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.
Rashard Higgins, CLE (43%/+42%)
Jermaine Kearse, NYJ (47%/+41%)
Trevor Siemian, DEN (52%/+39%)
Jalen Richard, OAK (21%/+17%)
D’Onta Foreman, HOU (17%/+10%)
Geronimo Allison, GB (9%/+9%)
Vernon Davis, WAS (8%/+6%)
Kendall Wright, CHI (17%/+2%)
Gerald Everett, LAR (1%/+1%)
Deshaun Watson, HOU (14%/+1%)
Not all suggestions gain value though. Here are some players whose ownership value dropped since last week.
Marlon Mack, IND (9%/-7%)
Paul Richardson, SEA (11%/-3%)
DeShone Kizer, CLE (9%/-1%)
Quarterbacks
1) Deshaun Watson, HOU (14%)
2) Jared Goff, LAR (12%)
3) DeShone Kizer, CLE (9%)
This was another strong week for QB streamers as several of the top 15 QBs on the week can be found on the waiver wires of many dynasty leagues. While I’d be surprised if Houston rookie QB Deshaun Watson is still sitting out there, I would certainly be checking if playing in a shallow league. Watson has improved each week and nearly led his team to a huge upset in New England in Week Three, throwing for over 300 yards for the first time in his career. Watson finished just outside of the QB1 range and should be owned in all dynasty leagues…Last Thursday night, QB Jared Goff once again led an offensive explosion as the Rams eclipsed 40 points in a game. Goff tossed three touchdowns and nearly cracked the 300-yard plateau himself. He also finally showed a strong connection to former Bills WR Sammy Watkins, which could really boost his upside this season. Goff’s Week Three game landed him as the QB9 for the week. As the Rams offense continues to improve, Goff’s dynasty value will grow with it…Even in defeat, Browns rookie QB DeShone Kizer put up some huge numbers, finishing among the top 12 QBs on the week. Kizer threw for a pair of scores and ran for a third as he tried to keep his team in the game. Again, none of these QBs should be on dynasty waiver wires at this point…
Running Backs
1) D’Onta Foreman, HOU (17%)
2) Alex Collins, BAL (2%)
3) Corey Clement, PHI (0%)
4) Branden Oliver, LAC (2%)
For the second consecutive week, rookie RB D’Onta Foreman looked like the best back on the Houston roster. Starter Lamar Miller continues to just go through the motions while Foreman made an impact, especially as a receiver out of the backfield, catching a pair of passes for 65 yards. Combined with his meager rushing numbers playing behind Miller, this put Foreman just outside of the RB2 range, easily outscoring Miller…While fantasy owners were chasing Ravens pass-catching RB Buck Allen on waivers last week, we were all surprised when second-year RB Alex Collins flashed on Sunday, leading the team in rushing, with nine carries for 82 yards. Collins won’t have much involvement in the passing game, limiting his upside in PPR leagues, but he is still worth adding to dynasty rosters considering the competition in Baltimore and the overall lack of available RBs across most leagues…The Eagles were dealt a major blow on Sunday as veteran RB Darren Sproles suffered a pair of serious injuries on the same play, suffering a broken wrist and a torn ACL. Not only is his season over, but this could be the end of his career. The Eagles are left with a trio of banger RBs, including LeGarrette Blount and Wendell Smallwood. The newcomer to this group is undrafted rookie RB Corey Clement, who is almost certainly available in your dynasty league. Clement rushed six times for 22 yards and scored his first career touchdown in Week Three. Even with the loss of Sproles, this backfield will be just as confusing to project on a weekly basis, but with Blount and Smallwood failing to establish themselves as backfield leaders, I’m taking a chance on Clement…With starting RB Melvin Gordon missing much of the second half on Sunday, backup Branden Oliver saw his playing time greatly increased. He managed just 16 yards on eight carries, but did catch four passes for 18 yards. Gordon’s injury is reportedly minor and he is expected to play next week, but this is a situation to monitor and those in PPR leagues should keep Oliver on their waiver wire watch list…
Wide Receivers
1) Juju Smith-Schuster, PIT (1%)
2) Trent Taylor, SF (0%)
3) Devin Funchess, CAR (20%)
4) Zay Jones, BUF (20%)
5) Geronimo Allison, GB (9%)
6) Mike Williams, LAC (5%)
While Steelers rookie WR Juju Smith-Schuster remains a part-time player in the Pittsburgh offense, he did hit a career high of 39 yards in Week Three and also has clearly eaten into Eli Rogers’ role as the third wheel behind Antonio Brown and Martavis Bryant. Considering Smith-Schuster is still just 20 years old, he is clearly a player dynasty owners should be investing in…A huge part of the 49ers comeback attempt against the Rams last Thursday night was gritty slot WR Trent Taylor, a late round rookie from Louisiana Tech. Taylor caught three balls for 32 yards and a well-earned touchdown. He’s not useable in fantasy leagues yet, but that performance drew some comparisons to some of the successful WRs we’ve seen in Patriots uniforms over the years…With top WR Kelvin Benjamin ailing, many fantasy players will be chasing WR Devin Funchess and he should see an uptick in volume if Benjamin misses any game time, but he is so hard to trust. Funchess caught just four of ten targets in Week Three, most of those with Benjamin out of the lineup…Another disappointing player this season has been Bills rookie WR Zay Jones, who saw only a pair of targets in Week Three and failed to catch either. While I am not eager to use him in my lineups this season, I will take this opportunity to scoop him off the waiver wire if his owners grow impatient…With WR Randall Cobb out for Week Three, unheralded WR Geronimo Allison led the way for the Pack, catching six passes for 122 yards, including the 75-yarder that led to the game winning field goal in overtime. Anytime Cobb or any of the Packers top three WRs are out of action, Allison makes for a competent replacement and fantasy option…We still haven’t seen rookie WR Mike Williams in action yet this season, but he is expected to be cleared for a return to practice soon and could see game time in October. Williams is another player unlikely to be on dynasty waiver wires considering he was a first-round rookie pick in most leagues, but if your league has smaller rosters, be sure Williams is on yours…
Tight Ends
1) David Njoku, CLE (7%)
2) Vernon Davis, WAS (8%)
3) Austin Seferian-Jenkins, NYJ (4%)
4) Marcedes Lewis, JAX (1%)
5) Jonnu Smith, TEN (0%)
6) Tyler Kroft, CIN (0%)
For the second consecutive game, Browns rookie TE David Njoku caught a touchdown pass. With the current sad state of TE fantasy production, his 9.2 fantasy points was nearly good enough to finish among the top 12 TEs on the week. Njoku continues to split time with Seth DeValve, who has also played well and it is likely that neither will be a reliable weekly option this season. With that said, Njoku continues to produce in small doses when on the field and his upside remains as a top five dynasty TE. If he’s on your waiver wire, add him now…Redskins starting TE Jordan Reed missed his Week Three game, something that has become fairly common for Reed in his career. Also common is for veteran TE Vernon Davis to take Reed’s place and excel and that happened again this week. Davis caught all five balls thrown his way for 58 yards and a touchdown, making him a top five TE on the week. Reed’s status going forward is unknown, though the injury is not expected to be serious or keep him out multiple games. Fantasy players, especially Reed owners, should have Davis on speed dial…After serving a two-game suspension, Jets TE Austin Seferian-Jenkins returned to the field. Although HC Todd Bowles warned us that ASJ wasn’t ready for a major role, he did catch five passes for 31 yards in his season debut. Not only do the Jets have little depth at TE, they have little depth among pass-catchers period, meaning Seferian-Jenkins has a chance to make an impact and put up fantasy points as the Jets will be trailing for most of the season…After his three touchdown game, I’m sure Jaguars TE Marcedes Lewis will be a prime waiver wire target, but I wouldn’t overspend to add him to my roster. Lewis entered Week Three with no receptions on the season and his London performance did feel a bit fluky. I’ll add Lewis at the end of my bench, but with limited expectations for the remainder of the season…Titans rookie TE Jonnu Smith only caught one pass Sunday, but it was good for a 24-yard score, his second week in a row with a touchdown reception. Smith continues to play limited snaps behind veteran Delanie Walker, but is already showing he can be an impact player in this offense once Walker moves on, which could be at the end of this season…Bengals TE Tyler Eifert missed Sunday’s game and we later learned a back injury would keep him out of action for multiple games. His backup, Tyler Kroft, will take over in his absence. In Week Three, Kroft caught three balls for 28 yards. In six games played without Eifert over his career, Kroft has averaged nearly seven PPR points. While this level of performance does not equate to a league-winning performance, it might help those who are desperate for TE help…
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, Dede Westbrook
