At various points during fantasy football The season, injuries, bye weeks and recent news may mean you need reinforcements for your fantasy lineup. Every Friday during the 2025 NFL season, Matt Bowen will offer several late-week transfer picks to fill those gaps, with an emphasis on the deeper leagues.
For this reason, this column will focus on players represented in fewer than 50% of ESPN leagues, with a few exceptions.
WITH Patrick Mahomes, Dak Prescott And Joe Flacco bye this week, plus Jayden Daniels currently down with an elbow injury, we'll start at the quarterback position. And I have three targets to play against this week in deeper formats. There's a wide receiver group here, plus several tight ends, including one who ended on a career day in Week 9. And we'll finish with some running backs and a defense that has a very positive game on Sunday.
Defenders
1:23
What Jacoby Brissett's start means for other Cardinals in fantasy
Daniel Dopp, Field Yates and Mike Clay explain why cornerback Jacoby Brissett has them more optimistic about the Cardinals' passing game.
JJ McCarthy, Minnesota Vikings (42.6% in lineup; vs. Ravens)
McCarthy scored 18.92 points in last Sunday's win over the Lions, his first game since Week 2 (ankle). He completed just 14 passes for 143 yards, but threw two touchdown passes and was more than willing to run with the ball. McCarthy rushed to score points, and the Vikings will continue to use the game plan designed for him. Only in deeper formats, McCarthy brings some dual threat to the lineup and will have to operate against a Ravens defense that has a blitz rate of 29.6% (11th in the league).
Jacoby Brissett, Arizona Cardinals (15.5% on roster; Seahawks)
Brissett scored 24.84 points in Week 9 against a low-level Cowboys defense. I understand. But he scored 19 or more points in each of the last three games, scoring multiple touchdowns in each. Plus, Brissett has at least five carries in each of his last two. Of course, it's a tougher matchup this week on the road against Seattle, but we can all see the Cardinals' passing game coming at a faster pace with Brissett calling the shots. It's worth trying in deeper formats.
Sam Darnold, Seattle Seahawks (50.4% in lineup; vs. Cardinals)
Darnold is just north of the 50% roster threshold, but we'll continue to write about him in this section until that number actually jumps. Darnold had 27.2 fantasy points in the Week 9 win over Washington. He handled the ball skillfully, completing 87.5 percent of his passes and scoring four touchdowns. Darnold has scored 20 or more points (and multiple touchdowns) in three of his last four games, and I have yet to see a defense shut down his number one target. Jackson Smith-Njigba. Adding a wide receiver Rashid Shahid at the trade deadline gives Darnold the edge on third-level throws.
Narrow ends
Colston Loveland, Chicago Bears (40.2% in lineup; vs. Giants)
Loveland's 29.8 points in the Week 9 win over Cincinnati was a career high, but I'm more interested in his route — because that's what we expected when the Bears drafted him. Loveland ran 11 tight end routes, 10 on the wing, seven in the slot and one out wide. This versatility allows the Bears to create matchups with their rookie tight end, and it gives fantasy managers more advantage in the lineup. Let's take a look at Loveland as a deeper league starter starting Sunday.
Luke Musgrave, Green Bay Packers (12.2% in lineup; vs. Eagles)
WITH Tucker Craft (knee) Now out this season, Musgrave will take over the No. 1 tight end spot in Green Bay. After Kraft left last week's game against Carolina, Musgrave caught all three of his targets for 34 yards. While he doesn't have the same determination and catch-and-run ability as Kraft, he is a capable route runner in a system that creates tight end production. He's ready to play in a deeper league game against the Eagles on Monday night.
Wide Receivers
Olamide ZacchaeusBears (4.9% in lineup; vs. Giants)
A motion/movement player in coach Ben Johnson's offense, Zaccheus scored 17.8 points in a Week 9 win over the Bengals, scoring a red zone touchdown. Zaccheus has at least seven targets and 10 points in two straight games, and his use in this offense really creates catch-and-run opportunities. He'll be the deeper league's WR3 for Sunday's home game against the Giants.
Darius Slayton, New York Giants (26.1% in roster; in Bears)
Take, for example, a matchup against a Bears secondary that has been reduced in numbers due to injuries. Additionally, this unit looked a step slower last week against the Bengals. Slayton had his best performance of the season in the Week 9 loss to the 49ers, catching five of seven targets for 62 yards (11.2 points), and we know he can spread the field by lining up the edges. With limited options for defender Jackson Dart As a wide receiver, Slayton is working in deeper leagues this week.
Alec Pierce, Indianapolis Colts (30.1% in lineup; vs. Falcons)
Pierce has scored 14 or more points in two of his last four games. Yes, the flow of the game played a role in both of those matchups, but you're betting on Pierce's explosive potential this week against Atlanta. He averages over 20 yards per catch, which is a vertical stretch target for a quarterback. Daniel Jones. Pierce, who has four double-digit scoring games this season, is a boom/bust WR3 in Week 10.
Running backs
1:08
Are both Giants RBs impossible to start in fantasy?
Field Yates and Daniel Dopp discuss Tyrone Tracy Jr. and Devin Singletary's disappointing fantasy week.
Devin SingletaryGiants (28.4% in roster; in Bears)
We expected Tyrone Tracy Jr.. to lead the Giants' defensive line after suffering a season-ending injury Cam Tax Chamberbut it was Singletary who was used more in the Week 9 loss to the 49ers. Singletary outshot Tracy 10-8 and was more efficient as a runner, rushing for 43 yards on eight carries. There is a certain level of uncertainty in any quarterback rotation, but Singletary does have value in a deeper league this week against the Bears.
Isaiah Davis, New York Jets (10.7% in lineup; vs. Browns)
It's a brutal matchup against the Browns, the league's second-ranked defense against opposing running backs, but Davis does provide some upside as a change-of-pace runner and pass-catching talent. In his last game against Cincinnati, he caught five passes and had at least two receptions in four of his last five. He's worth the dart if you absolutely need a defender in a deeper league.
D/ST
Carolina Panthers (24.7% in lineup; vs. Saints)
Let's play a matchup with the Panthers' D against the rookie Saints. Tyler Shawwho will make his second career start. In two of their last three games, the Panthers have scored seven or more points with at least two takeaways. And this week they'll get a limited offense from the Saints, who just traded Shahid. I'm ready to start playing for the Panthers this week.
