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.
All players mentioned will be owned in less than 20 percent of Yahoo fantasy leagues. I will note that the data presented is based on all Yahoo leagues, not just those designated as keeper or dynasty.
Editor’s Note: Rotoworld’s partner FanDuel is hosting a one-week $500,000 Fantasy Football league for Week 7’s games. It’s only $10 to join and first prize is $40,000. StartsSunday, October 19th at 1pm ET. Here’s the link.
First, let’s look back at last week’s Waiver Wired suggestions that gained value, with current Yahoo ownership percentages and percentage change in parentheses.
Branden Oliver, SD (78%/+64%)
Ronnie Hillman, DEN (45%/+37%)
Odell Beckham, Jr., NYG (37%/+26%)
Antone Smith, ATL (28%/+20%)
Storm Johnson, JAX (18%/+18%)
Tim Wright, NE (24%/+15%)
Austin Davis, STL (14%/+9%)
Benny Cunningham, STL (14%/+9%)
Brian Hoyer, CLE (11%/+6%)
Eric Ebron, DET (13%/+4%)
CJ Anderson, DEN (4%/+3%)
Jonathan Stewart, CAR (16%/+2%)
Mike Glennon, TB (7%/+1%)
Joseph Randle, DAL (3%/+1%)
Brian Tyms, NE (1%/+1%)
UPDATE: After a huge Week Five performance, it’s no surprise to see Chargers’ rookie running back Branden Oliver as the top pickup from last week’s list. Other running backs rank near the top of the list as well with Ronnie Hillman taking over in Denver and Antone Smith continuing to make big play after big play for the Falcons.
While these players are on the rise, some of last week’s suggestions lost value over the past week.
Allen Robinson, JAX (12%/-1%)
Kenbrell Thompkins, OAK (2%/-1%)
Tyler Eifert, CIN (15%/-1%)
UPDATE: Jaguars’ rookie Allen Robinson continues to slowly fall down the ranks according to ownership percentages. While he has yet to have a true breakout game or score his first NFL touchdown, Robinson continues to be a consistent performer. If he’s on the wire in your dynasty league, I still suggest you scoop him up.
Quarterbacks
1. Derek Carr, OAK (4%)
2. Mike Glennon, TB (7%)
3. Blake Bortles, JAX (12%)
4. Zach Mettenberger, TEN (0%)
o You’ll notice some of the same names from past weeks in this quarterback list, but these four continue to present value without recognition. In Week Six, Derek Carr’s return from an ankle injury coincided with debut of interim head coach Tony Sparano and the overall results were very positive. While the Raiders could not pull out the win over the San Diego Chargers, the team competed and the offense looked much improved. Carr especially benefitted from the changes on offense, throwing for a career high 282 yards and matching his season output with four passing touchdowns.
o While the Tampa Bay Buccaneers continue their poor play, quarterback Mike Glennon continues to sling the ball around and post QB1 level fantasy numbers. Over Glennon’s three starts, he ranks as the QB9, outscoring players like Matt Ryan and Matthew Stafford over that time period. As I said last week, expect the Bucs to continue to play from behind, meaning a high volume of passes for Glennon and wide receivers Vincent Jackson and Mike Evans.
o After consecutive disappointing weeks, Jaguars’ rookie Blake Bortles was back in the QB1 range, finishing as the QB12 in Week Six. As we’ve seen in his earlier games, Bortles’ fantasy stats are being padded by his rushing numbers and last week, he carried five times for 38 yards, which was good enough to lead the anemic Jacksonville rushing attack. Adding Bortles now is more of a stash with an eye towards the future as it’s fair to expect a certain level of inconsistency for the remainder of this season.
o The Tennessee Titans won just their second game of the season in Week Six, but quarterback Charlie Whitehurst still failed to deliver as the Titans squeaked out a win over the hapless Jags. The injury concerns starter Jake Locker has dealt with have been well-documented and Zach Mettenberger’s time is coming soon. Even if he does earn the promotion to the starting role, Mettenberger will primarily be an option in deep league or 2QB leagues.
Running Backs
1. Isaiah Crowell, CLE (19%)
2. Storm Johnson, JAX (18%)
3. James Starks, GB (10%)
4. James White, NE (3%) and Brandon Bolden, NE (2%)
5. Joseph Randle, DAL (3%)
6. Theo Riddick, DET (1%)
7. Juwan Thompson, DEN (2%)
o The debate rages on as to which Browns’ rookie running back, Isaiah Crowell or Terrance West, is the backup to own and the heir apparent should Ben Tate’s injury issues persist, though we did get some clarification in Week Six as West was a surprise inactive and Crowell nearly matched Tate’s 78 yards on less than half the carries. Crowell also found pay dirt for the fourth time this season. Though Tate played well and looks healthy, Crowell makes for a fine weekly RB3 given the Browns’ commitment to the run this season.
o I’ve already mentioned the poor performance by the Jaguars’ offense and rookie running back Storm Johnson was no exception in his first career start. Rushing for only 21 yards on ten carries, Johnson was a huge disappointment for the many who thought he could breakout with Toby Gerhart inactive. Considering the team is clearly going nowhere this season and Gerhart has been one of the biggest disappointments of the season, the team might be wise to see if Johnson offers them anything for the future.
o It was announced last week that the Green Bay Packers would employ an even split in carries going forward between Eddie Lacy and veteran James Starks and that was certainly the case in Week Six. Lacy had fourteen carries, while Starks carried eight times and also saw five targets out of the backfield. Going forward, Starks is a desperation fantasy play, but would be an automatic starter should Lacy miss time.
o In New England, predicting the running back usage was already a near impossible task and it just got even tougher with the season-ending injury to Stevan Ridley. Along with the expected increase of touches for Shane Vereen, one of veteran Brandon Bolden or rookie James White should see a lot more playing time and a chance at fantasy relevance. The favorite has to be Bolden, considering White has yet to be active for the team this season, though the younger White would be the primary target for dynasty owners, should he see any action.
o DeMarco Murray continues his record setting pace through six weeks, but I can’t shake the feeling he will deal with an injury at some point this season. Not only can we look at his past history of injuries, which has caused him to never play a full season, but the workload he’s taking on this season alone could be cause for concern. I’m grabbing second year back Joseph Randle everywhere I can as a “just in case” play.
o While most assumed it would be all Joique Bell, all the time in Week Six with Reggie Bush missing the game due to an injury, it was Theo Riddick who excelled in the first half, especially in the passing game. Though he carried only three times for six yards, Riddick caught five balls for 75 yards and a touchdown, all in the first half. Riddick falls this far on the list for a couple of reasons. He missed the second half of the game after aggravating the hamstring injury he’s been dealing with for the past few weeks and it appears as though Bush will make his return in Week Seven. Riddick did at least show what he can do when given the snaps, so adding him in your deep dynasty leagues could payoff later this season.
o I, and many others, expected some combination of Ronnie Hillman and CJ Anderson to carry the load for the Broncos with Montee Ball out of action. Instead, Anderson didn’t even touch the ball and it was Juwan Thompson who tallied 38 rushing yards running behind Hillman on the depth chart. Considering Ball has failed to impress even when he was healthy, any Broncos’ back getting touches is worth a roster spot in hopes they come close to last year’s Knowshon Moreno production.
Wide Receivers
1. Andre Holmes, OAK (6%)
2. Allen Robinson, JAX (12%)
3. Jarvis Landry, MIA (2%)
4. Brice Butler, OAK (0%)
5. Brian Tyms, NE (1%)
6. Dane Sanzenbacher, CIN (0%) and Brandon Tate, CIN (1%)
o I already discussed the breakout day enjoyed by the Raiders offense and with Carr throwing the ball around, his top target was clearly Rotoworld favorite Andre Holmes, who caught four passes for 121 yards and two touchdowns. With injuries and disappointing play mounting among other Oakland wideouts, Holmes is proving to be a reliable weapon on offense and should be the WR1 going forward. At just 26 years old, he still has time to establish himself as a long-term dynasty value as well.
o I told you already…I’m sticking with him. Again, I suggest Jaguars’ rookie Allen Robinson as a player to search your dynasty waiver wires for. He caught eight of his nine Week Six targets and has a floor of around 13 fantasy points in PPR leagues. You could do worse for a bye week or injury replacement, not to mention he’s only 21 years old and has a bright future ahead of him.
o I’m surprised it took this long, but it seems the Dolphins have finally made use of rookie receiver Jarvis Landry, who caught six balls for 75 yards and a touchdown in Week Six against the Packers. Mike Wallace retains the title of the team’s top receiver, but the depth chart is muddied after that. Brandon Gibson is injured and Brian Hartline, usually very dependable, seems to have hit the wall. Landry has been overlooked in a deep rookie class, so use that to your advantage and grab him now.
o Along with the previously mentioned Holmes, another Raider receiver had a big day and thrust himself back in the minds of dynasty owners. Brice Butler caught three passes for 64 yards, including a 47 yard touchdown. Under Sparano, the Raiders seemed more willing to take risks down the field and Butler should continue to benefit from that.
o The hype had been building for little known Brian Tyms since training camp, but the wait to see him in action was delayed by a four game suspension. Tyms made his debut in Week Six and caught just one pass, but it went for a 43 yard score and was enough to give his supporters hope of a bigger role. For those that aren’t already familiar with Tyms, he’s bounced around a bit, mostly on practice squads, but after an impressive pre-season for the Pats, gained some supporters. Considering the team’s need at the wide receiver position, Tyms could stick around for a while.
o Not only did star wide receiver AJ Green miss Week Six, but he’s already basically ruled himself out for next week as well. On top of that, some bad news began to leak out about injured Bengal Marvin Jones, who could miss the remainder of the season. With the idea that someone has to catch the ball, it’s time to look down the team’s depth chart and consider one or both of Dane Sanzenbacher and Brandon Tate. The pair had a similar stat line in Week Six, both seeing five opportunities and catching four of them. The main difference was that one of Tate’s grabs went for a touchdown. These are both considered deep options, but could prove valuable with injuries mounting in the Queen City.
Tight Ends
1. Josh Hill, NO (1%)
2. Austin Seferian-Jenkins, TB (3%)
3. Jace Amaro, NYJ (2%)
4. Scott Chandler, BUF (2%)
o In Week Five, Jimmy Graham suffered a shoulder injury that could keep him out up to three weeks and while Graham is irreplaceable, backup Josh Hill has proven to be a reliable option in the passing game, especially in the red zone. Hill has even produced solid fantasy numbers before Graham’s injury, scoring two touchdowns over the past three games. While Hill is only a short-term play until Graham returns, he could be plugged into starting lineups during that time.
o Though the Buccaneers can’t seem to do anything right, their offense is thriving for fantasy purposes and rookie tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins continues to play well when given the opportunity. In Week Six, he caught four passes for 58 yards. With Vincent Jackson and Mike Evans on the outside, ASJ won’t be the top option anytime soon, but should produce solid fantasy numbers most weeks.
o Jets’ rookie Jace Amaro easily had his best game as a pro in Week Six, catching ten passes for 68 yards and his first career touchdown. The Jets’ offense has obviously struggled this year, but other than Eric Decker, Amaro has the chance to be the most targeted receiver for the remainder of the season.
o While he continues to produce on a weekly basis, Bills’ tight end Scott Chandler is exclusively an option for contenders looking for short-term help at the tight end position. Chandler offers no real long-term upside, though he is currently a mid-range TE2.
