It can be a tough pill to swallow when you’re passed over in life. Your greatest work is underappreciated and suddenly the feelings of inadequacies and unworthiness settle and fester in the confines of your mind.
This much is true when it comes to a league that I’m in with a group of friends. I became the commissioner and the laughing stock of the league. My record is an astounding 1-8 with absolutely no shot at contention of any form. The main focus at this point is to not lose in the consolation bracket. No one wants to be the worst of the worst.
Why am I telling you that I suck in that league? I have no idea. The full disclosure might actually ding my credibility. It makes me feel better to share my woes. All of my other leagues I’m right in the mix and ready for the playoffs, but for some reason my hard work and preparation was dismissed in one league by the Fantasy Gods!!!
I’ll quit my complaining and get to the warriors of the waiver wire this week.
Tune-up Tuesdays: Overlooked and Underappreciated
Bye Week: New England, Indianapolis, San Diego, Houston, Minnesota, Washington
***Quarterback Note: There are likely better options at QB than the ones on this list. Palmer, Flacco, Tannehill are obvious alternative options aside from the QBs listed below.
Mark Sanchez, PHI QB: With Foles having his season truncated by a fractured collarbone, it paves the way for Sanchez to reintroduce himself to the NFL. His first two years with the Jets was a whirlwind romance by heading to the AFC Championship games in consecutive years. Over the years the Jets defensive mortar began to crack and showed the deficiencies on offense. One thing lead to the next and Sanchez was shuffled to Philadelphia. To say that Sanchez is going to jump right in and take the world by storm is ludicrous, but with Chip McCoy running a productive offense that is jampacked with weapons Sanchez is primed to stamp his comeback.
Derek Carr, OAK QB: We’re scraping the bottom of the barrel here and if you’re in a 14-16 team league with a QB on bye and no backup to seize the reins, then you’re shooting for the moon. Carr has thrown a ton, 1,711 passing yards, and has a TD to INT ratio of 11:7. My guess is that Oakland is going to be behind Denver big by the end of the first quarter and without any kind of a run game, Carr is going to be charged with 40-50+ throws in this game. The score at the end won’t be pretty, but you better believe there will be work to be had in this game.
Charles Sims, TB RB: The Buccaneers have waved the smoke away from their eyes and are starting to see Doug Martin for who he is; a mediocre back with a commitment to the injury report. Now if Bobby Rainey is still available in your league, you pluck him first, but if he isn’t then issue a waiver claim on Sims. We won’t rehash college stats because at this level the numbers are irrelevant, which makes Sims an unknown commodity. He can run the ball in many different ways effectively (i.e. bouncing out to the edge, and cutting inside), great reads on the blocks, and sticky hands out of the backfield on check down plays. Worth a claim if you have room.
Terrance West, CLE RB: Here we are back to the musical chairs that are the Cleveland Browns backfield. Ben Tate has a dwindling yards per carry (YPC) and has been rendered useless in his return from injury. West has the coach’s eye and when the coach says that he’s “earned those touches”, I’m going to listen.
Adrian Peterson, MIN RB: I don’t need to explain much here about AP’s legacy and acumen. The court and himself have accepted a plea deal to reduce the felony charge to a misdemeanor. We have arrived to speculation central and I’d rather hook myself to the notion that he could be back after the bye week. Anything can happen.
Martavis Bryant, PIT WR: It looks like Roethlisberger is becoming increasingly fond of the tallest WR that the Steelers have to offer. Registering at 6’4” Bryant is visible from many different parts of the turf and has the speed to beat his man. The yard totals in the past three fluctuate more than I like (40,83,44), and they say it’s bad to lean on TD dependent players, but when you rack up five touchdowns in the past three games, and your quarterback is throwing lights out, you’ll try anything to get a piece of the pie.
Davante Adams, GB WR: The rookie has been inconsistent as far as targets and yard totals go, but it seems that if he isn’t catching six or seven passes for 70+ yards, then he’s reeling in one for a touchdown. Is this pick sopping in statistics? No, but fantasy is more about luck and sneaky suspicions, and I feel like Aaron Rodgers is going to shred this Bears secondary and Adams should vie for a hearty portion.
Kenny Stills, NO WR: Since the bye week three weeks ago, Stills has accumulated 14 receptions for 232 yards and a touchdown. He’s on a bit of a hot streak and Brees is going to need Stills to beat the 49ers deep to make a difference in a much needed win at home.
Mychal Rivera, OAK TE: After his week 8 performance of seven receptions for 83 yards, Rivera followed up with an eight reception game for 38 yards and a couple of TDs. This week the dreadful 0-8 Raiders face the Broncos in what will likely be a lashing. Garbage time will be aplenty and Rivera is becoming a cog in that machine.
Owen Daniels, BAL TE: I honestly don’t know why Daniels is still available in 69% of yahoo leagues with the TE market paired down to nearly nothing. Please rescue him from the waiver pool.
Jermaine Gresham, CIN TE: With six teams on a bye, and four with notable starting TEs, the hurt is real. Gresham is a cry for help play, but he’s caught at least four passes for 30+ yards in his past four, so he’s a viable PPR option if your lacking.
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