Week 10 Heat Index: AJ Dillon, Rhamondre Stevenson, Mac Jones

Week 10 brought forth some surprises, mainly from players on the New England Patriots, who exploded Sunday vs. the Browns offensively. Below are all the players whose efforts jumped out to us most last week. For each, we list their stats and positional rank (based on half-point PPR scoring) for the week along with their prospects moving forward on a scale of 🔥-to-🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥.

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Quarterbacks

Trevor Siemian (QB – NO)

Stat-line: 19-34 passing for 298 yards and 2 TDs

QB Rank: 4

Analysis: Siemian likely kept his starting job for at least another week with a strong showing against a porous Titans pass defense. With Alvin Kamara (RB – NO) sidelined, Siemian moved the ball around to various pass-catchers and completed several passes downfield. Taysom Hill (QB – NO) did see the field, but he only attempted two passes. Siemian’s schedule for Weeks 13-16 is pretty good, so he could be an option in 2-QB leagues if you need a streamer. It’s doubtful he’ll prove much more valuable than that, though.

Heat Index: 🔥

Mac Jones (QB – NE)

Stat-line: 19-23 passing for 198 yards and 3 TDs

QB Rank: 5

Analysis: Jones put forth a solid fantasy game on Sunday despite only 23 passing attempts and 0 yards rushing. He did so by completing 19 of those attempts and tossing 3 TDs. The Patriots haven’t asked their young QB to do too much this season, but that could change as he gains experience. He’s probably still a gamble for fantasy football managers, but outside of the two games remaining against the Bills, his schedule looks pretty good the rest of the way.

Heat Index: 🔥🔥

Wide Receivers

Kendrick Bourne (WR – NE)

Stat-line: 4 catches on four targets for 98 yards and a TD; 43 yards rushing

WR Rank: 5

Analysis: This is Bourne’s second mention on The Heat Index. The first time was after Week 3 when we gave him only 🔥🔥. Between Week 3 and Week 10, he averaged 8.7 fantasy points per game with a range of 4.9 to 14.1. Those numbers are usable in deep leagues or for spot starts but are nothing special. The rushing yards made yesterday different, which didn’t come on one attempt, but three. As such, it seems as though the Patriots are trying to find ways to get Bourne the ball, which could bode well for his production moving forward. Despite out-producing both, he’s still trailing Jakobi Meyers (WR – NE) and Nelson Agholor (WR – NE) in snaps to date. There’s reason to believe this could change as the season wears on.

Heat Index: 🔥🔥🔥

Bryan Edwards (WR – LV)

Stat-line: 3 catches on four targets for 88 yards and a TD

WR Rank: 9

Analysis: The departure of Henry Ruggs III (WR – FA) left a void in the Raiders passing game. Edwards, the recently acquired DeSean Jackson (WR – LV), and Zay Jones (WR – LV) are the most logical candidates to see increases in playing time and targets. Unfortunately, Edwards has seen only eight targets in the two games without Ruggs. Last week, he converted those in a big way, but he put up a goose egg two weeks ago. Thus, it is hard to trust him moving forward. On a positive note, the Raider’s upcoming schedule is very friendly for WR’s, so he may be worth a stash to see if the consistency starts to develop.

Heat Index: 🔥🔥

Running Backs

AJ Dillon (RB – GB)

Stat-line: 66 yards rushing on 21 attempts and 2 TDs; 2 catches on two targets for 62 yards

RB Rank: 1

Analysis: Dillon had the best game of his young career Sunday, partly due to the injury that forced Aaron Jones (RB – GB) to the sideline in the 3rd quarter. This year, Dillon has been effective when given playing time but hasn’t consistently contributed to fantasy playing behind Jones. As Jones is unlikely to play for a week or two, Dillon becomes a must-start in his absence. If he’s still out there in your league, now would be a good time to grab him!

Heat Index: 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 while Jones is out, 🔥🔥🔥 after his return

Rhamondre Stevenson (RB – NE)

Stat-line: 100 yards rushing on twenty attempts and 2 TDs; 4 catches on five targets for 14 yards

RB Rank: 2

Analysis: Another backup who had a great week was Stevenson, who cleared concussion protocol in time to start, and star, for the Patriots on Sunday. Stevenson was a hot sleeper on draft-day after an impressive preseason. However, he was a non-factor until this past week when he got his opportunity to shine with starter Damien Harris (RB – NE) unable to play. Harris is still in the concussion protocol himself but may be able to play again as soon as this week. One would assume that he’ll resume his role upon return, but you never know with Bill Belichick…

Heat Index: 🔥🔥🔥🔥 if Harris remains out, 🔥🔥 after his return

Antonio Gibson (RB – WAS)

Stat-line: 64 yards rushing on twenty-four attempts with 2 TDs; 2 catches on two targets for 14 yards

RB Rank: 6

Analysis: Despite being drafted in the 2nd round in most leagues, Gibson had played so poorly recently that he probably wasn’t started by many managers in Week 10. A matchup with the Bucs – one of the best run defenses in the league – didn’t help to inspire confidence. But Gibson, and The Football Team, came to play and upset the Champs in the process. Can we trust Gibson in our starting lineups going forward, though? While his fantasy numbers were substantial, his two rushing TDs drove most of his success. 2.7 YPC and two catches aren’t that impressive. His snap count was much higher than it has been, but that may have resulted from game flow as The Football Team led for much of this one. Time will tell if Gibson and his team have turned their seasons around, but for now, we’d like to see a bit more consistency before jumping back on the bandwagon.

Heat Index: 🔥🔥🔥

Tight Ends

Hunter Henry (TE – NE)

Stat-line: 4 catches on four targets for 37 yards and 2 TDs

TE Rank: 1

Analysis: Henry’s comeback season marched on Sunday when he added two more TDs to his Tight-End-leading total of seven for the year. Henry made The Heat Index after Week 5 when we thought he was overly reliant on touchdowns for value. Well, he keeps scoring them, so if you have him on your roster or can acquire him off waivers, he’s as good a bet to pay off as anyone not named Travis Kelce (TE – KC) at the position right now.

Heat Index: 🔥🔥🔥🔥

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