You and I both know that when an NFL player is disgruntled, they do one of two things. 1. They pout and don’t give their best effort, or 2. They overperform expectations to prove they deserve more time on the field. Remember this past week when Tony Pollard scored a billion points? He hadn’t been looking like a world beater before Sunday, and I bet he heard rumblings within the team about his performance over the first several weeks. He was consistent, but it was mediocre consistency. Sorry I didn’t predict Tony Pollard for you, but here are a few players who might be this week’s: Tony Pollard.
Chig Okonkwo TE, Commanders: Chig’s lackluster showing thus far hasn’t been his fault. Here’s a stat that will blow you away: Advanced tracking metrics indicate that all 21 of his recorded targets during the 2026 regular season were officially categorized as uncatchable. He’s been consistently getting open, but the QBs have let him down. If we separate his performances with Marcus Mariota vs. with Jayden Daniels, guess what? When Daniels came back, Chig started catching some balls. He has 4 and 7 catches in his last two games. He’s worth a bye week pickup.
Seth McGowan RB, Indianapolis Colts: This could be an awesome resurrection story. Seth McGowan was drafted in the 7th round this year. Normally, 7th-rounders are lucky if they make it to the practice squad. In 2020, as a college freshman, Seth starred and caught the attention of Oklahoma coaches. But… after his first season, he was arrested and jailed for three months on serious charges. When he got his head on straight, he bounced from Butler Community College to New Mexico State and then Kentucky, where he played well enough to score 12 TDs and earn an invitation to the Senior Bowl. Now, in Indianapolis, amid rumblings that the Colts might put Jonathan Taylor on the trade block if they don’t win some games, Seth is getting almost equal carries as Jonathan Taylor. If Taylor is traded or injured, McGowan is the clear RB2.
Antonio Williams WR, Washington Commanders: I’ll bet you and everybody in your leagues knew who Antonio Williams was after his Week 1 16.40-point outing. He was snatched up pretty quickly. But… after several mediocre outings, most people have dropped him, and he’s at 9% ownership on Yahoo. But… with Terry McLaurin out for the season, there’s opportunity on the horizon. Williams has three games this season where he caught every ball thrown his way. He runs a 4.41 40 and has a 39.5-inch vertical. He’s not a huge guy, but with that vertical he can go up and get contested catches, and he’s got the speed to take it to the house at any time. If he was dropped in your league, go get him!
Geno Smith, QB, ?!!? New York Jets: Yes, I recommend Geno Smith for your bye-week QB pickup. He has four NFL-caliber WRs in Garrett Wilson, Omar Cooper, Adonai Mitchell, and Tim Patrick, and RB Braelon Allen can do a pretty good Breece Hall imitation. When it comes to accuracy, Geno Smith has scored well on every consistency metric that Bob Lung has ever thought of.
Sometimes, it’s not your starters that save the day. The better depth you have at every position will get you to victory and occasionally pull a Tony Pollard.
