In this weekly series, I will highlight players that are speculative adds in deeper dynasty leagues, since the majority of players often covered in typical waiver wire columns have long been rostered.
No matter how deep your league is or how large the rosters, you should always keep a watch list of players you are considering adding, should the opportunity present itself. The group of names below will help you form that list.
I will note that the data presented is based on all Yahoo leagues, not just those designated as keeper or dynasty.
First, let’s look back at last week’s waiver wire suggestions that gained value, with current Yahoo ownership percentages and percentage change in parentheses.
Ricky Seals-Jones, ARZ (28%/+26%)
Marquise Goodwin, SF (32%/+17%)
Jacquizz Rodgers, TB (20%/+13%)
Seth Roberts, OAK (11%/+11%)
Cordarrelle Patterson, OAK (14%/+10%)
Dontrelle Inman, CHI (17%/+8%)
Jimmy Garoppolo, SF (16%/+7%)
Peyton Barber, TB (6%/+5%)
Zay Jones, BUF (19%/+5%)
Brett Hundley, GB (12%/+5%)
Trevor Siemian, DEN (8%/+2%)
DeShone Kizer, CLE (4%/+1%)
Not all recommended players gain dynasty value from week to week. Here are some players mentioned in last week’s article whose ownership percentage took a hit over the past week.
T.J. Yeldon, JAX (13%/-2%)
Kenny Golladay, DET (10%/-1%)
Eddie Lacy, SEA (14%/-1%)
Quarterbacks
1) Jimmy Garoppolo, SF (16%)
2) Patrick Mahomes, KC (1%)
As the fantasy playoffs near, your contending team likely doesn’t need help at the quarterback position, but regardless of your current standing, new 49ers QB Jimmy Garoppolo should be a waiver wire target for every team. In his starting debut for San Francisco, who acquired him at the trade deadline, Garoppolo was very impressive. Garoppolo kept his team in the game on the road at Chicago and led a late game-winning drive. While his contract status for 2018 is undecided, there is every reason to believe Garoppolo can be a successful quarterback in the league and he could quickly be considered a top 15 dynasty signal caller…Chiefs veteran QB Alex Smith looked much better in Week 13, carving up the Jets defense for 366 yards and four touchdowns, but Kansas City still lost the game, meaning speculation surrounding rookie QB Patrick Mahomes potentially taking over will continue. Whether it happens this year or not, Mahomes is a player you want on your dynasty roster…
Running Backs
1) Peyton Barber, TB (6%)
2) Mike Davis, SEA (8%)
3) Andre Ellington, HOU (8%)
4) Tion Green, DET (0%)
5) Elijah McGuire, NYJ (4%)
There are surprisingly several quality running back options on dynasty waiver wires this week, especially for contending teams looking to upgrade their final spot in the lineup. With veteran RB Doug Martin out with a concussion, the Buccaneers turned to RB Peyton Barber, who posted the first 100-yard game of his career, totaling 143 yards and leading Tampa Bay in both rushing and receiving. Martin’s status is unclear, but he’s struggled all season and could lose touches to Barber even if healthy…The Seahawks have struggled to find a consistent performer at the running back position all season, trying RBs Eddie Lacy, Thomas Rawls, Chris Carson, C.J. Prosise, J.D. McKissic and now Mike Davis. All have either missed time with injuries or simply underperformed, but Davis looks to be the choice for the final stretch. He rushed for 64 yards, which was actually the second-best performance by a Seahawks back this season. He’s the presumed starter moving forward and should be added in all dynasty leagues…The Texans not only lost the game on Sunday, but lost multiple players to injury, including WRs Bruce Ellington (hamstring) and Braxton Miller (concussion). This forced them to turn to RB Andre Ellington as a slot receiver, quickly boosting his fantasy numbers. Ellington was not effective at all as a runner, losing yardage on his two carries, but he caught five of six targets for 56 yards and should be considered in PPR leagues…So, until he scored his first career touchdown on Sunday, I’d never heard of Lions RB Tion Green. With starting RB Ameer Abdullah out with a neck injury, Detroit gave the rookie from Cincinnati 11 carries for 51 yards. Although this is not a game-winning stat line, it is certainly encouraging for the Lions. While Abdullah is expected back soon, Green could see increased playing time and is worth a roster spot in deeper leagues…The Jets continue to employ a full-on committee attack in their backfield with veterans Bilal Powell and Matt Forte sharing time with the rookie Elijah McGuire. While he will continue to make the occasional impact play, as he did in Week 13, adding McGuire is really a move with 2018 in mind, when at least one of those vets will likely be gone…
Wide Receivers
1) Kenny Golladay, DET (10%)
2) Zay Jones, BUF (19%)
3) Trent Taylor, SF (0%)
4) Dontrelle Inman, CHI (17%)
It’s another week of few waiver wire options at the wide receiver position. In fact, of the four identified targets here, only one is really a “win now” type play. A trio of rookie receivers are the main targets, though all should be more useful and productive in 2018. Lions rookie WR Kenny Golladay has established himself as the top deep threat for QB Matthew Stafford, but sees few targets playing behind WRs Golden State and Marvin Jones…Targets are not the problem for Bills rookie WR Zay Jones, who now has at least seven targets in each of his past four games and five of the past six. Jones’ issue is actually hanging onto the balls. Of the 31 targets thrown his way over the past four, Jones has caught just 15 balls. That being said, efficiency was a strength for Jones in college and I expect him to improve and he can build on his play this season…49ers rookie WR Trent Taylor has shown flashes this season and with his new QB Jimmy Garoppolo throwing him the ball, Taylor caught all six of his targets for 92 yards, finishing as a WR2 for the week….The one veteran who could help contending teams, albeit with a low ceiling, is Bears top option WR Dontrelle Inman. Although he disappointed In Week 13, as did the entire Bears offense, Inman has been the top target for rookie QB Mitchell Trubisky since being acquired by the Bears a little over a month ago…
Tight Ends
1) David Njoku, CLE (5%)
2) Trey Burton, PHI (1%)
3) Stephen Anderson, HOU (0%)
Browns rookie TE David Njoku enjoyed the best game of his young career in Week 13, posting a 4/74/1 line. Njoku’s usage may not be consistent moving forward, especially with the return of WR Josh Gordon, but he’s already valued among the top young tight ends in the game…Eagles star TE Zach Ertz suffered a concussion in Week 13 and his status for next week is unknown. If he misses the game, backup TE Trey Burton has proven to be a reliable option for both the Eagles and fantasy players…Along with the previously mentioned injuries to Texans WRs Ellington and Miller, the team also lost starting TE C.J. Fiedorowicz to a concussion, his second of the season. Once he left the game, backup TE Stephen Anderson saw a major uptick in playing time and looks from QB Tom Savage. He’s a bit of a desperation play, but with Ertz possibly out and Patriots TE Rob Gronkowski suspended, many playoff teams will be forced to make this type of choice…
Players on Injured Reserve worth stashing for 2018 (under 20%) Allen Robinson, Cameron Meredith, Spencer Ware, Julian Edelman, Ryan Tannehill, Rico Gathers, Kenneth Dixon, Carlos Henderson, Tajae Sharpe, Erik Swoope, Malcolm Mitchell, Tyler Eifert, Andrew Luck, Sam Bradford, Deshaun Watson, Pierre Garcon, Dalvin Cook, Rob Kelley, Deshaun Watson, D’Onta Foreman, Brandon Marshall, C.J. Prosise, Curtis Samuel, Chris Carson
