ASK THE EXPERTS appears weekly from training camp through the Super Bowl with answers to a new question being posted Thursday morning. How the guest experts responded when we asked them: Who's a nice bye-week fill-in the next couple of weeks?
SCOTT PIANOWSKI
Tyler Higbee has popped the last two weeks, rolling up a 13-129-1 line. Some of that production is explained by teammates being unavailable, but Higbee has looked good doing it. He's earned tight end Circle of Trust privileges for the rest of the month.
Pianowski has been with Yahoo Sports since 2008, covering a variety of sports. On the rare occasions when the computer is turned off, he enjoys word games, poker, music, film, game theory, and a variety of condiments. He lives in suburban Detroit. Pianowski was inducted into the FSWA Hall of Fame in 2021.
JASON WOOD
Austin Ekeler comes to mind. Ekeler re-signed with the Commanders and was active in Week 4. Although he's well past his prime and was on the street waiting for a call, the Commanders are down bad and don't have a trustworthy anchor to the running game. We know Ekeler was both a profoundly talented goalline back and an effective receiver out of the backfield in his peak years, so there's at least a shot he can factor into the bottom end of fantasy lineups as the season unfolds.
Wood is Senior Editor at Footballguys.com and has been with the company since its start in 2000. For more than 20 years, Footballguys has provided rankings, projections, and analysis to help fantasy managers dominate their leagues.
SAM HENDRICKS
I like the Steelers' Roman Wilson. The 3rd-year WR is starting to break out with 6 targets every week so far and averaging 3 receptions, 67 yards and a TD the past 2 games. I think he and Aaron Rodgers are forming a connection especially with the injury to Pittman. He faces IND this week and a weak secondary and looks to continue his 15+ FP streak. He is probably not on many rosters. I like him as a possible starter for the next few weeks.
Hendricks is the author of Fantasy Football Guidebook, Fantasy Football Tips and Fantasy Football Basics, all available at ExtraPointPress.com, at all major bookstores, and at Amazon and BN.com. He is a 30-year fantasy football veteran who participated in the National Fantasy Football Championship (NFFC) and finished 7th and 16th overall in the 2008 and 2009 Fantasy Football Players Championship (FFPC). He won the Fantasy Index Open in 2013 and 2018.
TOM KESSENICH
This is for deeper leagues or those already starving for RB production. Austin Ekeler looked much better last Sunday than I anticipated and we know how productive he can be in PPR formats. Given the Commanders lack of offensive punch and their defensive deficiencies, I expect them to be trailing often, setting them up for multiple pass-heavy game scripts. This plays into Ekeler's potential strengths. Don't expect huge production given his age and Bill Merritt's continued presence in the backfield, but double-digit points as flex is certainly possible.
Kessenich is the Director of High Stakes Contests for SportsHub Games. He runs the NFFC, NFBC and NFBKC and is a fantasy sports Hall of Fame inductee.
KEVIN ENGLISH
Jacoby Brissett, QB, Cardinals: Missing Patrick Mahomes or Bryce Young this week? Or dealing with an injury to Lamar Jackson or Caleb Williams? Brissett makes for a strong fill-in against Detroit. The Lions have allowed the most fantasy points to QBs, while Brissett enters Week 5 averaging a high 38 pass attempts per game. With an over/under of 54.5, this matchup also carries one of the highest scoring expectations of the season.
English is a Senior Analyst at DraftSharks.com and has been on staff since 2009. Draft Sharks launched in 1999 as one of the web’s first fantasy football content sites and has evolved to help fantasy managers win with cutting-edge tools for drafting and in-season management.
SCOTT SACHS
If you need a running back, Philly's lightly regarded Will Shipley seems to be on most analysts' radar. He's undersized, but looks to be on deck for RB1 duty this week. More familiar names like Vikes' TE Hockenson re-entered fantasy relevance last week, so he'll probably get snapped up. Romeo Doubs also awoke from his slumber and helped reenergize New England's moribund offense. Was surprised to see Aaron Rodgers and Jameis Winston as free agents. Along with bye weeks, QB injuries are popping up, and a number of fantasy coaches may be short-handed. Pittsburgh's schedule is mostly favorable, and Rodgers is still healthy. Winston had a typical "Famous Jameis" game last week with 250 yards passing, 3 TDs, but 2 interceptions. John Harbaugh's Giants are 3-1 and playing Washington this week, so Winston may be a potential league winner going forward.
With 2 perfect seasons and multiple league championships to his credit, Sachs runs Perfect Season Fantasy Football, featuring LIVE Talk & Text Advice. He is a 3-time winner of the Fantasy Index Experts Auction League, as well as a previous winner of the Fantasy Index Experts Poll. Follow on X: https://x.com/ffbcoach
ANDY RICHARDSON
I picked up Austin Ekeler in a couple of leagues, hoping he'd be a nice PPR fill-in running back with Rachaad White (shoulder) hurting and Jacory Croskey-Merritt of questionable ability. Unfortunately I believe White got in a limited practice yesterday, so that might not pan out. My fallback was Giants No. 2 running back Najee Harris. Cam Skattebo has been inefficient so far and while Harris has been no better, he has seen an expanded role of late, and maybe that becomes more of a one-two punch. The wide receiver I wanted to scoop up (but got beat out on) in a couple of leagues is Bengals' Dohnte Meyers. The former CFLer could be Joe Burrow's No. 1 this week against the Dolphins, with Chase (concussion) and Higgins (hip) uncertain to play.
Richardson has been a contributing writer and editor to the Fantasy Football Index magazine and www.fantasyindex.com since 2002. He is responsible for various site features, writes a weekly gambling newsletter, Index Bets, during the NFL season and also previews all the games on Saturdays.
