Week #8 Waiver Watch of Truth
Same intro every week folks, if you’re new to this series carry on, if not drop down to the QB
section. Some fantasy players believe leagues are won in drafts, others believe they’re won through trades, I personally believe championships are won on the waiver wire. Every league is different and it’s undoubtedly a combination of the three but let’s make sure you’re up to speed on this week’s top waiver wire adds.
Quarterback
Baker Mayfield, Cleveland Browns
Mayfield exploded for 29 fantasy points against Cincinnati which was quite the follow up to his pathetic 5 point performance last week. We obviously can’t count on him throwing five touchdowns again but he did show that he can still be dangerous. OBJ went down very early in the game with a season ending knee injury so I wouldn’t be too concerned about Mayfield’s production dropping due to Missing him. If you’re in need of a QB, Baker should be an option but be cautious, he’s a high risk high reward guy. The former 1st overall pick is rostered in just 15.2% of ESPN leagues.
Tua Tagovaila, Miami Dolphins
It’s Tua time! In a shocking turn of events (at least it was to me) Miami’s future is now the present. Veteran journeyman Ryan Fitzpatrick was playing fairly well especially for fantasy purposes averaging two scores a game and racking up 21+ points in 4 of his 6 games as well as 300+ yards in half of those contests. If Tua can even get close to that production he’ll be well worth stashing on your bench. Fitzpatrick was a top 10 fantasy quarterback and Tua has loads of potential. We could be looking at a league winner here. He’s rostered in 20.6% of ESPN leagues.
Ben DiNucci, Dallas Cowboys
Here at TSF we’re all about 2 QB and superflex leagues so if you’re desperate for a QB in those types of formats then go grab DiNucci. We didn’t get to see much of the seventh round rookie out of James Madison on Sunday as he only attempted 3 passes in replacement of Andy Dalton who got knocked out of the game in the third quarter. Dalton may not miss time due to his concussion that he sustained from a very dirty hit via Jon Bostic who was ejected, but if he does DiNucci could be an option if you’re brave and desperate enough.
Honorable mentions: Daniel Jones NYG, Kyle Allen WAS.
Running Back
La’Mical Perine, New York Jets
Perine has been consistently getting more involved since the release of Bell, scoring his first touchdown and netting 55 yards from scrimmage on 13 touches against Buffalo on Sunday. Frank Gore has been heavily involved as well tallying at least 9 carries in each of the past 6 games including 11 for 69 yards on Sunday. Head Coach Adam Gase has stated that they want to get the rookie more involved so it wouldn’t be much of a surprise if Perine‘s role continues to grow. He’s only rostered in 11.1% of ESPN leagues. Gore is available in a good amount too, he’s rostered in 23.8%. Yeah they’re Jets and don’t possess a whole lot of upside but they have the backfield all to themselves.
Carlos Hyde, Seattle Seahawks
Starting running back Chris Carson went down once again with a foot injury which is sure to keep him out this week and possibly beyond making Hyde a must add. The 30-year-old RB made the most of his opportunities running the ball 15 times for 68 yards and an impressive 24 yard touchdown in Seattle’s crushing overtime defeat. He also got involved in the passing game hauling in 3 of his 4 targets albeit for a modest 8 yards. Hyde is this week’s Boston Scott who just scored 18.2 fantasy points in the absence of Sanders for Philly. Monitor Hyde as he is dealing with tightness in his hamstring. Hyde is owned in just 5% of ESPN leagues.
JaMycal Hasty, San Francisco 49ers
Hasty burst onto the scene in relief of the injured Raheem Mostert in week 6 racking up 37 yards on 9 carries. Week 7 turned out to be a form of Déjà vu as Hasty rolled to 57 yards on 9 carries this time in the absence of the injured Jeff Wilson JR. Wilson was spectacular against New England but it looks like he’ll be joining Mostert on injury reserve with a high ankle sprain. Tevin Coleman has a chance to return but even if that’s the case I think Hasty should be added as the RB position is extremely thin and Hasty has outperformed McKinnon as of late. He’s rostered in just 3.3% of ESPN leagues.
Wayne Gallman, New York Giants
Gallman turned in a solid performance notching 16.4 fantasy points on 10 carries for 34 yards as well as showing value as a safety blanket out of the backfield hauling in all five of his targets for 20 yards. Impromptu starting running back Devonta Freeman went down early in the third quarter with an ankle injury leaving Gallman and Dion Lewis to battle for the backfield work. Lewis lost a fumble even though he only had three touches so if Freeman’s injury ends up being somewhat serious that could open the door for Gallman to get a very healthy workload. He’s rostered in just 0.7% of ESPN leagues.
Honorable mentions: Cordarrelle Patterson CHI, Duke Johnson HOU, Peyton Barber WAS.
Wide Receiver
Rashard Higgins, Cleveland Browns
Hollywood Higgins is the hot pickup this week for obvious reasons but Higgins was starting to become fantasy relevant before OBJ tore his ACL. Higgins turned in an impressive performance in week #7 catching all six of his targets for a team-high 110 yards. Go pick up Higgins! He’s rostered in just 0.2% of ESPN leagues.
Greg Ward, Philadelphia Eagles
Ward has been a consistent performer for Philly due to their weapons arsenal getting depleted by injuries. Ward has been overshadowed by his counterpart Travis Fulgham who has been remarkable as of late but Ward shouldn’t be forgotten. He’s quietly worked his way to a 10.2 PPG average which is good for 30th among wide receivers in PPR formats. With starting wideout DeSean Jackson going down again and an upcoming date with the downright awful Dallas secondary, Ward is a nice waiver add. He’s rostered in 12.3% of ESPN leagues.
Randall Cobb, Houston Texans
Cobb has become quite a reliable fantasy option putting up 10+ PPR points in five of his last six games, including 17.5 on Sunday against his old team Green Bay. The former Packer and Cowboy led Houston with 10 targets, 8 receptions and 95 yards. Cobb has been playing primarily out of the slot but thanks to Watson’s playmaking ability he already has five receptions of 20+ yards. Houston is on their bye this week but Cobb is a nice depth player if you’re looking for solid options to possibly play down the road. He’s rostered in 13.9% of leagues.
Nelson Agholor, Las Vegas Raiders
Agholor had himself a day against Tampa Bay, ballin’ out to a tune of 21.70 fantasy points making it his third straight game with at least 14 PPR points. The former Eagle seemed like a touchdown dependent “boom or bust” type player but he’s making that a difficult argument as he’s been consistent lately and put up season highs in receptions, yards and targets on Sunday. 5 catches on 9 targets for 107 yards and his fourth touchdown of the season shouldn’t be ignored in deeper leagues. He’s rostered in just 1.8% of ESPN leagues.
Honorable mentions: Marquez Callaway NO, Deonte Johnson NO, Denzel Mims NYJ, Scotty Miller TB, Josh Reynolds LAR.
Tight End
Harrison Bryant/David Njoku, Cleveland Browns
Starting Tight End Austin Hooper missed Sunday’s game due to appendicitis and I would imagine that he wouldn’t return until after their week 9 bye. The absence of OBJ will also provide extra opportunities in the passing game. Harrison broke out catching four of his five targets for 56 yards and two touchdowns. Njoku also got in on the action catching two of three targets for 20 yards and his second touchdown of the season. If you’re desperate to stream a Tight End in deeper leagues I’d consider one of these guys. They are both barely rostered at all.
Albert Okwuegbunam, Denver Broncos
Okwuegbunam came out of nowhere in week 6 against New England and followed that performance up catching all seven of his targets for 60 yards. Drew Lock has peppered Okwuegbunam with 13 targets which the rookie turned into 9 catches for 105 yards the last two weeks. What makes me interested in Okwuegbunam isn’t just his name, it’s the fact that Noah Fant returned last week and Okwuegbunam still got tons of work. Now that top receiver Tim Patrick went down with an injury that could cause him to miss time so that could open things up even more for the fourth round rookie. He’s rostered in just 0.2% of ESPN leagues.
Honorable mentions: Richard Rodgers PHI, Drew Sample CIN.
Here’s a list of players that I either included in the previous week’s article or are obvious adds that are owned quite a bit more but still have a decent chance of being available in your league. These guys are definitely worth checking the wires for.
Top Priority list:
QB Joe Burrow CIN 49.5%
QB Teddy Bridgewater CAR 30.6%
QB Derek Carr LV 25.7%
WR Christian Kirk ARI 48.2%
WR Cole Beasley BUF 39.3%
WR Sterling Shepard NYG 36.2%
WR Curtis Samuel CAR 29.5%
WR Corey Davis TEN 22.3%
WR Brandon Aiyuk SF 20.7%
RB Chase Edmonds ARI 55.3%
RB Giovani Bernard CIN 53%
RB J.K. Dobbins BAL 47.1%
RB Jamaal Williams GB 45.4%
RB J.D. McKissic WAS 43.4%
RB Zack Moss BUF 37.5%
RB Damien Harris NE 29.7%
TE Eric Ebron PIT 50.4%
TE Dallas Goedert PHI 28.7%
TE Logan Thomas WAS 8.5%
TE Trey Burton IND 6.5%
TE Irv Smith Jr. MIN 4.4%
Take all of this with a grain of salt as I obviously don’t know the details of your specific situation, what you need, who you’d drop and who else is available in your league.
Thanks for reading and as always, stay true.