Monthly Archives: October 2016

Week 8 Waiver Wire

Week 8 Waiver Wire Pickups

By Michael Visconti October 25th, 2016

We are almost at the half way point. It goes so fast. We are also at the point of the season where we have the biggest bye weeks. This week we have six teams on bye: Rams, Dolphins, Giants, 49ers, Steelers, and Ravens. Brutal. Get ready to see what kind of bench you and your opponents have. This is a great opportunity to creep up in points and sneak in a win by playing the waiver wire and free agent market better than your league mates.

Quarterbacks

There aren’t any Quarterbacks recommended as season long holds, so here are a few streamers for Week 8:

Alex Smith KC @ IND
Sam Bradford @ CHI
Brock Osweiller vs HOU
Ryan Fitzpatrick @ NYJ

Watch List – Josh McCown CLE, Tony Romo DAL, Colin Kaepernick SF

Running Backs

Jay Ajayi MIA – In case your league did not believe in his 200+ yard Week 6 performance he posted another 200+ yard performance which will require you to put all of your FAAB on him now. He is worth it, especially with the recent news of Arian Foster’s retirement.

Jaquizz Rodgers TB – As Doug Martin is still ailing with a foot injury Quiz keeps racking up the carries. I saw him dropped in a couple of leagues with Doug whispered of returning last week. Foot injuries are tricky and Quiz is a must add in all formats.

Devontae Booker DEN – Booker is earning more and more playing time. He surpassed CJ Anderson on Monday Night Football with a total of 17 to 16 carries. If he keeps playing well he will continue to get a lot of action. CJ will continue to get a bunch of looks here too, but in this day of football a run-heavy offense can have two fantasy relevant running backs.

Chris Thompson WAS – As I spoke of in the preseason Matt Jones loves to fumble. That could be a career killer for him. Chris got the most action. He caught all 7 of his targets while rushing the ball 13 times. He is not the prototypical running back, more like a scat back, but the upcoming Redskins schedule (aside from Minnesota) is good enough to bring Thompson to fantasy relevance down the stretch. I really like that week 16 matchup versus the Bears.

Mike Gillislee BUF – Mike will be the starting running back should LeSean miss anytime. He has played pretty well this season with a 6.8 YPC this season. If LeSean is fine, which he usually finds a way to play, then Mike has very little value. He is worth a speculative add.

Ty Montgomery GB – I guess I will put this guy here in the running back section. The former wide out is still probably a wide out. Either way he has great value for the remainder of the season. I have my eyes on Knile Davis as he is more of the traditional Packers type of a running back, but Ty will be heavily involved in this offense moving forward.

Kenneth Dixon BAL – With the very brief success of Terrance West owners may have been fed up holding onto Dixon. Coach John Harbaugh is committed to getting Kenneth in action as soon as this week.

Watch List –Damien Williams MIA, Thomas Rawls SEA, Dion Lewis NE, Alfred Morris DAL, Zach Zenner DET, Matt Asiata MIN, Knile Davis GB, Rob Kelley WAS

Wide Receiver

Kenny Britt LA – Kenny came back down to earth, but he still led the Rams with 8 targets. The big guy will have a couple to three big games down the stretch and is worth an add through these bye weeks.

DaVante Adams GB – And the Hate – Love – Mostly Hate relationship continues. Get ready for the Week 8 letdown here. Adams will be the #1 pickup this week, but we have all seen this movie before. Still, he had a monster Thursday Night Football game.

Kenny Stills MIA – Kenny had a great Sunday and looks like he leap-frogged disappointing DaVante Parker on the depth chart. Stills had 100 yards receiving on 5 catches and a TD.

Marquise Lee JAX – I cannot quite figure out why Lee had just as many targets as Allen Robinson this Sunday, but maybe it is that while A-Rob draws all the best defensive attention Lee gets the best matchup. He did the most he could with his 8 targets catching 7 of them for 107 yards while A-Rob caught 2 of his 8 targets for 9 yards, that’s disgusting. Allen Hurns had 7 targets and caught 4 for 45 yards. This is not a very exciting scoop, but he may end up being the most fantasy relevant on this team for the remainder of the season. Jury is out.

Watch List – Corey Coleman CLE, Cordarelle Patterson MIN, Adam Thielen, Nelson Agholor PHI, Chris Conley KC, Robert Woods BUF, Breshad Perriman BAL, Anquan Boldin DET, Seth Roberts OAK, Michael Floyd ARI

Tight End

Vernon Davis WAS – VD caught all six of his targets for 79 yards. I will say that Reed has been cleared to begin practicing, but I have very little confidence in his ability to stay healthy.

Jack Doyle IND – Jack was on every one of my DFS lineups last week and he was the highest scoring fantasy tight end. His play, especially redzone targets, has earned him a spot as a waiver wire add in season long leagues. Jack caught 9 balls and one for a TD on Sunday.

Watch List – Lance Kendricks LA, Vance McDonald SF

Week 7 Waiver Wire

Week 7 Waiver Wire Pickups

By Michael Visconti October 17th, 2016

Another week in the books! A look ahead at Week 7 we only have two teams on bye: Dallas Cowboys and the Carolina Panthers. Wow, two totally different mindsets for these two teams. Probably the opposite of what we though heading in to Week 1. This is the NFL.

Here is another one for you: Cam Newton, Aaron Rodgers, Carson Palmer, Russel Wilson, Blake Bortles, and Eli Manning are all outside of the Top 12 in fantasy scoring through 6 weeks. Sure some of these guys have been through their bye weeks, but some of these guys are outside of the Top 20! Really doesn’t make you feel any better. All signs were pointing to Matt Ryan on the decline and in a system not conducive for QB fantasy stats yet he is the #1 QB in fantasy football so far.

It’s still early and if you are stuck with one of these guys as your starting QB, deep breath. It is only Week 7. On the other hand, it’s Week 7 and you better panic! Well at least get on the wire and fix your roster.

Quarterbacks

Brian Hoyer CHI – Another great outing for Brian Hoyer. Hoyer has been fortunate enough to play the Lions, Colts and Jaguars. That is a trifecta of garbage NFL secondaries, but still he made the most of the opportunity by putting up great numbers.

Colin Kaepernick SF – A lot of buzz around this guy, off the field buzz, but still. He looked pretty good considering this was his first game back and the wind was swirling around the field. He is as athletic as he always was, but now has an offensive system that is the closest to the University of Reno offense. The poor defensive play and lack of offensive weapons is actually a good thing for fantasy stats. It will keep Kaep running around the field and they will be playing a lot of catch up.

Sam Bradford MIN – Not exactly Favre going back to Lambeau with the Vikings, but next week Bradford goes to Philadelphia. This should be fun to watch. Fresh off the bye. Do you think he worked on something with his guys during the break? He looks great and I expect him to have some great games down the stretch.

Watch List – Josh McCown CLE, Tony Romo DAL, Joe Flacco BAL, Ryan Fitzpatrick NYJ

Running Backs
Jay Ajayi MIA – Jay was dropped in a lot of leagues after Gase was dicking around with 3-4 different options. It looks like that won’t happen again. Now I see why he was so pissed when they announced Arian Foster the RB1 before Week 1. The rap on Ajayi is he is not build for the long haul and he will break down, but ride him while he is hot.

Devontae Booker DEN – He will not over take CJ Anderson anytime soon, but he has been out producing CJ in yards per carry over the last 5 weeks. His role will increase if this trend continues. Other than that you will need an injury to occur for this to have a huge payoff. He is worth a bench stash in most formats.

Spencer Ware KC – I found him on the wire in a couple of 12 team leagues telling me that people are believing that Charles will completely take over this offense. Not so fast. They will ease Charles back in, but Ware gets the hard yards. He rushed 24 times for 131 yards. Not bad. His role will probably slow down a bit, but Reid will not take him off the field. He is the Kansas City running back for the foreseeable future.

Watch List –Dion Lewis NE, James White NE, Alfred Morris DAL, Zach Zenner DET, Mike Gillislee BUF

Wide Receiver

Cameron Meredith CHI – Led the league in Week 6 with 15 targets. As long as Hoyer is the starter this guy will produce. Pick him up if he is still on your wire in any format including 8 team leagues that only start 2 WR’s.

Adam Thielen MIN – Maybe he was overlooked because of the bye week, but let this be your reminder. Bradford and Thielen have a connection. When Diggs returns he will not have as many targets, but Bradford is building a relationship with this guy.

Kenny Britt LA – We always knew Kenny had the talent it was the QB play that has held him back. Case Keenum has looked OK the last couple of weeks. Britt is a big bodied receiver and as long as he continues to get the targets he will have some good numbers. He is definitely worth a pickup and is available in a ton of leagues after a really slow LA start.

Ty Montgomery GB – The Stanford alum had 12 targets after Davante Adams left with a possible concussion. The big news is Ty caught 10 of those 12 targets. That is something Adams could never do. Look for Ty to start taking some snaps away from Adams.

Pierre Garcon WAS – In the absence of Jordan Reed Garcon out targeted every Washington pass catcher with 11 total targets. It could change next week, I still like Crowder long term this year, but he is getting some volume.

Torrey Smith SF – This is like the one familiar face for Kaep. He greatly under threw the one long TD that Torrey caught, but with this offense trailing in most games I would expect this connection to continue.

Watch List – Ricardo Louis CLE, Cordarelle Patterson MIN, Nelson Agholor PHI, Chris Conley KC, Robert Woods BUF, Breshad Perriman BAL, Anquan Boldin DET

Tight End

Ladarius Green PIT – Green said that he hopes to be able to play when he is eligible to return in Week 7. Longshot here, but if he can get on the field and stay healthy he would be amazing in this offense. He should be available now and is worth a 2-week stash to see if he makes it back.
Vernon Davis WAS – Niles Paul did not get a target in Week 6 while VD got 4 targets. Not necessarily inspiring, but he is the fill-in for Reed while Reed is out. VD is capable of streaking an out like a wide receiver and could have a couple of big games should Reed be out for multiple weeks.
Watch List – Larry Donnel NYG, Austin Seferian-Jenkins NYJ, Lance Kendricks LA, Charles Clay BUF

Week 6 Waiver Wire

Week 6 Waiver Wire Pickups

By Michael Visconti October 10th, 2016

The first big set of byes are behind us after 4 teams took off Week 5. The Vikings and the Buccaneers are set for bye in Week 6. Again we escape the week without any significant injuries. This simply means that a storm is coming. It is just a part of football. As a reminder do not spend all of your FAAB on a player that you don’t really need, especially a flier on a guy that may or may not work out. You may need some of that cash in case your team has an unexpected injury.

Like I said last week look ahead to the bye week matchups to try and take advantage of a need you may have at kicker or defense to cover you. There is no sense on waiting until the last minute considering that you will have to spend up to get the juicy matchup the week of.

Quarterbacks

Marcus Mariota TEN – Finally he started ato look a bit like the guy we thought was drafted 2nd overall in the 2015 draft. He has some favorable streamer matchups over the next few weeks.

Brian Hoyer CHI – Another great outing for Brian Hoyer. He came 3 yards short of 400! It is highly possible that even after Jay Cutler returns from injury that Hoyer keeps the job as starting QB.

Watch List – Paxton Lynch DEN, Tony Romo DAL, Colin Kaepernick SF, Josh McCown CLE

Running Backs

JacQuizz Rodgers TB – Doug Martin is due back after the Bucs Week 6 bye. Quizz might still see some work with Sims on the IR. For now, I would treat him as a handcuff to Doug Martin should he get hurt again.

Bobby Rainey NYG – Bobby has some PPR value after getting a big increase in snaps following Vereen’s injury. Not exciting but if you are desperate for an RB in PPR he can get you some points as a bye week fill in.

Kenneth Dixon BAL – Terrance West looked pretty good in the first half then the Ravens abandoned the run, then Marc Trestman got fired. I still like Ken Dixon as an intriguing stash. It may or may not work out, but he could be a difference maker if given the chance. He was extremely explosive in college and had a nose for the end zone.

Jalen Richard OAK – DeAndre Washington did not look like the best backup to Latavius Murray on Sunday. Jalen had a bit more of a burst and looked like he would take over should Latavius stay out (Murray is expected back this week). This is going to turn out to be a 3-headed monster in Oakland, but Jalen may have some PPR value. He caught 6 of 7 targets for 66 yards.

Watch List – Paul Perkins NYG, Shaun Draughn SF, Dion Lewis NE, Alfred Morris DAL, Devontae Booker DEN, Robb Kelley WAS, DJ Foster NE

Wide Receiver

Jeremy Kerley SF – Well we had him on the list for the last couple of weeks, but after back to back big games he may not be available in your league. Sadly, he is the best wide receiver in San Francisco.

Sammie Coates PIT – If he some how did not get scooped up last week be prepared to spend 60-75% of your FAAB on #14. He looked great and has Roethlisberger’s attention.

Cameron Meredith CHI – Meredith looked like a clumsier version of a young Brandon Marshall. He clearly has a connection with Hoyer and I have to believe that Alshon’s regular practice absence plays into that. In Week 5 Cameron hauled in 9 of his 12 targets for 130 yards and a TD. If Cutler comes back that will surely deflate Meredith’s numbers, but I don’t believe he gets the job back here.

Adam Thielen MIN – Well I must believe when Diggs returns he will not have as many targets, but Bradford is building a relationship with this guy. With the way he has been playing he will stay on the field even if Randy Moss returns to the Vikings.

Chris Hogan NE – I think Brady likes his new toy. Tom and Chris connected for 4 of 5 targets for 114 yards and hit on a long one. I think this is going to be an exciting duo for the rest of the year. As with any Patriot player the weeks will be spotty, but it’s clear that Hogan will have some really big games mixed in with some quiet ones.

Watch List – Cordarelle Patterson MIN, Nelson Agholor PHI, Chris Conley KC, Marquise Goodwin BUF, Jermaine Kearse SEA,

Tight End

Ladarius Green PIT – Green said that he hopes to be able to play when he is eligible to return in Week 7. Longshot here, but if he can get on the field and stay healthy he would be amazing in this offense. He should be available now and is worth a 2-week stash to see if he makes it back.

Martellus Bennett NE – Well that was something. Did he get dropped when he turned in a couple of slow weeks along with Gronk’s return? Martellus will have a role in this offense along with Gronk especially with Brady back. His role will be spotty as everyone in New England’s is, but grab him if he’s there.

Watch List – Will Tye NYG, Austin Seferian-Jenkins NYJ, Richard Rodgers GB, CJ Fiedorwicz HOU