Unsung Heroes

Bucky Irving (RB) Tampa Bay Buccaneers:

Watching this man play ball gets you amped. There’s no other way to put it quite frankly. He’s just elite at finding open creases in the run game when nothing is there. We haven’t even seen Bucky’s true potential in the NFL as a pass catcher because Rachaad White is deployed to ruin his pass catching upside. When he does get the football though and you witness him cut and reverse field on catches it leaves you with a warm feeling. He’s consistently creating explosive plays for this Baker led offensive attack and there’s something nobody is accounting for as season’s end approaches. The Buccaneers are matched up against straight cupcakes from here on out. Bucky seriously might ascend into RB1 talks in these last six weeks. Carolina, LV, the Chargers, Dallas, and Carolina again might equate to Bucky jackpots in your fantasy playoffs. Especially with Mike Evans back in the lineup. This squad is eyeing up an outcome where they put up 30+ points every week aside from the Chargers contest. In five of his last six contests Bucky has eclipsed 15 fantasy points, this week putting up a career best 27.1 points in PPR formats. I’m a straight shooter and will tell ya this guy is my only hope in fantasy football, but I’m loving this production. I mean if you gave this guy 20 touches a game we would be watching an Alvin Kamara Darren Sproles hybrid guy who would put the team on his back. Never once in his NFL career has he eclipsed 20 touches. His career high is 18, so Raachad White must be doing well on the ground. Right? No, he has proven once again he is awful on the ground. He can’t eclipse 3.7 YPC and Bucky is tied with him when it comes to yards per reception. At this point White has become a guy to come in the game during fluke time when the Buccaneers are getting nuked or a guy who is inserted to score goal line touchdowns. Nothing more. I’m excited for Bucky’s ascension to wrap up this season and you should be too.

Jauan Jennings (WR) San Francisco 49ers: 

If you would’ve told me Jauan Jennings was the 49ers only hope to save their season when the season began I would’ve called you an absolute fool. But the cookie has indeed crumbled in San Fran and with Kittle sure to be on glass watch (he’s going down) as the NFC West race concludes, Jennings must step up. Deebo Samuel is someone you must label as a gadget guy and the only true consistent receiving threat Purdy has at wide receiver is Jennings. He has produced every single time he has gotten the opportunity and he is hungry to carry the team into the playoffs as their unsung hero. He doesn’t drop passes, makes spectacular catches out of nowhere, and has a knack for creating separation and finding pockets in zone coverage. He single handedly won the team their playoff contest last year against Green Bay with a phenomenal snag, wnt nuclear in the Super Bowl, and this year had one of the catches of the year during his monstrous 175 yard 3 touchdown performance. When Purdy returns to the lineup Jennings is an automatic 12+ points a week and a lock for your starting lineup. Jennings has quietly had one of the best seasons of a depth receiver in the league’s history as the 1,000 yard benchmark is well in his reach even after Jennings missed two contests with injury. I’m gonna say it. Jennings is a better NFL wide receiver than Deebo Samuel at this moment in time. Jennings is another guy I have in fantasy, but his year has been too inspirational to not talk about. If you make $7 million a year as a 1,000 yard receiver your ass deserves incredibly high praise in my book. If Jennings does take the Niners to the top of the NFC West I will be telling my children about what this guy did in the year 2024. Brock Purdy’s future contract might depend on him carrying this Niners squad when they’re up against the wall. This bodes well for Jennings considering Purdy probably is seeking the security of an early extension before his contract is up at the end of the 2025 season. 

Jaxon Smith-Njigba (WR) Seattle Seahawks:

Another guy in the hunt for the NFC West title as his team sits atop the standings in the division is JSN. He was a can't miss prospect who received high praise at OSU in a wide receiver room that had four NFL wide receivers. Garrett Wilson, Chris Olave, Emeka Egbuka, and MHJ all were on his team at one point. Yet one thing remained consistent about rumblings that came out of OSU’s facilities. JSN was the best receiver of all. Now without Shane Waldron calling plays and ruining his shot at cementing himself as one of the NFL’s best receivers he has a good chance to flourish to end this year and put him in the top five class of fantasy receivers. He’s currently eighth overall. Talk about something nobody in their right mind had on their radar. The thing that differentiates him from his teammate, DK Metcalf, is that JSN is a more complete receiver when it comes to the little things and at this point in Geno’s career he’s a guy that is operating the offense with a level of precision that favors JSN more so than Metcalf. Metcalf is a jump ball and speedster guy who can make spectacular plays, but JSN is just the steady force and route running extraordinaire in this Seahawks offense that Geno can count on from a consistency standpoint. That’s the one thing missing from Metcalf’s game at points. He disappears sometimes in crucial contests and now with Lockett being old, JSN is the key guy to propel the Seahawks into the playoffs. Geno’s comeback is something that has come from sheer willpower and an attitude that is unmatched across the entire NFL. He got a shot after being labeled a bust and now is a guy playing with his heart on his chest, tossing some of the most beautiful balls you’ve ever seen and overachieving all expectations behind an offensive line that has been absent for the past three seasons. It is remarkable to watch and with JSN breaking out the Seahawks could be a sneaky team to get an upset in the playoffs whether they win the NFC West or get the wild card spot. JSN is getting red hot right now with 357 yards and 3 touchdowns in his last three contests. Don’t sleep on how impactful he will be to end the year.

Jonnu Smith (TE) Miami Dolphins:

What if I told you Jonnu Smith has the same production as Tyreek Hill this year? Would you believe me? Well, whether you believe me or not, he does and Tua’s favorite thing in this world is to rip that checkdown throw to whomever is within five feet of him and lately that guy has been Jonnu. It’s actually ludacris that Hill can’t get involved this year and to me gives yet another reason why Tua is god awful at QB. Any other QB that was throwing to Tyreek is putting him on pace to be the first wide receiver in league history to go for 2,000 receiving yards and that is a fact. Anywho, Jonnu has become as reliable as a fantasy tight end could get putting up back to back 20+ point performances and having a floor of about seven or eight points which you’ll take any day in fantasy. I thought the guy would never play a meaningful down of football again after New England overpaid the shit out of him years back, but here we are and he is putting up nice numbers. With Tua’s playstyle he seems to choose who he throws the rock to pre snap and the guy in that short to intermediate range aside from screen plays has glaringly become Jonnu Smith. Touchdown upside, PPR consistency, and consistent redzone target share are factors that put Smith in a tier of his own when it comes to unforeseen studs in fantasy. He has been the biggest benefactor of Tua’s return alongside Devon Achane who’s just unreal in fantasy. Don’t sleep on Jonnu. The one downside to Smith to end the season is that the Dolphins have a million mouths to feed and Jonnu might actually be the least talented receiver in the entire bunch (OBJ doesn’t count he never sees a pass).

Tee Higgins (WR) Cincinnati Bengals:

You’d think on a team with Jamarr Chase a receiver wouldn’t really be an asset for fantasy, but Tee Higgins has always displayed his elite talent alongside Chase. Without injuries Higgins might have a case for being closer to Jamarr than most would think. Now to end the season Joe Burrow has to win out or die trying, which means this Bengals passing attack is video game numbers or bust from here on out. Cincy’s defense has been an atrocity this year and with the offense getting the ball so much due to their poor play the top two receiving options for the Bengals, Higgins and Chase, are due for some monstrous performances. Both have consistently feasted all season especially when they’re both in the lineup. Higgins is an automatic 15+ fantasy points a week and most that own him in fantasy have awaited his multi week return for the whole season. Higgins has one of the best catch radiuses in the entire league meaning he uses his arms and hands to extend outwards from defenders and make tough catches look routine by keeping the ball in his hands and away from defenders. One of the purest all hands catchers in this league when you comb through his film, Higgins is the best WR2 in all of football. With Burrow playing his best ball all year he might be the guy to win you your fantasy league or propel you into a playoff run. Higgins is always that gamble pick every year in fantasy. Will he stay healthy? How does he produce next to Jamarr Chase? Both valid questions and if he can finally just stay healthy for this last stretch then I think he far exceeds his ADP of being selected around the 50th pick range. A high end WR2 or low end WR1 is unheard of for a wide receiver in fantasy drafts who shares a workload with Jamarr Chase every game so he just had to make the cut of being an unsung hero.