Garrett Lee | @TheBasedGarrett
Tuesday, September 22, 2015 | BataviasBest.org
Here some guys that are certainly worth picking up on the Waiver Wire, should they be available in your league.
The criteria for making this list is being owned in 50% or less of ESPN leagues.
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Let’s start of with quarterbacks:
Tyrod Taylor should already be owned in 2-QB leagues; but if you own Tony Romo (placed on designated IR) or Drew Brees (bruised rotator cuff, status unknown for week 3) in a single-quarterback league, Taylor is a must-add. One of the top dual-threat QBs in the NFL, the former Hokie can get points through the air, or on the ground. He’s only owned in 17.9% of ESPN leagues – so get him while you can.
This will almost certainly come back and bite me, but Andy Dalton hasn’t turned the ball over nor has he been sacked in the first two games of the year. Like I said with Romo and Brees owners, Dalton could be a nice pick up if you’re in need of a QB. The often frustrating QB is owned in only 21.2% of ESPN leagues.
Running back waiver wire adds are a little tricker to figure out. You’re probably trying to snag a backup, steal someone else’s handcuff, or pick up a backup who’s now the starter due to injury, inefficiency, or suspension.
I know I’ve retierated that I’m not a fan of the Patriots’ backfield, and I even said that you could cut Dion Lewis in my Week 2 edition of Hate It or Love It. DO NOT LISTEN TO ME. Lewis was on the field for 70 snaps vs. Blount’s 7 snaps. Lewis also provides nice PPR value. The former Pittsburgh Panther is available in nearly 60% of ESPN leagues.
With the injury to Andre Ellington, rookie David Johnson saw an uptick in touches. The Northern Iowa alum scored a TD on his first two career touches (a 55-yard receiving TD and a 108-yard kickoff return). He added another TD on the ground this week. With a receiving, rushing and return TD on the season already, Johnson has accomplished a feat that only Knile Davis did last year. With the production he’s had, Johnson may force Bruce Arians’ hand in giving the starting job to him while Ellington is out.
Another rookie back, but this situation is a little more interesting. Matt Jones burst onto the scene Sunday with a 2-TD performance, while amassing over 120 yards on just 19 carries. While this performance has people thinking Jones is going to steal incumbent Alfred Morris’ job, I refute that sentiment. One good game from Jones doesn’t jeopardize Morris doing a fine job in the nation’s capital for the past 3 seasons. Morris also ran for 123 yards on what’s expected to be a very good Dolphins defense just last week. While I think Jones is closing in on “must-own” status (owned in only 16.4% of ESPN leagues), don’t give up the farm if he’s already owned. As of right now, Jones is the backup and Morris is the starter. Maybe they’ll split carries by season’s end, but I don’t think Morris is losing his job right this minute.
Wide receivers are also tricky, because there always seems to be a handful of guys who have two or three great games and then do nothing for the rest of the year.
Although all of his TDs have been of 50 yards or more, Travis Benjamin is too fast to ignore. He’s owned in only 7.0% of ESPN leagues right now, but has major boom potential (but with boom comes tons of bust potential). Benjamin had a 3 TD game on Sunday, and has a Madden-like connection with Johnny Manziel (7-9 for 213 yards and 3 scores). Benjamin warrants at least a bench spot with his performances in weeks 1 and 2.
Kenny Stills was expected to be an important part of the Dolphins this year, but has been anything but important through two weeks. Rishard Matthews has jumped Stills on the depth chart, after posting consecutive 100-yard games. Matthews and the ‘Phins have a very tough matchup against Buffalo on Sunday, so temper expectations for him, but he could be a nice pickup for the long run.
A former first round pick, Michael Crabtree has been a nice addition to the Oakland Raiders so far in 2015. After a rocky tenure across the bay, the Texas Tech alum had 16 targets on Sunday. With a Week 3 matchup with the Browns, Crabtree could be in line for big day with Amari Cooper likely getting Joe Haden’s attention all day. Owned in 31.7% of ESPN leagues, Crabtree could see his ownership increase quite a bit after a good game on Sunday and a favorable matchup next week.
Tight ends are notorious for having little depth at the position. After Gronk, Graham, Olsen and Kelce, there’s a pretty significant drop off in production.
With two sprained ankles and a sprained knee, Jason Witten could very well miss the next game. Although the Cowboys are currently plagued with injuries, Gavin Escobar could get the start. Escobar scored a TD in week 1, and it wouldn’t be a shock if he had a TD in the red zone if Witten were out. He’s owned in only 1.4% of ESPN leagues, so you might not even need to use a waiver claim on him.
A top-10 pick last year, Eric Ebron had a largely disappointing rookie campaign. Two weeks into his sophomore season, the former Tar Heel has two TDs. Detroit LOVES passing the ball, so Ebron could become the third option for Matthew Stafford. While being third in the pecking order isn’t something that’s usually desired, Ebron is a solid waiver candidate based on the pure volume at which the Lions throw the ball. Ebron saw his targets double between week 1 and 2 (5 and 10 targets, respectively) and is owned in 20.2% of ESPN leagues.
When it comes to waiver-wire adds for defenses, there’s really only one team that stands out to me.
The Cleveland Browns face the Raiders on Sunday, and Oakland has allowed the 6th-most points to fantasy D/ST since 2014. The Browns are owned in 13.1% of ESPN leagues, but I’d be cautious with adding this defense, since Derek Carr and the Raiders torched the Ravens last week.
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That wraps up my Week 3 Waiver Wire pickups. Tune in later this week for my Week 3 edition of Hate It or Love It.
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