Jauan Jennings, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Jalen Tolbert, and Jacoby Meyers. Which one would you bench, hold, cut, or trade?
Welcome to Week 6 of the 2024 Footballguys Roundtable. Our intrepid panel of fantasy pundits discusses and debates four topics every week. We split the conversation into separate features.
This week's roundtable features these four topics:
- Start, Hold, Cut, or Trade: The RB Edition
- Bench, Hold, Cut, or Trade: The WR Edition (see below)
- For Real, Fool's Gold: The WR Edition
- October Rebound Candidates
Let's roll.
Bench-Hold-Cut-Trade WR Edition
Matt Waldman: Assign each action to a receiver listed below.
Go.
Jason Wood: Jalen Tolbert tops my list. The Cowboys can't run the ball, and their defense is much weaker than in previous seasons. This means Dak Prescott will be throwing a lot, and with Brandin Cooks on injured reserve, Tolbert's role is set to expand. He caught the game-winning touchdown this week and should continue to be a key part of the passing attack alongside CeeDee Lamb and Jake Ferguson. He's on my bench and will use him as needed.
JuJu Smith-Schuster just had a huge game on Monday Night Football and has quickly found himself back in Patrick Mahomes II's good graces. While there's speculation the Chiefs may add a veteran receiver, until that happens, Smith-Schuster remains a solid option, especially in PPR formats. Despite concerns about the offense, the Chiefs are 5-0, and with Travis Kelce, Smith-Schuster, and Kareem Hunt performing like it's 2020 again, we can expect a familiar game script. However, if the Chiefs trade for a veteran like Amari Cooper, all bets are off. I'm holding onto him as a flex option.
Jauan Jennings was a great fill-in, but his days of fantasy relevance are over unless both Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel Sr. get injured. It's difficult for a WR3 to maintain fantasy value, especially on a team that runs as much as it passes. I'm cutting him.
Jakobi Meyers stands to benefit most if Davante Adams is traded, but the Raiders' offense is in disarray. Losing Adams would only worsen things. The quarterback situation is bleak, head coach Antonio Pierce feels like a one-and-done, and the team's overall vibe is bad. I'll be offering him as a throw-in for a potential trade.
Gary Davenport: Given the sad state of some of my rosters, none of these players would be a Cut right now, but if it had to be one it's Smith-Schuster. He's off this week, and Monday's explosion feels a lot like one of those monster weeks Sammy Watkins would post in season-openers a few years back before vanishing for a month.
Trading is all about striking while the iron is hot, and none of these wideouts are hotter than Tolbert. Coming off a big game, Brandin Cooks' corpse is on IR—the hype machine is cranking out confetti and glitter. Tolbert's also the least-proven player of this quartet. His fantasy value may well never be higher than at this moment. He's my Trade.
My Hold would be Meyers. It's not a hard argument to make—from all indications, he's about to be the No. 1 wide receiver for a team that will be trailing with regularity. Even with the Raiders' issues under center, the targets should be there--and we've seen Meyers make hay in garbage time before.
That leaves Jennings as the Bench. I'm not close to giving up on him just yet—his rapport with Brock Purdy is evident, and it's not like Deebo Samuel Sr. doesn't have an injury history. Last week's target share didn't inspire the warm and fuzzies though—although it's worth noting San Fran lost that game. Jennings = Victory. Can't argue with math.
