Notable Fantasy Football Performances from Waiver Options: John Metchie, Colston Loveland, Chimere Dike and More

One of my favorite things to do on Monday all NFL season is look up the top fantasy football performances. Usually, there's a number of surprising fantasy finishes from sparsely-owned fantasy players, and that's what we are going to go over in this article.

We will break things down by position.

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Running Backs

Even with Jaylen Warren active, Kenneth Gainwell had a big fantasy showing for the Steelers.

Gainwell rushed for 92 yards on just 10 carries, while adding in 30 receiving yards on six receptions and targets. Warren went for 68 yards and a score on 18 rushes, but didn't add anything as a pass catcher, so Gainwell was the better fantasy asset.

Gainwell outsnapped Warren 37-36. Some of that probably had to do with Warren being banged up coming into the week, but it's notable for fantasy owners of both guys.

Dylan Sampson re-emerged for the Browns' backfield in the first start for Shedeur Sanders.

Sampson rushed for 23 yards on seven carries, while catching two of his three targets for 59 yards and a touchdown.

Quinshon Judkins still was the top fantasy back for Cleveland, but it took two rushing touchdowns to get there. He had just 47 rushing yards on 16 carries, while adding nothing as a pass catcher.

It's been several weeks since Sampson really made a fantasy impact. Even if Dillon Gabriel returns as the team's starting QB, Cleveland might choose to involve Sampson more offensively down the stretch, so he's a RB to keep an eye on, especially in deeper leagues.

Wide Receivers

Chimere Dike had a nice offensive showing for the Titans.

He returned a punt 90 yards for a score, then later caught a 1-yard touchdown. Dike finished with 44 receiving yards on five catches and seven targets, while having 188 return yards across six chances.

Obviously, counting on return stats for fantasy points isn't a super great option, but it does give Dike a higher fantasy ceiling, especially in deeper setups. I'd be happy to add him in some deeper leagues, but probably would look elsewhere for standard league help because of the overall state of the Titans' offense.

John Metchie is barely owned in any fantasy leagues, but he finished just under 20 PPR fantasy points. He had 65 yards and a score on six receptions and seven targets. 

The Jets have a need for pass catchers to step up, at least until Garrett Wilson is back, so Metchie has a chance to stick around. Fantasy owners should only trust him in deeper leagues, but he's a name to keep an eye on in case this level of production continues.

Parker Washington went for 71 yards and a touchdown on five catches and seven targets. 

He too has a chance to stick as a fantasy asset as long as Brian Thomas is out with an injury. Definitely keep him in mind in deeper leagues, especially if Thomas misses more games.

Greg Dortch had a nice outing for the Cardinals, catching six of his nine targets for 58 yards and a score. He rushed twice, but lost five yards, and also returned five kickoffs for 127 total yards.

Dortch is another deep-league option as is, and he'd be a sneaky good standard league flex option if he has a good matchup and Marvin Harrison misses any more game action. 

Tight Ends

Colston Loveland went for 49 yards and a score on four grabs and five targets this week. It's not a ton of production, but it's the third-best fantasy score among tight ends right now. 

The Bears' offense has been pretty good this season under Ben Johnson, and Loveland should remain involved the rest of the way. He's a good deep-league option, and is a standard league possibility too.

Brenton Strange returned from a long absence and had 93 yards on five receptions and targets for the Jaguars. He's another one who took advantage of Thomas being out.

Strange was a pretty solid fantasy asset early in the season, so now is the chance to add a pretty good fantasy TE for cheap, thanks to his long absence.

Colby Parkinson finished with 41 yards and a score on four grabs and targets. 

He's scored a TD in three straight games, but still hasn't topped 50 yards in a game this season. The Rams' offense is good enough to support him as a fantasy asset too, but he's a risky play if he's not finding the end zone. He's definitely worth a look in deeper leagues at least.

Quarterbacks

Jameis Winston leads all fantasy QBs going into Monday's game. He completed half of his 36 passes for 366 yards, three scores and a pick. Winston rushed for 13 yards and also caught a 33-yard touchdown pass.

He's a fun fantasy asset to utilize when he's getting starts. So if Jaxson Dart is out again with his concussion, definitely consider Winston, and that goes for all fantasy leagues.

Tennessee's Cameron Ward finally had a big fantasy showing, going over 20 points - he hadn't even topped 14 points in a game before this week. Ward had 256 passing yards, a touchdown and no picks on 28-of-42 passing, while rushing for 37 yards and a score on six attempts.

That is more of the performance I expected from the rookie at times this season. He's underwhelmed to this point of the season, but could catch fire down the stretch. He's got some decent matchups done the stretch, and could be added/utilized in more fantasy leagues if he can keep delivering.