Happy Thanksgiving Week! I hope you are all able to enjoy some time with family, friends, football, and good food. Even better news? There are ZERO teams on bye this week! Let’s enjoy it. 

Throughout the season, I’ll be highlighting players I believe are on the verge of breaking out. For you dynasty managers, you may want to acquire these players before their value spikes.

Khalil Herbert, RB - Bears

Returning to the field for the first time since Week 5, Khalil Herbert (knee/shin) paced all RBs in rushing attempts. His 16 carries were more than both D'Onta Foreman (6) and Roschon Johnson (6) combined. Herbert also received the only two RB targets through the air.

Week 11 also saw the return of Justin Fields (thumb) for the first time since Week 6. He immediately made his impact felt on the ground as both his rushing attempts (18) and rushing yards (104) led the team.

It might be tricky to accurately predict how this offense will look moving forward with both Fields & Herbert missing essentially a month of action. From Weeks 1-5, when both players were active and playing a full time role, Herbert averaged:

• 10.2 rushing attempts
• 2.0 receptions
• 71 scrimmage yards

There was ample reason to be excited for Herbert in the early parts of the season, Following Week 4, here’s what Dwain McFarland had to say in his Utilization Report:

The third-year RB hasn’t been quite as explosive as in previous years, but his yards after contact and missed tackles forced rank highly among the 35 backs with at least 30 attempts.

• 10-plus yard attempts: 9.8% (18th)
• Average yards after contact: 3.27 (8th)
• Missed tackles forced per attempt: 31.7% (1st)

Herbert also has a 19% TPRR, which is borderline RB1-worthy based on data back to 2012. If he can hold onto more passing-down work, he might make unexpected noise as a receiver in 2023.

While it was Foreman who scored in Week 11, it was encouraging to see Herbert emphatically take control of the backfield upon his return. At just 25-years old, and with back-to-back 100+ rushing attempt seasons under his belt, Herbert remains an intriguing dynasty prospect.

Currently the RB38 in dynasty ADP, Herbert sits at the unique juncture of price, talent, upside, and age. When analyzing players through a dynasty lens, it’s important to consider each of those variables. Herbert is an ideal trade target for both contending and rebuilding teams. Fields will take his share of the rushing attack, but Herbert has reclaimed his spot as the RB1 and the primary pass-catching option out of the backfield.

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Greg Dortch, WR - Cardinals

Is Greg Dortch going to suddenly become relevant right before the fantasy playoffs for the second year in a row?

If this week was any indication, it’s certainly possible.

Dortch erupted for his best game of the year with a line of 6 / 76 on eight targets. He led all pass-catchers in targets and his 26% target share far out-paced fellow WRs Marquise Brown (16%) and Rondale Moore (3%). Only sophomore TE Trey McBride (23%) saw a similar involvement.

The return of Kyler Murray has certainly given this offense a spark and a new wrinkle that was missing throughout the season. In both of his games back from injury, Murray has attempted at least 30 passes

If there’s consistent volume from Murray, it’s been shown that Dortch is talented enough to carve out a decent share of the pie. In PPR formats, he’s the ideal end-of-bench stash. As you’ll see in a moment, he’s free everywhere, and if you play in deeper formats and/or need to plug in an emergency starter who can squeak out some points, Dortch is your guy.

Dortch is widely available with a dynasty ADP of WR107. You can probably get him off waivers even in dynasty leagues. If you’re not convinced of the talent and/or don’t need him on your roster, I would still snag him and flip him to another manager for a future draft pick. If you can turn waiver gems into draft capital, that’s an easy win.

Darius Slayton, WR - Giants

This suggestion is a bit dependent on the health of Darius Slayton since he left his Week 11 matchup with an arm injury and did not return. However, for sake of discussion, let’s assume it’s nothing that will sideline him for an extended period of time.

Normally, I wouldn’t recommend buying into this Giants offense right now but rookie QB Tommy DeVito seems to have found a favorite target in Slayton. Say what you will about DeVito and his living situation but he played well on Sunday.

DeVito has now played in four straight games. Across his last three, he’s totaled more than 500 passing yards and has thrown six TDs. The yardage might not be there but it’s encouraging to see him averaging two TDs per game over the last three weeks.

As for Slayton, he’s been largely a non-factor this season but has turned it on in recent weeks. In the same three-week stretch as mentioned for DeVito (Weeks 9-11), Slayton has totaled:

• 16 targets
• 11 receptions
• 162 receiving yards
• 1 TD

His usage has started to trend in the right direction as well. However, over the course of the entire season, you can see he’s nothing more than a complementary player who does earn a decent chunk of air yards from time to time.

Slayton tends to be a bit too boom/bust for fantasy managers to trust consistently. While he has four games with 55+ receiving yards this season, he also has seven games with less than 35 receiving yards. If you need the possibility of a big game with a long TD, Slayton is your man.

Much like Dortch, Slayton is essentially free in dynasty formats with an ADP of WR105. His immediate value will be tied to his health and the subsequent play of DeVito. Longterm, he’s still only 26-years old with a trio of 700+ receiving yard seasons under his belt. Simply due to his age and because he seems to have his QBs attention, he’s worth a cursory glance.

Donald Parham, TE - Chargers

Another week, another TE option for dynasty managers to consider adding to their rosters.

Standing at 6’8”, Donald Parham is tough to miss on the field. He provides an excellent over-the-middle option for Justin Herbert is always a threat near the goaline.

Sidenote, did you know Parham used to play basketball? I actually have no idea if that’s true or not but it always seems to be a fun narrative for tall athletes.

Fellow TE Gerald Everett is the traditional starter for the Chargers but he missed this week (along with Week 8). Coincidentally enough, those are the two games in which Parham posted his best marks.

• Week 8 - 4 receptions, 43 yards, 1 TD (5 targets)
• Week 11 - 4 receptions, 57 yards 0 TD (6 targets)

While we don’t want to chase those performances that are clearly skewed by the absence of another player, it is important to see players take advantage of those opportunities when they arise.

From a dynasty perspective, Parham (26) is three years younger than Everett (29) and is cheaper as Parham’s dynasty ADP sits at TE36 while Everett is TE30. As I normally recommend with these depth TE options, you should consider stashing Parham if you have the bench space and/or play in a TE premium format. Also, you don’t always have to keep these players long-term; you can flip them for future draft capital to needy teams or use them as add-ons to get other trades done.