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.
Alfred Blue, HOU (59%/+43%)
Danny Amendola, NE (36%/+23%)
Orleans Darkwa, NYG (24%/+21%)
Antonio Andrews, TEN (33%/+19%)
Chris Polk, HOU (16%/+13%)
Khiry Robinson, NO (11%/+7%)
Tyler Lockett, SEA (19%/+4%)
Chris Conley, KC (1%/+1%)
Clive Walford, OAK (1%/+1%)
While these players are on the rise, some of last week’s suggestions lost value over the past week.
Jamison Crowder, WAS (8%/-4%)
James White, NE (2%/-3%)
Branden Oliver, SD (5%/-3%)
Brian Hoyer, HOU (15%/-1%)
Quarterbacks
1. Brian Hoyer, HOU (15%)
2. Geno Smith, NYJ (1%)
3. Blaine Gabbert, SF (0%)
o Texans’ quarterback Brian Hoyer had another big week against the Titans in Week Eight, finishing just outside of QB1 range. With his prime competition, Ryan Mallett, now out of a job, Hoyer’s starting role is safe. The amazing play of wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins provides Hoyer with a relatively high weekly floor. Since reclaiming the starting job four weeks ago, Hoyer is the QB7, outscoring many bigger name quarterbacks. Hoyer and the Texans are off this week on their bye week, so he won’t help, but with some enticing matchups in the season’s second half, he’s worthy of an add.
o Week Eight proved to be the week of injuries and just one of the victims was Jets’ quarterbacks Ryan Fitzpatrick, who was forced from the Raiders’ game with a hand injury. Former Jets’ starter Geno Smith entered the game and played well in a comeback effort against the Raiders. Smith threw a pair of touchdowns along with 265 yards and also added 34 rushing yards, which makes a significant impact in fantasy scoring. In a strange situation, Smith actually suffered a late game shoulder injury and was replaced by Fitzpatrick after the latter had already been ruled out for the game. Fitzpatrick aggravated his hand injury and the Jets went down in defeat. Both quarterbacks have been called day to day, but the early feeling is Smith will start in Week Nine against Jacksonville.
o Things continue to go downhill for the San Francisco 49ers and it is now being reported that quarterback Colin Kaepernick has been benched for Blaine Gabbert. Kaepernick is just QB19 on the season, but falls all the way to QB31 on a points-per-game basis. There have been five games this season in which Kaepernick has failed to exceed 200 passing yards or throw a single touchdown. Oddly enough, in the other three games, Kaepernick has been solid, throwing for 260+ yards and two scores. Unfortunately, this is not something fantasy owners can count on. If the Niners follow through and bench their starter, they will turn to former Jaguars’ quarterback Blaine Gabbert, who was a disaster in Jacksonville. It’s probably better to avoid all 49ers players this season, but grabbing Gabbert in a 2QB league is not a bad idea.
Running Backs
1. Jeremy Langford, CHI (7%)
2. David Cobb, TEN (19%)
3. Kendall Gaskins, SF (0%)
4. Chris Polk, HOU (16%)
5. Isaiah Pead, PIT (0%)
6. Pierre Thomas, Trent Richardson, Montee Ball, FAs (0%)
o I mentioned the widespread injuries earlier and running back was the position taking the hardest hit. The Bears have not said much regarding the knee injury suffered by starter Matt Forte, but popular opinion has Forte on the shelf for a minimum of two weeks. The former Michigan State back was somewhat overlooked during the rookie draft process, often falling to the third round of dynasty rookie drafts. Langford did have a strong preseason though and quickly passed second year back Ka’Deem Carey. Langford is expected to take over as the starter in Forte’s absence and should be rostered in all dynasty leagues. He has a great matchup against the Chargers in Week Nine and with a strong stretch of play, could show the Bears’ brass that he is the running back of the future.
o Things are equally bleak for the Tennessee Titans, where the coaching staff has seemingly given up on Bishop Sankey, who didn’t play an offensive snap in Week Eight. Instead, the team has been relying on Antonio Andrews as their lead back, with mostly average results. Rookie runner David Cobb is set to return to the field in Week Nine and could quickly claim the starting role. Cobb did reportedly check in overweight, but I don’t expect that to be a major issue. If he’s sitting on your dynasty waiver wire, make a claim for him now and be ready to sell him after a good game or two.
o I’ve already discussed the train wreck that is the San Francisco 49ers and with starter Carlos Hyde dealing with a stress fracture in his foot, the 49ers turned to veteran Reggie Bush, who suffered a freakish knee injury after slipping out of bounds during a punt return. Bush is done for the year and can be dropped in all dynasty formats. Next in line for the team was underwhelming rookie http://www.nbcsports.com/edge/player/NFL/10378/Mike-DavisMike Davis, formerly of South Carolina. Unfortunately, Davis suffered a hand injury, which will require surgery. He’s worth hanging onto in deeper leagues, but it might be 2016 before we see what he can do. Finally, newly signed Kendall Gaskins earned some carries by process of elimination. Gaskins ran for just six yards and five carries and caught two passes for 17 yards. These numbers are not great by any means, but it is a fair representation of the 49er offense as a whole. Hyde is likely out for a couple more weeks at a minimum, so Gaskins might be worth stashing until then just to see if he can turn things around, but expectations are limited.
o In their first game since the Achilles injury suffered by Arian Foster, the Texans turned to Alfred Blue as their top back, touching the ball 19 times to Chris Polk’s nine. Those numbers are not exactly encouraging us to add Polk to the end of our dynasty rosters, but when Foster missed time earlier in the season, Houston alternated lead backs, so I won’t be surprised to see Polk play a larger role in the coming weeks.
o The biggest news of the week was the severe knee injury suffered by Steelers’ star running back Le’Veon Bell, who will miss the remainder of the season. I didn’t include veteran DeAngelo Williams due to a surprisingly high ownership percentage in Yahoo leagues, but if he is available in your league, he’s the top priority and a potential league-winning acquisition. Following the Bell injury, the Steelers also signed former Rams’ back Isaiah Pead to backup Williams. Based on what we’ve seen from both players recently, there’s little reason to expect Pead to eat into Williams’ touches, but relying solely on a 32 year old back with over 1,500 career touches is not wise, for the Steelers or fantasy owners. In deeper leagues, I’m adding Pead just in case the Steelers suffer yet another injury.
o With all of the injuries, teams will be searching for healthy backs to add to their roster. Among the players already being rumored to land jobs are free agents Pierre Thomas, Trent Richardson and Montee Ball. All three have had significant fantasy value as recently as last year. Considering these players have lasted this long without being signed, none are major priorities, but we’ve seen players such as these sign and then make a fantasy impact before. In deeper leagues, keep an eye on these players and monitor the latest news here at Rotoworld to be sure you beat your leaguemates to the waiver wire.
Wide Receivers
1. Justin Hardy, ATL (0%)
2. Robert Woods, BUF (5%)
3. Kamar Aiken, BAL (18%)
4. http://www.nbcsports.com/edge/player/NFL/7430/Chris-GivensChris Givens, BAL (0%)
5. Dontrelle Inman, SD (0%)
o Falcons’ rookie Justin Hardy made his NFL debut in Week Eight, catching two balls for 21 yards. Those numbers are eye-popping, but what I did notice was Hardy, in his first game ever, saw more targets than veteran Roddy White. It looked like the Falcons were glad to replace White with Leonard Hankerson earlier in the season and with Hankerson now sidelined, they are again looking for a new running mate for Julio Jones. This team clearly needs another playmaker at the receiver position and they will give Hardy a chance to show he can fill that void.
o Although the Bills were on bye this week, I am still looking to add receiver Robert Woods. Reports are starting quarterback Tyrod Taylor will be back in Week Nine, which is good news for the entire Bills’ offense. If Sammy Watkins is out again, Woods will be the prime target for Taylor as they face the Miami Dolphins.
o Yet another serious injury from Week Eight affects the Baltimore Ravens, as they lost their top receiver, Steve Smith, for the season due to an Achilles tear. As you know, Smith had previously announced his retirement. While we wait to see if he follows through with that, the Ravens have to find some pass catchers for quarterback Joe Flacco. The top option will likely be Kamar Aiken, who has quietly been very effective this season, currently ranking as the WR46. With increased looks on offense, expect him to rise up the ranks. I don’t see him having much long-term value, as the Ravens will make the addition of a top receiver a priority this offseason, but he could help contenders down the stretch.
o Along the same line of thinking, I would consider adding deep threat http://www.nbcsports.com/edge/player/NFL/7430/Chris-GivensChris Givens as well. Givens is likely to be the starter opposite Aiken and while he specializes in the big play, he could see a volume increase as well.
o The Chargers’ passing game is dealing with multiple injuries. Keenan Allen has an internal injury that still has him in the hospital and he expected to miss multiple games. Typically, we would expect to see increased looks for Stevie Johnson and Ladarius Green, but both of those players are also banged up. Johnson seems likely to play, but Green’s status is up in the air. Even pass-catching running back Branden Oliver suffered a lower leg injury and could miss some time. With all of the players potentially missing time and a friendly matchup against the Bears this week, I’m looking for Dontrelle Inman on my waiver wires. Inman has been quiet this season, but stepped up last season while Allen was struggling.
Tight Ends
1. Crockett Gillmore, BAL (13%)
2. Jacob Tamme, ATL (6%)
3. Garrett Celek, SF (0%)
o The Ravens need some pass catchers on offense and now that he’s once again healthy, tight end Crockett Gillmore has been a big target for Joe Flacco. Gillmore caught Flacco’s only touchdown in Week Eight and should see more looks with Smith out for the season.
o Tight end Jacob Tamme had his best game as a Falcon in Week Eight, catching ten passes for over 100 yards and a touchdown. Tamme will never be the top option for Matt Ryan, but he could be the consistent safety valve for a team that will continue to pass the ball with high volume.
o Today is the NFL trade deadline, but the 49ers and Broncos didn’t waste any time, as the Niners flipped tight end Vernon Davis to the Broncos. That leaves young tight end Garrett Celek as the new starter for the remainder of this disastrous season. As I said earlier, the best option is to avoid all 49ers, but Celek could become a decent stash option in tight end premium leagues.
Players on Injured Reserve worth stashing for 2015 (under 20%): Jordy Nelson, Jace Amaro, Jay Ajayi, Kelvin Benjamin, Zach Zenner
