This article is part of our Job Battles series.
I couldn't identify a whole lot of worthwhile job battles this week, but feel free to ask questions in the comments if there was a situation you are wondering about.
Quarterbacks
Jameis Winston over Ryan Fitzpatrick, TB
Fitzmagic has seemingly gone out for good this time, and his red-zone difficulties proved fatal even despite the big plays he would make in between. Winston of course has turnover issues of his own, but at least he's generally been a strong red-zone quarterback throughout his career, throwing 52 touchdowns to just three interceptions.
With Fitzpatrick probably out of the picture for good, Winston's inevitable lapses are less of a concern. As long as he isn't getting benched, he's probably accumulating volume that makes for significant fantasy utility. The pass catchers around him are very good, and the disastrous Tampa Bay defense means they'll always need to score points.
Running backs
Gus Edwards vs. Alex Collins vs. Ty Montgomery, BAL
Edwards is not some world-beating talent, but his box score against Cincinnati from Sunday could very well be a sign of things to come – especially the part about being a pain for Collins' owners. Collins is still capable of strong running in his own right, so Edwards is no guarantee to keep the hot hand, but he'll likely be a real problem for Collins after taking 17 carries to Collins' seven, finishing with 115 yards and a touchdown while Collins stumbled to just 18 yards.
Edwards went undrafted out of
I couldn't identify a whole lot of worthwhile job battles this week, but feel free to ask questions in the comments if there was a situation you are wondering about.
Quarterbacks
Jameis Winston over Ryan Fitzpatrick, TB
Fitzmagic has seemingly gone out for good this time, and his red-zone difficulties proved fatal even despite the big plays he would make in between. Winston of course has turnover issues of his own, but at least he's generally been a strong red-zone quarterback throughout his career, throwing 52 touchdowns to just three interceptions.
With Fitzpatrick probably out of the picture for good, Winston's inevitable lapses are less of a concern. As long as he isn't getting benched, he's probably accumulating volume that makes for significant fantasy utility. The pass catchers around him are very good, and the disastrous Tampa Bay defense means they'll always need to score points.
Running backs
Gus Edwards vs. Alex Collins vs. Ty Montgomery, BAL
Edwards is not some world-beating talent, but his box score against Cincinnati from Sunday could very well be a sign of things to come – especially the part about being a pain for Collins' owners. Collins is still capable of strong running in his own right, so Edwards is no guarantee to keep the hot hand, but he'll likely be a real problem for Collins after taking 17 carries to Collins' seven, finishing with 115 yards and a touchdown while Collins stumbled to just 18 yards.
Edwards went undrafted out of Rutgers, where he struggled to the tune of 4.3 yards per carry as a fifth-year senior, but his prospect profile is better than those two details alone would lead you to think. Edwards played at Miami (FL) before Rutgers, but injuries basically wrecked his career there. Through his sophomore season Edwards looked well on his way to a standout career with the Hurricanes, totaling 687 yards and 11 touchdowns on just 127 carries (5.4 YPC). Edwards went on to run a 4.52-second 40-yard dash at the Rutgers pro day, which is a more than fine time for a 229-pounder.
The Ravens offense has yet to introduce Montgomery, but it seems like that's around the corner, and it threatens to muck up this picture even further. Baltimore's backfield might prove exceedingly difficult for fantasy owners.
Josh Adams vs. Corey Clement vs. Wendell Smallwood, PHI
The Philadelphia backfield has trended in this direction for a few weeks now, but it seems like it's safe to say that Adams is now the top running back among this group, and perhaps with some permanence. This backfield always shifted a lot by design, and then Jay Ajayi's injury opened a void that never settled.
But after Adams ran for 53 yards and a touchdown on seven carries against a tough Saints run defense, while Clement and Smallwood combined for seven yards on three carries, it seems safe to figure that Adams will be the general lead runner here. Smallwood has never been consistent in the NFL and Clement has struggled badly since injuring his quadriceps earlier this year, so with Adams we might have a decent player benefiting additionally from a weak field.
Adams is thin for his height and has longer strides that need some room to pick up momentum, but he's elusive and has a high top speed. With Carson Wentz likely bouncing back and otherwise keeping the offense moving, Adams' explosiveness could be harnessed toward useful outcomes if Philadelphia gives him more chances.
Wide receivers
Golden Tate vs. Nelson Agholor, PHI
Agholor and Tate both are known as slot receivers, but they saw the field at the same time often Sunday, with Agholor actually playing 44 snaps to Tate's 36, according to ESPN's Tim McManus. Given Agholor's greater snap count, it's a bad look that he drew zero targets in the game, especially since Tate led the team with eight. Agholor evidently isn't leaving the field anytime soon, but Tate appears to be the guy likely to get Carson Wentz's attention. Even though Tate is in a walk contract year, the Eagles have an interest in keeping him involved so that he sees a strong market this free agency, so that if they don't re-sign him he nets them a good compensatory pick in the 2020 draft.
Keke Coutee vs. Demaryius Thomas, DEN
Houston traded a fourth-round pick for Thomas following the season-ending ACL tear suffered by Will Fuller, and with that move it seemed like Houston was prepared to feature Thomas as their WR2 behind DeAndre Hopkins. But Thomas has just four targets in his two games with Houston, and when Coutee returned from his hamstring injury against Washington on Sunday, Thomas finished the game with just one target.
Deshaun Watson has shown a clear fondness for Coutee regardless of Thomas' specific standing, as the rookie fourth-round pick has 36 targets in his four full games, including nine he turned into five catches for 77 yards against Washington on Sunday. Hopkins of course is going to always claim his obscene target count, and if Coutee is seeing eight or more targets per game after Hopkins then it's difficult to see how much is left over for Thomas. Perhaps he will finish strong as he picks up the Houston offense, but for now I think you'd much rather have Coutee, who could threaten top-25 distinction at receiver in PPR leagues.
Trey Quinn vs. Josh Doctson vs. Maurice Harris, WAS
Quinn was the last pick in the 2018 draft, but he was a totally decent prospect coming out of SMU, where he transferred to for one season after initially enrolling at LSU. We all think Courtland Sutton is good, right? Well Quinn caught 114 passes for 1,236 yards and 13 touchdowns last year in an offense where Sutton caught 68 passes for 1,085 yards and 12 touchdowns.
Quinn is not nearly as athletic as Sutton, running only a 4.55-second 40-yard dash with a 33.5-inch vertical at 5-foot-11, 203 pounds, but his skill set as a slot receiver appears significant. Quinn was previously blocked by Jamison Crowder and then Harris for slot snaps, but Crowder (ankle) remains out indefinitely, and Washington moved Harris into more of an outside role against the Texans, clearing the way for Quinn to not only make his debut but lead the Washington receivers with four catches for 49 yards.
Doctson appears a shell of his former self due to injuries, and Quinn is a better slot receiver than Harris is. It therefore seems likely that Quinn not only continues playing in the slot at Harris' expense, but perhaps even with a considerable snap and target count. Quinn played 53 snaps to Harris' 41, so Quinn really is worth picking up in some formats, perhaps even worth consideration in 12-team PPR leagues if you're otherwise hurting at receiver.
