Happy (nearly) week 8, everyone! You know the deal by now: We have a group of scientists here at Roto Street Journal who are accessing the hype building behind players and letting you know if you should have confidence in buying into them. Use the Hype Meter and Credibility Score to help you navigate waivers, negotiate trade talks, and sell high on players who may be overhyped.
George Pickens
The scientists have created a new rule that we should all follow- if a Quarterback shows favor to a Wide Receiver, go get that Wide Receiver. It may be too late to buy into George Pickens because the hype is rising quickly. Week 7 was the first time Pickens had to catch passes from Russell Wilson, and Wilson firmly decided that Pickens was his guy. Pickens led the Steelers in all receiving categories, finishing with five receptions on nine targets for 111 yards, including an 11-yard touchdown.
Pickens pulled in underthrown balls on two of his five receptions, which is more impressive than the stat line he finished with. You should get double points for catching these balls.
Currently ranked WR22, Pickens can be trusted as your WR2 for the rest of the season. On Wolf’s rest of the season big board, Pickens is currently ranked WR41, but I think we may see a shift in that ranking after last night’s performance.
Tank Bigsby
Tank Bigsby is making the most of his opportunities and is starting to put together a good case for taking lead-back snaps for the Jacksonville Jaguars. Bigsby finished the week with 118 yards on 26 carries while finding the endzone twice.
Week 7 marked the third week that Bigsby has finished with over 90 rushing yards (all within the last four weeks), a mark that Travis Etienne has not been able to eclipse this season. With Etienne’s soft-tissue issue, do not be surprised to see his usage shrink even when he returns to games, leaving Bigsby with an excellent opportunity to secure the lead spot on the Jaguars depth chart. Jimbo had Tank Bigsby as a must-add during the Week 6 waiver wire period, so hopefully, you took his advice before your league mates could add him.
Kareem Hunt
Remember when people thought an alligator-having, blonde-haired fullback would take most of the snaps for the team with the best Super Bowl odds? Or when they thought Samaje Perine would somehow rise from the depths of irrelevance to become the team’s workhorse? Those were fun days.
(Just picking on you, Wolf. In week 7, Hunt was properly ranked as the RB16, and Wolf bought in.)
Kareem Hunt finished with 22 rushes for 78 yards and two touchdowns while securing his targets through the air. With this production on the carries he has been given and the rapport he already has in the Andy Reed offense, the scientists believe this will be his backfield even after Clyde Edwards-Helaire returns. Weird fun fact: Hunt carried the ball 27 times in Week 5 and 22 times in Week 7 of this season. Before Week 5 of the 2024 season, the last time that Hunt had at least 22 rushing attempts was Week 5 of his 2018 RB11 campaign. Before the past two weeks, aside from his rookie campaign 2017, Week 5 of 2018 was the only time he had at least 22 carries.
Amari Cooper
The Buffalo Bills decided to take it easy on newly acquired Amari Cooper. However, he couldn’t help but find himself with 66 yards on four receptions and a touchdown. Sure, he had no idea what route he was supposed to run, but that won’t be reflected on the scoresheet.
Although the hype is still middling on this player, the scientists in the lab recommend trying to acquire Cooper for the productivity that he had on limited opportunities. Last week, Duck laid the case for Cooper having real WR1 upside for the rest of the season, so hopefully, you bought into the hype with his article. According to PFF, Cooper only had 19 passing snaps and ran only 12 routes, making his finishing stat line more impressive. The entire Buffalo Bills’ offense has rising hype that we are confident in, but if you are looking for the stud that can get you over the hump, go after Amari Cooper before it is too late.
