The Wire - Week 7
By Levi Ellis
It’s hard to believe that we are already at the halfway point of the season but believe it or not, it’s here. Most leagues start their playoffs in week thirteen which is only seven weeks from now. That means you have six weeks of games to get that playoff berth wrapped up and you really only have two ways to improve your roster at this point, waivers and trades. If you want to win your league you have to put in the work, but here at dynastprosfootball.com we’ve made that work a little easier for you and have identified the waiver players you should focus on this week.
Quarterbacks
In one QB leagues many people gave up on Carson Wentz a few weeks ago and I was one of those people. After back to back weeks of playing great defenses and Wentz performing it’s time for him to be owned again. Reagor, Alshon, Desean and Goedert should all be back in the near future which will only increase Carson’s value. Pick him up now if he’s available but in one QB leagues remember QB’s are easy to find so keep you bid to 5% or less.
Matt Ryan found his mojo and is back, ladies and gentlemen. He had 371 yards and 4 touchdowns this week. Add him with confidence and 10% seems like a fair amount.
In two QB leagues or superflex leagues you may want to consider Case Kennum. Baker is hurt and hasn’t played well. Keep in mind that Keenum once played for Kevin Stefanski in Minnesota so there’s a connection between the two and frankly I think Case may be better than Baker at this moment whether that’s the injury, the comfort with the offense or maybe even the talent. Don’t go crazy here and keep it to a minimum bid.
Running Backs
D’Andre Swift blew up this week with 14 carries for 116 yards and 2 rushing touchdowns. He added 3 catches for 7 yards. Swift should be your number one priority this week if he’s available. Bid 40% of your remaining FAAB budget.
With the Miles Sanders injury Boston Scott is back on the fantasy radar. Scott is almost certainly the starter this week
If you’re not opposed to taking a risk look at adding Jordan Howard and Matt Breida. Before you think I’ve completely gone off the rails on this one, hear me out. Both guys are not involved in the Dolphins offense and both guys were acquired during the offseason, one by free agency and the other by trade. I believe the Dolphins will want to recoup their investment on these guys and one or both guys could get traded before the trade deadline on November 3rd. With the Miles Sanders injury (extent not known at the time of this article) and the many other running back injuries and ineffectiveness around the league, teams could be calling the Dolphins about these two guys. Keep in mind that Howard played for the Eagles last year and before the Dolphins traded for Breida there were numerous rumors that the Eagles were interested in him. You shouldn’t have to bid more than the minimum for either guy.
If Mark Ingram misses any time then Gus Edwards and JK Dobbins both become very interesting but keep in mind the Ravens are on bye this week so Ingram would have to be out for multiple weeks for either guy to have value.
Before you rush out to drop Jerick McKinnon because of his two bad games in a row, remember that Raheem Mostert left the game with an ankle injury. If he misses anytime at all then McKinnon is still a guy that I would want to own. Another interesting thing about the 49ers backfield is Jeff Wilson was inactive for this game but JaMycal Hasty wasn’t. When Mostert went out with the injury it was Hasty that was the benefactor with 9 carries for 37 yards. Hasty is another guy worth adding especially with how great 49er running backs have performed when given the opportunity. Bid 5% for him and hope that he sneaks his way onto your roster.
Honorable mentions: Ty Johnson was added to the Jets gameday roster and he had 3 carries for 42 yards and 1 target. JD McKissic continues to be a decent PPR option as he caught another 6 passes last week for 43 yards. He added another 41 yards rushing.
Wide Receivers
If Tee Higgins is still available in your league then send me an invite next year because I love free money. Go pick this guy up!
AJ Green proved he could still play last week with 11 targets, 8 catches and 96 yards. I’m not confident that this type of performance will continue but you could do worse and as long as players from the Jets (not named Jamison Crowder) are owned then AJ Green should be too. I recommend keeping your bid under 15% but I believe someone will throw a lot of FAAB at AJ this week believing he’s back. I’m just not there yet.
If Travis Fulgham is still on your waiver wire you either haven’t been reading my articles or you haven’t been listening. Either way it’s a mistake that you shouldn’t make again. All jokes aside I don’t care if Reagor, Alshon or Desean are coming back soon, go get Fulgham. He has done nothing but perform each of the last three weeks. He had 10 targets, 6 catches, 75 yards and a touchdown this week against the Ravens. This guy may be legit! Bid 25% of your remaining FAAB budget to get this guy.
Keelan Cole has made an appearance again as he finished with 9 targets, 6 catches and 143 yards. The difference this time is DJ Chark didn’t miss this game and even had 14 targets so it’s impressive that Cole had 9 targets still. Bid 10% and just hope you can pick the right weeks to start him.
The Eagles have three WR’s (Reagor, Alshon and Desean) that should be returning from injury soon. Keep a close eye on these guys' availability and bid cautiously. Any of the three could return to a prominent role in the offense as the Eagles are desperate for playmakers. I wouldn’t bid more than 10% of your remaining faab for any of these guys but all three are worth a roster spot.
A player that I mentioned in last week's article was Zach Pascal. He finished last week for 7 targets, 4 catches, 54 yards and one touchdown. Rivers has to throw the ball to someone and Pascal has proven to be reliable. He’s not flashy and he doesn’t have the highest ceiling but he does have a solid floor. Bid 5% of your remaining FAAB budget.
Another player mentioned in a recent article was Tim Patrick. He continues to get opportunities now that Sutton is out. Patrick finished with 8 targets, 4 catches and 101 yards. He’s worth a roster spot. Bid 15% of your remaining FAAB.
Honorable mentions: Bershard Perriman was back in action this week and had 8 targets, 4 catches and 62 yards. Devin Duvernay continues to find ways to be involved in the offense as he finished this week with 3 catches for 31 yards and if your league scores points for return yardage he had one return for 37 yards. If his role in the offense continues to grow then he could be a valuable flex starter in the near future. Keep an eye on him. Adam Humphries came back from the Covid list and immediately was involved in the offense. He had 6 catches for 64 yards and a touchdown. Humphries would be higher on this list but I assume Corey Davis will be back before next week and that will complicate the targets. Marcus Johnson does nothing but perform when he’s given an opportunity, problem is he isn’t given an opportunity too often. He finished this week with 8 targets, 5 catches and 108 yards. He’s nothing more than a streamer right now but he’s worth a look. James Washington was finally involved in the offense as he finished with 7 targets, 4 catches, 68 yards and one touchdown. Washington has the talent to perform; he just unfortunately has a lot of other weapons to compete with. Washington is nothing more than a flex starter at this time and is best utilized when other wide receivers are out for the game.
Tight Ends
Rob Gronkowski finally showed up this week with 8 targets, 5 catches, 78 yards and his first touchdown as a Buc. If he’s on your waiver wire he’s worth a look as we all know how much Brady likes his tight ends. With that being said you could be in for a roller coaster ride with Gronk but unless you own Kelce, Kittle or Jonnu Smith you are already on that coaster so hold on tight. Bid 15% to 20% for Gronk.
Another player returning from injury soon is Dallas Goedert and to get bargains in waivers you have to pick these guys up before the news breaks that they are back. Goedert is not only a great player but Ertz hurt his ankle in last week’s game. At the time of this article Ertz condition is not yet known but if he misses any time at all Goedert’s value immediately increases. Bid 15% just in case other owners are trying to sneak this one in like you.
If it hasn’t happened yet, someone will drop Zach Ertz. When they do go pick him up. Ertz performance has been terrible this year and now he has an injured ankle but I still believe in his talent. Talent and volume are probably the two biggest factors in a players performance and Ertz has both. He had 10 targets in last week's game although he only caught 4 of them for 33 yards. I think when some of these injured WR’s come back it will help Ertz so defenses can’t focus all of their attention on him.
Irv Smith has had back to back solid performances. He finished last week with 4 catches for 55 yards and now appears to be involved in the offense. I’m still skeptical of his role but not of his talent. Bid 5% and hope for the best.
If Austin Hooper is available you should go grab him. These last three weeks his role has grown in this Cleveland offense. He finished the week with 6 targets, 5 catches and 52 yards. Bid 20% because we know Hooper has the talent to be a top 5 TE.
Another Indy TE has now made himself desirable and that is Trey Burton. He finished last week with 5 targets, 4 catches, 58 yards a rushing and a receiving touchdown. Keep in mind that Mo Allie Cox was out last week but even the week before Burton received more targets than Cox. Burton is another streamer option at the position. Bid no more than 3%-5% for him.
Darren Fells had a big game last week with 7 targets, 6 catches, 85 yards and one touchdown. The Texans are a team that will have to score a lot of points to stay in games and that bodes well for Fells. He’s nothing more than a TE streamer though so don’t bid more than 3%-5% for him.
Anthony Firkser had himself a game this week and was well on his way even before Jonnu Smith left with an ankle injury. Firkser had 9 targets, 8 catches, 113 yards and one touchdown. If Jonnu misses any time then Firkser is a guy to look at as a streamer. Bid cautiously with only 3%-5% and only if Jonnu misses time.
I can’t believe I’m even mentioning this one but Adam Shaheen has had touchdowns on back to back weeks now and the TE position is a wasteland. He finished the week with 3 targets, 3 catches, 51 yards and a touchdown. If you’re desperate for a TE maybe he’s worth a minimum bid.
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