Winner's circle

By: Josh Frey-Sam

Would you believe me if I told you I dropped Kyle Monangai last week?

I probably look pretty stupid right now, right?

It was in my couples league — the women draft, and the men manage the team — and I simply didn’t have any space on my roster, with Terry McLaurin set to return from injury. I had to choose between Monangai, Jauan Jennings — who has operated as the Niners’ WR1 — and Devin Neal, who could lead the Saints’ backfield for the remainder of the season.

I’ve also built a deep stable of running backs on that roster through trades.

Did that make me feel any better about dropping Monangai?

Not at all, because I know he has league-winning upside.

Monangai has elevated himself into weekly flex/ fringe-RB2 status after a sensational performance against the Philadelphia Eagles on Black Friday. It was the third week in a row where he’s posted at least double digits in points, and fourth in the last five weeks.

The best part about last week was that Monangai didn’t have to rely on a touchdown to reach the 10-point threshold. He’s been incredibly efficient in a backup and lead role this season, averaging 4.9 yards per tote, and he was rewarded with 22 carries (130 yards) last week.

Now, whether Monangai takes over the lead role from DAndre Swift (18 carries last week) remains to be seen. What I can say with confidence is that if Swift goes down with an injury, Monangai could lead a lot of people to a championship.

He might do it anyway if he becomes the RB1 in this potent run scheme. He needs to be rostered.

That brings us to today’s Brief. Which players could be league winners down the stretch?

Before I answer that question, I want to address another question: What is a league winner? This term is thrown around so much these days that it’s lost a bit of its essence.

A league winner can be defined two ways: One, a player who was selected in the mid-late rounds of a draft — or even picked up off the waiver wire — and significantly outperforms that price in the second half of the season. A prime example last year was rookie WR Jalen McMillan, who had five straight weeks of 16+-point performances to end the year.

Two, a player, regardless of their draft cost, who goes nuclear throughout the playoffs. Jahmyr Gibbs was a good example of this last season, as he posted 28, 26 and 27-point performances from Weeks 15-17.

Today, I’m going to focus on players who fall under the former’s criteria. Without further ado:

WR Chris Olave, Saints

Tyler Shough is clearly getting more comfortable, and Olave is reaping the rewards. Olave has already been more than anyone could have hoped for this season, and now he’ll begin a dynamite playoff schedule: CAR, NYJ, TEN. He might go nuclear.

RB RJ Harvey, Broncos

Harvey’s usage on Sunday Night Football left no doubt in my mind. He’s the lead guy in Denver, and if you held onto him this long, you should enjoy the next month. His efficiency could be better, but his usage in the run and pass game leaves me bullish on his weekly upside.

RB Devin Neal, Saints

Not all league winners are sexy. If Alvin Kamara misses more time, Neal has a great schedule and projects as a low to mid-range RB2, with potential to be even better. He touched the ball 17 times against Miami, and although the final point total didn’t raise any eyebrows, Neal clearly has the skill set and the opportunity to make some noise.

WR Terry McLaurin, Commanders

McLaurin logged seven grabs for 96 yards and a touchdown while playing just 51 per cent of snaps against a tough Broncos defence on Sunday night. If that doesn’t get you excited, I don’t know what will. McLaurin’s snap percentage will only go up as he returns fully from his second injury of the season, and he should get Jayden Daniels back soon. You drafted him to be a WR1/WR2, and now you might finally get it.

QB Jordan Love, Packers

Love had a league-winning stretch of play back in 2023, and we could get it again. Following the Packers closely, I believe Thanksgiving marks a critical turning point for this offence and the way Matt LaFleur calls it. He’s going to let Jordan Love rip it. Jayden Reed is also nearing a return, which means Love will have his full complement of weapons (minus Tucker Kraft). Schedule-wise, just one tough matchup against the Broncos in W15.

WR Christian Watson/Jayden Reed, Packers

The reason I have both of them here is that I genuinely don’t know how the target share is going to shake out once Reed returns. A few months ago, Reed was regarded as the Packers’ best receiver, but Watson has clearly earned that moniker. If Love does, in fact, begin to light it up, one of these two will be the main beneficiary.

WR Ricky Pearsall, Niners

Since his hot start, it’s been a nightmare season for Pearsall owners due to injury. His three games since returning haven’t been exciting either, but there’s reason for optimism. He played 87 per cent of snaps last week, the most since returning. Now he gets a bye week to heal up further. The playoffs: TEN, IND, CHI. Pearsall was slated to be the WR1 in this offence and peppered with targets this season — I think we could still see that during the playoffs.

RB David Montgomery, Lions

With the way Gibbs is dominating the opportunities, this is purely a handcuff with league-winning upside. If Gibbs goes down, it’s wheels up for Monty.

WR Adonai Mitchell, Jets

Could Mitchell begin to see a Garrett Wilson-level of targets? Eight catches on 12 looks for 102 yards and a touchdown against Atlanta marked career highs for the talented 2024 second-rounder. I somehow trust Tyrod Taylor more than Justin Fields at this point, and the playoff schedule is decent. He’s a priority waiver add this week.

For clarification, every one of these players should be rostered. If they aren’t, and you can afford to take them on, do it.

Thanks for reading and, as always, have a great day.

Josh