Adam Trautman, Calvin Austin III, Elijah Moore, and Jalen Coker were all hot in Week 8. Will they stay that way?
Welcome to Week 9 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:
- Week 9 Desperation Plays
- Good Things Ahead or Just One Good Week? (see below)
- 5 Players Being Written Off Too Soon
- Considering Nix, McConkey, and Bigsby
Let's roll.
Good Things Ahead or Just One Good Week?
Matt Waldman: These four players were hot last week.
Was last week a sign of good things to come or just a good one-week thing?
Jeff Haseley: Give me Calvin Austin III and Jalen Coker as two players who I believe have turned the corner into a respectable fantasy option moving forward. Austin has shown that speed and elusiveness are areas Pittsburgh wants to exploit. I expect Austin to continue to get opportunities to make plays moving forward.
Jalen Coker has replaced Jonathan Mingo in the Panthers' receiving corps, and with Diontae Johnson now shipped to Baltimore, he'll have an even bigger role. Yes, Adam Thielen will return soon enough, but Coker has adequate size and hands to be a mainstay for the Panthers, who are looking for emerging talent.
Corey Spala: Jalen Coker has good things to come, while the other three listed had a good week. Coker is the only rookie listed; in other words, we have multiple years to evaluate and understand a player.
Adam Trautman, Calvin Austin III, and Elijah Moore are veterans who matter more to their NFL team than our fantasy teams. This is not to diminish their production from Week 8; rather, it serves as a reminder not to chase points. These players may not provide the desired weekly consistency but rather have the spike weeks for consideration.
Coker would have had good things to come, even if Diontae Johnson was still in Carolina. Coker has been outperforming fellow rookie Xavier Legette in terms of yards per route run and receiving grade. The box score stats may soon reflect, too. Coker has the opportunity to claim the number one target in Carolina and has the efficiency desired to accomplish this task.