Kneel before A.J. Derby, the champion of the Denver Broncos, conqueror of highlights, and catcher of things with his hand! While you won’t see Derby’s name below, his catch served as an important reminder of the tight end position. Tight ends the past few years have essentially been a giant bargain bin. Some days you’ll find a great value, and the others you’ll get what you paid for. One that note, welcome to this week’s bargain bin, everyone!
Below you will find a list of players that can still be found in a number of leagues. As with the prior weeks, most of these players are at or below the 50% ownership line.
Fantasy Football: Working the Waiver Wire Week 5
Running Backs
Alvin Kamara – Yahoo: 44%, ESPN: 16.3%
Ever since the NFL Draft, fantasy analysts have written about Kamara because of the value of his landing spot. After five rushes for 25 yards and ten catches for 71 yards and a touchdown, its pretty clear how valuable Kamara can be going forward. What was particularly impressive was the fact that he was used in the red zone and received the second most snaps (26) on the team. Sean Payton reportedly only wants to use two running backs going forward, and Kamara’s skill set likely means he won’t be the one sitting. Things are definitely looking up for Kamara going forward.
FAAB bid: ~20% in PPR leagues, and 10-15% in standard.
Aaron Jones – Yahoo: 11%, ESPN: 2.2%
When Ty Montgomery and Jamaal Williams both went down with injuries, the fantasy world wondered about how much of their FAAB they should throw at Jones. If you count yourself in the group of people that is intent on grabbing him, passing this tweet around your league could help to lower his price. If Montgomery does end up playing, Jones’s value obviously takes a hit. And since there is some ambiguity about the severity of the injury, it would be risky to bid aggressively. Now if Jones were the guy going forward, he would absolutely be someone worth spending a lot on. The UTEP alum has an impressive athletic profile and Aaron Rodgers has expressed confidence in Jones going forward. That confidence would lead to more and more playing time.
FAAB bid: 5-10%, but this is under the assumption that Montgomery plays.
Latavius Murray – Yahoo: 18%, ESPN: 20%
Dalvin Cook‘s injury isn’t great news for the Minnesota Vikings and their offense. However, it does create an opportunity for Murray. Murray, much like his teammate Jerick McKinnon, has an impressive athletic profile, but his production has yet to match that profile. The good news is Murray will be running behind an offensive line that helped Cook average north of 4.7 yards per carry. In other words, the Vikings offensive line is not as bad as they were last year. The downside is that Murray averaged three yards per carry behind the same line.
FAAB bid: ~30% of your budget. This feels gross. Murray will likely struggle to fill Cook’s shoes, but it’s hard to find a running back this late with this kind of potential workload.
D’Onta Foreman – Yahoo: 28%, ESPN: 7.6%
Lamar Miller is the primary back for the Houston Texans and that likely isn’t changing anytime soon. Miller out snapped Foreman 57 to 24, but that doesn’t mean that Foreman is simply a handcuff. He has carried the ball at least 12 times in two games this season. He also has the belief of his coach, which could be important in the scenario that Miller is hurt. Most backup running backs wouldn’t inherit a full workload upon taking over, and yet Bill O’Brien‘s comments indicate that Foreman could.
FAAB bid: ~5% of your budget.
Wayne Gallman – Yahoo: 4%, ESPN: .2%
Who would have thought that 3.8 yards per carry would look so good? After Paul Perkins went down with a rib injury, Gallman added a bit of spark to the New York Giants running game. Yes, it’s a little sad to qualify 3.8 as a spark, but those are the benefits of running next to this season’s version of Perkins right now. When Gallman took the field this past Sunday, he looked to be noticeably quicker through the line, which added a believable threat to the Giants play-action. In short, Gallman’s production this past Sunday earned him more playing time going forward.
FAAB bid: 10-15% of your budget.
Eddie Lacy/Thomas Rawls – Yahoo: 20%/29%, ESPN: 91.6%/89.2%
Fantasy football can be a cruel mistress. First it claimed Dalvin Cook, and then it turned its focus towards Chris Carson. Sigh. Since Carson will likely be out for awhile, the Seattle Seahawks will need Lacy and, or Rawls to step up. Picking who to trust going forward will likely be a fool’s errand. If you’re looking for signs supporting Rawls, it’s possible that Pete Carroll hinted that Rawls will start. There is also the fact that Rawls was ahead of Lacy on the initial depth chart.
Lacy, on the other hand, has recent production in his corner. Lacy’s 11 carries for 52 yards this past Sunday hinted at his potential in the offense. He was also active while Rawls was inactive. The likely scenario going forward is that they both compete with each other for early down work.
FAAB bid: ~10% of your budget and cross your fingers that you picked the right one.
Watch List:
C.J. Prosise picked a wrong time to miss a game. J.D. McKissic came up huge for the Seahawks last Sunday. While Prosise is a dynamic player when healthy, McKissic’s play likely earned him more snaps going forward. Those snaps will come at the expense of Prosise, so McKissic is worthy of a flier.
Word before the game was that Alex Collins‘s role would grow. He actually ended up out snapping Terrance West 17 to 10, but the fumbles are concerning. If Collins continues to fumble, his role will completely diminish.
Jerick McKinnon is an athletic freak. It will be interesting to see how he will fare behind a better offensive line; although, he did leave the game with an injury, and while he played he didn’t particularly impress. His profile alone is worthy of a roster spot in deeper leagues.
The Ezekiel Elliot decision is expected shortly. If things go poorly for Elliot, Alfred Morris would be the likely beneficiary. Timing will be the key here. If your waivers come before the ruling, Morris is worth a speculative add (1-5% of your FAAB). If an anti-Elliot ruling comes first, then bid more aggressively (20-30% of your FAAB).
Wide Receivers
Danny Amendola – Yahoo: 50%, ESPN: 81.9%
Health hasn’t always been on Amendola’s side. Perhaps it’s because Amendola is made mostly of precariously placed Jenga blocks. However, when he does play, he’s been mostly productive this season. Amendola averages around six targets and 60 yards per game this season. Those aren’t world beating numbers, but they are enough to help teams in deeper leagues.
FAAB bid: 7-10% of your budget.
John Brown – Yahoo: 39%, ESPN: 59.7%
Simply put, if John Brown is available in your league, he’s worth an add. His health issues led to him being on a snap count in his first game back (~60% of the snaps); however, in those snaps Brown saw seven targets–one of which looked to be the game winning touchdown. Of course, Brown has past success in this offense, and offers some of the highest upside of anyone on this list.
FAAB bid: 5-10% of your budget
Devin Funchess – Yahoo: 26%, ESPN: 13.2%
If you’re buying into Funchess, the next two weeks might not be for you. First, he faces the Detroit Lions, who Warren Sharp ranks as the fifth hardest defense. Then he matches up against the Philadelphia Eagles–the 14th. Things get a little easier thereafter. Although, Funchess’s value takes a hit when Greg Olsen returns around week 12.
FAAB bid: ~5% of your budget
Zay Jones – Yahoo: 15%, ESPN: 91.5%
Jordan Matthews is expected to miss about a month with a thumb injury. His absence will create an opportunity for Jones to see more targets as the second or third receiving option. The matchups are somewhat promising (Bengals, Buccaneers, and the Raiders), but Jones has struggled with his opportunities lately. He’s only an option for deeper leagues.
FAAB bid: 1-5% of your budget
Watch List:
Keep an eye on Davante Adams and his status. If he’s looking like he’s unlikely to play, Geronimo Allison is worth an add. In his last start we was able to turn six catches into 122 yards.
Cooper Kupp doesn’t have the greatest matchup on paper this coming week, but if Jeremy Lane can’t go, upgrade your expectations.
Tyler Lockett is more of a wild card. If the Seahawks were to transition to a more passing offense, he would be more of a priority. It’s possible that the Chris Carson injury pushes them in that direction. If they keep things as they are, it will be tough to pick between Paul Richardson and Lockett.
Apparently Ryan Grant is still a thing. As long as that continues, it will come at the expense of Josh Doctson.
Streaming Options
Quarterbacks
If Deshaun Watson is available in your league, he is worth a roster spot for the rest of the season. His rushing ability will help to keep his value afloat during his more frustrating starts. And he’ll have them. He is a rookie after all. Bid at least 20% of your FAAB if you’re looking to add him on your team. Now, onto the streamers.
DeShone Kizer vs. the New York Jets: The Jets don’t have an imposing pass defense, and Kizer gets to sling it at home. One reason to shy away from this matchup is that Kizer may not face the negative game script that would pad his passing numbers.
FAAB bid: 1-5% of your budget.
Jay Cutler vs. the Tennessee Titans: How many times can you go to the Cutler well? Cutler has looked, for the lack of a better phrase, bad. It’s not like he’s been facing tough matchups either, and now he gets another chance at jump starting his offense. The Titans have been carved up in back to back weeks, and they are playing on the road. The main thing that gives me pause here, outside of, you know, Cutler, is the fact that Marcus Mariota may not play. If the Titans struggle to push the ball on offense, the Dolphins will rely more on their running game to secure the win.
FAAB bid: 1-5% of your budget.
Tight Ends
Antonio Gates/Hunter Henry at the New York Giants: The Giants have given up a touchdown to a tight end in each of their first four games. This is obviously a matchup worth targeting for this upcoming week. If both Gates and Hunter are available, roll with Gates. Hunter’s target totals have been too unpredictable to rely on. Henry is still a fine gamble if Gates isn’t available.
FAAB bid: ~5% of your budget.
Austin Seferian-Jenkins at the Cleveland Browns: The Browns haven’t been as bankable as the Giants, but they recently gave up two touchdowns to Tyler Kroft. Seferian-Jenkins averages about five targets per game, but those numbers could see a bump here given the matchup. Another reason to like Seferian-Jenkins this week is that he doesn’t have a Hunter Henry like player to compete. He’s my preferred streamer.
FAAB bid: 5-10% of your budget. Sure, he plays for the Jets, but there are a number of reasons to like Seferian-Jenkins beyond this week.
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