Week 5 at New York Giants
Travis Benjamin is playing 60% of the snaps, but his weekly inconsistency renders him not much more than a fantasy handcuff to Keenan Allen and Tyrell Williams, which will be even less valuable when Mike Williams returns. He's not a good dart throw in Week 5 in a bad matchup.
Week 4 vs. Philadelphia Eagles
Great matchup for Benjamin this week, as the Eagles are 27th in our aFPA vs. PPR WR rankings, and the Eagles have also allowed the fourth-most PPR points to opposing WRs, overall. Eight targets last week against Kansas City, but only seven targets in the first two weeks means Benjamin's 5-105-0 outing last week may have been matchup specific. The wise decision would be not to take the recency bias bait.
Week 1 at Denver Broncos
It would be foolish to not acknowledge that Travis Benjamin is facing a secondary that was first in PPR points allowed to receivers last season, with 11 games of not allowing a wide receiver touchdown and only once allowing more than one (on the road against Drew Brees and the Saints). Don't start him.
Fantasy Upside
Travis Benjamin, not Mike Williams, was listed as the No. 3 wide receiver for the Chargers as the team cranked up their offseason program in May. With Williams likely out until October with a back injury, that's unlikely to change anytime soon. That pecking order notwithstanding, the two wideouts play vastly different positions within the offensive scheme, meaning even if Benjamin loses his spot he still figures to play a role as a stretch-the-field speedster on the outside.
Fantasy Downside
Given the draft capital San Diego invested in Williams, it seems likely the Clemson product will see the field sooner rather than later, which limits Benjamin's overall fantasy value. The return of Keenan Allen and the presence of last year's breakout receiver, Tyrell Williams, will compound the situation even further.
2017 Bottom Line
Still, Benjamin could be a factor for those playing in best-ball formats, where his speed and big-play ability could help him score highly in random weeks. It could also make him an appealing, low-priced DFS play on any given Sunday.
Week 9 vs. Tennessee
Travis Benjamin continues to deal with a knee injury, but did have a touchdown last week. He caught four passes for 44 yards and scored his third TD of the season, but first since Week 2. He was also targeted nine times.
Benjamin still comes in behind Tyrell Williams, who had just a 1-4-0 line last week against Denver. Benjamin continues to be a WR3 option in a slightly better matchup this week. The Titans are 13th in allowing fantasy points to WRs. Rivers is starting to spread the ball around a little more with Williams and Dontrelle Inman (along with Henry Hunter and Antonio Gates at TE), so none of the WRs on this team seem to be all that safe of a play.
Week 8 at Denver
Travis Benjamin was out-shined last week by Tyrell Williams and is behind him on our WR list this week. Benjamin had just four catches for 54 yards on five targets, while Williams went for 7-140-0.
Benjamin and the Bronco passing game isn't a good play this week considering the Broncos are first in allowing fantasy points to QBs and WRs. Benjamin comes in ranked in the 40s this week and probably isn't a safe play. Two weeks ago, Benjamin had just three catches for 17 yards on five targets.
Week 7 at Atlanta
It wasn't a great day for the San Diego passing attack, but we could kind of see that coming. Travis Benjamin had just three catches for 17 yards. Benjamin also fumbled for the third time this year, and actually the third time in the last four games. Denver's D was tops in allowing fantasy points to WRs, so Benjamin and company just weren't good plays.
This week, it's not much better as the Falcons are eights in allowing fantasy points to WRs, so Benjamin is again down our list at 34th in standard leagues (which equates to a lower-end WR3 option). The Seahawks didn't have a passing TD last week and the Falcon D held Russell Wilson to just 270 yards, so start Benjamin with caution.
Week 6 vs. Denver
Travis Benjamin caught seven balls on 11 targets for 117 yards in Week 5. The yardage and targets are season-highs so far in 2016. Teammate Tyrell Williams also had 117 yards, but also added a TD. We still have Benjamin ahead of Williams this week, however.
The bad news is this week brings a tough matchup, as the Broncos are the top team in allowing fantasy points to WRs. The Broncos have held QB Philip Rivers to just just 230 yards per game in the last four matchups, so Benjamin isn't a great option as more of a WR3 play. Owners shouldn't expect a shootout this week, which will hurt Benjamin's fantasy value too. The good news is Benjamin did have nine catches for 117 yards last year in Week 6 against the Broncos while playing for Cleveland. Start him with caution this week.
Week 5 at Oakland
Travis Benjamin caught four balls for 48 yards in Week 4, but did have a costly fumble that allowed the Saints to take the lead late in the game.
Benjamin had caught 10 balls for 197 yards and two TDs over the past two games, so it was just an average performance in what was supposed to be a good matchup in Week 4. Benjamin should still be considered the team's top WR, but Dontrelle Inman did step up with a 7-120-1 line to lead the way last week. Benjamin is a solid WR2 option in a great matchup this week, as the Raiders are at the bottom of the league in allowing fantasy points to WRs. However, the schedule does get tougher for a stretch after Week 5.
Week 4 vs. New Orleans
Travis Benjamin has stepped up pretty nicely in the absence of Keenan Allen. Last week, he caught four passes for 82 yards on seven targets and in two full games without Allen has a line of 10-197-2 (13).
Benjamin gets a great rank this week coming in as a solid WR1 option at ninth on our WR list. San Diego gets the Saints at home, who are 13th in allowing fantasy points to WRs. This may be about as high as you'll see Benjamin ranked on our list this season, so he's a pretty safe start for owners. Benjamin has another friendly matchup next week against the Raiders before things get pretty tough for a stretch.
