Dominating the waiver wire could catapult you into championship territory regardless of how much you struggled during the draft or while making trades. Read on for eight season-long waiver wire targets, as well as a few players who you can comfortably cut loose.
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Let’s check out eight players that warrant consideration ahead of the upcoming waiver wire cycle. All players listed here are rostered in less than 35 percent of ESPN leagues and could have legitimate impacts down the stretch.
Taylor Heinicke
Rostered in 12.8 percent of leagues
Heinicke looked good despite a tough matchup and limited volume this weekend, completing 16 passes for 206 yards and three touchdowns. He also added 29 rushing yards on six carries. While his fantasy value was largely boosted by the trio of scores, it’s evident that Heinicke can carry sustained QB2 potential. Fantasy managers looking for security at the position would be wise to add Washington’s signal-caller.
Devonta Freeman
Rostered in 33.8 percent of leagues
It’s perplexing how Freeman is available in nearly two-thirds of leagues. Obviously, fantasy managers nervously dropped him (or, at the very least, ignored him) as soon as Latavius Murray was declared healthy again. How did that turn out? Freeman totaled 80 scrimmage yards and a touchdown while Murray posted just 33 total yards on Sunday. This is not a committee. Freeman is the lead back and falls into the high-end RB3 category going forward. Scoop him up for the final stretch while you still can.
Tyler Johnson
Rostered in 18.8 percent of leagues
Johnson already had fantasy relevance in deeper leagues. Now, with Michael Carter expected to miss several games due to an ankle injury, Johnson should see more touches. While it’s no guarantee that he’ll even start, the 24-year-old’s poise in the passing game makes him the best fit to take over where Carter left off. He’ll fall into the mid-range RB3 category until the rookie returns to action.
Jamison Crowder
Rostered in 22.8 percent of leagues
Jets players are commonly regarded as gross commodities in fantasy, but New York’s offense has been able to move down the field, even if it’s in garbage time. Crowder may be third in the Jets’ wide receiver pecking order, but he has shown that he is mostly immune to whatever turmoil may arise at the quarterback position. The 28-year-old is averaging 11.6 fantasy points per game and falls into the high-end WR4 category for the time being.
Rondale Moore
Rostered in 23.1 percent of leagues
On one hand, Moore’s value will go down whenever DeAndre Hopkins takes the field again. On the other hand, weeks continue to pass and Hopkins still isn’t closing in on a return. A bye awaits the team this week, but that still doesn’t mean the star wideout will be ready for Arizona’s next game. Kyler Murray, on the other hand, should be back. Getting Murray back while not competing for targets with Hopkins represents the perfect scenario for Moore’s fantasy value.
Cedrick Wilson
Rostered in 1.6 percent of leagues
Fantasy managers saw Michael Gallup was returning and instantly faded Wilson. While it’s admittedly hard to have an offense with two relevant running backs, four relevant wide receivers, and one relevant tight end, a path towards success remains possible for Wilson when you take injuries into account. Amari Cooper is on the COVID-19 list while CeeDee Lamb is battling a concussion. Thanks to his big playmaking ability, Wilson will have fantasy value both now and even after the duo returns.
Tre’Quan Smith
Rostered in 2.9 percent of leagues
It’s hard to know who to trust in this offense. After all, Smith, Marquez Callaway, and Deonte Harris have all exchanged reps as New Orleans’ leading receiver in terms of points. As of now, though, it looks like Smith is the answer. He has been the most steady as of late, averaging 11.6 fantasy points over the course of his last four games. He’ll continue to have fantasy value going forward, especially with Alvin Kamara looking unlikely to play for at least another game or two.
Adam Trautman
Rostered in 6.1 percent of leagues
Trautman has emerged as one of the up-and-coming tight ends in fantasy football after a disappointing first season-and-a-half. He doesn’t play in a very impressive offense, but he’s getting enough reps (especially in the end zone) to have some fantasy relevance. Perhaps most important is the fact that fellow tight end Juwan Johnson was a healthy scratch on Sunday, suggesting that the Saints have confidence in Trautman moving forward.
Drops
Let’s check out four players that you can comfortably cut loose from your roster. All players listed here are rostered in more than 50 percent of ESPN leagues and aren’t expected to have legitimate impacts down the stretch.
Ryan Tannehill
Rostered in 78.8 percent of leagues
If you’re someone who likes to roster just one quarterback, you can comfortably drop Tannehill. The 33-year-old produced a clunker on Sunday, throwing for just one touchdown while getting picked off four times by the Texans. He has also put together a miserable 13-to-12 touchdown-to-interception ratio this season.
Chris Carson
Rostered in 61.4 percent of leagues
This is less of an expert prediction and more of a friendly tip from one fantasy buff to another. Carson is heading for season-ending neck surgery and should be dropped in all redraft formats.
Mike Davis
Rostered in 70.2 percent of leagues
Davis has posted fewer than 5.1 fantasy points in four of his last five games, including two in which lead running back Cordarrelle Patterson exited early or simply did not play. Davis couldn’t perform with Patterson off the field, so there’s no hope for his fantasy value over the rest of the season. You can drop him in most formats.
Adrian Peterson
Rostered in 51.4 percent of leagues
Sometimes, speculative additions just don’t work out. Interestingly, it was the best and most active fantasy managers who snatched up Peterson when he signed with the Titans. Now, it will take an equally intelligent individual to acknowledge that he isn’t a workhorse back and doesn’t have much fantasy upside. He’ll salvage a few performances over the rest of the season by finding the end zone, but such an occasion is impossible to predict.
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