I won’t lie to you guys, I’m still bitter about what happened to me on Monday night. I thought Aaron Jones would put the finishing touches on a good win for my fantasy squad. Then, Green Bay Packers coach Mike McCarthy blocked my hopes and dreams by seemingly benching Jones. 

Nevertheless I’m hungry for another win this week and I would never take my personal tragedies out on YOU, my beloved reader. So check out the guys I have on my radar this week, and maybe you can pick them up in your league.

Quarterback

   Josh McCown never gets the respect he deserves. It seems like he’s never been on a contending team but he’s got the Jets looking better than expected. He’s averaged 14 points over his last 5 games and tossed 10 TDs over that span. He’s even sprinkled in two rushing TDs. This week he gets to play Tampa Bay who has the 30th ranked pass defense. The Bucs will be without quarterback Jameis Winston, so the defense could be on the field a lot. That equals plenty opportunities for McCown to eat.

Running Back

   Orleans Darkwa isn’t a sexy pick by any stretch. His team is 1-7 and his quarterback has been… Not good. But he’s averaging over five yards a carry and faces the only team that’s worse than his, the winless 49ers. In their last three games they’ve given up an embarrassing 181.3 rushing yards. The Giants could have a real lead in this game, which would mean even more work for Darkwa who has emerged as the leading back for the Giants. I think he’s got a good shot at a score this week.

Wide Receiver

Over the the last three games Marqise Lee has been Blake Bortles primary target. He’s had at least 70 yards in those games and double digits targets in two of the three. He’ll get a tough matchup with the Chargers  8th ranked pass defense this week, but he seems to have chemistry with Bortles. Plus his forecast going forward is bright heading into the fantasy playoffs. In weeks 14,15 and 16 he’ll face the Seahawks, Texans and 49ers. The Seahawks are middle of the road against the pass (13th) and the Texans and 49ers are 21st and 23rd respectively.

This is more of a deep sleeper pick for PPR formats, but Curtis Samuel may have a role in this Carolina offense with Kelvin Benjamin gone. He could play that Darren Sproles role out of the back field, and Cam Newton would be smart to dump some screens his way with his inaccurate ass. He saw an increase in snaps last week (75%) and played one more snap than number one receiver Devin Funchess, and 11 more than Russell Shepard. While he only caught three passes for 23 yards, the five targets is a positive. He also added a 14 yard run and shows versatility on the field. If Cam wants to improve on his completion percentage, he should look Samuel’s way.

Tight End

He just came off a brutal knee injury but all signs point to Charles Clay lacing up the cleats this Sunday agaisnt the Saints. Before his injury he was Tyrod Taylor’s number one option. Since then, Kelvin Benjamin has etntered the fold and Zay Jones has emerged as a solid complimentary receiver. This just opens up the middle of the field for Clay to eat. Not to mention the Bills face the Chiefs God-awful defense in week 12. Clay should step in right away and be a TE1 with so few viable fantasy options at the position.