Roundtable: Reserves with League-Altering Upside

The Footballguys roundtable staff discusses fantasy reserves with league-altering upside if they see the field more.

Matt Waldman's Roundtable: Reserves with League-Altering Upside Matt Waldman Published 11/13/2025

© Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images roundtable

Welcome to Week 11 of the 2025 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:

Let's roll...

Matt Waldman: Pick the reserve from the list below you would recommend adding as a luxury option on a team that can spare one spot for a potential difference maker if circumstances get that reserve on the field.  

Choose the player you believe is the most compelling option.  

David Zacharias: My luxury stash is Tory Horton, betting that the groin/shin issues that kept him on the Seahawks sidelines in Week 10 don't prove to be serious setbacks. Rashid Shaheed is a new Seahawks arrival, and Cooper Kupp (hamstring, heel), Jake Bobo (calf), and Dareke Young (quadriceps) have all missed time with injuries of their own.

Horton's opportunity to step up into a significant role behind alpha receiver Jaxson Smith-Njigba is gated by the severity of his own recent injuries, the speed at which Shaheed can assimilate the Seahawks playbook, and Kupp's ability to remain healthy following his Week 10 return to action. In the Week 9 game that Kupp missed, Horton caught two touchdown passes. 

Horton is definitely worth your consideration. 

Jeff Bell: If we are talking about the highest potential range of outcomes, it is challenging to ignore Joe Milton III throwing to CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens in weekly shootouts against the worst defense in the NFL. 

Blake Corum and Ray Davis have a more rational path to fantasy utility. I default to Corum due to the potential split of Ty Johnson. This is the point of the conversation where Dynasty heads will say, "What about the Jarquez Hunter potential split? He's way better than Johnson." 

This is where  I'd say, "You have lost the point."

While fantasy mythology is littered with random wide receivers who produced down the stretch, a direct backup running back in a high-level offense is the proven difference maker—another disqualifier for Davis.

Corum has been steadily involved for the Rams, hitting double-digit touches in three straight games. He should be stashed anywhere he is available. He also carries the bonus that if the Rams clinch anything during the fantasy playoffs, the starters are not touching the field. Corum falls into League Winner status.  

Dave Kluge: Blake Corum's path to fantasy relevance would require an unfortunate injury to Kyren Williams, but that outcome would give him the highest ceiling of the bunch. Corum is putting together a strong Year Two, already surpassing his season-long numbers from last year.

He plays a very similar game to Williams, where versatility is his standout trait. He can pound between the tackles, bounce outside, catch the ball, and pass protect. That versatility allows the Rams to sustain drives without substitutions.

Defenses don't gameplan to stop Corum the way they do Williams, so his efficiency numbers need to be taken with a grain of salt. He's averaging more yards per carry, forcing missed tackles at a higher rate, and logging more breakaway runs per attempt.

Corum has looked great this year. Williams' role isn't going anywhere, and he puts a hard cap on Corum's ceiling. If Williams were to miss any time in the fantasy playoffs, Corum would become a potential league winner.

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