The NFL is a “next man up” league. By extension, your fantasy football league is as well. You acquired your team during the draft, but it’s the moves you make as the season unfolds that will ultimately decide if you’re playoff-bound or planning for next season. Every week, we’ll help you identify the players available in more than 50% of ESPN leagues whose value has taken a turn for the better and should be added to your roster as starters or as smart stashes for your bench.

Next man up

Folks, brace yourselves, as “bye-mageddon” is back for a sequel. The Baltimore Ravens, Denver Broncos, Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, New England Patriots and Washington Commanders are all off this week. That’s a lot of firepower that will be left on the fantasy sideline as teams look to solidify playoff positioning.

Sunday night also gave us the biggest fantasy headline of the week. Christian McCaffrey, the San Francisco 49ers’ star running back, suffered what is believed to be a PCL injury in his right knee against the Bills. This could put the rest of his season in jeopardy. It’s rough news, especially since McCaffrey had only just returned in Week 10 after missing most of training camp and the first eight games of the season due to Achilles tendinitis.

Jordan Mason (rostered in 41.7% of ESPN leagues) stepped up while McCaffrey was sidelined earlier this season, averaging 18 touches per game and also scoring the 10th-most fantasy points as the 49ers’ starter, despite himself missing most of Week 6. On Sunday, Mason delivered again with 13 carries for 78 yards. Rookie Isaac Guerendo (1.3%) also found the end zone for the 49ers’ only touchdown.

Mason is a must-add across all leagues. The 49ers have a great schedule for running backs over the next three weeks, putting Mason in position to deliver top-10 fantasy RB numbers again. Guerendo is also worth a look in deeper formats.