Grading 15 of the NFL's midseason acquisitions, so far. Plus: Week 11 fantasy waivers.

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Today, we’re evaluating deadline acquisitions, prepping for Week 11 of the fantasy season and voting on the NFL’s most disappointing team.

Instant Grades: How midseason acquisitions are faring

Last Tuesday, the bell rang on the 2024 trade deadline. It was one of the busiest in-season trading periods ever, with 19 players finding new homes, including stars like Davante Adams and Marshon Lattimore.

It’s early, but here’s how those in-season acquisitions are working out so far:

The perfect fits

Chiefs WR DeAndre Hopkins: The biggest beneficiary? Probably Travis Kelce. Since Hopkins arrived in Week 8, Kelce ranks eighth among all players in receiving yards and saw his targets per game more than double (from six to 13.3). Ted Nguyen reviewed the tape to explore how Hopkins gives KC another Kelce.

Steelers WR Mike Williams: They finally landed their No. 2 receiver, and he rewarded them with Sunday’s biggest play against the Commanders. His 32-yard, game-winning touchdown on third-and-9 came on a route he “didn’t run one time” in practice. His deep-ball skills are a perfect match for Russell Wilson.

Steelers WR Mike Williams: They finally landed their No. 2 receiver, and he rewarded them with Sunday’s biggest play against the Commanders. His 32-yard, game-winning touchdown on third-and-9 came on a route he “didn’t run one time” in practice. His deep-ball skills are a perfect match for Russell Wilson.

Saints WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling: Signed after the Bills released him mid-October, MVS filled the Rashid Shaheed role perfectly on Sunday with 109 yards and two touchdowns. In the first half.

Steelers DL Preston Smith: Pittsburgh paid a seventh to add him at the perfect time, as he’ll be forced into a bigger role with Alex Highsmith expected to miss two or three weeks. He recorded a high-effort sack on one of his 23 snaps.

Cardinals DL Baron Browning: His presence was immediately felt when he used a swim move to flush Aaron Rodgers from the pocket on fourth-and-goal, leading to a fumble recovery by Arizona.

Too soon to tell, but optimistic

Bills WR Amari Cooper: The Bills are 2-0 when he plays a snap, but he’s missed the past two weeks with a wrist injury. Having only ran 27 total routes, Cooper’s 2.5 yards per route still hint at a major gain for Buffalo.

Ravens WR Diontae Johnson: PFF data showed him running three total routes on Thursday. We’re not working with much, but it’s very promising that he was targeted twice, catching one and losing another to a forgettable slip.

HC John Harbaugh expects Johnson’s work load to increase this week in a revenge game against the Steelers, who traded him this offseason.

Vikings LT Cam Robinson: He’s played every snap since Week 9 and has yet to allow a sack or QB hit. But Robinson hasn’t been perfect — 10 QB hurries, four penalties — and his 64.1 PFF offensive grade is below his 69.4 mark from seven games in Jacksonville, so there’s room to grow.

Vikings RB Cam Akers: Minnesota’s other acquisition looks like the clear No. 2 behind Aaron Jones — an important role, as Jones briefly left Sunday’s game with a chest injury before returning (and could reduce his workload if the Vikings solidify their playoff spot).

Lions DL Za’Darius Smith: He played zero snaps against the Texans on Sunday night, as it was already going to be his bye week. But on the sideline, he was all in for the entire game. Great culture fit.

Meh, but still early

Bengals RB Khalil Herbert: Herbert’s forgettable debut saw him bungle his only handoff. It’s one reason the Bengals brought in Leonard Fournette for a workout yesterday before signing former Giants RB Gary Brightwell.

Chiefs LB Josh Uche: He’s played just 18 total snaps for Kansas City, with 94 percent of them coming on passing downs. A depth addition for the NFL’s best.

In hindsight, not a great call

Cowboys WR Jonathan Mingo: A healthy scratch on Sunday. The only excuse for sending a fourth-round pick for him: He is a second-round player on a rookie deal. But they’re now wasting a year of his favorable contract as he looks for passes from either Cooper Rush or Trey Lance.

Jets WR Davante Adams: His per-game averages (51.5 yards on five catches) haven’t been enough for the Jets, who gave up a conditional third-round pick to go 1-3 with him in the lineup. The next regime will miss that pick.

What Dianna’s Hearing: Chicago’s post-Waldron offense

Caleb Williams and the Bears offense hit rock bottom during Sunday’s 19-3 loss to the Patriots, turning the heat up as high as it could get on the coaching staff. OC Shane Waldron is now gone.

On today’s episode of the “Scoop City” podcast, Kevin Fishbain, one of our Bears beat writers at The Athletic, joined co-host Chase Daniel and me to share what’s next. Though we recorded before Waldron’s exit, I asked what Chicago’s subsequent play-calling plan might be:

Kevin: It’s a weird dynamic, because passing game coordinator Thomas Brown — who is thought highly of — called some plays for Carolina last year, but one reason he was brought in was because he previously worked with Waldron. He would make the most sense.

Dianna: Chase, if you could pick any coach right now outside of Andy Reid to step in there to help Caleb, who are we talking about here?

Chase: (Lions OC) Ben Johnson is the guy. He’s an under-center, a spread-it-out, a do-it-all, and as far as what Caleb Williams does well, Caleb is very good at pure progression passing.

What I see the Bears having him do right now, which doesn’t make a lot of sense, is pre-snap decisions. That means you’re cutting the field in half, you have a two-high beater on one side, you have a one-high beater on the next, and he’s getting caught in between.

He’s playing reluctant. He’s passing up easy completions because it’s almost like it’s getting coached out of him. He needs somebody to come in and just be like, ‘Hey, just play quarterback.’ I agree that Caleb deserves some of the blame, but he’s not being coached well right now.

🎧 Listen to the full “Scoop City” podcast here.

Back to you, Jacob.

Poll 📝: Most disappointing team?

I’ll admit I was optimistic. The Jets had an all-world defense and a quarterback who was fully healthy for the first time since his 2021 MVP season.

Turns out, even long-suffering Jets fans were overly optimistic, placing the team 19th in the The Athletic’s preseason Hope-O-Meter — eight spots higher than where the team currently sits in the overall standings.

Disappointment is nothing new in New York, but are they the most disappointing team in football? As a Bengals fan, I know how I’m voting. Click here to make your pick.

Fantasy Reset: Week 11 waivers, buys and sells

This week marked the first game with both Jauan Jenning and Ricky Pearsall — my two top waiver adds last week — active for the 49ers. It worked beautifully, as each finished among the top-20 fantasy scorers, with Jennings (seven catches for 93 yards) and Pearsall (four catches, 73 yards and a touchdown) remaining must-starts going forward.

Other top adds before Week 11:

No. 1: RB Audric Estime. The Broncos’ 21-year-old fifth-round pick is averaging 5.1 yards per carry this season and finally saw 10-plus touches for the first time on Sunday against the Chiefs. His 14 attempts led the team, and Estime looks poised to become their lead back down the stretch.

No. 2: QB Bo Nix. As KC Joyner notes in his Week 10 fantasy takeaways, Nix is the sixth-highest scoring QB since Week 5. After averaging 16.9 points in road matchups at Baltimore and Kansas City, he is a borderline must-start against a Falcons defense allowing 18.4 points to opposing quarterbacks.

No. 3: Gus Edwards. He looked fresh, coming off an extended injury absence and taking 10 carries for 55 yards as the 1B to J.K. Dobbins’ 1A. He played a quarter of the snaps in Week 10, a number that could grow over the final stretch. Worth adding even if you don’t roster Dobbins.

No. 4: RB Cam Akers. As mentioned above, he is the backup to Aaron Jones, who was carted to the X-ray room mid-game on Sunday. If Jones misses time (he should be OK), Akers sees the majority of touches in Minnesota’s explosive offense.

Deeper leagues: Dalton Kincaid went down with a knee injury, making TE Dawson Knox (who played 68 percent of snaps) a viable option against a Chiefs defense allowing the league’s most fantasy points to tight ends. Washington WR Noah Brown has quietly seen 27 targets in his past five games, and Chargers TE Will Dissly has been targeted 27 times in his past four games.

It’s not too late to trade for: 

  • WR Calvin Ridley. Since the Titans moved DeAndre Hopkins, Ridley ranks third at his position in fantasy points per game (20.4), second in receiving yards per game (100) and first in air yards per game (146.3). It won’t be cheap, but his schedule — third easiest for receivers, per FantasyPros — makes it worth acquiring him.

Around the NFL

A quick look at two articles you’ll enjoy, with a quote from each:

Best/Worse Coaching Decisions: “The Ravens offense is Super Bowl-worthy, but unless their defense tightens up, they’re going to have to win a lot of shootouts.”

Week 11 Power Rankings: “C.J. Stroud’s season now officially qualifies as a sophomore slump. He had a 64.2 passer rating and threw two interceptions Sunday night and is now 24th in EPA per dropback (minus-.01). As a rookie, he finished sixth (.11).”

Yesterday’s most-clicked: Adam Jahns on why the Bears offense is broken. Timely!

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(Photo: Jamie Squire / Getty Images)





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Avatar of Erika Walls
Erika Walls is a journalist who loves writing about business and finance news. She's been working in the industry for over 15 years, and she's published hundreds of articles on everything from the latest IPO to the hottest new stock pick.

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