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.
Taysom Hill
Rostered in 2.2 percent of leagues
Fantasy managers in deeper leagues or two-quarterback formats should look into Hill. The Saints’ versatile weapon not only practiced in full on Monday but also took first-team reps during the session. As of now, the expectation is that he’ll start for the Saints against the Cowboys this week. His rushing upside and respectable passing ability slots Hill into the QB2 territory.
Alexander Mattison
Rostered in 33.5 percent of leagues
Mattison is in line to serve as the Vikings’ workhorse back for several weeks and perhaps the remainder of the regular season after Dalvin Cook suffered a torn labrum and shoulder dislocation. Through two starts this season, Mattison totaled 324 scrimmage yards and one touchdown. It’s safe to say that he can be treated as a low-end RB1 for the remainder of the season.
Chuba Hubbard
Rostered in 33.4 percent of leagues
Just like Mattison, Hubbard is now in line to serve as the Panthers’ starter for the remainder of the season after Christian McCaffrey (ankle) was ruled out for the remainder of the season. The rookie totaled 346 scrimmage yards and two touchdowns through the four games that McCaffrey missed earlier in the year. He can be considered a mid-range RB2 in a struggling offense over the final weeks of 2021.
Dontrell Hilliard
Rostered in 27.9 percent of leagues
Hilliard enjoyed a surprising amount of success while running against the Patriots. He finished the day with 133 scrimmage yards, with the bulk of his production coming on a 68-yard touchdown run. He also fumbled once in the effort, but so did backfield-mates D’Onta Foreman and Khari Blasingame. With Derrick Henry, Julio Jones, and A.J. Brown, the Titans will likely go run-heavy for quite some time. Even if Hilliard is used in an equal role to Foreman, he’ll have some high-end RB3 relevance.
Rondale Moore
Rostered in 21.5 percent of leagues
Moore has been up-and-down this season, but the good news is that he’s coming off a bye and will get Kyler Murray back as his quarterback. The rookie is a useful gadget for the Cardinals and is capable of creating good plays. He represents an intriguing FLEX option over the rest of the season and deserves to be rostered in more than 21.5 percent of leagues.
Kendrick Bourne
Rostered in 15.2 percent of leagues
It’s a crime that this season’s WR23 is rostered in just 15.2 percent of leagues. He had another big game this past week, hauling in five passes for 61 yards and two touchdowns.
Tre’Quan Smith
Rostered in 7.5 percent of leagues
Smith has flown under the radar due to an injury that forced him out of action for the first five games. However, over the last five weeks, he has averaged 10.7 fantasy points, consistently serving as the top pass-catching option in New Orleans’ weakened offense. He deserves to be rostered in leagues with 10-plus teams.
Cole Kmet
Rostered in 13.2 percent of leagues
Kmet is a no-brainer for this list after hauling in eight of 11 targets for 65 yards on Thanksgiving Day. He now has 15 catches for 164 yards over his last three contests, and that includes a one-reception clunker in Week 11. Even with veteran Andy Dalton under center, Chicago’s second-year tight end can have fantasy relevance.
Drops
Let’s check out three 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.
Zack Moss
Rostered in 68.5 percent of leagues
Moss was a healthy scratch this week. That means that the Bills view him as their No. 3 running back and do not feel he impacts their chances of winning. There is no reason to roster such a player in redraft formats.
Cam Newton
Rostered in 66.3 percent of leagues
“I’m baaaack,” he exclaimed, finding the end zone for the first of two times against Arizona. Two weeks later, he went 5-for-21 with 92 yards, zero touchdowns, and two interceptions. Newton was then benched in favor of P.J. Walker, who didn’t fare much better. Even if Newton remains the starter coming out of the Week 13 bye, fantasy managers can drop him in non-superflex leagues and bench him everywhere else.
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