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
for that elusive title that your friends say is out of your grasp.
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 that
might be available in 12-team PPR leagues. I’ll also provide
a brief update on the players I covered the previous week.
Week 7 Byes: Buffalo, LA Rams, Minnesota, Philadelphia
Quarterbacks
Matt Ryan, IND
@ Tennessee – Ryan has three 300-yard games to his credit this season
including one against this same Titans team back in Week 4. With
Jonathan Taylor still nursing his ankle injury, the Colts could
lean on Ryan a bit more in Week 7. Tennessee has given up the most
fantasy points to quarterbacks.
Davis Mills,
HOU @ Las Vegas – Mills hasn’t been great this season. His best
fantasy finish was QB13 in Week 4 against the Chargers. The Raiders
offers some glimmer of hope, giving up the 2nd most fantasy points
to quarterbacks making Mills a decent option in two-QB leagues.
Geno Smith, SEA – After three-straight weeks in the top
10, Geno (197-0-0; 6-48-0) fell back to earth as the QB17 heading
into Monday night. He’ll be a viable option next week against
the Chargers.
Jimmy Garoppolo, SF – Jimmy G (296-2-2; 3-11-0) had a modest
day against the Falcons as the 49ers we’re unexpectedly
trailing most of this game. He’s the QB10 heading into Monday
night.
Justin Fields,
CHI – Not too shabby for Fields (197-1-1; 12-88-0) who was close
to having a top 5 performance if he could’ve found a way to get
Chicago into the endzone on their final drive. You’ll need to
pick your spots if you plan on using Fields this season.
Running Backs
Priority if available: Brian Robinson Jr., WAS; Darrell
Henderson, LAR
Deon
Jackson, IND @ Tennessee –Jackson operated as the lead back
over Phillip Lindsay for the Colts with Jonathan Taylor (ankle)
out. If Taylor plays in Week 7, the Jackson can likely stay on
your bench, especially if Nyheim Hines (concussion) returns.
Kenyan Drake,
BAL vs. Cleveland – There aren’t many waiver wire options this
week, especially at the running back and quarterback positions.
There is always going to be volume concerns for the Baltimore
running backs with Lamar Jackson taking 10 or so rushing attempts
per week. Drake (10-119-1) was the better performer this past
week over J.K. Dobbins (7-15-0) so there’s some appeal, but this
isn’t a plug and play situation.
Update:Latavius
Murray, DEN vs. N.Y. Jets – Melvin Gordon got benched Monday
night in favor of 32-year-old Murray who rushed for 66 yards on
15 carries. Russell Wilson suffered a hamstring injury which may
have prompted more running calls. Murray is worth a look if this
move is permanent.
Kenneth Walker,
SEA – Walker (RB7) got the bulk of the work with Rashaad Penny
out for the season and turned in a 21-97-1; 2-13-0 line against
the Cardinals. He’s a high-end RB2 with RB1 upside moving forward.
Eno Benjamin,
ARI – Eno (15-37-0; 3-28-0) got 18 touches with the bulk of the
Cardinals running back room out for their game against the Seahawks,
but couldn’t do much with them. This Arizona offense is searching
for answers.
Update:
Joshua Kelley, LAC – Kelley left early in the Monday night
game with a knee injury. Sony Michel replaced him and looks to
be the current backup to Austin Ekeler for right now.
Jaylen Warren, PIT – The two Steelers’ running backs
only had 18 touches between them with Warren posting two yards
on two carries. Bust.
Wide Receivers / Tight Ends
Wan'Dale
Robinson, NYG @ Jacksonville – I recommended Robinson last week
but if he’s still floating around your waiver wire, he’s worth a
look in PPR leagues. The Giants are struggling for options at the
receiver position and it’s possible he could be a spark. Expect
his snaps to increase as the weeks move on.
Alec Pierce, IND @ Tennessee – Pierce was in the “Others
to Consider” section last week. He’s seen 16 targets
the last two weeks and the matchup looks good against the Titans.
TE Robert Tonyan, GB @ Washington – The Packers’
tight end is coming off his best game of the season (10-90-0)
on 12 targets, a sign that he might be ready to demand a bigger
target share as the offense struggles to find options in the passing
game.
Robbie Anderson,
ARI vs. New Orleans – We shouldn’t expect the newly acquired Anderson
to have a big role Thursday night but he could become noteworthy
later this season as it appears Marquise Brown has suffered a
significant foot injury and will miss at least six weeks.
Devin Duvernay, BAL – Duvernay was a solid contrarian option
in DFS circles but turned in a dud (1-14-0) against the Giants
on five targets.
Khalil Shakir,
BUF – Shakir (1-14-0) took a back seat to Isaiah McKenzie playing
on only 21% of the snaps. The rookie won’t be much of an option
unless McKenzie is on the sidelines.
TE Cade Otton, TB – Cameron Brate (2-14-0) returned to
action making Otton (2-23-0) a non-consideration in Week 6. Brate
did suffer a neck injury and his status is uncertain so Otton
could be a factor moving forward.
Wan’Dale
Robinson, NYG – Robinson (3-37-1) led the Giants receivers
in fantasy scoring this week on four targets but we know this
position is a wasteland for this team. He’s currently the
WR28 heading into Monday night.
