Fantasy Football Today - fantasy football rankings, cheatsheets, and information
A Fantasy Football Community!




Create An Account  |  Advertise  |  Contact      






Antonio D'Arcangelis | Archive | Email |
Staff Writer


Through The Wire - Week 7
10/15/18; Updated: 10/16/18

MyFantasyLeague.com Users...
Check out the most popular waiver wire pickups this week across thousands of MFL leagues. Also, quickly see who's available on your waiver wire this week by using the MFL Power feature at FF Today. Just input your league's 5-digit ID number away you go!
Targeting weekly waiver picks is a completely subjective business, but this column hopes to point out some obvious and not-so-obvious selections to help your team from week to week while you strive to collect fantasy wins, reach your league playoffs and win the elusive title that your friends say is out of your grasp. While I’m a big proponent of making trades to bolster your roster, the waiver wire can be an almost limitless resource when it comes to discovering fantasy value in strange places. Each week, I’ll highlight some of the popular (and not-so-popular) players who can help your squad and may still be available in your league.

Feedback is always welcome, appreciated and encouraged. I’ll get to as many e-mails as I can.




Albert Wilson

Albert Wilson saw 9 targets on Sunday while DeVante Parker was targeted just once in Week 6.


Quarterbacks

Eli Manning, NYG – I know that it seems silly to include Eli here after his horrid performance on Thursday night, but the Falcons defense in Week 7 doesn’t offer much of a deterrent to chuck it downfield. Manning should rebound with at least 250 passing yards and two TDs, and has enormous upside facing a depleted defense that has not stopped anybody. He’s only about 10-30 percent owned so he makes a fine bye week fill-in for Aaron Rodgers, Ben Roethlisberger and Russell Wilson owners.

Mitchell Trubisky, CHI – Trubisky’s ownership ranges from about 30-60 percent, depending on league size and format, and he’s coming off a decent game (316-3-1). He could be forced to throw a lot more next week facing the Patriots, who gave up 352 passing yards to the Chiefs on MNF.

C.J. Beathard, SF – UPDATE: Beathard was fearless on MNF and gave audiences a great show, posting 246-2-1 with 21 rushing yards. He’s not going to be an every week QB2, but he’s got some upside as a DFS play in the right matchup and could pile up some decent fantasy numbers in Week 7 as the Niners try to keep pace with the Rams.

Brock Osweiler, MIA – Osweiler may have started a QB controversy in Miami as he threw for 380-3-2 with a 2XP in the OT win over the Bears, as Ryan Tannehill sat out with a shoulder injury. Osweiler is universally available and despite his checkered past could make sense in two-QB formats moving forward. Keep an eye on this situation, especially if you’re in a super-deep league where starting QBs are hard to find on the wire. Tannehill is currently listed as “day-to-day.”

Other QBs to consider: Joe Flacco, Sam Darnold, Dak Prescott

Updates:

Baker Mayfield, CLE – Mayfield took a step back Sunday, struggling with just 238-1-2 and a 2XP in the loss to the Chargers. He was pressured most of the game but has a much better matchup next week facing Tampa Bay, where he’s expected to play despite a minor ankle injury.

Jameis Winston, TB – Speaking of Tampa Bay, Winston piled up big numbers in his first start of 2018, throwing for 395-4-2 in the loss to Atlanta. He’s looking like a QB1 the rest of the way in this high-powered passing offense.

Case Keenum, DEN – Keenum completed 25-of-41 passes for 322-2-1 in the Week 6 loss to the Los Angeles Rams. He’ll be a solid QB2 and decent DFS value play next week against the Cards.

Derek Carr, OAK – The Raiders got pummeled by the Seahawks in London and Carr finished with a dreadful 142-0-0 with two lost fumbles. He was under pressure all game long and suffered a minor shoulder injury, which should have some additional time to repair as the Raiders are coming up on their bye week.

Running Backs

Latavius Murray, MIN – With Dalvin Cook a surprise scratch, Murray racked up 155 rushing yards and a TD, adding 1-3-0 in the win over Arizona. Cook’s been a disappointment this year due to injury and ineffectiveness, so Murray (45-65 percent owned) is a must-own in 12-team leagues even if Cook’s hamstring gets healthy.

Frank Gore, MIA – The veteran RB has gained 239 total yards in his last three games, including 101 rushing yards and 1-18-0 in yesterday’s OT win over the Bears. Gore (10-35 percent owned) may be a reliable option for the Dolphins, since he grinds out a few yards here and there and doesn’t fumble, but his production for fantasy owners remains somewhat sparse. This game could change that as Kenyan Drake lost a late fumble that could have cost Miami the game.

Marlon Mack, IND – I JUST dropped this guy in one 12-team league where I already has Nyheim Hines and was banking on his effectives over Mack’s – so Sunday’s developments didn’t make me very happy. Mack (25-60 percent owned) rushed for 89 yards on 12 carries and if his hamstring can stay healthy, he could supplant Hines and the lead of the Colts’ RB committee.

Duke Johnson, CLE – Duke’s 4-73-0 and 36 rushing yards on just two carries led the Browns skill positions in total yardage. Perhaps he’ll be a bigger part of this offense moving forward, and his 25-50 percent ownership level will jump. He’s definitely one to watch given the Browns’ matchup with Tampa Bay next week.

Other RBs to consider: Peyton Barber, Rashaad Penny, Gus Edwards, Ito Smith, Raheem Mostert, Nick Chubb

Updates:

Isaiah Crowell, NYJ – Crowell rushed 13 times for 40 yards and caught 2-12-0 in a 42-34 win over the Indianapolis Colts in Week 6. He’s an unreliable fantasy producer alongside Bilal Powell, and is a risky play in Week 7 against Minnesota.

Corey Clement, PHI – Despite pre-game chatter about his “pitch count” Clement ran the ball 11 times for 43 yards and a TD, and caught three passes for 26 yards on Thursday night. Without a clear starter in Philly, he remains a solid RB2 and usually gets a few more touches than Wendell Smallwood.

Javorius Allen, BAL – I’ll be honest – I’ve had a hard time discerning who the more valuable back in Baltimore is for most of last season and some of this one, but they seem to alternate based on game flow and score. When the Ravens get an early lead, Alex Collins is the guy, and when they get behind (even a little bit), Allen takes over. This week, Collins blew up for a couple scores while Allen tallied 1 rushing yard (on one carry) and 3-18-0 on his three targets – but Allen has a higher floor as the team's primary pass-catching back in Week 7 against the high-powered Saints.

Alfred Morris, SF – UPDATE: With Matt Breida active, Alfred Morris played just one offensive snap didn't touch the ball in the 49ers’ Week 6 loss to the Packers on Monday night. He’s safe to drop in all formats. Raheem Mostert (a fourth-year UDFA out of Purdue listed above in “RBs to consider”) finished with 87 yards on 12 carries and looked sharp in this one. Mostert is worth adding in deeper formats.

Jamaal Williams, GB – UPDATE: Williams rushed just six times for 29 yards on Monday night, hauling in a single 10-yard pass on three targets. Unless something happens to Aaron Jones, Williams doesn’t have a lot of fantasy value and is another candidate for a return to the waiver wire.

Alfred Blue, HOU – With Lamar Miller starting again, Blue reverted to his reserve role after briefly holding the “bell-cow” status. Blue finished with 26 rushing yards on 7 carries and 2-17-0 on three targets. He’s only a fantasy option when something is wrong with Miller.

Jamaal Charles, JAC – Charles had just five carries for 5 yards and 1-5-0 receiving in the loss to Dallas – who did an excellent job limiting the Jacksonville offense. Unless he can bring some of the “big plays” he spoke of when he got signed, expect Charles to disappear from relevance again.

Wide Receivers / Tight Ends

Tyrell Williams, LAC – I had Williams (10-20 percent owned) in my WRs “to consider” last week, and hopefully some of you pulled the trigger and started him as he busted out for 3-118-2 in the win over Cleveland. It’s hist first big game of the season and he made some very nice plays on the TDs, including being draped with several defenders on the second score. Perhaps he’ll see more than his usual complement of 3-5 targets moving forward.

Marquise Goodwin, SF – UPDATE: Goodwin exploded for 4-126-2 on Monday night (five targets), contributing two big TD catches on nice throws from C.J. Beathard in the tough loss to Green Bay. He’s definitely back on the fantasy radar and should be on everyone’s radar heading into a matchup with the Rams in Week 7 – when the 49ers will definitely be throwing to keep pace with that potent offense. He’s 40-55 percent owned but should be rostered in all 12-team leagues.

Albert Wilson, MIA – Wilson is just 10-25 percent owned but he’s already had two monster fantasy lines this season, a Week 3 outburst against the Raiders that included a 52-yard TD pass(!) to Jakeem Grant and a 74-yard TD reception from Tannehill. He blew up for 6-155-2 on a season-high nine targets from Osweiler Sunday and makes for a decent WR3 pickup heading into Week 6 vs. DET.

Taylor Gabriel, CHI – UPDATE: I included him a couple weeks back heading into the Bears bye week, and hopefully you rostered him then. He’s emerging as a solid big-play threat and is owned in about 35-55 percent of fantasy leagues. He’s worth a look in just about any format, has 12-214-2 in his last two games, and gets the Pats in Week 7.

Chester Rogers, IND – UPDATE: The Colts passing game is a mess, and Andrew Luck has been reliant on Eric Ebron in the red zone. But Rogers (15-35 percent owned) has been helping to move the chains and is the only receiver not showing up on the injury report every week. With Ryan Grant sidelined and T.Y. Hilton still nursing chest and hamstring injuries, Rogers (a steady contributor with 28-255-1 this season) makes for a fine play against the hapless Bills in Week 7.

Cole Beasley, DAL – In retrospect, it makes sense that the Cowboys would attack the Jaguars using the shifty Beasley (5-10 percent owned), exploiting their pass rush on some quick-hitting routes, but 9-101-2 on 11 targets was tough to envision in this difficult matchup. It’ll probably be a high-water mark for this fantasy output this year, but this blueprint shows me Beasley can contribute – especially in PPR leagues.

Jermaine Kearse, NYJ – Kearse finally looks healthy and benefited Sunday from the absence of Quincy Enunwa, snagging 9-94-0 on 10 targets from Darnold in the win over Indy. He’s not my favorite option due to his wild inconsistency, but the Jets need a big-body WR to make up for Enunwa, who’s expected to be out for at least a week or two.

Damion Ratley, CLE – Ratley caught 6-of-8 targets for 82 yards in Sunday's Week 6 loss to the Chargers. The Texas A&M product was forced into action with all of the injuries to the Browns receiving corps. He’s got a good matchup in Week 7 (@ TB) if he’s starting.

TE Ricky Seals-Jones, ARI – Seals-Jones caught 5-of-6 passes for 69 yards in Week 6 against the Vikings, failing to score. Despite the chatter about his development, he’s a low-end TE2 until he shows more of a nose for the end zone.

Chris Hogan, NE – Hogan caught four passes for 78 yards in a wild Week 6 game against the Chiefs, looking much sharper on his routes and running with the ball after his catches. There’s a lot of mouths to feed in the New England offense, but the potency of this unit makes him worth rostering in deeper formats.

Chris Godwin, TB – Despite the return of TE O.J. Howard and the relative health of all the Bucs WRs, Godwin still caught 6-of-9 targets for 56 yards and a touchdown in the Week 6 loss to the Falcons and appears to be a favorite of Winston’s in this potent offense. He’s a high-end WR4 and a decent flex option this week facing the Browns, and his four TDs in five games this season shows he’s a great red zone target.

Other WRs/TEs to consider: Adam Humphries, TE O.J. Howard, Willie Snead, D.J. Moore, TE Geoff Swaim, TE C.J. Uzomah

Updates:

Robby Anderson, NYJ – The Jets offense looked sharp on Sunday, but Anderson finished with just 3-39-0 on five targets. Despite the early exit of WR Quincy Enunwa, who suffered an ankle injury, it was mostly Jermaine Kearse and Terrelle Pryor who shined, combining for 14 receptions for 151 yards and a score. Anderson is a boom-or-bust WR3 who is reliant on TDs and big plays for his production.

Mohamed Sanu, ATL – Sanu didn’t get targeted much, but he was efficient with the two he got, giving us a 2-46-1 line that included a 35-yard TD catch. He actually left the game in the second half with a knee injury and could be questionable for Week 7 against the Giants. Stay tuned.

Cameron Meredith, NO – The Saints were on a bye this week, but Meredith is trending upward.

Tre’Quan Smith, NO – Like Meredith, there will be more looks and scoring opportunities for Smith in the coming weeks.

Christian Kirk, ARI – Kirk turned his seven targets into 6-77-0 and seems to have better rapport with Josh Rosen than Larry Fitzgerald.

Marquez Valdes-Scantling, GB – UPDATE: With Randall Cobb and Geronimo Allison out once again, “MVS” caught three passes on six targets for 103 receiving yards in the MNF win and finished third on the team in targets behind Davante Adams (16) and Jimmy Graham (9). Valdes-Scantling is big, talented target but should see a reduced role once the Packers return form their bye and likely get at least one of their main WRs back in action. He’s worth holding in dynasty and even a few deep keeper leagues, though.

TE Greg Olsen, CAR – Olsen (foot) made some nice catches in his Week 6 return, hauling in 4-48-0 but failing to reach the end zone. He’s a low-end TE1 given the foot injury that is guaranteed to follow him this season and make him a risk for early exit.

TE Austin Hooper, ATL – Finally! Hooper bailed me out of a relatively lackluster group of receiver recommendations this week, catching 9 balls for 71 yards and a TD on his 10 targets. He’s a solid low-end TE1 with upside in Week 7 against the giants, especially if Sanu and Calvin Ridley (ankle) are forced to sit.