PFN Table for 6: Odell Beckham, Mike White, Alexander Mattison, and others

Welcome back to Table for 6: Pro Football Network’s rundown of six players we are closely tracking today. Six players whose values could pop or plummet before the sun goes down. Six players who could make or break your fantasy team if you manage your roster to maximize the probabilities.

There are 13 more games to play in Week 10. Here are six players to keep a close eye on.

Every successful professional athlete goes through multiple acts. For most, the first act includes growing pains: acclimating as a rookie or even toiling for years in relative obscurity (see: Darren Waller). 

But that wasn’t the case for OBJ, who had only one game with less than 14 fantasy points in his first season. His 24.6 fantasy points per game that year is one of the highest single-season marks in history. Moreover, aside from Antonio Brown, he averaged more WR fantasy points per game from 2014 to 2016 (his first three seasons) than any other receiver.

Most sports stars don’t get going until Act 2. OBJ was a superstar in the opening scene of Act 1. He was a can’t-miss elite receiver for years to come. But Act 2 has not been kind to today’s guest of honor. Injuries forced him to miss half of the Giants’ games from 2017 to 2018. 

Many expected him to revitalize his still-promising career in Cleveland beginning in 2019. But injuries, sub-par quarterback play, and perhaps other issues transformed this once-dominant receiver into waiver fodder – both on the field and in fantasy.

One of the most striking statistics that jumps out at me is his catch rate, which topped out at an impressive 70.0% his rookie year. From 2015 to 2018, it oscillated narrowly between 59.8% and 62.1%. 

Then in his first season in Cleveland, it plummeted to 55.6%, followed by 53.5%. This year Beckham, now the WR85, has only a 50.0% catch rate. For context, the only top-85 fantasy wideout with a lower mark is Robby Anderson.

He’s still only 29 years old. Talent is talent. And Robert Woods’ ACL tear two days ago opens the door for a potentially resounding Act 3 – a return to some semblance of his former glory as a consistent fantasy asset.

I didn’t expect to feature a Jets quarterback on Table for 6 this season. White is a fascinating fantasy puzzle and merits closer scrutiny. The 26-year-old relieved injured rookie Zach Wilson in Week 7’s brutal 54-13 loss to the Patriots. What struck me is that the Jets, down “only” 17-0 in the second quarter, and facing a 3rd-and-goal at the Patriots’ 3-yard line, let White throw it.  

And it wasn’t just any throw; it was White’s first career NFL throw – a perfectly placed TD pass into the end zone to heavily defended Corey Davis while the right-handed White rolled out to his left.  

That the team trusted White with that throw showed me he wasn’t an ordinary NFL newbie. His brilliant play in Weeks 8 and 9 (before getting hurt) suggests there’s more upside than we fully understand. But can he be a weekly fantasy streamer while Wilson remains sidelined? Today’s massive test against Buffalo will tell us. 

The Vikings’ two best RB fantasy performances this year did not come from Dalvin Cook. 

You read that correctly. They came from Mattison when Cook was sidelined in Weeks 3 and 5. In those contests, Mattison accrued 23.1 fantasy points and 26.3 fantasy points, respectively. He single-handedly helped some managers win those weeks. 

My well-documented preseason concerns about Cook – based on injury history and heavy 2020 usage – fed into my firm belief that his preseason overall 151 ADP was severely misguided. He was the No. 106 pick on my draft board because getting two or more RB1 performances from a 9th or 10th round pick is a great investment.  

With the 3-5 Vikings in must-win mode, don’t be surprised if Mattison garners more starts during the fantasy playoffs if Minnesota’s season is effectively over. And don’t be surprised if Mattison’s volume edges upward in the near term.

Sometimes I hype players a week or two too soon. The process for arriving at a conclusion makes sense, at least to me. But the game plays out differently. 

This happened two weeks ago with Singletary, as I expected Buffalo to trounce Miami, giving the highly efficient Singletary (5.2 yards per carry) a great chance to help gutsy fantasy managers. 

Instead, Buffalo’s offense scuffled for most of the game, prompting Josh Allen to attempt a surprisingly high 42 passes. Then last week, Singletary earned most of his fantasy points only after Zack Moss was knocked out in the third quarter with a concussion.  

Today, Singletary has an opening to claim a more significant rest-of-season share of backfield work. He’s been better than Moss across nearly every statistical metric except touchdowns. A strong performance today could catapult Singletary above Moss on the depth chart, which would matter to fantasy managers seeking weekly RB streamers.

Fringe fantasy starters are fascinating. Fringe fantasy starters who were almost universally overlooked in fantasy drafts are even more fascinating.  

Hunter Renfrow is in a pretty unique category: a fringe fantasy starter (currently the WR30) overlooked in most drafts (preseason WR84 ADP) with the potential to be a must-start asset going forward.  

His 75.0% catch rate is the highest among all top-30 fantasy wideouts. Aside from Darren Waller, this team doesn’t have any other truly reliable receivers. 

And his upcoming schedule includes games against incredibly soft defenses: Cincinnati, Washington, and Kansas City (twice). Renfrow is a WR2+ disguised as a WR3.  

Is Kittle still a set-him-and-forget-him TE1? You’d think so after last weekend’s triumphant return to the field after missing four games with a calf injury. Against Arizona in Week 9, he compiled a vintage-Kittle receiving line: 6 catches for 101 yards and a TD. Lost a fumble? No problem. 

Kittle is back. Or is he? WR1 Deebo Samuel took a backseat. A negative game script hindered the normally impressive running game, as the Niners’ backs attempted only nine carries.  

And before getting hurt, we have to consider that Kittle managed only 19 catches for 227 scoreless yards in four games. He was playing like a low-end TE1. His past dominance was due, in part, to playing alongside sub-par receivers.  

Today against the Rams, I’m watching to see if this offense can keep feeding Kittle.

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