Tell your friends (just not your leaguemates until next week)
by Optimus Staff
Sets rankings aflame with the breaking Travis Hunter news.
Oh, hi, didn’t notice you there. Oh this? No, this is nothing. Just my dying hopes and dreams of the 2025 fantasy football season and ‘fun.’ Burning bright, only to flicker out and die without so much as a gasp. Oh, I’m so sorry, you didn’t come here for my therapy.
You came here for rankings feedback, and we’ve got that in spades! Or clubs, or diamonds, or hearts I suppose. Really, whatever suit you prefer. Rankings themselves are great, but you know what helps? The “why” behind them. Yes, we might have Player X significantly higher, but why? Uh huh, we have Player Y much lower than everyone else, how come? That’s what this column is all about. A look into how we rank players and give you some insight into our minds. So come on in, the water’s fine!
Now, where was that preseason ADP sheet? I need to have a word with it….
Higher or Lower? Fantasy Football Players We’re Backing or Fading in Week 9
Check out our Premium Tools – Use Code “OptimusFall” for 25% OFF 4 Months!
Players We Are Higher On:
Chase Brown, RB, Cincinnati Bengals
Consensus Rank: RB15
Nate’s Rank: RB11 (+4)
I’m as surprised as you are to see Chase Brown here. I’ve been much lower than consensus on him all season long. However, you can’t deny that having a competent QB in Joe Flacco has been beneficial for the third-year RB. In the last two games, with the veteran QB in full command of the offense, Brown has 22 carries for 181 yards and a TD. He also has five catches for 24 yards and a receiving TD.
Yes, this ranking is subject to change should Flacco miss the Week 9 contest versus Chicago. However, if Flacco does line up behind center, I expect Brown to excel. While the Bears have been decent on defense this season, they’ve given up big games to elite-level RBs. Granted, Brown isn’t elite, but he’s still an RB1-tier talent in the right situation, and this is one of those. This Bears defensive unit is giving up an average of 21.3 fantasy points per game (FPPG) to RBs. The bar for a top-12 finish at the position this season is 14.5 FPPG, a total Brown should easily surpass this weekend at home.
Chase Brown in his last two games:
28 touches
205 total yards
2 TD
7.87 yards per carry
37.5 fantasy points (PPR) pic.twitter.com/OsKsiv0gtz— SleeperBengals (@SleeperBengals) October 28, 2025
Jaylin Noel, WR, Houston Texans
Consensus Rank: WR62
Lou’s Rank: WR45 (+17)
Right off the top, I know, I don’t have him ranked as a startable option. I promise, I know. But hear me out, OK?! C.J. Stroud started to look like rookie-year C.J. Stroud for a while in Week 8. His offensive line is still a problem, absolutely. A huge one. And Denver isn’t the team to try to out-finesse.
But quick, what WR leads Houston in targets earned over the past two weeks? It’s Jaylin Noel. Yes, it’s the same number as Dalton Schultz’s, and yes, Nico Collins missed time due to a concussion, so nuance is definitely needed. Schultz also leads Noel in receptions, 11 to 9. Noel is still earning the work, though. Noel was repeatedly able to find open space thanks to his speed and route-running throughout Houston’s Week 8 game against the San Francisco 49ers.
Yes, Xavier Hutchinson has been outperforming Noel and fellow rookie Jayden Higgins so far this year. Does anyone remember when Robert Woods was on the Texans with then-rookie Tank Dell, blocking Dell despite Dell showing out every time he was on the field? This situation has similar vibes. Houston desperately needs playmakers outside of the oft-injured Nico Collins, and Noel has the look of a player they need to give more rope to, and soon. You know, before Indianapolis runs away with the whole division/AFC.
It’s rough out on these streets. If you’re struggling to look for someone worthwhile to stick in a flex, you can do a lot worse than Jaylin Noel. Riley Moss can’t cover everybody.
Jaylin Noel the last 2 weeks, per @FantasyPtsData:
+ 0.30 targets per route (9th among 81 WRs)
+ 3.18 yards per route (6th)
+ 6 deep targets (t-1st), 4 deep receptions (1st), and 58.0 deep YPG (3rd)
+ 18.3% 1st read target share (2nd on Texans)Still running sub-50% of routes🤔
— Dataroma (@ffdataroma) October 27, 2025
Wan’Dale Robinson, WR, New York Giants
Consensus Rank: WR28
Evan’s Ranking: WR18 (+10)
The New York Giants take on a very beatable San Francisco 49ers on Sunday. Last week, the latter’s defense gave up four passing touchdowns to a struggling Houston Texans offense, led by C.J. Stroud, without Nico Collins. Robinson is operating as the top wide receiver as well as Jaxson Dart‘s favorite first read. The 49ers are not particularly good at stopping wide receivers this year, giving up an average of 27.7 half-PPR points to the position through Week 8, which is the 12th most in the NFL. This should be a perfect bounce-back game for Robinson, who wasn’t able to accomplish much against the Philadelphia Eagles last week in their second and final matchup of the season. Treat Wan’Dale Robinson as a strong WR2 this week in your lineups.
Mike Kafka on what he’s seen from Wan’Dale Robinson as he’s stepped into a bigger role in this #Giants offense:
“He is our most consistent receiver” pic.twitter.com/BgRa4ipFRY
— The Giants Report (@GiantsReport1) October 31, 2025
Players We Are Lower On:
Quentin Johnston, WR, Los Angeles Chargers
Consensus Rank: WR34
Nate’s Rank: WR41 (-7)
Chargers WR Quentin Johnston started the 2025 season hot, and it was an unexpected boon for anyone who was snagging him late in their fantasy football drafts. Through four weeks, Johnston was the half-PPR WR4, averaging 17.1 FPPG.
However, since Week 5, he is tied for WR78 with Tyquan Thornton, averaging 5 FPPG. Last week seemed to be the final blow to Johnston’s fantasy value, with Johnston seeing a season-low 52-percent snap share and zero targets. It seems the third-year wideout has come crashing back to reality.
In his previous two seasons, Johnston was underwhelming, so this isn’t a total shock. The emergence of rookies Oronde Gadsden and Tre Harris has left little room for a WR with a history of ball security issues. With a WR room already featuring Ladd McConkey and Keenan Allen, my ranking of WR41 may prove to be generous even against a weak defense like Tennessee this weekend.
What has happened to Quentin Johnston since his return from injury?
– He’s running deep routes 16.6% more of the time
– His First Read Target share has fallen from 25.4% to 6.3%
– His Horizontal Route Rate has fallen 11.1%
– He is winning vs. Man only 5% of the time
– His slot…— Chris Wecht (@ChrisWechtFF) October 30, 2025
Brian Thomas, WR Jacksonville Jaguars
Consensus Rank: WR19
Lou’s Rank: WR36 (-17)
I’m so very sorry, Carly, you don’t deserve this (she is a BTJ manager).
Yes, even with Travis Hunter now out for at least the next four games, I still have BTJ this low. The main reason? Hunter isn’t the reason Thomas has been bad all year. Yes, there are a lot of little things that have added up for Thomas, including the play of Trevor Lawrence, a new head coach and offensive system, and a few minor injuries along the way, among others. However, the main point is that Brian Thomas is playing significantly worse this year than he did last year.
Thomas’ opportunities/game – his combined targets and rushing attempts – are only down by 0.1/game, so he’s getting just as many opportunities as he did in 2024. The big difference is his catch rate. He clocked in at 65.4% in 2024. Not super high, which isn’t surprising considering he was used as a downfield threat as much as he was. In 2025? Thomas is sitting at a 49.1% catch rate through seven games. Even if you account for the difference between Mac Jones and Trevor Lawrence, more on this in a moment, that’s still a decent difference. To put that into perspective, a 14% reduction off his 2024 stats would put him at WR8 instead of WR4, less than a full HPPR point over Mike Evans and Jaxon Smith-Njigba.
Ok, now we need to talk about “the Mac Jones thing.” Look, I’m no Mac Jones apologist, he’s a severely limited QB. And he was clearly better for Brian Thomas Jr than Trevor Lawrence was or is. Trevor Lawrence was Thomas’ QB for the first nine games of 2024. After those nine games, Thomas was WR21. At that point, Lawrence got hurt and missed the rest of the season. Enter Mac Jones. From Week 10 onwards, Thomas was WR7. Considering that, with Lawrence once again as his QB, Thomas is sitting at WR37 on the ’25 season, this is a “where there’s smoke, there’s fire” situation.
So no, Brian Thomas will not be climbing my rankings with the news of Hunter’s injury. But you know who will be? Parker Washington and Dyami Brown. Man, these Jaguars make no sense…. Mutter, grumble, mutter.
Zonovan “Bam” Knight, Arizona Cardinals
Consensus Rank: RB18
Evan’s Ranking: RB29 (-11)
I don’t care that the Cardinals are taking on the Dallas Cowboys’ terrible defense on Monday night. That’s not enough to convince me that Bam Knight should be higher in anyone’s rankings. Without James Conner and Trey Benson, the Cardinals don’t have any good running backs remaining. Knight will continue splitting the backfield with Michael Carter, who has also been playing awful this season. Call me a hater if you want. In 3 games played for the Cardinals, Bam Knight has taken 29 carries for 102 yards, averaging 3.52 yards per carry. He fell into the end zone twice against the Titans and Colts, respectively. He also offers nothing in the passing game, catching 5 of 7 passes for 40 yards. Sorry, not sorry, I’m not trusting Knight in any of my lineups unless I absolutely have to play him. If he falls into the end zone again, then I’ll offer you a cookie. Treat Bam Knight as an RB3 with upside on Monday night.
For more advice, head over to our Discord channel and ask our analysts! For breaking news and injury updates, follow Optimus Fantasy News on Bluesky!
Sets rankings aflame with the breaking Travis Hunter news.
Oh, hi, didn’t notice you there. Oh this? No, this is nothing. Just my dying hopes and dreams of the 2025 fantasy football season and ‘fun.’ Burning bright, only to flicker out and die without so much as a gasp. Oh, I’m so sorry, you didn’t come here for my therapy.
You came here for rankings feedback, and we’ve got that in spades! Or clubs, or diamonds, or hearts I suppose. Really, whatever suit you prefer. Rankings themselves are great, but you know what helps? The “why” behind them. Yes, we might have Player X significantly higher, but why? Uh huh, we have Player Y much lower than everyone else, how come? That’s what this column is all about. A look into how we rank players and give you some insight into our minds. So come on in, the water’s fine!
Now, where was that preseason ADP sheet? I need to have a word with it….
Higher or Lower? Fantasy Football Players We’re Backing or Fading in Week 9
Check out our Premium Tools – Use Code “OptimusFall” for 25% OFF 4 Months!
Players We Are Higher On:
Chase Brown, RB, Cincinnati Bengals
Consensus Rank: RB15
Nate’s Rank: RB11 (+4)
I’m as surprised as you are to see Chase Brown here. I’ve been much lower than consensus on him all season long. However, you can’t deny that having a competent QB in Joe Flacco has been beneficial for the third-year RB. In the last two games, with the veteran QB in full command of the offense, Brown has 22 carries for 181 yards and a TD. He also has five catches for 24 yards and a receiving TD.
Yes, this ranking is subject to change should Flacco miss the Week 9 contest versus Chicago. However, if Flacco does line up behind center, I expect Brown to excel. While the Bears have been decent on defense this season, they’ve given up big games to elite-level RBs. Granted, Brown isn’t elite, but he’s still an RB1-tier talent in the right situation, and this is one of those. This Bears defensive unit is giving up an average of 21.3 fantasy points per game (FPPG) to RBs. The bar for a top-12 finish at the position this season is 14.5 FPPG, a total Brown should easily surpass this weekend at home.
Chase Brown in his last two games:
28 touches
205 total yards
2 TD
7.87 yards per carry
37.5 fantasy points (PPR) pic.twitter.com/OsKsiv0gtz— SleeperBengals (@SleeperBengals) October 28, 2025
Jaylin Noel, WR, Houston Texans
Consensus Rank: WR62
Lou’s Rank: WR45 (+17)
Right off the top, I know, I don’t have him ranked as a startable option. I promise, I know. But hear me out, OK?! C.J. Stroud started to look like rookie-year C.J. Stroud for a while in Week 8. His offensive line is still a problem, absolutely. A huge one. And Denver isn’t the team to try to out-finesse.
But quick, what WR leads Houston in targets earned over the past two weeks? It’s Jaylin Noel. Yes, it’s the same number as Dalton Schultz’s, and yes, Nico Collins missed time due to a concussion, so nuance is definitely needed. Schultz also leads Noel in receptions, 11 to 9. Noel is still earning the work, though. Noel was repeatedly able to find open space thanks to his speed and route-running throughout Houston’s Week 8 game against the San Francisco 49ers.
Yes, Xavier Hutchinson has been outperforming Noel and fellow rookie Jayden Higgins so far this year. Does anyone remember when Robert Woods was on the Texans with then-rookie Tank Dell, blocking Dell despite Dell showing out every time he was on the field? This situation has similar vibes. Houston desperately needs playmakers outside of the oft-injured Nico Collins, and Noel has the look of a player they need to give more rope to, and soon. You know, before Indianapolis runs away with the whole division/AFC.
It’s rough out on these streets. If you’re struggling to look for someone worthwhile to stick in a flex, you can do a lot worse than Jaylin Noel. Riley Moss can’t cover everybody.
Jaylin Noel the last 2 weeks, per @FantasyPtsData:
+ 0.30 targets per route (9th among 81 WRs)
+ 3.18 yards per route (6th)
+ 6 deep targets (t-1st), 4 deep receptions (1st), and 58.0 deep YPG (3rd)
+ 18.3% 1st read target share (2nd on Texans)Still running sub-50% of routes🤔
— Dataroma (@ffdataroma) October 27, 2025
Wan’Dale Robinson, WR, New York Giants
Consensus Rank: WR28
Evan’s Ranking: WR18 (+10)
The New York Giants take on a very beatable San Francisco 49ers on Sunday. Last week, the latter’s defense gave up four passing touchdowns to a struggling Houston Texans offense, led by C.J. Stroud, without Nico Collins. Robinson is operating as the top wide receiver as well as Jaxson Dart‘s favorite first read. The 49ers are not particularly good at stopping wide receivers this year, giving up an average of 27.7 half-PPR points to the position through Week 8, which is the 12th most in the NFL. This should be a perfect bounce-back game for Robinson, who wasn’t able to accomplish much against the Philadelphia Eagles last week in their second and final matchup of the season. Treat Wan’Dale Robinson as a strong WR2 this week in your lineups.
Mike Kafka on what he’s seen from Wan’Dale Robinson as he’s stepped into a bigger role in this #Giants offense:
“He is our most consistent receiver” pic.twitter.com/BgRa4ipFRY
— The Giants Report (@GiantsReport1) October 31, 2025
Players We Are Lower On:
Quentin Johnston, WR, Los Angeles Chargers
Consensus Rank: WR34
Nate’s Rank: WR41 (-7)
Chargers WR Quentin Johnston started the 2025 season hot, and it was an unexpected boon for anyone who was snagging him late in their fantasy football drafts. Through four weeks, Johnston was the half-PPR WR4, averaging 17.1 FPPG.
However, since Week 5, he is tied for WR78 with Tyquan Thornton, averaging 5 FPPG. Last week seemed to be the final blow to Johnston’s fantasy value, with Johnston seeing a season-low 52-percent snap share and zero targets. It seems the third-year wideout has come crashing back to reality.
In his previous two seasons, Johnston was underwhelming, so this isn’t a total shock. The emergence of rookies Oronde Gadsden and Tre Harris has left little room for a WR with a history of ball security issues. With a WR room already featuring Ladd McConkey and Keenan Allen, my ranking of WR41 may prove to be generous even against a weak defense like Tennessee this weekend.
What has happened to Quentin Johnston since his return from injury?
– He’s running deep routes 16.6% more of the time
– His First Read Target share has fallen from 25.4% to 6.3%
– His Horizontal Route Rate has fallen 11.1%
– He is winning vs. Man only 5% of the time
– His slot…— Chris Wecht (@ChrisWechtFF) October 30, 2025
Brian Thomas, WR Jacksonville Jaguars
Consensus Rank: WR19
Lou’s Rank: WR36 (-17)
I’m so very sorry, Carly, you don’t deserve this (she is a BTJ manager).
Yes, even with Travis Hunter now out for at least the next four games, I still have BTJ this low. The main reason? Hunter isn’t the reason Thomas has been bad all year. Yes, there are a lot of little things that have added up for Thomas, including the play of Trevor Lawrence, a new head coach and offensive system, and a few minor injuries along the way, among others. However, the main point is that Brian Thomas is playing significantly worse this year than he did last year.
Thomas’ opportunities/game – his combined targets and rushing attempts – are only down by 0.1/game, so he’s getting just as many opportunities as he did in 2024. The big difference is his catch rate. He clocked in at 65.4% in 2024. Not super high, which isn’t surprising considering he was used as a downfield threat as much as he was. In 2025? Thomas is sitting at a 49.1% catch rate through seven games. Even if you account for the difference between Mac Jones and Trevor Lawrence, more on this in a moment, that’s still a decent difference. To put that into perspective, a 14% reduction off his 2024 stats would put him at WR8 instead of WR4, less than a full HPPR point over Mike Evans and Jaxon Smith-Njigba.
Ok, now we need to talk about “the Mac Jones thing.” Look, I’m no Mac Jones apologist, he’s a severely limited QB. And he was clearly better for Brian Thomas Jr than Trevor Lawrence was or is. Trevor Lawrence was Thomas’ QB for the first nine games of 2024. After those nine games, Thomas was WR21. At that point, Lawrence got hurt and missed the rest of the season. Enter Mac Jones. From Week 10 onwards, Thomas was WR7. Considering that, with Lawrence once again as his QB, Thomas is sitting at WR37 on the ’25 season, this is a “where there’s smoke, there’s fire” situation.
So no, Brian Thomas will not be climbing my rankings with the news of Hunter’s injury. But you know who will be? Parker Washington and Dyami Brown. Man, these Jaguars make no sense…. Mutter, grumble, mutter.
Zonovan “Bam” Knight, Arizona Cardinals
Consensus Rank: RB18
Evan’s Ranking: RB29 (-11)
I don’t care that the Cardinals are taking on the Dallas Cowboys’ terrible defense on Monday night. That’s not enough to convince me that Bam Knight should be higher in anyone’s rankings. Without James Conner and Trey Benson, the Cardinals don’t have any good running backs remaining. Knight will continue splitting the backfield with Michael Carter, who has also been playing awful this season. Call me a hater if you want. In 3 games played for the Cardinals, Bam Knight has taken 29 carries for 102 yards, averaging 3.52 yards per carry. He fell into the end zone twice against the Titans and Colts, respectively. He also offers nothing in the passing game, catching 5 of 7 passes for 40 yards. Sorry, not sorry, I’m not trusting Knight in any of my lineups unless I absolutely have to play him. If he falls into the end zone again, then I’ll offer you a cookie. Treat Bam Knight as an RB3 with upside on Monday night.
For more advice, head over to our Discord channel and ask our analysts! For breaking news and injury updates, follow Optimus Fantasy News on Bluesky!
Sets rankings aflame with the breaking Travis Hunter news.
Oh, hi, didn’t notice you there. Oh this? No, this is nothing. Just my dying hopes and dreams of the 2025 fantasy football season and ‘fun.’ Burning bright, only to flicker out and die without so much as a gasp. Oh, I’m so sorry, you didn’t come here for my therapy.
You came here for rankings feedback, and we’ve got that in spades! Or clubs, or diamonds, or hearts I suppose. Really, whatever suit you prefer. Rankings themselves are great, but you know what helps? The “why” behind them. Yes, we might have Player X significantly higher, but why? Uh huh, we have Player Y much lower than everyone else, how come? That’s what this column is all about. A look into how we rank players and give you some insight into our minds. So come on in, the water’s fine!
Now, where was that preseason ADP sheet? I need to have a word with it….
Higher or Lower? Fantasy Football Players We’re Backing or Fading in Week 9
Check out our Premium Tools – Use Code “OptimusFall” for 25% OFF 4 Months!
Players We Are Higher On:
Chase Brown, RB, Cincinnati Bengals
Consensus Rank: RB15
Nate’s Rank: RB11 (+4)
I’m as surprised as you are to see Chase Brown here. I’ve been much lower than consensus on him all season long. However, you can’t deny that having a competent QB in Joe Flacco has been beneficial for the third-year RB. In the last two games, with the veteran QB in full command of the offense, Brown has 22 carries for 181 yards and a TD. He also has five catches for 24 yards and a receiving TD.
Yes, this ranking is subject to change should Flacco miss the Week 9 contest versus Chicago. However, if Flacco does line up behind center, I expect Brown to excel. While the Bears have been decent on defense this season, they’ve given up big games to elite-level RBs. Granted, Brown isn’t elite, but he’s still an RB1-tier talent in the right situation, and this is one of those. This Bears defensive unit is giving up an average of 21.3 fantasy points per game (FPPG) to RBs. The bar for a top-12 finish at the position this season is 14.5 FPPG, a total Brown should easily surpass this weekend at home.
Chase Brown in his last two games:
28 touches
205 total yards
2 TD
7.87 yards per carry
37.5 fantasy points (PPR) pic.twitter.com/OsKsiv0gtz— SleeperBengals (@SleeperBengals) October 28, 2025
Jaylin Noel, WR, Houston Texans
Consensus Rank: WR62
Lou’s Rank: WR45 (+17)
Right off the top, I know, I don’t have him ranked as a startable option. I promise, I know. But hear me out, OK?! C.J. Stroud started to look like rookie-year C.J. Stroud for a while in Week 8. His offensive line is still a problem, absolutely. A huge one. And Denver isn’t the team to try to out-finesse.
But quick, what WR leads Houston in targets earned over the past two weeks? It’s Jaylin Noel. Yes, it’s the same number as Dalton Schultz’s, and yes, Nico Collins missed time due to a concussion, so nuance is definitely needed. Schultz also leads Noel in receptions, 11 to 9. Noel is still earning the work, though. Noel was repeatedly able to find open space thanks to his speed and route-running throughout Houston’s Week 8 game against the San Francisco 49ers.
Yes, Xavier Hutchinson has been outperforming Noel and fellow rookie Jayden Higgins so far this year. Does anyone remember when Robert Woods was on the Texans with then-rookie Tank Dell, blocking Dell despite Dell showing out every time he was on the field? This situation has similar vibes. Houston desperately needs playmakers outside of the oft-injured Nico Collins, and Noel has the look of a player they need to give more rope to, and soon. You know, before Indianapolis runs away with the whole division/AFC.
It’s rough out on these streets. If you’re struggling to look for someone worthwhile to stick in a flex, you can do a lot worse than Jaylin Noel. Riley Moss can’t cover everybody.
Jaylin Noel the last 2 weeks, per @FantasyPtsData:
+ 0.30 targets per route (9th among 81 WRs)
+ 3.18 yards per route (6th)
+ 6 deep targets (t-1st), 4 deep receptions (1st), and 58.0 deep YPG (3rd)
+ 18.3% 1st read target share (2nd on Texans)Still running sub-50% of routes🤔
— Dataroma (@ffdataroma) October 27, 2025
Wan’Dale Robinson, WR, New York Giants
Consensus Rank: WR28
Evan’s Ranking: WR18 (+10)
The New York Giants take on a very beatable San Francisco 49ers on Sunday. Last week, the latter’s defense gave up four passing touchdowns to a struggling Houston Texans offense, led by C.J. Stroud, without Nico Collins. Robinson is operating as the top wide receiver as well as Jaxson Dart‘s favorite first read. The 49ers are not particularly good at stopping wide receivers this year, giving up an average of 27.7 half-PPR points to the position through Week 8, which is the 12th most in the NFL. This should be a perfect bounce-back game for Robinson, who wasn’t able to accomplish much against the Philadelphia Eagles last week in their second and final matchup of the season. Treat Wan’Dale Robinson as a strong WR2 this week in your lineups.
Mike Kafka on what he’s seen from Wan’Dale Robinson as he’s stepped into a bigger role in this #Giants offense:
“He is our most consistent receiver” pic.twitter.com/BgRa4ipFRY
— The Giants Report (@GiantsReport1) October 31, 2025
Players We Are Lower On:
Quentin Johnston, WR, Los Angeles Chargers
Consensus Rank: WR34
Nate’s Rank: WR41 (-7)
Chargers WR Quentin Johnston started the 2025 season hot, and it was an unexpected boon for anyone who was snagging him late in their fantasy football drafts. Through four weeks, Johnston was the half-PPR WR4, averaging 17.1 FPPG.
However, since Week 5, he is tied for WR78 with Tyquan Thornton, averaging 5 FPPG. Last week seemed to be the final blow to Johnston’s fantasy value, with Johnston seeing a season-low 52-percent snap share and zero targets. It seems the third-year wideout has come crashing back to reality.
In his previous two seasons, Johnston was underwhelming, so this isn’t a total shock. The emergence of rookies Oronde Gadsden and Tre Harris has left little room for a WR with a history of ball security issues. With a WR room already featuring Ladd McConkey and Keenan Allen, my ranking of WR41 may prove to be generous even against a weak defense like Tennessee this weekend.
What has happened to Quentin Johnston since his return from injury?
– He’s running deep routes 16.6% more of the time
– His First Read Target share has fallen from 25.4% to 6.3%
– His Horizontal Route Rate has fallen 11.1%
– He is winning vs. Man only 5% of the time
– His slot…— Chris Wecht (@ChrisWechtFF) October 30, 2025
Brian Thomas, WR Jacksonville Jaguars
Consensus Rank: WR19
Lou’s Rank: WR36 (-17)
I’m so very sorry, Carly, you don’t deserve this (she is a BTJ manager).
Yes, even with Travis Hunter now out for at least the next four games, I still have BTJ this low. The main reason? Hunter isn’t the reason Thomas has been bad all year. Yes, there are a lot of little things that have added up for Thomas, including the play of Trevor Lawrence, a new head coach and offensive system, and a few minor injuries along the way, among others. However, the main point is that Brian Thomas is playing significantly worse this year than he did last year.
Thomas’ opportunities/game – his combined targets and rushing attempts – are only down by 0.1/game, so he’s getting just as many opportunities as he did in 2024. The big difference is his catch rate. He clocked in at 65.4% in 2024. Not super high, which isn’t surprising considering he was used as a downfield threat as much as he was. In 2025? Thomas is sitting at a 49.1% catch rate through seven games. Even if you account for the difference between Mac Jones and Trevor Lawrence, more on this in a moment, that’s still a decent difference. To put that into perspective, a 14% reduction off his 2024 stats would put him at WR8 instead of WR4, less than a full HPPR point over Mike Evans and Jaxon Smith-Njigba.
Ok, now we need to talk about “the Mac Jones thing.” Look, I’m no Mac Jones apologist, he’s a severely limited QB. And he was clearly better for Brian Thomas Jr than Trevor Lawrence was or is. Trevor Lawrence was Thomas’ QB for the first nine games of 2024. After those nine games, Thomas was WR21. At that point, Lawrence got hurt and missed the rest of the season. Enter Mac Jones. From Week 10 onwards, Thomas was WR7. Considering that, with Lawrence once again as his QB, Thomas is sitting at WR37 on the ’25 season, this is a “where there’s smoke, there’s fire” situation.
So no, Brian Thomas will not be climbing my rankings with the news of Hunter’s injury. But you know who will be? Parker Washington and Dyami Brown. Man, these Jaguars make no sense…. Mutter, grumble, mutter.
Zonovan “Bam” Knight, Arizona Cardinals
Consensus Rank: RB18
Evan’s Ranking: RB29 (-11)
I don’t care that the Cardinals are taking on the Dallas Cowboys’ terrible defense on Monday night. That’s not enough to convince me that Bam Knight should be higher in anyone’s rankings. Without James Conner and Trey Benson, the Cardinals don’t have any good running backs remaining. Knight will continue splitting the backfield with Michael Carter, who has also been playing awful this season. Call me a hater if you want. In 3 games played for the Cardinals, Bam Knight has taken 29 carries for 102 yards, averaging 3.52 yards per carry. He fell into the end zone twice against the Titans and Colts, respectively. He also offers nothing in the passing game, catching 5 of 7 passes for 40 yards. Sorry, not sorry, I’m not trusting Knight in any of my lineups unless I absolutely have to play him. If he falls into the end zone again, then I’ll offer you a cookie. Treat Bam Knight as an RB3 with upside on Monday night.
For more advice, head over to our Discord channel and ask our analysts! For breaking news and injury updates, follow Optimus Fantasy News on Bluesky!
Welcome one and all to the great fantasy football game show! Each week, our fabulous writers participate in the fantastic game of higher/lower and submit their predictions for player rankings. This week, like most weeks (sadly), we have injuries galore. Week 11 has put some of you in a tough spot where you may have
Welcome back, one and all. If you are confused as to why I am welcoming you back, stop what you are doing and go check out Part 1 of this series. Now, without further ado… (Click the play button above for the full experience) *X files music plays in the distance* Have you ever wondered
Which QBs and WRs have the best playoff schedules? Our data shows who to trade for (and away) before your deadline to win your league.
Boy, it’s getting late early these days! What do you mean it’s 4:30 and it’s already getting dark? Don’t worry, you’ll get no ‘Winter is coming’ from us, although winter is very definitely coming, and it’s more than just the fading light and weaker rays of the sun that tell us so. It’s Week 11,
Welcome to Week 10 of Angles & Leverage! It’s the first week we’ve had this season, some truly uneasy lineup decisions this week, especially in DFS. I can’t believe I was scouring stone-minimum wide receivers with actual intent to start one of them. It was gross! Four more teams are on bye this week, including
Thanks for making it this far (past the headline). Yes, in real life, I traded the one and only Joshua Patrick Allen for former number one overall pick Caleb Williams in a dynasty fantasy football league. No extra picks, no throw-in players, a true one-for-one trade. You might be asking me right now, “Why are
There has been a lot of discussion about the pros and cons of sports betting and gambling recently. Here at Optimus, the only gambling we do is in this article each week. Well… that’s not entirely true. We do have some incredible DFS and betting tools that you should absolutely check out, BUT that’s not
🎶 If I could turn back time…🎶 echoes softly in the distance Is it the pursuit of knowledge that makes us want to look back and ask, “What if?” Or is it a sort of self-punishment? “I should have known better.” 🎶If I could find a wayyyyyy🎶 the music swells Welcome to Optimus Fantasy’s look
I honestly cannot believe Week 9 is over. We are officially halfway through the regular season, folks. It feels like it has flown by. For most leagues, the fantasy playoffs start in just five short weeks. Some of you may be looking ahead to the playoffs, while others are just trying their best not to
Yeah, it can feel like that sometimes. You do your best, you study the ADP, you listen to all the experts, you put more work into your hobby than you do your actual job, and crush your draft. Of course, some guys don’t perform as well right out of the gate. “That’s OK,” you think
Look, we get it. It’s Week 9. We no longer all have sunny, rosy, happy vibes. This is when the season feels like a slog. The teams you drafted with so much hope have bitten the dust, and even the ones doing well are limping along, taking on water. Well, get those bailing buckets working
Welcome to Week 9 of Angles & Leverage! We’re post-“BYE-mageddon,” and I hope everybody made it out in one piece. We have a normal number of teams (four) on bye this week, with the Cleveland Browns, New York Jets, Philadelphia Eagles, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers all taking a well-deserved week off. We have some clarity
Hello everyone, and welcome to what I hope will be the first of many Thursday Therapy sessions with Evan Sather. Each week, Evan will get to unleash some of his inner fantasy football-related thoughts that I imagine many other managers can relate to. Buckle up and strap in for Thursday Therapy Week 9. Thursday Therapy:

