X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Value Picks
Compare Any Players
News and Alerts

Fantasy Football Rookies to Watch - Marquise Brown, Devin Singletary, Hunter Renfrow

Which fantasy football rookies are risers and fallers for Week 9? Jake Trowbridge looks at Marquise Brown, Devin Singletary, and Hunter Renfrow as potential starts.

Week 9 of the fantasy football season is banging on your front door with the force of a thousand fists. Hopefully, you're at a point in your win-loss record where you feel comfortable letting it in. Now, let's all take a seat on the couch as we once again turn our focus to the 2019 draft class and try to spot some potential breakouts, question marks, and future studs.

In case you are new to this column, each week we highlight a few first-year players who are worth keeping your eye on. Not all of the players listed below are must-starts, but all of them are in a position to be viable fantasy options.

If any of these names are sitting out on your waiver wire, you should strongly consider picking them up to play this week or stash for your fantasy playoffs if you have space. Ideally, some of these names will help fantasy players get some roster depth which can minimize the negative impact of injuries and bye weeks.

Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2025:

 

The Hollywood Hills

Marquise Brown (WR, BAL)

The most highly-drafted receiver of 2019 returns from an ankle injury that's kept him out the last two games. Unfortunately, he'll be fed right into the meat grinder that is the New England Patriots Defense allowing the fourth-fewest fantasy points to wide receivers. The main argument in favor of putting someone like Brown in your starting lineup is that New England hasn't faced an offense as talented as this one. That Lamar Jackson and company can dazzle this supposedly restrictive defense into giving up chunk plays. And while that's certainly true, it's still tough to fully trust Brown in this one.

At least we'll finally have our answer to what happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object. And you may not have a better option than that unstoppable force to put into your lineup on this rough bye week.

 

The Mania

Gardner Minshew (QB, JAC)

The cat has been out of the bag for a while about the rookie sensation with a magical mustache and an arm made of dreams. But Minshew is in an especially great situation this week, facing a Houston defense that was already allowing the fourth-most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks before JJ Watt was sidelined for the year. Minshew has faced off against the Texans once before, in Week 2, and posted 213 yards and a touchdown while adding 56 yards on the ground.

But that was on the road, and Minshew's confidence has continued picking up steam as he rolls along. The young Uncle Rico has accrued 13 total touchdowns and just two interceptions in his eight starts. He protects the ball well despite throwing majestic bombs down the field at any given opportunity. There's something special happening in Jacksonville and I expect that to continue against Houston's honeycombed pass defense.

 

The Garbage Man

Preston Williams (WR, MIA)

Preston, if you're reading, please don't be offended by that title. I don't mean to suggest that Williams is a garbage receiver, but rather he's been doing solid work on a garbage offense. He continues to find his way into this article more weeks than not simply based on the fact that he's been as steady as can be, seeing now fewer than six targets since Week 1 and putting up respectable (but not monstrous) stats each week.

But now he gets to play in the garbage game of the year. Dolphins vs Jets, two teams with defenses softer than freshly-fallen snow and offenses led by quarterbacks with arm cannons. It's not going to look pretty, but this game could honestly have one of the highest overall point totals of the week. I'm not afraid to put any of either team's wide receivers into my lineup, and that includes Williams. Fingers crossed this is the week he finally blows up.

 

The Turbulent Talent

Devin Singletary (RB, BUF)

It's been quite the rollercoaster ride for Devin Singletary's fanbase. The ups and downs -- from the NFL draft to today -- have been too many to count for those that believe in him as a strong fantasy asset. Singeltary has looked good in the few games he's been healthy enough to play, but the presence of the indelible Frank Gore has put some ankle weights on the rookie's fantasy production.

Singletary was given just seven carries against Miami in his first game back, rushing for 26 yards in Week 7. But hey, it was just the Dolphins, so why risk injury to your running back of the future? But last week against Philadelphia, Singletary was given only three carries for 19 yards, though he added four receptions for 30 yards. And it's not that Frank Gore is out there racking up dozens of touches, either. The quizzical usage of Buffalo's backfield makes Singletary tough to trust on a weekly basis, but his matchup with Washington will be an important one to help determine if the rookie can blossom into a starter for your fantasy lineup at any point this season.

 

The Big Little Man

Hunter Renfrow (WR, OAK)

Standing at just 5' 10" and weighing 185 lbs, the rookie out of Clemson looked like a pass-catching dynamo when the cameras were on him during HBO's Hard Knocks. Yet, through the first seven weeks of the season, Renfrow was pretty much an afterthought in Jon Gruden's offense. Oakland made no bones about the fact that their offense ran through the likes of Darren Waller, Tyrell Williams, and fellow rookie Josh Jacobs. But when called upon last week against Houston, Renfrew delivered 88 yards and a touchdown.

To be fair, the bulk of that came on a 65-yard touchdown gallop wherein Renfrow sidestepped and/or broke a couple of so-so tackles. But knowing that kind of big-play potential exists, especially in what should be a high-scoring matchup against Detroit, makes Renfrow a reasonable dart throw this week.

More Fantasy Football Analysis




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Value Picks
Compare Any Players
News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Seattle Seahawks

Jaren Hall Cut Loose By Seahawks
Kansas City Chiefs

Chiefs Compare Josh Simmons To Christian Darrisaw, Rashawn Slater
Denver Broncos

Pat Bryant Compared To Michael Thomas
Denver Broncos

RJ Harvey Could Do It All For Broncos
Carolina Panthers

Tetairoa McMillan Likely To Man The X Spot For Panthers
Green Bay Packers

Packers, Jaire Alexander Continue To Discuss Potential Reunion
Dallas Cowboys

Cowboys Discussed George Pickens With Steelers
Kansas City Chiefs

Chiefs To Pick Up Fifth-Year Option On Trent McDuffie, George Karlaftis
Washington Commanders

Matt Gays Signs One-Year Deal With Commanders
San Francisco 49ers

George Kittle Signs Four-Year Extension With 49ers
Alperen Sengün

Alperen Sengun Records Third Consecutive Double-Double
Brandin Podziemski

Hits Six Treys During 26-Point Performance
Jimmy Butler III

Leads Warriors In Scoring Monday Night
Jarrett Allen

Has Double-Double, Six Steals In Blowout Win
Brandon Boston Jr.

Recovering From Ankle Surgery
Kelly Olynyk

Undergoes Heel Procedure
Aaron Nesmith

Probable For Tuesday's Action
Nathan MacKinnon

Has Two Points In Losing Effort
Martin Necas

Records Two Assists In Game 5 Loss
Mikko Rantanen

Tallies Three Points In Monday's Win
Wyatt Johnston

Leads Stars To Game 5 Victory
Sergei Bobrovsky

Returns To Winning Ways
Anton Lundell

Earns Two Points Monday
Ryan Gerard

Going For A Texas Trifecta Of Sorts
Brandon Hagel

Departs Loss Early
Joe Highsmith

Hoping To Make More Putts In Texas
Eric Cole

Expecting Big Things In Texas
Brian Campbell

May Go Under The Radar At CJ Cup
Riley Greene

Homers Twice On Monday
Yordan Alvarez

Exits Monday's Win Early
Los Angeles Chargers

Tre Harris Expected To Fill X Role For Chargers
Los Angeles Chargers

Quentin Johnston Needs To Earn His Spot In Training Camp
Los Angeles Chargers

Hassan Haskins The Leader For No. 3 RB Job
Los Angeles Chargers

Chargers Plan For 1-2 Punch At RB With Omarion Hampton, Najee Harris
New England Patriots

Patriots View TreVeyon Henderson As A Three-Down Back
Cleveland Browns

Browns View Quinshon Judkins As A Potential Bell-Cow Back
Seattle Seahawks

Seahawks Plan To Develop Jalen Milroe As A QB
Tennessee Titans

Titans Unlikely To Pick Up Treylon Burks' Fifth-Year Option
Cleveland Browns

Browns Apply Unrestricted Free-Agent Tender To Elijah Moore
Cleveland Browns

Browns Agree To One-Year Deal With Diontae Johnson
Dallas Cowboys

Cowboys Could Reunite With Amari Cooper
Jimmy Butler III

Officially Active For Game 4
Isaiah Stewart

Uncertain For Game 5
Michael Porter Jr.

Expected To Play In Game 5
Brandon Nimmo

Has Career Game
Russell Westbrook

Questionable For Tuesday Night
Tyler Glasnow

Going On The Injured List
Jaylen Brown

Back On The Injury Report
Jrue Holiday

Out Again On Tuesday Night
Bennedict Mathurin

Questionable For Game 5
Damian Lillard

May Not Play Next Season
Luis Arraez

Expected To Return On Tuesday
Johnathan Kovacevic

To Remain Out Tuesday
Brenden Dillon

Unavailable Tuesday
Luke Hughes

Not Ready To Return For Game 5
Darius Garland

Remains Out On Monday
Ross Colton

Remains Out On Monday
Oskar Bäck

Oskar Back Returns To Stars Lineup Monday
Miro Heiskanen

To Miss Game 5
Jordan Westburg

Placed On Injured List
Anthony Cirelli

Good To Go For Game 4
William Byron

Ends With A Strong Top-Five Finish At Talladega
Ryan Blaney

Bad Luck Continues With Talladega Crash
Kyle Larson

Has A Career-Best Performance At Talladega
Ian Machado Garry

Gets Back On Track With UFC Kansas City Win
Brad Keselowski

Talladega Run Ends Early After Crashing
Carlos Prates

Suffers His First UFC Loss
Zhang Mingyang

Still Undefeated In The UFC
Anthony Smith

Retires After UFC Kansas City Loss
Giga Chikadze

Takes Unanimous Decision Loss
Giga Chikadze

Takes Unanimous-Decision Loss
David Onama

Extends Win Streak At UFC Kansas City
Michel Pereira

Drops Decision At UFC Kansas City
Abus Magomedov

Extends His Win Streak
Nicolas Dalby

Gets Finished For The First Time
Randy Brown

Gets Back In The Win Column
Ikram Aliskerov

Gets First-Round TKO Finish At UFC Kansas City
Andre Muniz

Gets TKO'd At UFC Kansas City
Ivan Demidov

Has Historic Outing In Game 4
Timo Meier

Records Two Points Sunday
Andrei Svechnikov

Nets Hat Trick In Game 4 Win
Leon Draisaitl

Caps Off Four-Point Effort With First Postseason Overtime Goal
Connor Hellebuyck

Gets Pulled Again
Alexandre Carrier

Fails To Finish Game 4
Tyler Tucker

Makes Early Exit Sunday
Chase Elliott

Recovers from Speeding Penalty to Finish Fifth
Joey Logano

Finishes Last at Talladega After Disqualification for Missing Spoiler Brace
Ryan Preece

Loses Talladega Race First in Photo Finish Then in Post-Race Inspection
NASCAR

Poor Toyota Strategy Arguably Cost Bubba Wallace Winning Chances at Talladega
Christopher Bell

Unhurt After Hard Contact with Inside Retaining Wall
Joe Ryan

Posts Stellar Outing
Jaylen Brown

Available For Game 4
Nick Lodolo

Throws Seven Scoreless Innings
Tyler Glasnow

Removed Early On Sunday
Darius Garland

Questionable For Game 4
Jaden Ivey

Making Progress
Tarik Skubal

Racks Up 11 Strikeouts
Luke Weaver

In Line To Get The Bulk Of Save Opportunities Moving Forward
Devin Williams

Removed From Closer Role
Chase Elliott

Is One OF The Top Overall DFS Picks Of The Week
Joey Logano

Could Joey Logano Finish A Race With A Top Finish At Talladega?
NASCAR

DFS Players Should Like Bubba Wallace For Talladega This Week
Christopher Bell

Should DFS Players Roster Christopher Bell At Talladega?
Austin Cindric

Is Austin Cindric Worth Rostering For Talladega DFS Lineups?
Shane Van Gisbergen

Is A Solid, Safe, DFS Choice For Talladega Lineups
Austin Dillon

Is Austin Dillon A Viable DFS Play At Talladega This Week?
Josh Berry

Qualifies Too High At Talladega To Be Worth Rostering In DFS
Michael McDowell

Should DFS Players Take A Shot On Michael McDowell At Talladega?
Noah Gragson

Could Be A Sneaky DFS Play For Talladega
Denny Hamlin

Probably Qualified Too Well for DFS Consideration
Kyle Larson

Increasingly Undervalued Due to His Crashing, but Still a Great DFS Option
Austin Hays

Smacks Two Homers On Saturday
Jorge Polanco

Goes Deep Twice On Saturday
Eugenio Suárez

Eugenio Suarez Hits Four Homers On Saturday
Framber Valdez

Tosses Complete Game In A Loss To The Royals
Jackson Chourio

Nearly Hits For The Cycle
Jimmy Butler III

Ruled Out On Saturday
Isaiah Stewart

Questionable For Sunday's Game
Logan Evans

To Make MLB Debut On Sunday
Logan Gilbert

Heading To 15-Day Injured List
Ryan Mountcastle

Adley Rutschman, Ryan Mountcastle Not In Game 1 Lineup
MLB

Yankees and Blue Jays Postponed On Saturday
Carlos Prates

Looks To Remain Undefeated In The UFC
Ian Machado Garry

Set For UFC Kansas City Main Event
Zhang Mingyang

Scheduled For Co-Main Event
Anthony Smith

Set For His Final UFC Bout
David Onama

Set For Featherweight Bout
Giga Chikadze

Looks To Bounce Back
Abus Magomedov

Looks For His Third Consecutive Win
Michel Pereira

Returns To Action At UFC Kansas City
Cam Davis

Looking For Better Fortunes At TPC Louisiana
Adam Svensson

Making Third Apperence At Zurich Classic
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF