watson and Doubs both play out wide, but Watson would be kicking rookie receiver Dontayvion Wicks off the field, not Doubs. The Raiders’ matchup is nice for receivers as well, giving up an average of 2 receiving touchdowns per week, fourth-worst in the NFL.
Williams is working towards a degree in economics and statistics at Sonoma State. A United States Air Force veteran, he’s been playing fantasy football since 2012. Follow him on Twitter @_ColtWilliams.
ANDY RICHARDSON
I have a couple of Charger and Seahawks wide receivers in various leagues, so I'm hurting this week. I have a hunch I'll be starting a second tight end in a flex spot in a league or two. Jake Ferguson hasn't put up big numbers, but both his targets and involvement are there, and Dallas will probably have to pass the ball against San Francisco this week. Ferguson and maybe even Michael Gallup are guys I'll be taking off my bench or off waivers potentially to fill spots. Also, I picked up Jaleel McLaughlin in a couple of leagues, and I expect him to be Denver's best back this week. Seriously doubt Javonte Williams is playing through his hip ailment, and McLaughlin ran circles around Samaje Perine last week.
Richardson has been a contributing writer and editor to the Fantasy Football Index magazine and www.fantasyindex.com since 2002. His responsibilities include team defense and IDP projections and various site features, and he has run the magazine's annual experts draft and auction leagues since their inception. He previews all the NFL games on Saturdays and writes a wrap-up column on Mondays during the NFL season.