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For some of us, it was Patrick Jeffers back in 1999.
For others, it was Billy Volek in 2004. Or Jerome Harrison in 2009, Tim Tebow in 2011 or Damien Williams in 2018.
Each year, some previously un-hyped player emerges from the depths of a random team’s roster and steamrolls through the closing weeks of the NFL season. These individuals become fantasy playoff heroes, legends of December — unforgettable names to anyone who added them.
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I would absolutely send Patrick Jeffers a holiday card each year if I knew his whereabouts. A little seasonal good cheer is the very least of what I owe that man.
At any rate, here are four of this year’s most plausible (yet also most random) candidates to detonate in the money weeks…
⚜️ Kendre Miller, New Orleans Saints
Listen, there are some Miller true believers in this world who’ve had the “I TOLD YOU SO!” tweet in their saved drafts for the past two years. I am not actually one of those zealots, but I’m open to the idea that Miller can help us. He’s looked entirely competent over his last two games on limited usage, and he might just find himself as the centerpiece of his team’s offense if Alvin Kamara (groin) is sidelined. New Orleans travels to Lambeau this week before hosting the Raiders in a prime matchup in Week 17.
🐶 Jerome Ford, Cleveland Browns
Ford was a high-priority waiver add this week after the Nick Chubb injury news, and understandably so. He’s a back with undeniable big-play ability, but also equally undeniable small-play ability. It’s a mixed bag, honestly. Ford is headed for a beefy workload vs. the Bengals, though, so we can reasonably chase the upside.
😎 Hollywood Brown, Kansas City Chiefs
Yeah, this feels like cheating, because Brown is certainly not just some dude rising from the bottom of the depth chart. He’s a well-established name returning from injury at a convenient time and ahead of a friendly matchup with Houston. Kansas City’s offense is crying out for playmakers; it shouldn’t be too difficult to imagine Patrick Mahomes — if healthy, of course — finding a use for Brown.
🤠 Cooper Rush, Dallas Cowboys
OK, this potential fantasy event has the strongest possible Volek vibes, because:
A) it’s galactically unlikely to happen, and…
B) even if it does, there’s zero chance it continues through Championship Week.
(Volek was a spent force after back-to-back 400-yard games. He bombed in title week: 111 yards, no TDs, 2 INTs.)
Rush may find himself involved in a wild shootout with Baker Mayfield and the Bucs on Sunday, which gives him a certain fantasy appeal. If you are bullish on CeeDee Lamb, then by extension you should be semi-interested in Rush as well. Unfortunately, in Championship Week he travels to Philly, where the Eagles defense is likely to crumple him up and dispose of him properly.
