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: Which rookie or current backup could help fantasy teams down the stretch?
SCOTT PIANOWSKI
I'm curious if Isaac TeSlaa is ready for his moment in Detroit. He's looked dynamic in limited action, and obviously Amon-Ra St. Brown is dinged up. TeSlaa could be playable in deeper leagues for Week 14.
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.
JASON WOOD
As I scour depth charts, there aren't too many rookies that aren't already being featured who I think stand a good chance to be major factors down the stretch, barring yet unforeseen injuries ahead of them. But two do stand out. Devin Neal has won a war of attrition and emerged as Alvin Kamara's No. 2. Given Kamara's age and injury status, it makes plenty of sense for New Orleans to feature Neal the rest of the season. It makes little sense to keep Kamara as part of a major rebuilding movement, and better to evaluate all the young talent on the current roster so you know who can be building blocks as you set up your draft and free agency board for 2026. At receiver, Jack Bech comes to mind. As a second-round draft pick, many assumed he would already be prominently featured, but he's mainly been in the background. With the Raiders out of the playoff picture and needing to look hard at every facet of the organization, it makes more sense to feature Bech over the final month than give snaps to a veteran rental like Tyler Lockett.
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.
TOM KESSENICH
Here's a backup who should be a factor down the stretch and it's Keaton Mitchell. While Derrick Henry is clearly still a top RB and deserving of more touches for the Ravens, their offense BADLY needs explosive playmakers and Mitchell fills the bill. He's averaging 6.1 YPC and 8.0 yards per reception. He can (and should) be easily used in tandem with Henry to give defenses more difficult sets to defend against. Given the struggles Baltimore is having offensively, it's baffling they have not given Mitchell 10-12 touches a game already and not devised more creative ways to integrate him into their offensive game plan.
Kessenich is the Director of High Stakes Contests for SportsHub Games. He runs the NFFC, NFBC and NFBKC and is a fantasy sports Hall of Fame inductee.
SAM HENDRICKS
Jayden Higgins HOU WR. His last 4 games he has averaged 4.5/50/.5 per game for 12.5 FP per game. His usage is up and Houston is struggling to identify a wide receiver other than Nico Collins.
SAM HENDRICKS
David Njoku to the L.A. Chargers. He is losing ground to the rookie Harold Fannin Jr. and deserves a QB who can get him the ball. Fannin has the rookie QB's eye so Njoku appears to be the odd man out. By the same token, Justin Herbert needs a safety valve with a punch. It would be a win-win trade in my opinion. Of course Njoku's knee hyperextension may get in the way of all this or give him a rest before the trade happens. I also would love to see Jakobi Meyers escape the Las Vegas Raiders for the Patriots and Josh McDaniel's Meyers friendly environment. Meyers flourished whenever McDaniels was around.
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.
IAN ALLAN
Alvin Kamara suffered knee and ankle injuries in Week 12. He didn't play on Sunday, and he didn't practice on Wednesday. I don't think there will be a hurry to get him back on the field. Devin Neal, then, becomes the starting running back for the Saints, and I don't think there will necessarily be a dropoff. He'll be their main ballcarrier, and I like that they've been using him in the passing game. In his last five games, he's caught 3 passes three times and 5 catches in another game. That makes him a serviceable option in PPR formats.
Allan co-founded Fantasy Football Index in 1987. He is a member of the FSGA Fantasy Sports Hall of Fame and the Fantasy Sports Writers Association Hall of Fame.
KEN HOLIZNA
As crazy as this sounds I like Chuba Hubbard. There are not many players who are backups that have already had success and appear to be taking back the No. 1 role on their team. He was paid the most money to play in that backfield and was nursing a calf injury after his hot start, losing his starting gig to Rico Dowdle with sub par play while trying to recover and playing injured. He is starting to look good again though he will cede some carries to Dowdle. There are a couple of challenges to be aware of if picking up Chuba. The first challenge is he is on bye week 14 so if you need him this week look elsewhere. The second challenge is after playing the Saints in week 15 (great matchup) he has the 1st- and 2nd-ranked run defenses to finish out the season. It would be easier to select an Adonai Mitchell, Isaac TeSlaa, Devaughan Vele, Christian Watson, Alex Pierce, Blake Corum, Brian Robinson or other players coming off injury, waiting on an injury, or filling in for and injured player for their chance, but I think Chuba has a better chance of making an impact.
Holizna is a 29-year fantasy football enthusiast and founder of Faith-Family-Fantasy Football in 2019, a family-friendly, faith-based, G-rated fantasy football platform. Rankings contributor to the 2023 Fantasy Index magazine. Find him on Twitter @holihandicapper
SCOTT SACHS
With the injury to Amon-Ra St. Brown, rookie Isaac TeSlaa came off the bench for 2 receptions, 35 yards, and a touchdown. The Lions have a couple of shootouts at Dallas Thursday night, followed by the Rams. The crappy Pittsburgh pass defense comes next, wrapping up with week 17's fantasy Super Bowl against the wait until next year Vikings. ARSB is questionable Thursday, but even if he plays, TeSlaa looks like a potentially strong WR2/WR3 option for Detroit this week and beyond as the NFC playoff stretch run intensifies.
With 2 perfect seasons and multiple league championships to his credit, 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. Follow on X: https://x.com/ffbcoach
ANDY RICHARDSON
I'm intrigued by Pat Bryant in Denver. The last couple of weeks he's actually been a little more productive than Troy Franklin and comparable to Courtland Sutton. Denver's remaining schedule features some teams who will be tough to run on (Green Bay, Jacksonville, Kansas City), so there will be some passing, and I think Bryant will be a beneficiary. I wouldn't be starting him this week, but I think he's worth rostering just in case he winds up being Denver's 2nd-best pass catcher in some upcoming games.
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 writes a weekly gambling newsletter, Index Bets, during the NFL season and also previews all the games on Saturdays and writes a wrap-up column on Mondays.