Week 3 vs. Indianapolis Colts
Nelson Agholor has some upside this week if Odell Beckham Jr. misses time with an ankle injury, but fantasy managers should hold off on trusting the veteran journeyman, despite six targets and a touchdown against the Bengals last week. Zay Flowers and Mark Andrews are still likely to get the bulk of the targets in the Baltimore passing game, and Agholor’s production is going to be too volatile to trust in redraft lineups. He can remain on waivers in most leagues.
Update: With Odell Beckham Jr. out, Agholor should see extra snaps. Still, he's the third receiver and fourth receiving option in the Baltimore passing game, so it's risky to bank on him.
Week 15 at Las Vegas Raiders
Nelson Agholor saw a bump up in the depth chart for the time being with Jakobi Meyers out and DeVante Parker leaving early. As a result, he saw ten targets and caught five of them. He came away with just 32 yards. He has just four games with over 40 yards receiving this season. But if Meyers will be limited and Parker remains out, Agholor could continue to see targets from Mac Jones. Still, the Patriots remain a run-first team, so Agholor's upside is capped, making him a low-end flex play at best.
Week 7 vs Jets
Nelson Agholor's usage has dwindled through six weeks and he had just one catch against the Cowboys. He has been very quiet this season, especially for the money New England is paying him, save for his Week 1 output against the Dolphins. He cracks the top 50 this week if only because of how many teams are on a bye this week. Cross your fingers if you have to start Agholor.
Week 2 at Jets
Nelson Agholor was the only Patriots receiver to crack the 50-yard mark in Week 1 and was the only one to find the end zone as well. Mac Jones looks like he's going to try and find both Agholor and Jakobi Meyers on the outside. But there are still many mouths to feed and Jones is going to spread the ball out. But if Week 1 was any indication, Agholor is going to be on the field plenty, seeing 85 percent of the snaps in Week 1. We may just have to temper expectations for the Patriots' wide receivers.
Week 17 at Denver Broncos
Nelson Agholor had a great game last week with five catches and 155 yards, including an 85-yard touchdown that would’ve been the difference in the game if Fitzmagic hadn’t happened. Agholor has eight touchdowns this season and is only 161 yards away from his first 1,000-yard season. Another touchdown would be a career-high.
This week, he faces a Broncos defense that ranks second in aFPA to opposing wide receivers. It’s not a great matchup, but the Raiders should be motivated this week after a disappointing loss to the Dolphins last Saturday. We have him ranked as a low-end WR2 option.
Week 16 vs. Miami Dolphins
Nelson Agholor was held to just 49 yards on four receptions last week against the Chargers, but he was targeted eight times, and he’s now averaging 8.6 targets over his last five games. That’s encouraging, despite the lack of consistent fantasy production coming out of it. As inconsistent as he’s been, Agholor could wind up having a career year if he gains another 100 yards and another touchdown over his final two games. He’s been a quality, low-cost signing for the Raiders.
This week, Agholor faces a Dolphins defense that ranks 17th in aFPA to opposing wide receivers. Agholor could draw some tough assignments with the quality of the Dolphin corners, so he’s even more of a boom-or-bust than usual. Look elsewhere if you can.
Week 15 vs. Los Angeles Chargers
Nelson Agholor had a nice game against the Colts last week, catching five passes for 100 yards and a touchdown. He also had nine targets, his third time with at least that many in his past four games. Agholor has been inconsistent throughout the season, but he has at least six targets in four games straight, and seven touchdowns on the season, giving him some upside in the right matchups.
This week, Agholor faces a Chargers defense that ranks 16th in aFPA to opposing wide receivers. The Chargers can score points and the Raiders defense is a sieve, so expect another busy day target-wise for Agholor. Whether he can convert those targets into fantasy production again is a risk, but he has value as a WR3 option, with a little risk due to his inconsistency.
Week 13 at New York Jets
Nelson Agholor caught five of six passes thrown his way last week against the Falcons, finishing with 54 yards. He’s actually had 15 targets over his past two games after eclipsing five targets just once in previous games this season.
Even against a Jets defense that ranks 25th in aFPA to opposing wide receivers, Agholor is a risky bet. However, his targets are up and he seems like the closest thing to consistency the Raiders have at wide receiver. He also has six touchdowns, giving him some upside. We have him ranked as a low-end WR3 option in a nice matchup this week.
Week 12 at Atlanta Falcons
Nelson Agholor had a nice game last week, catching six of the nine balls thrown his way for 88 yards and a touchdown. Agholor has been inconsistent this year, but has put up points in bunches. He has a touchdown in six of 10 games, but he has single-digit PPR points in each of the other four games, including a goose egg against the Browns in Week 8.
This might be a good week to gamble on Agholor as a boom-or-bust WR3 option. He faces a Falcons defense that ranks 29th in aFPA to opposing wide receiver, better than only the Cowboys, Bengals, and Seahawks. Expect the Raiders to find great success throwing the ball, and for Agholor to have a nice shot at finding the end zone once again.
Week 11 vs. Kansas City Chiefs
Nelson Agholor had one catch on four targets for eight yards last week against the Broncos. The Raiders’ receivers all have the potential to make big plays from time to time, but it’s risky to try and guess which ones will do it in any given week. He had two catches for 67 yards and a touchdown the last time he faced the Chiefs, who rank fifth in aFPA to opposing wide receivers. However, it’s a lot to expect him to find the end zone again, and he should stay on the bench in most league formats.
