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.
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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.
Stefon Diggs, MIN (60%/+53%)
James Starks, GB (52%/+33%)
Ben Watson, NO (41%/+31%)
Branden Oliver, SD (8%/+7%)
Landry Jones, PIT (6%/+6%)
Eric Ebron, DET (23%/+5%)
Khiry Robinson, NO (4%/+1%)
While these players are on the rise, some of last week’s suggestions lost value over the past week.
Marquess Wilson, CHI (5%/-7%)
Ahmad Bradshaw, IND (9%/-4%)
Devin Funchess, CAR (16%/-1%)
Quarterbacks
1. Brian Hoyer, HOU (16%)
2. Kirk Cousins, WAS (7%)
3. Mark Sanchez, NYJ (1%)
o There has been a quarterback carousel in Houston, with both Brian Hoyer and Ryan Mallett earning starts early this season. After four consecutive strong performances and rumors of Mallett nearly getting cut mid-week, this is clearly Hoyer’s job going forward. Not only should you be adding Hoyer because he’s the starter in Houston, but he’s actually putting up big numbers as the Texans attempt comeback after comeback each week. Over the past four games, Hoyer is the QB4 in fantasy, behind only Philip Rivers, Josh McCown and Blake Bortles.
o Hoyer has looked great, but Kirk Cousins hasn’t been so bad himself. Over that same period of four weeks, Cousins is the QB7, ahead of players like Eli Manning, Russell Wilson and Matt Ryan. Considering he just got Jordan Reed back in the lineup and DeSean Jackson should be back soon, Cousins is, at worst, a solid backup for the remainder of the 2015 season.
o One quarterback who isn’t playing so well is Sam Bradford in Philadelphia. Bradford, paired with Chip Kelly, entered the season with huge expectations but the entire Eagles’ offense has been a letdown and Bradford is getting much of the blame. I can’t forget how surprisingly well Mark Sanchez played in relief of Nick Foles and I wouldn’t be surprised if we saw the former first round pick see some playing time soon. He’s not worthy of a pickup in most league formats, but for those playing in super flex or 2QB leagues, now is the time to find room on your roster for The Sanchize.
Running Backs
1. Orleans Darkwa, NYG (3%)
2. Alfred Blue, HOU (16%)
3. Chris Polk, HOU (3%)
4. Branden Oliver, SD (8%)
5. Khiry Robinson, NO (4%)
6. Antonio Andrews, TEN (14%)
7. James White, NE (5%)
o The Giants’ backfield was already a muddied mess when it comes to fantasy football and things got even worse when Orleans Darkwa was added to the rotation Sunday night. Darkwa led the team in carries and had the Giants’ only rushing touchdown. This situation is impossible to project, but Darkwa is worthy of a pickup in most dynasty leagues.
o I’ll include the next two backs together considering they are teammates and both potential replacements for the injured Arian Foster. Foster, as you know, suffered a season ending Achilles injury late in the Texans’ loss to Miami. There was not enough game action remaining to get a glimpse of who might get the first shot to start for Houston. Earlier in the season when Foster missed, both Alfred Blue and Chris Polk were used and each led the team in rushing for at least one game. Outside of a big 131 yard day for Blue in Week Three, neither had a lot of success. If you have room, I would roster both players as the running back in this offense will have some value and will put up some big fantasy numbers, but it will be determining which player is the true lead back that will be the challenge.
o For a while, it looked as if rookie Melvin Gordon would not even play in Week Seven, and while he did end up playing a small role, it was Danny Woodhead and Branden Oliver who the better backs on this day. Woodhead is long gone in all dynasty leagues, but there is a good chance Oliver is still available, even after a solid Week Six performance. I still expect Gordon to bounce back and improve, but until he does, I’m taking a chance on Oliver.
o Last week, I mentioned the impressive, but under the radar play of Saints’ running back Khiry Robinson, and after a pair of rushing touchdowns in Week Seven, he’s back on the radar of most dynasty owners. Mark Ingram still easily led the team in carries and yardage and scored a touchdown of his own, but Robinson continues to impress and is deserving of a place on dynasty rosters.
o Things are ugly in Tennessee, especially when it comes to the running game. Expected starter Bishop Sankey continues to disappoint and is playing a smaller role each week. The Titans traded for former Brown Terrance West prior to the season and he can’t even make the gameday roster. Instead, the team is consistently being led by former Western Kentucky back Antonio Andrews. Andrews though is not putting up huge numbers and with Dexter McCluster around is not needed in the passing game. Andrews’ ceiling is very low, but with injuries piling up and bye weeks continuing to hammer fantasy players, you might be desperate enough to need a spot starter like Andrews.
o With Dion Lewis ruled out, the assumption was LeGarrette Blount would dominate the backfield touches for New England. Not so fast… In typical Bill Belichick fashion, we didn’t get what we expected from the Patriots in Week Seven as Blount couldn’t even scrape together positive yardage, totaling -3 yards on the day. While quarterback Tom Brady actually led his team in rushing for the first time in his career, the most used back was actually James White, who has played sparingly in the team’s first several games. White only rushed for four yards on a pair of carries, but he did catch three balls for 26 yards. This is not a player you’ll need to rush out to add, especially with Lewis expected back soon, but it is interesting to see the Pats’ game plan play out and is something to keep in mind for future weeks.
Wide Receivers
1. Tyler Lockett, SEA (15%)
2. Jamison Crowder, WAS (12%)
3. Danny Amendola, NE (13%)
4. Chris Conley, KC (0%)
5. Robert Woods, BUF (5%)
6. Chris Hogan, BUF (1%)
o After a few quiet weeks, Seahawks’ rookie Tyler Lockett had a breakout game last Thursday, catching five passes for 79 yards and his first career receiving touchdown. Lockett had previously scored touchdowns on both a punt return and kickoff return earlier in the season. While he’s obviously young and needs to become a more consistent contributor on offense, I still clearly believe he’s the most talented receiver on that roster and want him on all of my dynasty teams.
o With the injury woes of DeSean Jackson, rookie Jamison Crowder continues to excel for the Redskins and fantasy owners, especially in PPR leagues. With tight end Jordan Reed back in Week Seven and soaking up targets, Crowder’s numbers were a bit down, but he still caught five passes for 48 yards in the team’s comeback win over Tampa Bay. That gives Crowder 9.8 fantasy points in PPR leagues, which is basically his weekly floor. You could do a lot worse if you need a bye week fill in.
o While Rob Gronkowski had a career high 11 receptions, veteran Danny Amendola’s big game was a bit overshadowed. Amendola has become a consistent target for Tom Brady and he put up some nice fantasy numbers, catching eight balls for 86 yards and a score. With so many weapons on offense, it seems like it might not easy to rely on anyone outside of Gronkowski and Julian Edelman, but with Dion Lewis nicked up, Amendola has stepped up, seeing nine targets in each of the past two games.
o The Kansas City Chiefs have been wide receiver poor for a while now, even with the addition of Jeremy Maclin. With Maclin out though, rookie Chris Conley got an opportunity for increased playing time and it paid off. He caught six passes for 63 yards and his first career NFL touchdown. With Maclin due back soon, I don’t expect this same type of volume, but I expect he may have earned a larger weekly role going forward, possibly displacing Albert Wilson as the second starter sooner rather than later.
o Finally, the pair of underrated Buffalo Bills receivers each had another solid game. With the injury to Sammy Watkins, Robert Woods has really stepped up and has had some very productive games this season, with his best yet coming in Week Seven. Woods caught nine passes for 84 yards and a touchdown, even with E.J. Manuel at quarterback in place of the injured Tyrod Taylor. As long as Watkins is out, Woods is a useable WR3 or flex option. Deeper down the line, but still seeing some volume in the Buffalo passing game is Chris Hogan, who was not as efficient as Woods, but still put up double-digit fantasy points for third time in seven games this season. If you’re desperate for a starter at the receiver spot, you might consider Hogan.
Tight Ends
1. Clive Walford, OAK (0%)
o Raiders’ rookie tight end Clive Walford scored his first career touchdown in Week Seven and also set meager career highs with two receptions and 42 yards. The report early in the season was that the Oakland coaching staff preferred Walford to second year man Mychal Rivera, but injuries set the former Miami tight end back and led him to a slow start to his career. The Raiders’ offense is young and playing well overall with Derek Carr at the helm and Walford could be a valuable part of their future.
Players on Injured Reserve worth stashing for 2015 (under 20%): Jordy Nelson, Jace Amaro, Jay Ajayi, Kelvin Benjamin, David Cobb, Zach Zenner
