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:
Rachaad White (20% owned):
We have been waiting for a White breakout game this whole year and honestly have yet to see any real production. His highest rushing total actually came this past week but it was a measly 27 yards. The upside here though is that Leonard Fournette has looked horrific this year. He’s only averaging 3.3 yards per carry and a beat reporter has come out today saying that White could take over the Tampa Bay backfield. At this point in the year, shoot for upside because there really is not much out there especially at the running back position. I would say that White has the most upside of any waiver wire pickup this week.
Jeff Wilson Jr. (45% owned):
It is criminal that Wilson Jr. is still available in so many leagues. The Dolphins’ run game has struggled all year so they made the move to trade for a running back. Wilson Jr. had 12 total touches in just his first week on the team. He has hardly learned the playbook and already has a massive role in this offense. He’s a very efficient runner at 5.1 yards per carry and caught a tied-for-a season high three passes this past week. Wilson is a bonafide RB2 in this explosive Dolphins offense and I am picking him up everywhere that he is available.
Kyren Williams (14% owned):
This is a complete shot in the dark but he has garnered some fantasy hype of last as he is finally being activated off of IR. He enters a backfield that does not have a running back with over 275 rushing yards and we are halfway through the season. He had a reputation as a pass-catching back in college so he should be able to contribute in that role but he is a stash for this week to see if he can make an impact in what has been the worst backfield in football.
Wide Receivers:
Odell Beckham Jr. (20% owned):
OBJ is going to sign with a fantastic offense. The Cowboys and Bills are the two most heavily rumored teams for OBJ to sign with and he would be incredible in either of those offenses. When healthy OBJ is one of the better wide receivers in the league and it is not often that a player as good as him is available this late in the season. I would wait a week or two before actually playing him, but he could be an amazing piece for your playoff run down the line. Get him everywhere as a bench stash.
Mecole Hardman (36% owned): I don’t think anyone has taken more hate than Hardman for being chosen over DK Metcalf but Hardman has actually been pretty solid as of late. He has four or more targets in each of the last four games and has five touchdowns over his last three games. He is even averaging 18.3 points in that stretch which puts him as a WR1 for that small sample size. We all know the Chiefs offense is incredible and has struggled to run the ball, so expect Mahomes to keep having to throw. He threw the ball nearly 70 times this past week and Hardman will simply see a lot of targets as a result.
Terrace Marshall (8% owned):
Marshall has seen 15 targets over the last two weeks and is reminding fans why he was a second round pick just a year ago. He is slowly taking on a bigger and bigger role in this offense and has produced as a result. He had 50+ yards and a touchdown this week after having 87 receiving yards the week prior. Marshall is a good flex option and offers great depth as a bench piece for your fantasy squad.
Tight Ends:
Greg Dulcich (29% owned):
I was shocked to see Dulcich being available in so many leagues. He has over 44 receiving yards in all three of his first career games and has shown himself to be a great checkdown option for Russell Wilson in this Broncos offense. The Broncos play a good Tennessee defense which means that Wilson will most likely need to check down quite a bit. Hopefully that will mean Dulcich can see an even bigger uptick in receptions. I am personally picking him up in every single league and will be starting him in any league in which I don’t have an elite tight end (i.e. Travis Kelce, Mark Andrews).
Cole Kmet (27% owned):
The Cole Kmet breakout finally happened. He had five receptions for 42 yards and two touchdowns not to mention his two rush attempts for nine yards. The Bears are obviously trying to get Kmet more involved and with Fields throwing for three touchdowns, Kmet will be a big part of that. Fields has begun to erupt the last month and I expect this Bears offense to kill it the next couple weeks against Detroit and Atlanta. Kmet is a high upside option that should be rostered everywhere.
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