Every week we watch football and realize we know less than we ever imagined. The good news is that the scientists in the labs at Roto Street Journal have been able to create the fantasy football hype meter to be able to take emotion and confusion out of the equation to help you navigate which hype is worth buying into and what hype should be ignored.
Let’s dive into Week 3.
Devin Singletary, RB NY Giants
Last week, Devin Singletary appeared as an intriguing buy-low candidate in the weekly “Buy Low, Sell High” article by RSJ Duck. This week, Devin Singletary showed why he should be a target for all fantasy owners moving forward. Singletary saw complete control of the backfield, seeing himself carry the ball 16 times to Tyrone Tracy‘s one attempt, rushing for 95 yards and a touchdown.
The good news for fantasy owners and those looking to buy into the hype on Singletary is that the play of the New York Giants still has fantasy players worried about opportunities for Singletary moving forward, keeping his hype meter down to a power level. I recommend buying into the player before his fantasy hype rises. Brian Daboll has shown that Singletary is the lead back no matter the game script (he is the only Running Back on the Giants to have more than 2 rushing attempts on both their week 1 blowout loss and their week 2 narrow loss), which helps keep his fantasy floor higher than most options in a similar tier of Singletary.
The Giants have a couple of tough weeks against them, going up against the Browns and Cowboys in the next two weeks, so look forward to this hype meter taking a minor hit and cashing in on the lowered stock moving forward.
Brian Robinson Jr., RB Washington Commanders
Brian Robinson Jr. was on the opposite side of the field for Devin Singletary yesterday. After dominating Austin Ekeler in rushing attempts in week 1, many were worried that the Commanders would look to even the backfield splits. Instead, fantasy owners had a welcomed site where Ekeler found himself with more opportunities than in week 1. However, it was Robinson Jr. who really made the most of his opportunities.
Robinson finished with a line of 17 carries for 133 yards, outpacing and out-producing Ekeler, who finished with 8 rushes and 38 yards. The 17 carries for Robinson are one below his career high, showing that Dan Quinn and the Washington Commanders are comfortable putting the ball in his hands at a high clip. Even more encouraging for the second-year running back is that yesterday, he showed hints that his quarterback, Jayden Daniels, could be a competent arial threat that defenses must take seriously.
The hype of Robinson would be very close to “red levels” if not for his failure to find himself in the endzone on Sunday. The confidence meter on Robinson shows that you should feel comfortable buying into Robinson as an RB2 for the rest of the season.
Rhamondre Stevenson, RB New England Patriots
I often wonder how much hype Rhamondre Stevenson would get if he wasn’t the lead back on predominantly bad Patriots teams. In four of the past five games that Rhamondre Stevenson has played, he has carried the ball over 20 times, averaging over 85 rushing yards per game. Even more impressive is how valuable his opportunities have been so far in the 2024 season.
Many fantasy owners have shown hesitancy in buying into the hype of Stevenson due to the rise of usage for Antonio Gibson. Although Gibson will cut into the production of Stevenson, we should look into the past of Offensive Coordinator Alex Van Pelt to see what the future of this backfield can look like. It was under the direction of Alex Van Pelt that the Cleveland Browns and fantasy owners were able to find the production of Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt, something that I think can be recreated with the New England Patriots. Buy into the hype of Stevenson and buy the “Chubb” of this backfield.
Luke Schoonmaker, TE Dallas Cowboys
Let’s chat about the ever-confusing tight end minefield to deviate from the running back heavy hype meter. For fantasy owners of Jake Ferguson, the search was on for a plug and play tight end after a week 1 knee injury that took out what the Wolf believed was one of the best picks you could make in the 2024 draft season. Although many (including myself) looked for the answers in players like Isaiah Likely and Colby Parkinson, the fantasy world seems to think that the answer may have been on the Cowboys all along.
Luke Schoonmaker finished with six receptions for 43 yards, a respectful line for the tight end. However, allow the Hype and Confidence meters to help you navigate the upcoming waiver period. The scientists in the lab have cooked up that they hype is starting to rise on this second-year tight end, however you should feel confident that his production will stay irrelevant to fantasy owners even with the injury to Ferguson.
Although he finished with an impressive line, let’s not let recency bias overtake the realism of Schoonmaker as a player. This game marks the first time Shoonmaker finished with over two receptions in his career, and it happened in a game that saw the Cowboys lose embarrassingly. Shortly, look for the Cowboys and Dak Prescott to target players like Brandin Cooks (two receptions) and CeeDee Lamb (four receptions) much more often in hopes of having a more productive passing game.
