Job Battles: Adams Arrives

Running backs

Josh Adams vs. Corey Clement, PHI

I was surprised but heartened to see the Eagles give Adams a true workhorse rushing workload against the Giants on Sunday, because I'm a fan of him as a prospect. Doug Pederson wouldn't even give Jay Ajayi 20-carry workloads, yet Allen made it to 22 carries while running for 84 yards and a touchdown on 40 snaps. Clement was productive off the bench, but he played only 24 snaps to Adams' 40. Wendell Smallwood is all but out of the picture with just one snap in that game.

Following the game, Pederson only expressed further intention to give Adams touches. We'll see how that works exactly – Adams hasn't been useful as a receiver and his workload might be capped as a result despite Pederson's intentions – but for now weekly 20-carry workloads seem closer to probable than plausible for the rookie. An explosive runner at Notre Dame with standout top speed, Adams is a slippery runner for his size but could use a more dense build at 6-foot-2. In the meantime, though, it appears the Eagles are short enough on alternatives that the detail just doesn't matter much, even though it played a large role in his going undrafted.

The one worry I have for Adams is that his lack of pass-catching production might leave him game-script dependent, making him something like a Jordan Howard presence in the offense. That might not matter, particularly if Carson Wentz gets his game together, but for now I would expect Clement to serve as the pass-catching back. Considering Clement turned his five carries into 45 yards while turning two targets into two catches for 31 yards, there is a Hot Hand risk in this backfield for all involved. I think Clement is still worth holding on to in 12-team leagues given the strong play he's shown when healthy in the past, coupled with Adams' pass-catching questions, though it'd probably take an injury or failure from Adams for it to pay off.

Gus Edwards vs. Alex Collins (foot) vs. Ty Montgomery, BAL

Collins missed Sunday's victory over Oakland with a foot issue, but the fact that he was listed as a full practice participant Friday would seem to imply that he's somewhat likely to return this week or next, barring setbacks anyway. That would be an irritating turn for Edwards owners, who otherwise seemingly stumbled into a useful RB2 type with the undrafted runner out of Rutgers/Miami (FL). There's probably room for one of Edwards or Collins to provide such utility if it's just the one of them playing, but the introduction of Montgomery to the offense Sunday means the two bruising runners mostly cannibalize each other while Montgomery steals a quarter or more of the snaps through passing situation usage.

Collins hasn't been especially efficient this year, averaging only 3.6 yards per carry, but I think a lot of that has to do with the disrupted rhythm he earned with his three early-season fumbles. He's still an effective runner, particularly in zone setups, when he's healthy. But Edwards needs no such conditional statements at the moment, because he's healthy and rolling with 233 yards and a touchdown on 40 carries over the last two weeks. With a legitimate power skill set and probably better speed than Collins at about 10 pounds heavier, Edwards' obscure prospect origins aren't an effective predictor of his talent. He was once a coveted recruit (as was Collins, and even more so, to be fair) who looked like he would be the next big thing at Miami before injuries knocked him out of the way for Mark Walton's emergence. With Atlanta and Kansas City up next, I see no reason to expect regression from Edwards in terms of his effectiveness.

If Collins comes back, however, it would seem a long shot that the Ravens would scratch or otherwise leave him with nothing to do. Even five to seven carries would be enough to mess up Edwards' volume, and since Edwards doesn't do anything as a pass catcher that's a thin margin of error we're looking at. Montgomery's breakout all but assures that this is the case, and it might have been the case even with Javorius Allen if Montgomery weren't around.

But Montgomery made things substantially more complicated by running for 51 yards on eight carries while adding 13 yards on three catches. We know Montgomery is an upgrade as a receiver and runner both over Allen, so the threat Montgomery poses to Edwards and Collins should probably be thought of as an escalation over whatever issues Allen posed.

I think you have to err on the side of optimism with Edwards until further developments occur, but I think Montgomery is an underrated runner, and if Collins also sticks around then an annoying Hot Hand committee system could occur. I in any case wouldn't fault anyone for cutting Collins or adding Montgomery, especially if it's PPR scoring in the latter case.

Wide Receivers

D.J. Moore vs. Devin Funchess (back) vs. Curtis Samuel, CAR

Jarius Wright and Torrey Smith also see substantial snaps, but Smith in particular is not productive enough to make him worth noticing.

I'm of the opinion that Funchess is still a decent player and a better prospect, but Moore and Samuel are both better players right now in my estimation, and they're also both better prospects. That's to say that the Panthers are in incredibly good shape at wide receiver, but that invites heartburn for fantasy owners as they try to guess which good player does something useful in fantasy.

Without knowing whether Funchess can return next week, I would rank Moore first and Samuel third in this group. Samuel miraculously played 54 snaps against Seattle on Sunday after playing 52 snaps over the three prior games combined, but that might not have happened if Smith (knee) were fully healthy. Moore could match or play even more snaps than Funchess once he returns, though, because Moore has been very productive lately and offensive coordinator Norv Turner has long been a big fan of Moore's. Moore is still largely dependent on underneath targets (8.3-yard ADOT), but with 248 yards and a touchdown on his last 17 targets the Panthers almost have to feed him.

I still think Samuel is better than Funchess even right now, though, and it's possible that Funchess loses some share of his previous snap count even if he remains the WR1 or WR2. Samuel is a star waiting to break out, boasting 4.31 speed and brilliant route-running skills. Check out how he made Shaquill Griffin, a totally good corner, simply fall over on a slant route for Samuel's touchdown Sunday. Even if Samuel doesn't establish any fantasy value of his own, I think it's easy to imagine him screwing things up for Funchess owners.

Jermaine Kearse vs. Quincy Enunwa vs. Robby Anderson, NYJ

According to the New York Post's Brian Costello, Enunwa led the Jets with 60 snaps Sunday while Anderson checked in with 48, and Kearse 40. Enunwa opened the year NYJ's primary slot receiver before playing more outside following his return from a high ankle sprain two games ago, creating room for Kearse to play in the slot. Anderson plays outside most of the time.

Although Kearse caught six passes for 66 yards and a touchdown against the Patriots, the fact that it took 12 targets to get there means the Jets offense wasted its reps by allocating them toward Kearse, who mostly belongs in a backup role. Indeed, for the year Kearse is averaging 4.6 yards per target at a 46.2 percent catch rate – positively abominable. Those results might give the Jets good reason to reconsider their approach, namely moving Enunwa back into the primary slot role since he's actually good at it. Enunwa's 53.7 percent catch rate isn't great, but he's a beast after the catch and is averaging 7.2 YPT in an offense averaging 6.4 YPA.

I would plan on replacing Kearse if I was using him to this point. Anderson's return means the Jets have more resources outside, freeing up Enunwa for more slot work. Given his clearly superior effectiveness at the team's most-targeted position, I would think the Jets would want to get Enunwa more work there, or at least less work for Kearse. Backup-level talents are a risk to lose work with little or no notice, and Kearse began the year as Enunwa's backup for a reason.

Robert Foster vs. Kelvin Benjamin, BUF

I'm not including Zay Jones in this entry because I consider him unchallenged as Buffalo's slot receiver and lead wideout generally. Foster and Benjamin are therefore the ones left to fight for snaps and targets as the outside receivers.

Benjamin and Foster are very different, in myriad ways. Benjamin was a reasonably productive college player (19 touchdowns in two years) while Foster mostly got hurt (35 catches for 389 yards and three touchdowns in just 19 games over four years). Benjamin was a first-round pick, while Foster went undrafted. Benjamin is basically a tight end at 6-foot-5, 245 pounds (maybe more?) while Foster is skinny at 6-foot-2, 196 pounds. Foster also boasts a 4.41-second 40, while Benjamin ran a 4.61-second 40-yard dash that's presumably worse these days.

Another difference between the two is that Foster has been maybe the most impressive player on the team in his last two games, where Benjamin continues to be a well-deserved punchline league-wide. Catching 35.7 percent (!!!) of his targets on the year, Benjamin has dropped roughly one out of every 14 catchable passes while producing 5.8 yards per target, including one 32-yard catch on five targets over the last two games. Foster, meanwhile, has five catches for 199 yards and a touchdown on seven targets in those two games. And here's the really important part: if Buffalo's snap counts Sunday provide any insight, Foster has passed Benjamin on the depth chart. Deonte Thompson's (2018) Buffalo debut of 16 snaps was subsidized by Benjamin's snap count falling to 23, while Foster played 33 for the second week in a row.

Foster is better than Benjamin. The Bills have nothing left to salvage with Benjamin, but they might have an interest in evaluating Foster further with a bigger workload to determine his fitness as a 2019 starting candidate. I don't think Foster should be on the waiver wire in 14-team leagues, and I wouldn't criticize anyone for picking him up in a 12-team one.

Ryan Switzer vs. James Washington, PIT

Juju Smith-Schuster ran few slot routes against the Broncos after primarily running from there all of the last two years, but I think that was a one-off strategy adjustment to get JSS away from Chris Harris, Denver's best corner and one who usually plays in the slot when applicable. Because JSS played more outside as a result, it opened up more room for Switzer, who plays the slot, and took away snaps from Washington, who plays outside.

If you're in a league with 14 or more teams I can't really argue that strongly against picking up any player in particular, let alone one who just saw eight targets from Ben Roethlisberger. The personnel adjustment might be a one-week deal, and that's even more likely true of Roethlisberger throwing 50-plus passes. I like Switzer as a prospect, but the pie is about to get much smaller and the Steelers might take away Switzer's fork before next week. This isn't to say Washington will have any value as a result – indeed, the rookie has struggled profoundly in the regular season, catching just eight of his 25 targets for a brutal 77 yards and one touchdown.

Tight ends

Eric Ebron vs. Mo Alie-Cox (calf), IND

I wish I could just copy and paste what I said two weeks ago. I don't know what to advise with Ebron. I could tell you to start him because he has 12 touchdowns from scrimmage in 11 games, but what if I told you that before his zero-target Titans game rather than the three-touchdown Jags game, or the two-touchdown game against Miami from yesterday?

At least with yesterday's game you could see it coming since Alie-Cox (calf) and Ryan Hewitt (ankle) were both scratched for the Miami game, whereas MAC played more snaps than Ebron in each of the prior three games, and Hewitt played more snaps than Ebron as well in Week 8, the last time Hewitt played.

If Hewitt and MAC are both back, do we still declare Full Speed Ahead with Ebron because he has 12 touchdowns? I can't argue against it, he has 12 touchdowns! But I also don't want to specifically advise anyone to start him in that case unless the alternative is obvious crap, because he saw zero targets on 25 snaps the last time he followed up a multi-touchdown game. To be serious, I would lean toward starting Ebron if you have him, if only for the fact that he continues to make a compelling case that he warrants slot wideout snaps over the likes of Chester Rogers and Ryan Grant, even if his blocking deficiencies make it difficult for him to see more than a dozen or so snaps at the proper tight end position. Ebron has 21.9 percent of Indianapolis' air yardage somehow, which is kind of crazy for a tight end who's played only 385 snaps. His role cannot get worse, but could improve in the final weeks. Even though a lot of his production occurred while Jack Doyle was out with a hip injury, the odds of finding better touchdown sources at tight end after the likes of Kelce, Ertz, Kittle, and Gronkowski just aren't good.

MAC and Hewitt in any case are just blockers, so even if they continue to plague Ebron they're unlikely to provide any fantasy value on their own parts.

Neeeeeeeeeeevermind. Jack Doyle is out for the year. Ebron is the TE4 now. There, done. Start him.