Fantasy Upside
You still have to wonder why the Bears got rid of Brandon Marshall. He was one of the top receivers in the NFL and has had 1,000 yards receiving every season he has been in the NFL with the exception of his rookie year, where he only started only one game with Denver and in 2014 where he missed three games with an injury. Last year, he had a career-high 14 touchdowns and the second most receiving yards of his career (1,502). With Ryan Fitzpatrick now signed, that make Marshall's value climb.
Fantasy Downside
The biggest downside was going to be a possible new quarterback. Now, the only thing we can really find is he is 32 so eventually he will start slowing down, but that doesn't mean it will be in 2016.
2016 Bottom Line
Marshall comes in ranked a top 10 fantasy receiver and has an ADP is 18th which labels him as a second round pick. He has even more value in PPR leagues because of the fact he has been consistently catching over 100 passes his whole career. Expect more of the same from Marshall.
Week 17 vs. Buffalo
Brandon Marshall was targeted 10 times last week and caught seven passes for 115 yards and two touchdowns. He has been on fire and it doesn't look like that's going to stop anytime soon.
Buffalo is only 23rd in aFPA to wide receivers but do keep in mind Marshall struggled in the first meeting with the Bills (3 catches for 23 yards), but he still scored a touchdown that game. Marshall is a top 5 fantasy wide receiver for Week 17 so start him in all leagues.
Week 16 vs. New England
Brandon Marshall's three-game streak of 100-plus receiving yard games was broken last week, as the Pro Bowl receiver caught four passes for 74 yards. It was also the first game since Week 8 he did not catch a touchdown pass. No need to worry though. Even though Marshall had an off game, his numbers were still respectable.
In the first meeting with New England, Marshall had four catches for 67 yards and Pats have found ways to shut down the opposing team's No. 1 receiver. They rank 14th in aFPA to wide receivers. Even with last week, we think Marshall is one of the hottest fantasy wide receivers in the NFL, and we expect better numbers in Week 16. Start Marshall in all leagues and formats as a WR1.
Week 15 at Dallas
Brandon Marshall continues to do it all. Three straight 100-plus receiving yard games. Seven touchdowns in the last six games. And double digit targets for the fifth straight game. Marshall has really shown his value all year long.
Dallas is second in aFPA to wide receivers, but I am not sure that's going to matter. Marshall has been pretty dominant no matter who he faces. Start him in all leagues and formats as a top-5 fantasy wide receiver for Week 15.
Week 14 vs Tennessee
It was the fourth straight game with double digit targets for Brandon Marshall. The results this week were 12 catches for 131 yards and a touchdown. It's his seventh 100-plus yard receiving game and he now has 10 touchdowns on the season. Marshall has worked hard to become one of the best fantasy wide receivers in 2015.
The Titans are 19th in aFPA to wide receivers so Marshall is en route to another big game. Start him in all leagues and formats as a top 5 fantasy wide receiver for Week 14.
Week 13 vs Giants
Brandon Marshall turned in his sixth 100+ receiving yard game of the season last week and scored multiple touchdowns in a game for the first time this season. The targets were also double digits for the third straight week. He is listed as questionable with the nagging toe injury, but should play Sunday.
Marshall has been a fantasy stud this season and has a great matchup this week against the Giants who are ranked 27th in aFPA to wide receivers.
We expect big numbers from Marshall who ranks a solid WR1 for Week 13 against New York. Start him in all leagues and formats.
Week 12 vs Miami
Brandon Marshall continued his high volume with 10 targets, but only caught four passes last week. With QB Ryan Fitzpatrick struggling, Marshall's numbers have been lower the past couple weeks, although he did score a touchdown for the third straight game.
The matchup for Marshall is very good this week, as the Dolphins are ranked 24th in aFPA to wide receivers. He had seven catches for 128 yards in the first meeting, so we expect another solid outing, especially if Fitzpatrick can get his act together. Start Marshall as a low-end WR1 in all leagues and formats.
Week 11 vs Houston
It was a 10-target evening for Brandon Marshall against Buffalo, but only three catches for 23 yards and touchdown saved fantasy owners from a down week. QB Ryan Fitzpatrick struggled with the bad thumb which is feeling better entering Week 11.
Marshall will face a Texans defense that is a tough matchup, ranked 9th in aFPA to wide receivers. The fact that Marshall had an off game last week, but still got his targets is a positive. Start Marshall for Week 11, but only as a high-end WR2. The QB's thumb and the Texans defense makes us pause for a second.
Week 10 vs Buffalo
Brandon Marshall had one of his least productive games of the season last week, with only four catches for 44 yards, all season lows. He did score his fifth touchdown of the season, however. Marshall has only had three games this season where he didn't have 100 yards receiving, and only three games where he hasn't scored a TD. Marshall is listed as probable for Week 10, but will play.
This week, he will face the Bills defense, who is 12th in aFPA to wide receivers. We expect Marshall to put up decent numbers again, but he only ranks a high-end WR2 for Thursday night.
Week 9 vs Jaguars
With QB Ryan Fitzpatrick out most of last week, Brandon Marshall didn't lose a step as he was targeted a season-high 18 times and had nine receptions for 108 yards. Not too bad with Geno Smith at QB.
Fitzpatrick is expected to return and the matchup against Jacksonville is neutral, with the Jags ranked 12th in aFPA to wide receivers. Marshall is one of the best fantasy wide receivers this season. As proven last week, it doesn't matter who the QB is. However, with Fitzpatrick back but not 100 percent, Marshall comes in as a solid WR1 for Week 9.
