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:
Khalil Herbert (48% owned):
It is almost unbelievable that a running back this good is available on the waiver wire. With David Montgomery struggling to only 3.9 yards per carry this year, Herbert has taken advantage of his opportunities with an average of 6.2 yards per carry. Herbert has had some explosive games for near or over 100 yards and is coming off of a game in which he had 16 rush attempts for 99 yards. One downside is he does not catch many passes, but he is an absurdly good rusher this year and needs to be picked up everywhere immediately.
Latavius Murray (33% owned):
Murray is one of those guys who just finds his way into the endzone. He now has touchdowns in back to back weeks and even led the Broncos in rush attempts with 14 against the Jaguars this past week. He is not going to have a very high ceiling given the committee but he is consistently seeing about 10-15 touches a week which is a great pickup for a running back at this stage of the season.
Caleb Huntley (6% owned):
Any running back who has games over 90+ yards this season deserves a pickup and Huntely just surpassed that mark with 91 yards on just 16 attempts. He has been up and down as a player this season and splitting carries with Tyler Allgeier has definitely hurt him, but he has seen 16 or more touches two of the last three weeks and is easily the most underrated option available on the waiver wire right now. He is already owned anywhere!
Wide Receivers:
Romeo Doubs (47% owned):
As all rookie wide receivers tend to be, Doubs has been inconsistent. This past week he showed out, however, with four receptions for 67 yards and a touchdown. I especially like him this week against a Detroit Lions defense that ranks 31st in points allowed per game. This should be a high-scoring affair for the Packers and I think Doubs is a player who could have a monster week as a result.
Rondale Moore (46% owned):
Aside from week seven, Kyler Murray has loved throwing the ball to his slot receivers. Moore had another ten target game this week for 92 yards and a touchdown. He is a PPR machine when targeted and I expect him to continue in this role. Even Greg Dortch was productive as a slot receiver in this offense. The Cardinals throw more than any team in the NFL currently and Moore has been a direct beneficiary of that.
Damiere Byrd (0% owned):
This is a bit of a shot in the dark, but Byrd has two massive touchdowns the past two games and has proven to be a great deep threat for Marcus Mariota and the Falcons. If you want to pick up a player with a high risk and high reward, I would scoop up Byrd who is averaging 35.5 yards per reception. That is an absolutely absurd number, given a small size, but I think in fantasy you need to shoot big to win and Byrd has the speed to win you a week.
Tight Ends:
Tyler Conklin (16% owned):
To all the people who were against Conklin the past couple weeks, I say give him another chance. He just had a ten target game in which he finished with six receptions for 79 yards and a touchdown. Wilson has shown the tendency to target his tight end when under pressure and the Bills defense is ferocious. Grab Conklin as a guy who can have huge red zone upside.