Perhaps Brian Hartline was already on a team in your league. After all, he is the No. 1 wideout for his team. But the reason he might not be on a team is because we didn’t fully respect the talent levels of Hartline or rookie QB Ryan Tannehill. That all changed Sunday.
The week’s top pickups:
1. Brian Hartline, WR, Dolphins: We can’t argue with production. Hartline is fantasy’s No. 5 wideout in non-PPR formats, has two 100-yard games in the last three weeks and has been targeted an absurd 48 times in four games. He’s got something real going on with Tannehill.
2. James Jones, WR, Packers: The last time Greg Jennings (groin) sat, Jones put up a dud. But in the other three games, he’s played very well — and that includes last week when Jennings left early.
3. Brandon Bolden, RB, Patriots: It’s tough to get into the head of the Patriots, but Bolden is getting reps at the goal-line and in clock-killing situations. He’s behind Stevan Ridley, but ahead of Shane Vereen. At the ultra-thin running back, he’s worth a gander.
4. Andre Roberts, WR, Cardinals: When you play opposite Larry Fitzgerald, you get one-on-one coverage on every snap. The Cards coaches love Roberts’ work ethic and have compared him to Hines Ward. He’s impressively held off first-round pick Michael Floyd for months now.
5. Jackie Battle, RB, Chargers: I talked about buying low on Mathews in the last blog, but Battle has certainly carved out a role. He doesn’t fumble and is decent in short yardage. At the very least, he’s a handcuff for Mathews’ owners.
