News

1. 4h ago
   Fantasy football free agent pickups: Kirk Cousins, Keon Coleman lead top options

   Each Monday, before the current NFL week ends, we will identify players worthy of your attention who are available in at least 50% of ESPN standard leagues. Things change quickly for player valuation and roles each week in the NFL, and free agency is a critical way to acquire players. We are here to help! Top pickup options at every position Looking for the top recommendation at each skill position? Look no further! Here are the players to target heading into Week 5, along with their current roster percentages and a recommendation of how much of your free agent budget (FAB) you should consider using for your bid.  Kirk Cousins, QB, Raiders (16.9% rostered, 3% of your FAB) Cousins, 38, continues to thrive, scoring 22.6 points against a solid Kansas City Chiefs defense. He has now scored over 20 fantasy points in three consecutive games. He has outscored Joe Burrow, Jalen Hurts and Trevor Lawrence this season. Has your QB achieved this? The Raiders sure seem to be legitimate and there is no imminent switch on the horizon to first overall draft pick Fernando Mendoza. Cousins may keep the top job for months. The Raiders face the New England Patriots next and remember that the bye weeks are here, removing the Chiefs' Patrick Mahomes, the Panthers' Bryce Young and all of their teammates in Week 5. Emanuel Wilson, RB, Seahawks (49.9%, 8% FAB) Wilson, 27, took advantage of a wonderful opportunity to score 27 fantasy points against the Los Angeles Chargers. His main competition for volume and goal-line looks are both injured. Rookie Jadarian Price (chest) and Zach Charbonnet (knee) will return at some point, but like with Cousins, let's just worry about this week. The Seahawks face the San Francisco 49ers where Wilson should be viewed as a top-20 RB. Keon Coleman, WR, Bills (4.2%, 1% FAB) Coleman, a talented but frustrating underachiever during his first two NFL seasons, had seen just nine targets entering Week 4. However, the absence of DJ Moore (shoulder) and the avoidance of TE Dalton Kincaid (only two targets) created opportunity for him Sunday. Coleman caught 116 yards worth of passes on seven targets, including a 34-yard touchdown. We have seen solid outings from him in the past, but little consistency. Perhaps this is Coleman finally emerging as a reliable option. Tyler Higbee, TE, Rams (2.4%, 1% FAB) Higbee, 33, saw only two targets over the first two games of the season, but things have changed. Since the start of Week 3, he has had 13 receptions on 17 targets, resulting in 129 receiving yards and 31.9 fantasy points. The loss of Terrance Ferguson (ankle) has helped — and he may miss several weeks. The Rams will face the friendly defense of the Buffalo Bills in Week 5. Other quarterbacks C.J. Stroud, Texans (37.3%, 2% FAB): Stroud scored a season-high 23.08 points against the Dallas Cowboys, clearly quite enjoying the return of WR Nico Collins, who had missed two games due to a hamstring injury. When Collins plays, perhaps Stroud is more than a fantasy streamer. After all, Stroud enters Week 5 as the No. 11 QB scorer. Next up, the Texans face the overwhelmed Tennessee Titans. Aaron Rodgers, Steelers (6.5%, 1% FAB): Rodgers, 42, played cautiously over the first two weeks, averaging 204 passing yards with only four completions for 20-plus yards (and none for more than 40 yards). Things have changed with a pair of division games, as Rodgers threw the football downfield, averaging 295 passing yards and totaling six touchdown passes along with 10 20-plus yard completions — three for 40-plus yards. Perhaps this aggressiveness, only mildly offset by turnovers, will continue this week against the Indianapolis Colts. Deshaun Watson, Browns (8.6%, 1% FAB): Watson still isn't playing nearly as well as he did in his Houston Texans days, but he has become a reasonable streamer for fantasy, with six TD passes versus two interceptions. He is adding value as a runner, too. The Browns face the New York Jets this coming Sunday. Deep-league op

   ESPN
2. Oct 2
   Watson completed 24 of 33 passes for 268 yards with one touchdown and one interception while rushing seven times for 22 yards in the Browns' 27-24 win over the Steelers on Thursday. He also committed two fumbles, losing one.

   Watson's rather unlikely comeback season continued in the primetime spotlight Thursday against a division rival, with the embattled veteran ultimately besting future Hall of Famer Aaron Rodgers. Watson's late third-quarter fumble on a sack by T.J. Watt didn't result in any Steelers points, but his interception on Cleveland's ensuing possession on a deep pass intended for Denzel Boston did lead to Pittsburgh's penultimate touchdown of the night. Watson was otherwise impressive, recording his highest passing yardage total since Week 3 of the 2023 season. Watson connected with seven different targets overall, and his one scoring strike went to Harold Fannin from two yards out late in the second quarter. Watson now boasts a 69.6 percent completion rate — his highest since the 2020 season in Houston — and a 6:2 TD:INT alongside 127 rushing yards heading into a Week 5 road matchup against the Jets on Sunday, Oct. 11.

   RotoWire via ESPN
3. Sep 28
   Watson completed 16 of 30 passes for 144 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions while rushing 11 times for 45 yards in the Browns' 21-18 win over the Panthers on Sunday. He also threw a two-point conversion pass.

   While Watson was anything but efficient through the air for the majority of the afternoon, the veteran signal-caller avoided turnovers and fired a pair of key touchdown passes to Harold Fannin, including a game-winning scoring toss with 1:48 remaining on which Watson scrambled to buy himself time before releasing the ball on the run. Watson's mobility played a key part throughout earlier portions of the game, as he was second on Cleveland in rushing yards with his highest total since Week 9 of the 2020 season while he was still with the Texans (he'd also rushed for 45 yards in Week 1 of the 2023 season). Watson is still clearly a work in progress in head coach Todd Monken's offense, but he appears to have an increasingly firm hold on the starting job heading into Thursday night's Week 4 divisional home clash against the Steelers.

   RotoWire via ESPN
4. Sep 20
   Watson completed 24 of 30 passes for 238 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions while adding seven rushes for 22 yards in the Browns' 23-19 win over the Buccaneers on Sunday.

   The proverbial vultures seemed to be surrounding Watson already after an ugly Week 1 loss to the Jaguars, but the oft-maligned veteran signal-caller preserved his starting job for the moment with Sunday's weather-delayed upset victory. Watson ran the Browns offense with a steady hand throughout the afternoon, avoiding turnovers while navigating a pair of sacks and connecting with Denzel Boston (55 yards) and Blake Whiteheart (17 yards) for his pair of touchdown passes. Watson has completed a stellar 76.9 percent of his passes and posted a 3:1 TD:INT through two games, and he'll next take on the Panthers in a Week 3 home matchup next Sunday.

   RotoWire via ESPN
5. Sep 14
   Head coach Todd Monken said Monday that he anticipates sticking with Watson as the Browns' starting quarterback for Week 2 against the Buccaneers, Chris Easterling of the Akron Beacon Journal reports.

   Watson will retain the starting job, despite a poor showing Sunday in the Browns' 34-10 season-opening loss to the Jaguars. While making his first regular-season appearance since Oct. 20, 2024, Watson completed 16 of 22 pass attempts for 205 yards, one touchdown and one interception while rushing six times for 38 yards. Upon reviewing film of the game, Monken said he saw enough positives from Watson to stick with him as the team's starter, though the 31-year-old quarterback likely won't have much job security.

   RotoWire via ESPN

Injury reports

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