Not wrong, just early. That’s what we’re hoping is the case for our Emmett Johnson and Jonah Coleman sleeper picks.
The two rookie Day 3 draft picks showed out in Sunday’s battle between the Kansas City Chiefs and Denver Broncos
. Each had more than 100 yards from scrimmage. Each had at least four catches. Each found the end zone, with Coleman setting up the game-winning score on a 52-yard catch-and-run, then crashing over the goal line one play later.We were high on the pair back in the preseason, only to get little in return. Johnson was a non-factor after a disappointing Week 1. Coleman seemed to take a key role in the Broncos’ tailback rotation before a Week 2 injury took him off the field and left him to prove himself all over again.
Now
they look like potential season savers – but since we’ve talked about Colemana lot lately, let’s zoom in on Johnson’s role going forward and where belongs on your roster. And, because we’re leaning into repeats this week, let’s talk about Adonai Mitchell’s latest revival as well.
I'm joined by fantasy expert and Rhode Island Scumbag Mike "Yaj" Boyajian to break down the players who’ll be thrust into a larger role in Week 9, either thanks to their own skill or an opportunity created by departures elsewhere on the depth chart. We'll talk about those players, as well as the guys rostered around their level and reasonably higher, to figure out if you should add Johnson or Mitchell to your rosters -- and who you should drop to bring them aboard.
The rules? There's pretty much only one; players have to be 33 percent owned or less in Yahoo! fantasy football leagues. Who's going to spark a bidding war on your waiver wire this week – and who should you drop to pick him up?
RB Emmett Johnson, Kansas City Chiefs (19 percent owned in Yahoo! leagues)
Johnson had his long awaited breakthrough, serving as the most effective option in the Kansas City passing game in Week 8. Even if 73 yards came on a jailbreak run-after-catch, he turned four other targets into 55 yards and showed off elusive running skills with his lone carry.
oooooh weeeeeee Emmett Johnson
— Christian D'Andrea (@trainisland.bsky.social) 2026-11-01T23:35:32.699Z
His place in the backfield is a bit uneven with Kenneth Walker III ahead of him but coming off two inefficient weeks.
Does that make Johnson a better roster option than…
Dylan Sampson, Cleveland Browns (17 percent owned)
Christian: Take Johnson. Sampson has plenty of PPR utility, but the Cleveland passing game is a mess and that utility will disappear if he gets a quarterback interested in pushing the ball downfield. That’s not Deshaun Watson, formerly accused of more than 20 counts of sexual misconduct and what an NFL investigation deemed “predatory behavior,” who targeted him six times, most of which came in the second half of a division rivalry game the Browns trailed by multiple possessions after the break.
Quinshon Judkins is having a brutal time behind a bad offensive line, but he’s clearly the RB1. Johnson brings more upside in a more stable environment – especially if Walker continues his recent struggles.
Yaj: Johnson. Sampson basically has Johnson’s role in a much less explosive offense. Johnson has shown a burst that Sampson simply does not have. Mahomes like to “take what the defense gives him” (Tom Brady was affectionately referred to as a “checkdown merchant” when he did the same thing [Ed. note: he's the Rhode Island Scumbag, not the Beltway Scumbag, ya'll], which will help provide Johnson more opportunities moving forward. Meanwhile, the Browns seemingly force the ball down the field each drive.
Let’s keep in mind the Kansas City Chiefs have a much better offensive line and run game overall. Don’t overthink this one. It’s Johnson by a mile.
Mike Washington Jr., Las Vegas Raiders (27 percent owned)
Christian: Johnson. Washington was given a massive opportunity against a top 10 run defense and was found lacking against the New York Jets. He turned 25 carries into 83 yards and failed to register a single target. Advanced metrics loved him early in the season, but he’s been responsible for -10 rush yards over expected (RYOE) since Week 4.
Ashton Jeanty got put on ice, turned two carries into five RYOE and four targets into 64 yards. If he’s healthy (and not needlessly antagonizing opponents with stupid statements, regardless of how true they are), Klint Kubiak is going right back to him in Week 9 and beyond.
Yaj: Johnson, but it’s REALLY close. This speaks more to the opportunities we saw from Washington against the Jets on Sunday. Jeanty has seen a historic decline in his rush opportunities since Week 1, bottoming out at two on Sunday. Washington saw 25 attempts, although he didn’t do much with them (83 rushing yards, zero trips to the end zone).
Now, that’s usage I can get behind -- but was this a one week thing, or will this be what the backfield split will look like moving forward? Ultimately, if we see Johnson’s role even stay steady he’s my pick because the catches are more valuable than the empty yards Washington provides. Andy Reid will get him more involved moving forward.
Tyler Allgeier, Arizona Cardinals (54 percent owned)
Christian: Allgeier. This is a tough one – a battle between players who only have a single game of big-time fantasy performances under their belts this season. Allgeier has been a tricky addition in the past, but there’s more room for him to break out in Arizona than there was behind Bijan Robinson in Atlanta. Both he and Johnson thrived against poor run defenses; the Broncos ranked 26th in expected points added (EPA) allowed on the ground coming into Week 8, whilethe Cowboys ranked 30th.
Still, first year head coach Mike LaFleur is going to roll with what works, and that likely means Gardner Minshew and a larger platoon role for his power back going forward. Each of these guys is a sit/start nightmare unto themselves. Gimme the more reliable veteran.
Yaj: Johnson, in another tough call. Allgeier just had the best half of football he’s played in years on Sunday. However, that role opened up because the two backs in front of him got hurt. On top of it, it was against the Dallas Cowboys defense.
Allgeier may have found his groove again, but if Reid decides to give more run to the rookie, he will easily be a RB2 and the Chiefs bye week is already in the rear view. I can’t say the same for Allgeier, even with his boom performance on Sunday.
WR Adonai Mitchell, New York Jets (11 percent owned)
The Mitchell roller coaster joins the Geno Smith carousel of targets in the Jets’ carnival of despair. We’ve seen Mitchell’s vast potential take over the New York offense before; he had 12 targets and 12-plus fantasy points all the way back in Week 2. But a finger injury scratched him from the lineup for four weeks, then he had three targets without a catch in Week 7.
That made him look like he was safe to leave on the free agent pile. Then, he caught seven of nine targets for a career high 142 yards and a touchdown against the Las Vegas Raiders.
Does that mean you can trust him in any meaningful way, shape or form? Does he belong on your roster over…
Antonio Williams, Washington Commanders (26 percent owned)
Christian: Williams. I’m chasing consistency over ceiling, which means pretty much avoiding the Jets’ offense and its bingo-ball approach to calling out each week’s top receiver. Williams has averaged about 30 routes per game over his last four contests. His first game without Terry McLaurin in the lineup saw him earn seven targets, largely in front of the sticks, as a safety valve for Jayden Daniels.
Given the Commanders’ truly awful offensive line, Daniels is going to need someone to take short, quick passes and turn them into first downs. Williams will only get better from here.
Yaj: AD, but another tough call here. Antonio Williams did see seven targets (five catches) from Daniels against Philadelphia coming out of Washington's bye. His just weren’t anywhere near as explosive as the nine targets and seven catches Mitchell had with Smith.
Now, we once again saw a concentrated shift in targets from Omar Cooper to Mitchell, so this may be a Geno fake out again. Even so, there is no denying who had the more lucrative targets in their offense. Both quarterbacks have a handful of viable receivers available to them, but I’d rather bet on Mitchell than the rookie Williams.
Keon Coleman, Buffalo Bills (32 percent owned)
Christian: Mitchell. Which boom/bust wideout do you prefer? Either is in stash mode where you cross your fingers and hope for the best as injuries and bye weeks crash down upon you. Mitchell, when chosen, can pull off a 30-plus percent target share while simultaneously getting the ball an average of 17.5 yards downfield each time Geno Smith dials his number. His ceiling is higher, especially playing on the team that’s going to be trailing more often.
Yaj: Mitchell. DJ Moore returned to the Buffalo lineup yesterday, and Coleman went back to being a pedestrian in the offense again. He is just as boom-bust prone as Mitchell is, but he doesn’t see opportunities anywhere near as often when Moore is healthy, whereas Mitchell seems to thrive when the Jets No. 1 option (Garrett Wilson) is on the field. Coleman is only an option when Moore is out of the lineup. I can use Mitchell on a weekly basis, albeit with plenty of risk as well.
Jakobi Meyers, Jacksonville Jaguars (47 percent owned)
Christian: Meyers. Week 8 didn’t really count in terms of learning key facts about the Jaguars offense – other than the fact it is, indeed, awesome. Meyers is going to run a ton of routes in competitive games because his presence opens things up for the rest of the Jacksonville playmakers. And when defenses adjust to bracket Parker Washington or cheat forward to shadow Brenton Strange, Meyers is going to be there, open and ready to provide a stable floor with 20-point upside if he can find the end zone.
Yaj: Mitchell. It’s a clean sweep for me in terms of both Ladders subjects this week. Meyers’ usage varies wildly from week to week, seeing as many as 10 targets this year, to as few as one. The bigger issue for me though, is the upcoming schedule for Jacksonville.
Lawrence had 10 completions on Sunday in an absolute rout of the Colts, and their schedule doesn’t get much more difficult in the following weeks. They get a banged up Baltimore next, followed by Tennessee, the New York Giants, and Tennessee again. They could easily find themselves in games where they are up comfortably, which leads to the target volume evaporating. Mitchell may be more of a wildcard, but his boom weeks are undeniably useful.
Bonus!: De’Zhaun Stribling, San Francisco 49ers (25 percent owned)
Yes, we’re starting off with an injured reserve stash – but if there’s a fantasy owner with only one hurt player on their bench, they’re either clairvoyant or incredibly lucky. Let’s talk about whether you should wait on the rookie or roll with Mitchell.
Christian: Stribling. By the time December rolls around the San Francisco receiving corps could be seven guys on injured reserve and a bunch of players last seen in the UFL. Stribling can be a downfield menace in an offense that’s trusted Brock Purdy to throw deep even with injuries piling up. Stribling can combine Mitchell’s ceiling with a much more trustworthy floor.
Yaj: Stribling. Unless you absolutely need help next week, Stribling could be the shrewd play here. The 49ers are extremely banged up, and he had a starting role, albeit in a very small sample size. I do really like Mitchell, but I don’t like the fickle nature of Geno’s top target being a guessing game on a week to week basis. The coaching staff seemed to really like Stribling, and the opportunity to grow in the offense was real until the injury.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Fantasy football waiver wire Week 9: Emmett Johnson, Adonai Mitchell finally pay off
