In today's Fantasy Life newsletter, presented by Guillotine leagues:

The NFL trade deadline is still a week away, but we've already seen a number of blockbuster moves:

• Amari Cooper to the bills
• Davante Adams to the Jets
• DeAndre Hopkins to the Chiefs

And if the reports are true, we may not be done with WRs on the move just yet.

Adam Schefter expects Panthers WR Diontae Johnson be traded before the deadline.

It definitely makes sense for the hopeless Panthers (who can't even decide who should start at QB) and the veteran WR to go their separate ways, so now is the time to speculate on where he might end up .

Oddly enough, one of the teams most reliant on WR (the Steelers) doesn't have the right to trade Johnson back.

Last week, I profiled the Bucs as a team that could be in the market for a WR — and Johnson would be a perfect replacement Chris Godwin.

However, the Texans may be the best fit. You will probably lose Stefon Diggs Due to a season-ending injury, Johnson would be able to step right in and immediately replenish his vacated goals.

With Johnson likely gone, the Panthers have a sleeper WR that desperately needs to be hidden. Check out Kendall's disclaimer column for the goods…

What else is in today's newsletter?

1. Dwain's usage report: There is life in Cleveland
2. Kendall Valenzuelas Week 9 Waiver Wire adds
3. Water cooler: Injury updates
4. Ian Hartitz My goodness, week 8 report

Utilization report week 9

from Dwain McFarland

The Browns receivers have a life with Jameis Winston.

Deshaun Watson In his six complete games this season, he averaged just 170 yards per game. Historically, this type of temporary production has made things extremely difficult for a receiving corps. Since 2011, there have only been 17 teams that averaged fewer than 175 yards per game, and they didn't produce any top-24 WRs in fantasy.

Input Jameis Winstonwho shredded the Ravens for 334 yards and three passing TDs. Was the matchup ideal? Yes. Can we expect Winston to throw for 300 yards every week? No. But make no mistake: This is a huge improvement for the Browns' passing attack that will continue into the future. Over his career, Winston has rushed for 277 yards in games while playing at least 90% of the snaps.

Below is a table that shows how often we get a season ending WR1 (1 to 12), WR2 (13 to 24), WR3 or WR4 based on a team's passing yards per game, based on data since 2011. With Watson , the Browns were in the bottom tier where 0% of WRs enjoyed a WR1 or WR2 campaign. With Winston, however, the second and third buckets are reasonable targets for this offense.

Cedric Tillman

Tillman was the Browns' 2023 third-round pick out of Tennessee. Last week, he was one of the top waiver players, rated as a WR3 with potential if Winston starts. Tillman has scored 16.1 and 28.9 fantasy points in the last two games without Amari Cooper.

During this span, he has an overwhelming Utilization Score of 8.9. He is second on the team in route participation (87%) and targets (24%), while leading the team in fielding (35%) and end zone targets (38%).

No other WR has increased the Utilization Score more in the last four games, and his historical comps have been excellent.

• WR1 to 12 completions: 84%
• WR13 to 24 completions: 14%
• WR25 to 36 versions: 2%

We only have a two-game sample, so we want to be careful with the lineups, but it at least shows us what his upside looks like, which is a WR1.

Tillman UPGRADES to low-end WR2 status and offers WR1 upgrade. He's available in 80% of Yahoo leagues and could be the WAIVER WIRE ADD OF THE YEAR. This is a comprehensive FAAB moment (over 50%) – especially if you need WR help.

Elijah Moore

Moore has been a colossal disappointment in fantasy since he teased us as a rookie in 2021 with 18.9 points per game over a six-week span. However, he has never played with a good quarterback and leads the team with a 25% target percentage without Cooper. While his air yards (19%) and end zone targets (13%) aren't as strong as Tillman's, Moore relates well to Winston and has a strong Utilization Score of 7.0.

I'm a little more skeptical about the high-end offering from Moore's Comp Group as we have a history of underperforming for several years. However, he shone as a rookie and is young enough to remain open-minded.

• WR1 to 12 degrees: 6%
• WR13 to 24 versions: 35%
• WR25 to 36 versions: 37%
• WR37 to 48 versions: 21%

Moore UPGRADES to high-end WR4 status and a WR3 upgrade is not unrealistic. Moore is available in 99% of leagues. He is a sensible addition in mid to higher leagues (10-15% FAAB).

Jerry Jeudy

Jeudy hasn't lived up to his first-round draft highlight as an NFL WR, but will get another opportunity to redeem himself with Winston reviving the passing attack. The fifth-year WR leads the team in route participation (99%) since Cooper's departure, but his target share is third (16%). Jeudy has a Utilization Score of 5.7, with his comps struggling to find relevance, but there are some positive outliers.

• WR 1 to 12 completions: 0%
• WR 13 to 24 versions: 5%
• WR 25 to 36 versions: 15%
• WR 37 to 48 versions: 37%

There's a chance that Jeudy could come into play even more in the next few games, but his target shares with Winston largely reflect what we've seen for his career. Still, he's a young former first-rounder with playmaking ability when the ball is in his hands.

Jeudy UPGRADES into boom-bust WR4 territory and has an outside perspective on WR3 production.

Nerd note: I've seen a lot of talk about the upcoming schedule against the Chargers, Saints, Steelers and Broncos as a cause for concern about these WRs. Don't let that scare you away – especially not from Tillman. As far as the schedule goes, we only care about outlier matchups (good and bad), and the Broncos are the only qualifiers on this list. The Chargers look good on paper, but struggle with one of the easiest schedules in the NFL (LV, CAR, PIT, KC, DEN, ARI, NO).

Further insights into the usage report

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Week 9, Wire Transfer Collection Waiver

by Kendall Valenzuela

Jameis Winston, QB, Browns (6% on roster)

Well, hello Jameis Winston! The Browns lost Deshaun Watson for the season, but it was clear on Sunday that Winston has taken this team to a new level. The Browns scored a season-high 29 points behind Winston's three touchdown passes and 334 yards against the Baltimore Ravens.

Watson hadn't reached 200 yards passing in a game all season, but with Winston at quarterback, the offense felt energetic and plenty of offensive weapons were fun. The ceiling is always there with Jameis for a 300-yard passing game every week and that's something they didn't have with Watson and why we need to improve this offense. The Browns face the Chargers in Week 10 before their bye. Grab Jameis if you need quarterback help early this week.

Isaac Guerendo, RB, 49ers (8% of squad)

Jordan Mason went down with a shoulder injury Sunday night against the Cowboys but recovered Isaac Guerendo is a pure stash game. The 49ers have a bye in Week 9, and that has been reported Christian McCaffrey is still on track to return to the team in Week 10. We never want injuries, but if something were to happen upon McCaffrey's return (and Mason is unavailable), Guerendo would get a lot of work.

More changes before week 9

🤝 Dwain and Ian break this down Utilization report and waiver goals.

😆 Ian, Chris and Charch are there all over the world Week 8 recap and overreactions.

🚑️ Injury updates. Brian Thomas Jr., Jordan love, Derek Carr, T-shirt Higgins, CMC, DK Metcalf,

❓Goodbye, weeks and injuries, have you fought? The Fantasy Life Waiver Wire Tool will help you with this.

🙌 There were some breakout players on National Tight Ends Day. Can you trust them?

🤔 Could the Colts make a change at QB? Time will tell.

🤩 See who's a Commanders fan. Alright, alright, alright.

Week 8 Geez, report: Just a little outside

from Ian Hartitz

The Ravens had a slow Sunday afternoon

There were a number of factors that led to Baltimore losing to the USA Jameis Winston-led the Browns in Week 8. A big part of that was simply because Cleveland had its best team-wide performance of the season, but let's be honest: The Ravens shot themselves in the foot several times in 60 minutes of play.

Special:

Lamar Jackson I missed an opening Zay flowers for a potential 31-yard TD on a 2nd quarter drive that ended in a field goal.

Jackson rushed a wide-open Isaiah probably It seemed like he had a chance to get 86 yards to the house on a fourth-quarter drive that ended with a punt.

Rashod Bateman committed one of the most brutal drops of the season, letting a potential 50-yard gain bounce right off his facemask and fall incomplete. To be fair, the sun did appear to be in his eyes, causing the joke.

The Ravens defense allowed not one, not two, but three separate interceptions on drives that ultimately ended with the Browns scoring 10 points. Baltimore also dropped three interceptions against the Bills in Week 4; The Ravens are the only defense to accomplish this “feat” in 2024 and currently have eight lost INTs, the highest in the league – no other defense has more than five.

Not great for a team that was previously on the rise with five straight wins while largely looking like one of the NFL's best teams. Tell me all: My goodness.

Of course, Jackson and Co. weren't the only team disappointed by a few embarrassing moments in Week 8.

Cut Anthony Richardson just a little slack

Because his receivers didn't exactly help him in Week 8. Overall, both WRs Adonai Mitchell (from 28 yards) and RB Tyler Goodson (25) failed to turn away well-thrown end zone targets Anthony Richardson The should led to six points.

There were a handful of other close calls by Colts pass catchers that unfortunately went uncompleted. Overall, the Indy receivers came up short one get eight contested targets in Week 8 and have the sixth-worst rate of the season (41%).

The Broncos also stood out as pass catchers, letting several potential big plays slip through the cracks, but Bo Nix However, I still managed to make a damn good game.

Not ideal! Of course, these weren't the only passing plays that left some meat on the bone.

More great moments from Week 8