👋 Welcome back! While the TNF matchup isn't exactly a banger, we're excited to get you ready for another week of football.

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In this edition: We review the latest fantasy headlines, shout out some of this year's sneakiest stars, preview Thursday night's Broncos-Saints showdown and bring a session of Fantasy Court to order.

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Today's Get to the Points! is written by Andy Behrens. For the web version, click here. To sign up for free, click here.

Buffalo fills biggest need with Amari Cooper trade: Since we last newsletter'd, Cooper relocated in a deal that sent a third-round pick to Cleveland and a difference-making receiver to the Bills. Without question, this is a huge get for Josh Allen & Co. Buffalo had a screaming need for a playmaking outside receiver and — after Davante Adams landed in New York — Cooper was the best available target. It's a clear win for Bills fans, Allen and for Cooper himself. Had he stayed with the Browns, he would have remained an uninteresting WR4 in our game.

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De'Von Achane puts in full practice, navigating concussion protocol:

This is of course phenomenal news ahead of a date with the Colts defense, an incredibly user-friendly unit. We are playing Achane with zero hesitation, people.

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Cooper Kupp limited on Wednesday: Kupp reportedly did individual work without participating in team drills, but, hey, something is a whole lot better than nothing at all. The vibes are good around Kupp at the moment, so a return in Week 7 seems possible.

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Brian Robinson Jr. returns for a Wednesday session: It's obviously a great sign that B-Rob was involved in the week's first practice. Any of us would do whatever was necessary to return for a matchup with Carolina, so perhaps we shouldn't be too surprised.

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Jonathan Taylor, Trey Sermon miss start to the practice week: Tyler Goodson decisively outperformed Sermon on Sunday and he could be stepping into the full featured role against the Dolphins this week. Fire him up as a spicy flex option.

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Nick Chubb: 'I gotta pay ya back. Let's work.' Listen, if Chubb's piece in The Players' Tribune doesn't get you fired up and feeling things, then we have to question the depth of your fandom. Such an easy player to root for. Chubb's impending return is the week's best and purest story.

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Drake Maye reportedly gets MRI on knee: Scary headline for sure, but there doesn't seem to be concern this is a serious injury, at least not yet. Let's continue to monitor for updates.

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Russell Wilson is here to ruin the Justin Fields fantasy experience: Bah. No one seriously wants this, but it might just happen anyway. Fields hasn't delivered a flawless quarterbacking clinic, but he's managed to lead Pittsburgh to a 4-2 start while producing 10 combined rushing and passing scores. This week's matchup is a serious challenge (NYJ), so it's easy enough to exclude various Steelers from your fantasy plans.

Among the most important habits we can cultivate as fantasy managers is a willingness to dive into advanced data in an effort to better understand the player pool. We do this, obviously, because traditional surface-level stats almost never tell a full story. 

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Only a moderate amount of digging is required to identify players who are actually performing at elite levels, despite their year-to-date fantasy numbers. This is how we find the best buy-low candidates in the game. Of course it’s also how we flag great players doomed by team context, so please exercise caution with the names below. 

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Here’s a look at three low-key stars of the 2024 season — one at each of the key positions — with underlying data that reveals just how good these guys have been:

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📈 Jared Goff is currently the QB18 in fantasy in terms of total points, and he’s barely clinging to the top-12 at his position in per-game scoring. However, it is undeniably true that Goff has been dealing.

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• Leads the NFL in yards per attempt (8.9)
• Third in completion percentage (71.1)
• Averaging 7.3 yards after catch per completion — easily the best of his career and a terrific indicator of accuracy

Goff doesn’t offer rushing upside, but he’s playing at a silly level and directing one of the NFL's best offenses. Huge fantasy days are ahead.

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💨 Tony Pollard absolutely jumps off the screen this season, looking suspiciously like the pre-injury version of himself. He’s only barely inside the top-20 in the league in rushing yards (339) and he’s averaging a shrug-worthy 4.3 YPC, but many of those 4-yard gains have been gems.

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• Averaging an outrageous 4.02 yards after contact per attempt according to PFF, the best rate among players with 50 or more carries
• Forced 18 missed tackles on his rush attempts, one of the highest totals in the league

His team’s offense is dreadful and routinely undermined by its QB, but Pollard has been a significant success story en route to averaging 13.6 fantasy points per game.

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🦬 Khalil Shakir returned from his ankle injury with a quiet game on Monday night, but let’s not overlook just how near-perfect his season has otherwise been.

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• Hauled in 20 of his 21 targets, which gives him the highest catch-rate (95.2%) of any receiver who’s seen at least 20 opportunities
• Second at his position in passer-rating when targeted (147.8)
• Among the leaders in yards per route run (2.39) and yards after catch per reception (7.5)
• Getting 4.4 yards of separation on his targets according to Next Gen, which, yet again, is one of the best rates in the NFL

As Shakir, who is averaging 9.4 fantasy points per game, gets healthier and the schedule friendlier, he’s a lock to produce several notable performances. He isn't competing with new arrival Amari Cooper, either; these two will complement each other, operating in different areas of the field.

Some weeks, the Thursday night game is an absolute barnburner. Other weeks, the barn sustains no damage whatsoever. 

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We might be headed for the latter variety of matchup this week when Bo Nix and the Broncos visit Spencer Rattler and, um … whichever Saints are healthy enough to play. The point total in this one is just 37. 

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Typically, we like to review the key TNF storylines in this edition of the newsletter, but it feels deeply wrong to treat this contest as a normal game involving normal players. Instead, let’s just give you six quick thoughts, then move along …

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🥈 Alvin Kamara might be able to single-handedly transform this thing into a watchable game. He’s currently second on the updated list of Yahoo Fantasy MVPs, trailing only Derrick Henry.

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🩼 Chris Olave (concussion) and Rashid Shaheed (meniscus) will both be sidelined, which means Rattler will be throwing passes to a pair of AI-generated receivers named Bub Means and Mason Tipton. Shaheed's absence looks like it could extend well beyond this week.

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📈 Audric Estimé could get a bump in usage this week following another scoreless, unhelpful, fumbly performance by Javonte Williams. Sean Payton seems open to the idea. 

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💪 We are starting both D/STs involved in this game, given the inexperience level of each quarterback and the general lack of offensive talent likely to see the field.

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😬 This game is crying out for Taysom Hill in the worst way, but unfortunately, he is doubtful with a rib/chest injury. Gah.

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❌ You absolutely cannot start a secondary receiving option in a Nix-led offense, but the true hardcores among you might want to keep an eye on Devaughn Vele. He’s a 6-foot-5 rookie out of Utah who’s caught 12 balls on 14 targets over two games, operating as a big slot. 

Every so often, the nation’s highest court of fantasy justice receives the perfect question from a league commish. Last week, a reader named Stephen hit us with a pair of subjects that all commissioners must eventually confront …

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"An 0-5 manager wanted to trade Ja'Marr Chase and his 2025 #16 pick to another team for Deshaun Watson and their 2025 #1 pick. This is a ten team league with a small $20 buy-in. We have never had this before, but some managers freaked out. Ultimately, I decided to disable draft pick trading for this season and revisit it in the off season with some stipulations. … I would love to read your thoughts on tanking or vetoing trades in general because they are not good for you. How many votes to veto and when people should veto."

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Again, perfect question. These are the thorny issues every private fantasy league needs to settle in their formative years. 

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First of all, with respect to tanking, you need to accept that it is definitely going to happen if the league A) ties next year’s draft position to this year’s standings, or B) allows managers to trade future picks. Also, if this is any sort of keeper or dynasty league, you really need to get comfortable with tanking, because different teams are going to operate on different timelines. 

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If instead this is a standard-issue redraft league and you simply want every manager invested through the end of the season, then you might consider financial incentives to avoid last place. Or perhaps a mildly humiliating last place punishment. 

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As to the question of trade vetoes, the answer is simple: they should not exist in private fantasy leagues. Commissioners should process trades without votes or lengthy review periods, and they should only be disallowed in cases of flagrant collusion. We need to accept that not everyone in the league is going to value players in exactly the same manner. This whole enterprise is really a game of opinions — and it’s supposed to be fun. 

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Vetoes are deeply un-fun. When you allow individual managers to vote on trade approvals, too many act in their own self-interest and reflexively attempt to whack any deal that might help an opponent. 

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The first and most important job of the commish is to ensure a competitive landscape in the league and assemble a crew of responsible managers. If you succeed in doing that much, then vetoes won’t be necessary.

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*BANGS GAVEL*

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Have a league dispute? Email us the conflict and it could be the subject of the next session of Fantasy Court.