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Rashid Shaheed, WR, Saints
| Start pct. | 37% on Yahoo |
| Matchup | vs. Eagles |
| BetMGM line | Saints -2.5 |
| BetMGM total | 49.5 |
| BetAlytics projection | 3.2 rec, 43.7 yds, 0.47 TDs |
So many Steve Smith vibes, sans the annual summer sucker punches in training camp. That, my fellow fantasy freakazoids, is the on-field feeling Shaheed is giving off.
Is the sizzling start of New Orleans and Shaheed a mirage? It’s within the range of outcomes. However, whether analyzing with the eye test or from crunching advanced data, the Saints’ downfield weapon is nuclear in nature. Heck, the entire offense is packed with plutonium. Alvin Kamara is still single-handedly torching the fantasy box score.
Conveyed by New Orleans play-by-play voice Mike Hoss, who was a guest on “BetMGM Tonight” last Tuesday, Shaheed’s expanded route tree and increased usage explain the breakout. Known primarily for streak and deep slants last year, he has worked more often in the short field, tallying high success rates across the board.
Overall, Shaheed has totaled an appreciable 23.7% of the team target share while ranking top-15 in YAC (30, WR14), yards per route run (4.06, WR7), yards per target (18.8, WR1), yards per reception (24.1, WR5), expected YAC per reception (8.9, WR1) and fantasy points per route run (0.91, WR3). He’s a certifiable advanced analytics darling.
This week, Shaheed is blessed with arguably the mother of all matchups in facing off with Philadelphia. Evidenced by their lackluster effort on Atlanta’s game-clinching final drive last Monday, the Eagles are the definition of “tepid” defensively. In dropback EPA D, they currently rank an exploitable No. 25, and they’ve surrendered the fourth-most fantasy points to WRs.
When lined up in the slot, Shaheed will most often see CB Avonte Maddox, who’s allowed 11.2 yards per touch and a 100.2 passer rating to assignments. As for outside opportunities, the Saints wideout should see a considerable amount of CB Quinyon Mitchell, who’s given up 16.7 yards per catch. In other words, don’t expect the Shaheed to suddenly fall silent.
Flash your mitts on Bourbon Street, Rashid.
Fearless Forecast: 3 receptions, 66 receiving yards, 1 touchdown, 14.1 fantasy points
Week 3 Bonus Flames
Jauan Jennings, WR, 49ers
| Start pct. | 2% on Yahoo |
| Matchup | at Rams |
Deebo Samuel’s unplugging due to a troublesome calf injury elevates Jennings into the spotlight. Kyle Shanahan’s primary slot man has, at times, shown he’s capable of shining when pushed to the main stage. Last season in six contests with a minimum of 50% of snaps played, he scored 10 or more PPR points four times. This year as the third, or arguably fourth, wheel behind a healthy Deebo, Brandon Aiyuk and George Kittle, Jennings has snagged seven of nine targets for 101 yards. Impressively, he’s registered 4.00 yards per route run, 11.2 yards per target and 14.4 yards per catch, and Brock Purdy has a terrific 118.8 passer rating when throwing to him. Likely to log about half his snaps in the slot, Jennings has sound odds of teeing off on SCB Quentin Lake, who’s yielded 19.0 yards per reception and a 99.6 passer rating to his assignments. Pan for gold.
Fearless Forecast: 5 receptions, 58 receiving yards, 1 touchdown, 14.3 fantasy points
Mike Gesicki, TE, Bengals
| Start pct. | 8% on Yahoo |
| Matchup | vs. Commanders |
With 10 receptions for 109 yards and 15.9 fantasy points in Yahoo leagues, Gesicki is currently the fifth-most valuable TE in fantasy football. Just like no one, not even your diehard Nittany Lions loving cousin, predicted. However, due to Ja’Marr Chase’s slow ramp-up due to a long self-imposed August layoff and Tee Higgins’ bum hamstring, Joe Burrow has leaned more on the glorified slot receiver. After all, at 6-foot-5, he’s a towering target with supreme athleticism. Gesicki’s advanced profile isn't eye-popping by any stretch, but his 7.0 aDOT, 10.9 yards per target and 0.32 fantasy points per route aren’t completely ignorable. Most importantly, he crosses paths with Washington on Monday night. The Commanders are dead last in pass EPA D through two weeks. They’ve given up only one reception for five yards to TEs, but, again, with Gesicki lining up inside, he should party against SCB Mike Sainristil, who’s allowed a 130.1 passer rating so.
Fearless Forecast: 4 receptions, 52 receiving yards, 1 touchdown, 13.2 fantasy points
Season record: 3-3