Fantasy football is about adapting to change and creating the best possible team through trading, waiver wire pickups, and starting the right guys at the right time. I am a massive proponent of using the waiver wire in a way that gives your team the ability to improve without sacrificing your best players in a big trade. Through the year, after every single week I will be telling you, by position, the players I feel deserve to be picked up on your rosters. The way I judge a player to be on “waivers” is based on the percentage in which they are available across every ESPN league. In order to be considered on the waiver wire, the player must have a 50% or less ownership percentage according to ESPN data. I will be striving to find the most unique values that will offer you an advantage over your opponents who may not even know that player exists. So strap in and get ready for your team to get better.
Running Backs:
Zonovan Knight (39% owned):
In two career games, Knight has over 100+ yards from scrimmage in both. Michael Carter’s status is still in the air and Carter simply has not been very good this year. Carter was only averaging 3.7 yards per carry whereas Knight has averaged 5.5 yards per carry in just his first ever two games. This undrafted rookie is going to have a big impact on a Jets offense that has seemed to find itself with new quarterback Mike White throwing from over 300 yards in both of his first two games this year. Knight has league-winning potential and should be picked up in every single league before you make your playoff run.
James Cook (25% owned):
Cook has been inconsistent as a rookie this year, but this past game he really shined through with 20 touches for 105 yards. This includes six total receptions which shows that perhaps Cook has taken over as the league back in this offense. The Jets defense has been very good but has been susceptible to the run of late giving up 100 yards to Dalvin Cook and Alexander Mattison for two touchdowns this past week. If Cook can take over the pass-catching role in this offense, he is a must play every week given the touchdown upside in this electric Bills offense.
Jordan Mason (3% owned):
The 49ers have shown that they will not overextend the amount of touches that Christian McCaffery will get this year. In the few games that Mitchell played, he had more rush attempts than CMC. With CMC’s injury history, this should not come as a shock and this will allow Mason to see around 10-12 touches per game potentially which certainly makes him flex worthy. In this past week, Mason had eight rush attempts for 51 yards and this total could go up as the Niners start to trust him more and more as the season continues.
Wide Receivers:
Michael Gallup (44% owned):
Gallup has two consecutive matchups against the Jaguars and the Texans. If that alone is not enough to persuade you to pick him up, Gallup is coming off of a two touchdown game in which he has seven targets. The week before that? He had eight targets. It is clear that Gallup is getting some momentum coming off of his ACL injury. Therefore, I would highly recommend picking him up because he could have some explosive games against two of the worst defenses in the NFL.
Donovan Peoples-Jones (44% owned):
In eight out of his last nine games, DPJ has over forty yards receiving. In seven of those games, he has over 50 yards receiving. He has been a model of consistency this season. To me, he is the perfect flex start as he offers good consistency mixed with big-play upside. I think he should be rostered everywhere and if Watson finds himself again, he could be a great player for your playoff run this year.
Jameson Williams (30% owned):
Williams did not do much of anything in his first week for the Lions, but I really do think he can have a big impact this year on an offense capable of putting over 30+ points weekly. His speed is ridiculous and we have seen the impact guys like Waddle and Hill have had early in their careers. He’s worth a shot in the dark and, at this point, it is not as though there are many high upside options in an offense that scores this many points.
Tight End:
Greg Dulcich (39% owned):
Tight end is also very shallow this time of year so when a guy gets six receptions for 85 yards after having three or more targets in every game of his career, my interest is piqued. There is no doubt that his upside is limited playing in a historically terrible Broncos offense. But, he is a safety net for Russell Wilson and if you truly need tight end he can get you enough points to help you win.