5 players trending up (week 9)

Featuring Chimere Dike, Chase Brown, and more

October 28, 2025

Yooo!

First 9 pm newsletter of the season. A nice little nightcap to close out the day.

We’re diving right into 5 players trending up as we head into week 9.

Giddy up.

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WR - Chimere Dike (TEN)

  • Chimere Dike led all Titans receivers in Week 8 with 93 yards and seven receptions, while tying for the team lead in targets (eight) with teammates Elic Ayomanor and Van Jefferson. This marked the first time this season that Dike surpassed Jefferson in offensive snaps, logging a season-high 63 plays.

  • The Titans have shown strong commitment to three-receiver sets, operating them at the fifth-highest rate in the league (78.27%) heading into Week 8 with no signs of reducing this approach even in their loss. Dike has established himself primarily as a slot receiver, a role that should remain secure even when Calvin Ridley returns from his hamstring injury.

  • Dike's value receives an additional boost in leagues that award points for return yards. The 23-year-old's increasing involvement in the offense, particularly his growing snap count advantage over Van Jefferson, suggests an upward trajectory in his role within the Titans' offense.

  • Our take: There have been some rumors that Ridley could get traded, but it’s encouraging that he should maintain a role even when Ridley gets back from his injury. We know this team will be down and passing A LOT. Chimere’s arrow is pointing up.

RB - Chase Brown (CIN)

  • Chase Brown has shown dramatic improvement since Joe Flacco's arrival, with his yards per carry increasing from 2.4 (Weeks 1-5) to 6.9, while averaging 74.3 yards per game and generating 86 yards on explosive runs. His early season performance included just 8 missed tackles forced and no explosive runs, showing a clear uptick in efficiency.

  • Brown's usage, while split with Samaje Perine, is showing promising signs of growth. The article notes that while he's not getting 90%+ snap and carry shares, his current role appears more sustainable and the Bengals' offense has been reinvigorated under Flacco's leadership.

  • The schedule ahead looks particularly favorable for Brown, with FantasyPros' Strength of Schedule tool giving his remaining matchups a five-star rating. His upcoming games include matchups against Baltimore twice, plus Buffalo and Miami, all considered friendly matchups for running backs.

  • Our take: Joe Flacco to the rescue. Things were looking ugly early in the year, but Brown still has that low-end RB1 upside that everybody was drooling over coming into the year. He’s on bye in week 10, so that could be a good time to target him if the manager in your league is desperate for production that week.

RB - Tyjae Spears (TEN)

  • Tyjae Spears is seeing an expanding role with the Titans following his return from an early-season injured reserve stint. In his recent game against the Colts, Spears recorded his second-highest snap share at 52.1% and achieved season-highs in both rushing (nine carries for 59 yards and a touchdown) and receiving (three receptions for 23 yards).

  • Since returning from his preseason high ankle injury, Spears has demonstrated improved explosiveness, posting career-high averages in yards per carry (5.5) and yards per touch (5.6). His consistent involvement in the offense is evidenced by averaging 5.8 carries and 2.8 targets per game since his return.

  • While Spears maintains a consistent role in the Titans' offense, he continues to share time with Tony Pollard, resulting in an even split of games with majority and minority snap shares since his return from injury. His current usage suggests a solid fantasy floor with RB2 potential when finding the end zone.

  • Our take: Two Titans players in one “trending up” issue? What a time to be alive. Tyjae is one of my most owned players in dynasty. The early-season injury was a bummer, but I came into the year thinking he could take over this starting job on talent alone. And I think he still has a good shot to do that by end of year.

WR - Khalil Shakir (BUF)

  • Over the past four games, Shakir has emerged as a leading receiver for the Bills, commanding a 25% target share and ranking as the overall WR23 since Week 3 with 58.5 total fantasy points. His most recent performance was his best of the season, posting 88 receiving yards and a touchdown in Buffalo's 40-9 win over Carolina.

  • While Shakir's targets have been consistent, his production has shown some volatility, with performances of just eight fantasy points in Week 5 and 4.8 points in Week 6. However, Josh Allen continues to feature him as his primary receiving option, suggesting potential for more stable production.

  • Looking ahead, Shakir could develop into a fringe WR2 for fantasy managers, particularly given the Bills' upcoming favorable matchups for wide receivers. His increasing role in the offense and Allen's trust make him a player to monitor closely.

  • Our take: Shakir’s ceiling seems capped from ever becoming a fantasy WR1, but he should get you high-end WR3 numbers most weeks with upside for more in matchups when the Bills are forced to pass more. That’s a valuable locker-room guy to have on any fantasy roster.

RB - Woody Marks (HOU)

  • Marks delivered his second 100+ yard performance of the season against the 49ers, accumulating 111 total yards (including four catches) for 13.1 fantasy points. This follows his Week 4 breakout when he scored 25.9 fantasy points with over 100 total yards and two touchdowns.

  • Despite Marks' impressive performance, he was still out-touched by Nick Chubb 19-15 in the game. The article questions this usage, noting that Marks passes the eye test for a starting RB and made impactful plays, including a 50-yard catch and run.

  • The article predicts Marks will eventually take over the Texans' backfield, though notes similar predictions were made after his Week 4 performance. Currently, he's considered a risky flex option with matchup-tilting upside, though Chubb's continued involvement may limit his ceiling.

  • Our take: This situation seems similar to Tyjae Spears as discussed above. Except Chubb is no Tony Pollard anymore. It feels like it’s a matter of “when” not “if” this takeover happens. But good luck predicting the “when.” In the meantime, I’ll keep holding patiently.

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Friday’s poll results:

🥇 Best subscriber comment (JT): “As long as the Colts offense is so dominant & he's the 3 down back he'll continue to dominate as long as he stays healthy. The 49ers are struggling with injuries which could keep CMC away from the end zone more than we'd like, the Falcons are having ups & downs, & Gibbs is epic on a great offense, but shares too much with Montgomery for me to want him over Jonathan right now. This is only rest of season, Dynasty rankings if I'm not chasing a championship right now adjust a lot”

Our take: Dayumm! JT in a landslide. I keep waiting for the Colts offense to turn back into a pumpkin, but they keep putting up numbers every week. They have to have a down game soon, though. Right?

Today’s poll:

Which RB do you think is most likely to be the RB1 for their team by the end of the year?

(Vote to see live results)

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That’s all for today!

See ya pizza,

Joe

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