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.
Latavius Murray, MIN (81%/+64%)
Aaron Jones, GB (57%/+46%)
Jaron Brown, ARZ (48%/+42%)
Wayne Gallman, NYG (39%/+36%)
Alex Collins, BAL (41%/+31%)
J.D. McKissic, SEA (29%/+26%)
Austin Seferian-Jenkins, NYJ (28%/+21%)
Elijah McGuire, NYJ (17%/+14%)
Tyler Kroft, CIN (13%/+12%)
Mitchell Trubisky, CHI (10%/+7%)
Juju Smith-Schuster, PIT (5%/+3%)
Austin Ekeler, LAC (2%/+2%)
O.J. Howard, TB (20%/+2%)
Michael Floyd, MIN (2%/+1%)
Not all suggestions gain value though. Here are some players whose ownership value dropped since last week.
Jamaal Williams, GB (10%/-1%)
Quarterbacks
1) Mitchell Trubisky, CHI (3%)
2) Jacoby Brissett, IND (12%)
It’s another rough week if your fantasy team needs help at the QB position, but there are a couple of options…Making his NFL debut on Monday Night Football, Bears rookie QB Mitchell Trubisky nearly guided his team to an upset win over the division-rival Vikings. Trubisky threw for only 134 yards and a touchdown and his late-game interception led to the game-winning field goal for Minnesota. With all that said, the Bears will clearly be sticking with the second overall draft pick moving forward and you could do worse stashing Trubisky at the end of your dynasty bench…It’s not easy to get excited or feel confident about Colts QB Jacoby Brissett, but the backup for QB Andrew Luck has performed as a fantasy starter in recent weeks. Since Week Two, Brissett is the QB14, including a QB10 finish in Week Five. With Luck reportedly out a few more weeks, Brissett could be useful with bye weeks in full effect.
Running Backs
1) Marlon Mack, IND (9%)
2) Matt Breida, SF (7%)
3) Elijah McGuire, NYJ (17%)
4) Samaje Perine, WAS (14%)
5) Alfred Morris, DAL (8%)
6) Orleans Darkwa, NYG (3%)
With veteran RB Frank Gore seemingly getting slower each week, the Colts turned to their rookie RB Marlon Mack for a spark and he delivered, totaling 93 yards on 10 touches. He scored one rushing touchdown and had another before it was overturned via replay. The Colts are going nowhere this season and HC Chuck Pagano suggested Monday that Mack has earned a larger role moving forward. If Mack is on the waiver wire, he should be the top priority this week…Another rookie playing surprisingly significant time in Week Five was 49ers RB Matt Breida, who led the team in rushing with 49 yards, compared to just 11 yards on eight carries for starter Carlos Hyde. The assumption during the game was that Hyde’s hip injury flared up, but HC Kyle Shanahan later told reporters that the RB usage was simply a matter of the team sticking with the “hot hand.” On Monday, he reiterated those comments, explaining that Hyde would retain the starting job, but Breida will get his chances. This feels like a buy-low opportunity for Hyde, but Breida is well worth a waiver wire claim…The Jets were already playing without veteran RB Matt Forte and in the first-half on Sunday, RB Bilal Powell was forced from the field with a calf injury. Rookie RB Elijah McGuire earned the bulk of the carries, managing just 20 yards on 11 carries, a week after his breakout game against the Jaguars. Early reports from beat writers suggest Powell could miss Week Six when the Jets host the New England Patriots. If McGuire can perform against the Super Bowl champs, he could claim the starting job moving forward…Rookie RB Samaje Perine has been disappointing early in his career. He was unable to beat out RB Rob Kelley and even when Kelley suffered an injury, Perine flopped, leading the Redskins in rushing with 27 yards on six carries. This slow start might have dynasty owners ready to give up on the fourth-rounder and while his start is disappointing, he is still worthy of a roster spot in most dynasty formats…Rumors continue to swirl that Cowboys RB Ezekiel Elliott could face a six-game suspension sometime this season and everything we have seen tells us that Dallas would turn to veteran Alfred Morris as his replacement. Alf is a dart throw waiver claim best suited for Elliott owners as an insurance policy…With Paul Perkins ailing, the Giants leaned heavily on RB Orleans Darkwa, who carried eight times for 69 yards and a score. Darkwa did suffer a leg injury and his role was limited, so monitor this situation, as well as Perkins’ health, before using a claim on Darkwa…
Wide Receivers
1) Mike Williams, LAC (8%)
2) Juju Smith-Schuster, PIT (5%)
3) Ricardo Louis, CLE (1%)
4) Roger Lewis, NYG (2%)
As we look forward to Week Six, reports suggest that rookie WR Mike Williams will make his debut as the Chargers face off against the Raiders. Outside of WR Keenan Allen, the Chargers pass catchers have been inconsistent this season and Williams could step in and make an immediate impact…Steelers rookie WR Juju Smith-Schuster continues to make an impact, while his teammate Martavis Bryant struggles. Smith-Schuster has seven receptions for 105 yards and a touchdown over the past two games. If he somehow remains on your waiver wire, he’s another priority add…The Browns have been searching all season for consistency from their receiver corps. With WRs Corey Coleman and Kenny Britt out with injuries, they’ve turned to WR Ricardo Louis. Over the past two games, Louis has seen 17 targets, catching 10 balls for 135 yards. This is not enough volume to lock in Louis as fantasy starter, but it should put him firmly on the watch list…The Giants were devastated in Week Five with the loss of WRs Odell Beckham and Brandon Marshall for the season, while WR Sterling Shepard will also miss time, all three dealing with ankle injuries. Even special teams standout, WR Dwayne Harris suffered a season-ending foot injury. This leaves Roger Lewis as the team’s top remaining wideout. Expect the Giants to bring in some help for Lewis, while we could also see TE Evan Engram split out wide more often, but Lewis should see enough volume to make his worthy of a roster spot in most leagues.
Tight Ends
1) George Kittle, SF (1%)
2) David Njoku, CLE (7%)
We had been seeing signs of a possible breakout for 49ers rookie TE George Kittle and it happened in Week Five as the SPARQ freak caught seven of nine targets for 83 yards and a touchdown. Kittle nearly had another touchdown, but couldn’t bring in a difficult catch. This performance was good for the TE2 spot and with the miserable TE dynasty landscape, Kittle could quickly move up the ranks…Browns TE David Njoku brought in another touchdown in Week Five, catching all three targets for 48 yards. Njoku remains a risky weekly start option, but a must stash dynasty option.
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
