The Sunday Stash Report continues ahead of Week 4 as fantasy owners are fresh off another week of injuries to back of the roster guys (like Darren Sproles) and more underperformance from guys we thought might emerge (looking at you Samaje Perine). The goal here is to put a guy or two on the back of your roster that isn’t necessarily going to help you this week but rather next week or shortly thereafter.
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Curtis Samuel (WR – CAR)
The Panthers’ rookie WR is the closest thing the 2017 draft had to Tyreek Hill. That is if they choose to use him that way. With Cam Newton done caring about football, Kelvin Benjamin banged up, Greg Olsen out indefinitely, and Devin Funchess being mostly terrible at football, if there were ever an opportunity for Curtis Samuel, it’s now. Samuel has off the charts measurables in speed and ran a 4.31 40. If he could see 2-4 carries and 3-5 targets a game, he could be a viable fantasy option. The question is whether Ron Rivera is willing to go all in on Samuel, or even a little in. For comparison purposes, it took Tyreek Hill roughly eight weeks to be fully integrated into the offense. The savvy fantasy owner picked up Hill a couple weeks in advance. Now might be the time to grab Samuel and put him on the end of your roster just to see what happens.
Juju Smith-Schuster (WR – PIT)
After not seeing a target Week 1, Juju Smith-Schuster saw four targets Week 2 and six targets Week 3. He is slowly becoming a bigger part of the offense, and I think there’s a chance he can overtake Martavis Bryant as the number two option. Bryant is inconsistent and unreliable. Smith-Schuster is the exact opposite. He is not as explosive or dynamic as Bryant, but he is more trustworthy and has better hands. There might be something here. It’s pretty clear he’s already the number three, which could have value in and of itself, especially as Ben Roethlisberger continues to decline, relying on more underneath routes and taking fewer shots downfield. It’s stock up for Smith-Schuster and stock down for Bryant.
D’Onta Foreman (RB – HOU)
I don’t want to belabor the point too much on D’Onta Foreman. He was on this list last week and clearly no one is listening! I will quote myself to save you the trouble of searching for last week’s column: “Somehow he’s barely owned across fantasy leagues. He’s the most talented RB on the Texans and is already pushing Lamar Miller for playing time. It’s only a matter of time before this is a complete timeshare and after that, the balance may lean toward Foreman. Bank on Foreman’s talent and Miller’s lack of it.”
Alex Collins (RB – BAL)
To be honest, I don’t really want anything to do with the Ravens run game…or the Ravens in general. They’re not a good team and their offensive line is decimated with injuries. With that being said, any RB getting significant playing time is relevant. Between Buck Allen, Terrance West, and Alex Collins, someone is going to matter. It probably won’t be Collins, but if you have a free roster spot, there’s nothing to lose.
J.D. McKissic (RB – SEA)
McKissic is a converted WR with excellent hands and has shown proficiency in the return game. With all of Seattle’s backs some combination of fat, hurt, and terrible, McKissic might actually get some burn in a passing down role this week. Unless Pete Carroll intends to give Chris Carson 30 touches, someone else has to play. That guy looks like it will be McKissic. This may be nothing. Or he may be everything we thought CJ Prosise would be. It’s worth a shot.
Jared Goff (QB – LAR)
This one isn’t really a stash. It’s more of a “why is this guy only 18% owned?” Go pick him up. Right now. Jared Goff, if you recall, was selected first overall by the Rams in 2016. He was terrible in 2016 largely because he played for the worst head coach in NFL history. Now, with definitely going to be in the running for coach of the year Sean McVay, Goff’s potential is being unlocked. He’s sitting pretty as a back-end QB1 in fantasy points currently and has a friendly matchup at Dallas coming up. The schedule gets pretty rough after that so you may not be able to use him much. However, if the Goff ascension is legit, which it very well may be, he will be able to overcome bad matchups and, at the very least, be a trade chip or a strong backup for your team.
Wayne Gallman (RB – NYG)
Here are things we know. Paul Perkins is the worst RB in the NFL. Orleans Darkwa is hurt. Shane Vereen is hurt. Someone has to run the ball for the Giants. If Darkwa and Vereen don’t play, that leaves the Giants with just Perkins and the rookie that has been inactive thus far. Well, he may be active this week. I don’t think Gallman is particularly talented nor do I think he has NFL starter level skills. However, he could be handling the majority of the work for the Giants relatively soon and I’m certain that he can’t possibly be worse than Perkins. This may end up being a case of Gallman simply being the last man standing. He may end up being just as ineffective as the rest of the Giants backs. I’d rather gamble on the unknown though.
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Jason Katz is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Jason, check out his archive or follow him @jasonkatz13.