Tomorrow’s Moves Today uses the Strength of Schedule Streaming App to identify team positional units with favorable/unfavorable upcoming schedules and players on related teams that should be targeted or avoided.

Welcome to the Week 6 edition of Tomorrow’s Moves Today! On a weekly basis, we’ll look ahead to find positional units with favorable upcoming schedules. Likewise, we’ll identify positional units that stand before an oncoming gauntlet. The idea here is to be a week ahead of our league mates by adding players before it’s clear that success is in their range of outcomes and dropping or trading players before their stock will plummet.

For more information on how the SoS Streaming App calculates strength of schedule (SoS), please check out this article.

In this week’s edition, we’ll look at Weeks 8 through 16.

Quarterback

• Marcus Mariota ranks QB17 but should finish the season with a bang when he faces Oakland, Houston, and New Orleans.
• Sam Darnold is expected to return to action over the weekend. If he finds his way onto the waiver wire next week, he’ll be a candidate for teams in need of quarterback help. The Jets face favorable QB opponents from Week 9 to Week 14.
• Andy Dalton has managed three QB1 performances in 2019 and ranks in at QB 15 on a fantasy points per game basis. With A.J. Green still sidelined and Tyler Boyd banged up there’s a decent chance he hits the waiver wire in the coming weeks. The Red Rifle draws a plum matchup against the Dolphins in the fantasy finals and a handful of easy matchups along the way.

Running Back

• David Montgomery has yet to flash as an NFL player. His best game came in a Week 2 tilt with the Broncos. The rookie rushed for 62 yards in this game and scored his first touchdown.
• Tarik Cohen has yet to eclipse 13 points and ranks RB44 in points per game.
  • Thankfully, both backs may be able to turn things around as Chicago opposes the most favorable of all RB schedules over the rest of the season.
• The Vikings love to run the ball. Dalvin Cook, the RB3, will continue to feast on a favorable schedule.
  • Standalone value has yet to emerge for Alexander Mattison but he remains one of the best handcuff options in all of fantasy.
• Sony Michel rushed 22 times on Thursday night for 86 yards. It’s been a rough season for the sophomore back. Heading into it, he was averaging 4.5 yards per attempt as professional. Through six games in 2019, he’s averaging just 3.5 yards per attempt. Still, the undefeated Patriots will be able to manage games in the second half and Michel will see volume — he’s currently averaging 17 rushing attempts and one target per game.
  • While you might be tempted to give up on him, consider New England’s highly favorable upcoming schedule.
  • If Rex Burkhead doesn’t get healthy, Michel could be a solid flex play in the playoffs.

Wide Receiver

• Gardner Minshew has passed for 1,279 yards and nine touchdowns. As a result, he’s been able to support D.J. Chark as a top-five WR.
  • Heading into Week 6, Dede Westbrook ranks 31st in expected points per game but just 50th in actual. Given Jacksonville’s favorable upcoming schedule, this gap could close.
  • Tight End James O’ Shaughnessy saw 20 targets before being injured for the rest of the season in Week 5.
    • Given the target share that this opens up and Jacksonville’s schedule, Chris Conley might be worth a speculative add.
• Auden Tate has carved out a role for himself in the banged-up Bengals offense with 22 targets since Week 3.
  • Don’t expect him to win you a week, but he’ll make for a last resort option in Weeks 11 to 14 when Cincinnati opposes weaker competition.
• Tedd Ginn is averaging just seven points per game but might be an option worth considering.
  • Drew Brees is hoping to return prior the Saints’ Week 9 bye which, in addition to a favorable schedule, should help Ginn in raising this average.
    • Check out his career splits with and without Brees as well as his split with the Saints.

Tight End

• Gerald Everett finished as a TE1 in both Weeks 4 and 5, and his success could carry forward thanks to one of the easiest TE schedules in the league.
• Vance McDonald is expected to return to action this weekend. McDonald crushed in Week 2 with 23 points but fell silent after. Given Pittsburgh’s favorable schedule, more TE1 performances are possible.
•  Delanie Walker scored 15 points per game in Weeks 1 through 3 but combined for just three in his last two games.
  • If Walker continues to struggle and subsequently becomes available, he makes for a solid stash given his soft Week 14 and 15 matchups.
    • Walker has historically been one of the better fantasy TEs and despite his recent flops leads the Titans’ in targets per game.

DST

• The Steelers probably aren’t available, but if they become so they are a must-add.
• The Jets have two matchups with Miami, and as an added bonus oppose Washington in Week 11.
• The Giants may have been dropped given their Thursday night matchup with New England. As the team opposes Miami in Week 15 and Washington in Week 16, all teams expecting to make the playoffs need to monitor the waiver wire and add New York whenever possible.

Image Credit: Zach Bolinger/Icon Sportswire. Pictured: Marcus Mariota.