Editor's note: This has been updated following the NFL trade deadline on Nov. 10.
The super-teams are coming.
Ten weeks in -- and with nine teams remaining in full-season Knockout leagues -- the strategy shifts. Weekly upside is becoming increasingly important, as rosters become ever-richer in talent. Aiming only for statistical floor is no longer getting it done quite as effectively. You need those big scores in order to stay afloat now.
Additionally, FAB (Free Agent Budget) funds are shrinking, perhaps dramatically in your league. Take our two in-house Knockout leagues, for example. In one league, 36% of collective FAB funds remain. In the other, it's 41%. Among those 18 managers, eight have less than 30% remaining.
If you're in a good position in terms of FAB, we've reached the stage where you're now in command of the free-agent market. Bully your competition for top free agents, examining likely competitors for newly available superstars and strategizing your bids dependent upon their resources. Pinpoint ideal times to acquire the superstars you need, rather than tossing FAB at each and every superstar who comes available.
That's why the FAB recommendations in this space in each coming week will be exactly that: Recommendations. If you need to open your FAB wallet wider to get the player you need, do it. If your competition won't be as aggressive in pursuit of a specific player or position, hold back.
To the point about optimal pickup times, here are a few thoughts to consider with some of this season's most fantasy-relevant teams:
Green Bay Packers: They roster the league's No. 3 scoring quarterback (No. 4 if going by fantasy points per game)in Jordan Love, and Nos. 3 and 5 (Nos. 7 and 8 by points per game) wide receivers in Christian Watson and Matthew Golden, but the toughest part of their entire 2026 schedule is upcoming. They've got the Minnesota Vikings -- the league's No. 2 defense (in yards allowed; they lead the league in points allowed) -- up next, then a Week 11 bye, then the Los Angeles Rams on the road. Those matchup downside points present opportunities to get Packers via their managers being knocked out, but that might also prove the trend over each of the next three weeks rather than merely exiting Week 10 alone.
Consider that among the Packers' five opponents throughout Weeks 13-17 in Knockout leagues, all but the Buffalo Bills are below league-average in passer rating allowed, setting them up for strong finishes. Target Packers as free agents accordingly, but amplifying your FAB amounts across each of the next three weeks -- remembering that any might still only make it to free agency in your league once in that time -- is a sound strategy.
Atlanta Falcons: Mentioned last week, they're especially relevant because of their superstar running back, Bijan Robinson. Remember, the Falcons are among the teams off during Week 11 "bye-mageddon," then they return to a miserable road matchup against the Vikings. There's an excellent chance that Knockout managers will get a crack at a Robinson bid coming off Weeks 11 or 12.
San Francisco 49ers: The 49ers have their bye in the rearview, but they've got a pair of tough-as-nails matchups in Weeks 11-12 in the Vikings and Seattle Seahawks, the league's Nos. 2 and 1 defenses. There's also a Week 14 game against the No. 3 defense in the Rams. The 49ers' schedule after (@LAC, @KC, PHI) isn't as high-level as the aforementioned Packers', but the 49ers also have three potentially elite Knockout pieces in Christian McCaffrey, George Kittle and Brock Purdy, all of whom rank among their positions' top four in fantasy points per game. Budgeting FAB for prospective 49ers exiting Weeks 11-12 is a wise move.
The 20 most-knocked-out players exiting Week 9
Note that FAB recommendations are in three tiers: "% OF FAB TO BID (ENFORCE)" is a low-end recommendation, if you don't necessarily need the player but don't want him gifted to the competition. "% OF FAB TO BID (MEDIAN)" is the recommended bid for a team with average needs at that position. "% OF FAB TO BID (AGGRESSIVE)" is advised for teams thin at that specific spot.
My favorite pickup of the week
Jahmyr Gibbs, RB, Detroit Lions (10.1% Knocked out, 21st overall, RB9): Just beneath the chart cut-off above, you'll find Gibbs, in one of those rare weeks where he was bumped in more than 10% of Knockout leagues. His Lions' seemingly inexplicable season lows of 19 points and 270 total yards against the Miami Dolphins resulted in a season-worst 13.4 fantasy points for the running back. This gives many the chance to pick up a superstar that we might not see again in 2026. To be clear, I am not remotely concerned about his Week 9, as Gibbs remains No. 1 among running backs in fantasy points per game (26.2) and rushing share (77%), third in snap rate (77%), fourth in target share (17%) and sixth in goal-line carries (7). Feel free to be even louder with your FAB bid than you might've been exiting his Week 6 bye. Recommended FAB bid: 28-68% of your full-season FAB budget.
Go get 'em
Josh Allen, QB, Buffalo Bills (13.1% Knocked out, 6th overall, QB2): I'm not generally one to pay up for quarterbacks at this stage of the Knockout season, but Allen is a rare bird. Even with his four sub-20-point fantasy games in his past six, he's still the position's leader in points per game (25.1) and he has more 20- (23), 25- (13) and 30-point (10) fantasy games than any other quarterback since the beginning of 2024. Allen's remaining schedule isn't top-shelf, but it also doesn't have a singular scary matchup (with the possible exception of the Packers in Week 14, which nevertheless has the chance to be a throw-throw-throw game). Recommended FAB bid: 21-40%.
George Pickens, WR, Dallas Cowboys (14.6% Knocked out, 3rd overall, WR2), and Jameson Williams, WR, Detroit Lions (13.8% Knocked out, 5th overall, WR3): They're No. 2 wideouts in their respective top-eight (going by passing yards per game) offenses, meaning the stats should be there at times but perhaps on more of a risk/reward scale. If wide receiver depth, rather than a stable collection of high-floor candidates, is what you need, either is worth your while. Recommended FAB bids: 12-28% for Pickens, 11-26% for Williams.
Worthy, with worries
Zay Flowers, WR, Baltimore Ravens (12.9% Knocked out, 7th overall, WR4), and Justin Jefferson, WR, Minnesota Vikings (11.1% Knocked out, 16th overall, WR6): Flowers and Jefferson are No. 1s for their teams, but their quarterback situations have cast doubts about their ability to meet their weekly statistical ceilings moving forward. Flowers has totaled 5.6 fantasy points the past two weeks while Joe Fagnano has largely handled the quarterbacking duties, while Jefferson has averaged only 10.5 fantasy points despite nine targets (again, on average) the past three weeks. In Flowers' case, at least, the acquisition of Jacoby Brissett improves his fantasy prospects from where we were a week ago at this time, while Jefferson having his bye week in the rearview is a help. Recommended bids: 9-19% for Flowers, 11-30% for Jefferson.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba, WR, Seattle Seahawks (17.2% Knocked out, 1st overall): OK, let's be crystal clear about his placement here, which is for two very critical reasons: Smith-Njigba's top two quarterbacks, Sam Darnold and Drew Lock, are both battling injuries ahead of Week 10 and the Seahawks are on bye in Week 11. That presents an excellent chance that the star wideout might again be high on this list in either of the next two weeks. I love the guy, but you must be prepared to navigate through those two weeks potentially without much of a contribution from him. Smith-Njigba feels like one of those players on whom to make a more conservative bid, under the assumption that you'll get another chance to acquire him before November concludes. Recommended bid: 24-58%.
Jared Goff, QB, Detroit Lions (14.8% Knocked out, 2nd overall, QB2): He's a sound fantasy quarterback, but he's also only 10th at his position in fantasy points per game, and he's coming off back-to-back miserable scores that reiterate his status as a matchup rather than every-week lineup option. Piecing together the quarterback position is increasingly easy in Knockout leagues, so there's no reason to go all-out to acquire a non-elite (read: non-Josh Allen) option. As is, Goff's 9.04 fantasy points in his poor Week 8 matchup against the Vikings reminds that you'll have to find someone else to use for his similarly bad Weeks 11 (TB) and 15 (@MIN) matchups. Recommended bid: 6-18%.
Garrett Wilson, WR, New York Jets (12.5% Knocked out, 8th overall, WR5): He has resided on knocked out teams in more than 10% of leagues in four of the past six weeks now, but Week 9 was the first that resulted from an absence (he sat due to a concussion). Wilson's bye week arrives in Week 13, and his statistical variance thus far (two games of 20-plus fantasy points, two of fewer than six) has dropped him into this class. Recommended bid: 10-25%.
Jonathan Taylor, RB, Indianapolis Colts (11.7% Knocked out, 12th overall, RB4): Remaining in Indianapolis might've been the worst thing for his fantasy value, considering the Colts moved G Quenton Nelson and WRs Keenan Allen and Josh Downs, significantly diminishing the quality of their offense. Still, Taylor should receive a heavy rest-of-year workload in an offense that centers upon him, and he has only one truly challenging remaining matchup, in Week 12 against the New York Giants. Recommended FAB bid: 18-49%.
No thanks
Ladd McConkey, WR, Los Angeles Chargers (10.9% Knocked out, 18th overall, WR8): Besides the fact that his Chargers have performed utterly miserably on offense through eight consecutive losses to begin the season, McConkey's own injuries have dropped his floor to untenable levels. His 8.6 fantasy points per game average ranks 59th at the position, and he has now left three games early (Week 1, rib injury; Week 4, foot; Week 6, concussion) while missing two others (Week 5, foot; Week 9, back), with the most recent a late scratch only discovered after lineup lock. That downside more than negates any benefit he might receive from his Chargers being frequently put into pass-friendly game scripts. Recommended bid: 5-11%.