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: Who is a good bye week fill-in this week?
SAM HENDRICKS
Juwan Johnson, New Orleans tight end. He is probably available and looks to get more touches now that Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed are banged up and Michael Thomas sits on IR. Johnson was targeted seven times and caught 4 for 45 yards last week. New Orleans plays Detroit in what could be a high scoring game. Jeff Wilson Jr., Miami running back, gets a mention too. I doubt he is available but if so worth a pickup.
Hendricks is the author of Fantasy Football Guidebook, Fantasy Football Tips and Fantasy Football Basics, all available at ExtraPointPress.com, at all major bookstores, and at Amazon and BN.com. He is a 30-year fantasy football veteran who participated in the National Fantasy Football Championship (NFFC) and finished 7th and 16th overall in the 2008 and 2009 Fantasy Football Players Championship (FFPC). He won the Fantasy Index Open in 2013 and 2018.
DAVID DOREY
With Isaiah Likely, Dawson Kincaid, Cole Kmet, and T.J. Hockenson on their bye, a nice tight end available in many leagues is NYJ Tyler Conklin who hasn't scored yet this year but has caught up to 7 passes in a game. He faces the Falcons who are No. 7 versus wideouts and yet No. 29 against tight ends. The Jets will need to throw and Garrett Wilson will get better coverage this week. Conklin should deliver "don't kill me" points and has upside this week.
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
At wide receiver, I would be keeping an eye on Josh Palmer. He’s not rostered in a lot of leagues. If the Chargers activate him off IR, he would be a good fill-in option at wide receiver. My second choice at that position would be A.T. Perry. I remember him looking very good in a preseason game against Kansas City, catching 6 passes for 70 yards and a touchdown (all, I think, in the first half). If Chris Olave is ruled out, I would see Perry putting up viable numbers against a Detroit defense that’s been pretty leaky of late.
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.
JASON WOOD
Jonathan Mingo, Carolina Panthers. There are rarely league-winning waiver wire options this late in the season, barring an injury situation elevating a backup to a starter. With that in mind, let's throw out Mingo. The rookie second-rounder had a quiet start to the season, but he's playing more than 95% of snaps since the Panthers' bye week. With David Tepper firing Frank Reich, it's clear he wants a different offensive approach for the final month to evaluate Bryce Young and his future as the face of the franchise. Mingo has the talent and role to surprise as a viable WR3/flex if the Panthers' passing attack can improve schematically under a new play-caller.
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.
SCOTT PIANOWSKI
I'm surprised the market has remained cool to Curtis Samuel. He just had a nine catch-game on Thanksgiving, and Washington figures to be pass-heavy as they try to keep up with the Dolphins. It's not always easy to determine where the ball is going on a specific offense, but Samuel usually plays in the slot, which offers simpler, defined throws. He makes sense as a spot starter.
Pianowski has been with Yahoo Sports since 2008, covering a variety of sports. On the rare occasions when the computer is turned off, he enjoys word games, poker, music, film, game theory, and a variety of condiments. He lives in suburban Detroit. Pianowski was inducted into the FSWA Hall of Fame in 2021.
ANDY RICHARDSON
I picked up A.T. Perry. Seems likely he'll be starting against a really soft Lions pass defense. But when we're talking bad pass defenses, Washington really leads the way these days, so Miami's No. 3 wide receiver (last week it was Braxton Berrios, with Cedrick Wilson next) could very easily go for 50-60 yards and a touchdown. At running back, I'm considering No. 2 guys in favorable matchups: Ezekiel Elliott versus the Chargers, and Tyler Allgeier versus the Jets. Maybe, maybe even D'Ernest Johnson against the Bengals. There will be some teams running the ball a lot this week, giving a few secondary guys the chance to put up usable numbers.
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.