Football fans rejoice! Week one of the regular season is finally in the books. Fantasy football team owners finally got to see their squads in action. Some players lived up to standards, while others disappointed. Unfortunately, a few players went down as well. Owners will now look to the waiver wire to add some of week one’s stars. Most will be disappointed. The key to a good waiver wire add is consistent performance for a few weeks. After one week, there is just not enough tape to warrant picking anyone up off waivers. Still, there are a few under-the-radar players to keep an eye on for the next few weeks. Find out who they are below
Week Two Fantasy Football Watch List Featuring Ryan.Grant
Ryan Grant
There is no doubt that T.Y. Hilton is the alpha dog at wide receiver for the Indianapolis Colts. However, many wondered who would play second fiddle to Hilton after the Colts let the oft-injured Donte Moncrief go in the offseason. With Andrew Luck back under center, even the number two receiver in his offense has potential to make a fantasy impact.
Going off week one, it looks like that guy is going to be Ryan Grant. The new Colts offense looks like it is going to be more surgical, with Luck throwing quick, precise routes to get the ball out of his hands quickly. It is a smart strategy considering Luck has had issues taking hits trying to push the ball downfield. Grant filled that role perfectly during Sunday’s game.
Grant caught eight balls for 59 yards, leading the Colts in receptions. In standard scoring, that is a solid, if unspectacular, showing. In PPR leagues it is even better. If Grant can keep up this kind of consistency in terms of receptions per game, he will have his moments. He needs to get into the end zone to give him any real value, but his role in this offense should be monitored closely in the weeks to come.
Austin Ekeler
For the Los Angeles Chargers, running back Melvin Gordon is doing a great job cementing himself as a top all-purpose back in the league. He was a fantasy star week one, gaining 166 total yards and scoring on a two-point conversion. This was good for 18.6 points in standard leagues. Surprisingly, backup Austin Ekeler matched Gordon’s output.
Ekeler was much more involved than many expected, catching five passes for 87 yards and a touchdown, and then rushing five times for 39 yards. It was an effective strategy to spell Gordon with Ekeler, keeping them both fresh. The Chargers likely keep this strategy up, giving Ekeler potential for touches and scoring every week.
Ekeler is a dynamic player, who can run and catch the ball just as well. It is doubtful he will put up weeks like this every week, but he should be monitored in the next few weeks as he establishes his floor. If he continues to get around ten touches a game, he has a good shot at consistent points. Of course, there is also the potential that his usage increases should Gordon go down at some point this season.
Fool’s Gold Alert: Will Dissly
Will Dissly, the rookie tight end from the Seattle Seahawks is already in line to be one of the top waiver wire adds this week after his ridiculous performance. He came out of nowhere to rack up 105 yards and a touchdown on only three catches. This was good for the second-most points amongst all tight ends this weekend. With big-name tight ends like Greg Olsen and Delanie Walker going down, Dissly is a tempting add for people who lost their tight end this week.
Team owners who pull the trigger on Dissly will probably be disappointed. The numbers he put up are just not sustainable. He only caught three passes, showing that he is not extremely involved in the offense. From there, one of his catches went for 66 yards in a poor showing of Denver Broncos tackling. Overall, this has all the looks of a week one fluke performance.
Still, this isn’t to say that Dissly won’t end up putting solid stats. The Seahawks will be without top wideout Doug Baldwin for an indefinite amount of time. That leaves the aged Brandon Marshall, and newly extended, but inconsistent, Tyler Lockett as the top options to catch passes from Russell Wilson. There will definitely be targets up for grabs, but it will be an uphill battle for a rookie tight end who was considered by the team to be a blocking tight end before last week.
It is best to take a wait-and-see approach rather than using a valuable waiver claim on an unproven player.
Week One Redux: C.J. Anderson
The redux returns! Each week, Last Word on Sport’s weekly watch list will conclude by looking back at a player who previously appeared on the list. For a look at last week’s list, click here.
Last week, C.J. Anderson made his appearance on the list. Anderson made his regular season debut on his new team, the Carolina Panthers last week. He was decently involved, but not enough to warrant anyone to be comfortable starting him moving forward. He only got seven carries, turning them into 35 yards. This still gives him a nice 5 yards per carry average.
It was also mentioned how it seemed like the coaching staff was not quite sold on Christian McCaffrey as their lead back. This concern continued into week one. McCaffrey still showed his versatility, going over 100 total yards. He caught six passes for 45 yards and rushed ten times for 50 yards. The ten rushes are concerning though, especially considering who had more rushing attempts: quarterback Cam Newton. Newton led the team in rushing yards (53) and attempts (13).
For a team’s quarterback to have 13 rushing attempts is just mind-boggling. It is unsustainable, and not smart for his long-term use. The coaching staff will look over the tape this week and surely like what they saw from Anderson. He should get increased carries moving forward, and will undoubtedly be worth an add as soon as his usage increases.
Main Photo: INDIANAPOLIS, IN – SEPTEMBER 09: Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Ryan Grant (11) runs to the sidelines after making a catch during the NFL game between the Indianapolis Colts and Cincinnati Bengals on September 9, 2018, at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, IN. (Photo by Zach Bolinger/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
