Each week in fantasy football, there are a handful of players who show their true colors and distance themselves from the rest of the league. They might not be the biggest of names, but there’s still real fantasy value there and an opportunity for invaluable points to be brought in later on in the fantasy season. This past week, Tyrod Taylor and Javorius Allen were two of these players.
Tyrod Taylor is now playing his best football of the season. Much like Russell Wilson of the Seattle Seahawks, Taylor struggled to produce at the start of the year. None of that matters now, and Taylor is getting hot at just the right time—both for the Buffalo Bills and fantasy owners. The past two weeks against the Kansas City Chiefs and Houston Texans, Taylor has managed to earn his fantasy fans at least 31 points in standard leagues.
Simply put, he’s making things work on the field. Though he only completed only 11 of his 21 passes for 211 yards against Houston on Sunday, he passed for three touchdowns and even added 28 rushing yards to his personal stat sheet. Next week, the Bills take on the Philadelphia Eagles.
Yes, the Eagles are coming off of a big upset over the New England Patriots, but that doesn’t change the fact that they’ve allowed four of their last five opposing quarterbacks to throw for at least three touchdown passes. Needless to say, Taylor’s likely to capitalize on this.
Now, enough with the passing game. What about a good old-fashioned rushing attack? Say no more—Javorius Allen of the Baltimore Ravens is doing an excellent job of moving the Ravens’ running game along. Ever heard of him? If you haven’t, don’t feel bad—he’s Justin Forsett’s replacement.
That said, he’s come off the bench and is doing his best to keep his new starting job. In week 13 at Miami, Allen had his best game of the season, rushing for 63 yards on 17 carries and bringing in 12 catches for 107 yards and a touchdown. Versatile, to say the least.
Still, seeing as how Allen must face the same Seahawks’ defense that held Adrian Peterson to 22 total rushing yards over the weekend, fantasy owners must make a decision—is Allen worth the risk? At best, he’s a No. 2 running back in most leagues, but don’t be surprised if he has another big game next week.