The following is an excerpt from the latest edition of Yahoo’s fantasy football newsletter, Get to the Points! If you like what you see, you can subscribe for free here.
For some of us it was Patrick Jeffers in 1999.
For others it was Billy Volek in 2004. Or Jerome Harrison in 2009, Tim Tebow in 2011 or Damien Williams in 2018.
Every year, a previously unhyped player emerges from the depths of any team’s roster and steamrolls through the final weeks of the NFL season. These individuals become fantasy playoff heroes, legends of December – unforgettable names for all who added them.
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I would absolutely send Patrick Jeffers a Christmas card every year if I knew where he was. A little cheer during the seasons is the least of what I owe that man.
Anyway, here are four of this year’s most plausible (but also most random) candidates to detonate in the money weeks…
⚜️Kendre Miller, New Orleans Saints
Listen, there are some true Miller believers in this world who use the “I told you so!” tweet in their saved drafts from the past two years. I’m not actually one of those fanatics, but I’m open to the idea that Miller can help us. He has looked completely competent in limited use over the past two games, and he could well become the focal point of his team’s attack if Alvin Kamara (groin) is sidelined. New Orleans travels to Lambeau this week before hosting the Raiders in a top-ranked matchup in Week 17.
🐶Jerome Ford, Cleveland Browns
Ford was placed on high priority waivers this week following news of Nick Chubb’s injury, and understandably so. He is a back with undeniable great playing ability, but also an equally undeniable small playing ability. It’s honestly a mixed bag. However, Ford is heading for a heavy workload against the Bengals, so we can reasonably chase the upside.
😎Hollywood Brown, Kansas City Chiefs
Yes, this feels like cheating, because Brown certainly isn’t just some guy who rises from the bottom of the depth chart. He is an established name returning from injury at an opportune time ahead of a friendly with Houston. Kansas City’s offense is crying out for playmakers; it shouldn’t be too hard to imagine Patrick Mahomes — if healthy, of course — finding a use for Brown.
🤠 Cooper Rush, Dallas Cowboys
Okay, this potential fantasy event has the strongest possible Volek vibes, because:
A) it’s galactically unlikely that this will happen, and…
B) Even if it does, there’s no way it will happen during Championship Week.
(Volek was a spent force after back-to-back 400-yard games. He bombed in title week: 111 yards, no TDs, 2 INTs.)
Rush could find himself in a wild shootout with Baker Mayfield and the Bucs on Sunday, giving him some fantasy appeal. If you’re bullish on CeeDee Lamb, then by extension you should also be semi-interested in Rush. Unfortunately, he’ll travel to Philly in Championship Week, where the Eagles’ defense will likely crumple him and dispose of him the right way.
