Tough decisions must be made as we get deeper into the season. Waiver wire pickups are becoming must-start options, and players you drafted to be studs are hitting the waiver wire. Isn't fantasy football fun?
Check out today's episode of The Footballguys Fantasy Football Show. Alfredo Brown and Joey Wright join me to discuss our rest-of-season quarterback rankings, including in-depth conversations about Bo Nix and Patrick Mahomes II.
Three Up
QB Bo Nix, Denver Broncos
Many have written a punchline about Bo Nix, but he’s starting to get a bit more comfortable as an NFL quarterback. Things were looking bleak after his 60-yard outing against a stout Jets defense. But he’s since logged back-to-back games with over 200 yards and two touchdowns. He’s thrown just one pick over those games. And while the passing is great, his rushing upside makes him an alluring target in fantasy football matchups. He’s been a top-12 quarterback in three of his last four outings. He’s averaging a very respectable 30 rushing yards per game, ninth-most among all quarterbacks. He might not have an elite ceiling, but the pace of play and rushing upside from Nix could help struggling managers through injuries and bye.
RB Joe Mixon, Houston Texans
All it took for Joe Mixon to be "trending up" was getting healthy. But it’s time to start talking about Joe Mixon’s rest-of-season ranking with Houston. He was a draft-day slider due to his age, uncertainty with a new team, and waning efficiency. Mixon’s efficiency metrics had been on a steady decline, and it was easy to view him as a volume-based compiler who benefited from a good offense. But he’s resurging in Houston. His breakaway run rate is the highest it's been since 2018. He's averaging the 3rd-most yards after contact per attempt of his career and his best since 2021. That amounted to 26.8 and 27.2 PPR points in the two full games he’s played. Joe Mixon’s strength comes from his patience and vision, which pairs beautifully with Bobby Slowik’s wide-zone run scheme. Mixon still has the jets for big runs and has always displayed a knack for finding the end zone. With the Texans’ fast-paced approach and Mixon’s boom in efficiency, there’s an argument to be made that he’s a top-five running back going forward.
TE Evan Engram, Jacksonville Jaguars
Much like Mixon, a healthy Evan Engram reminded us what he can do in fantasy football. His season was halted by a Week 1 hamstring injury that kept him sidelined until Week 6. But in his first fully healthy game, he pulled 10 targets, catching them all for 102 yards. He led the team in targets, working a familiar role as Trevor Lawrence’s safety blanket. He did this on just 68% of the offensive snaps. As he gets further from his injury, expect his role to grow. Engram was PPR’s TE2 last year and TE5 the year before. Even with the emergence of Brian Thomas Jr., Eggram is still pulling the elite target share that makes him valuable. In a desolate tight end landscape, Engram immediately falls into the top-five discussion again.
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