Welcome back to the Thursday ‘In case you missed them,’ Waiver wire article! There were some key injuries last week that allowed for a few new names to come into the fold as far as season-long contests go, so hopefully we can get those guys identified here for you!
QB
1.) Chase Daniel - CHI Bears (2% (+2) YAHOO –1.3% (+1.3) ESPN) - It has already been noted that Mitchell Trubisky will miss Week 5 with this shoulder injury, thus giving way to a start for Chase Daniel . This is good news if you need a QB this week, as Daniel is the PERFECT stream option. Although, Daniel’s first legit “start” will be in a game in London, I still really like him versus this Oakland defense. Let me tell you why: Over the past four games, OAK D has allowed the 6th most pass yards per game (281), the 5th most yards total (1,124), AND 5th worst in the league in terms of sacks (5). Not only are they not getting to the QB, they are allowing receivers to have quite the field day on them as well, allowing the 5th most yards per reception (12.8), and the 5th most TDs receiving-wise. So, again, if you need a start, its Daniels this week at QB.
2.) Joe Flacco - DEN Broncos (7% (+1) YAHOO – 4.2% (-0.5) ESPN) - Flacco comes in as a decent option this week, and obviously if you must roster Flacco, I would imagine you are hurting bad at the QB spot. However, Flacco did somewhat pick apart a decent Jags defense last week, albeit they were without stud CB Jalen Ramsey , but still can’t discount the 22 for 38 completions, 303 yards, and three TDs vs one INT. Of course, it wasn’t pretty by any means, however in fantasy-land that accounted for a swift 29.02 fantasy points. Not bad, Joe. He does come in with a pretty stiff matchup against the Chargers this week on the road, but this LAC D is beatable, as both prior home games this season they allow 23 points to Brisket and the Colts, and 27 points to Deshaun Watson and the Texans. Just food for thought. Lastly, the Chargers are allowing the 4th highest completion% at 73.9%, the 6th most yards per pass attempt (8.4), and the 6th highest Passer RTG as well at 111.0%.
ATTN: PAY ATTENTION TO Sam Darnold THIS WEEK! (Back at practice on Wed)
RB
1.) Jaylen Samuels - PIT Steelers (52% (+23.5) YAHOO – 30.4% (+2.5) ESPN) - Samuels gained a bit of the snap share in Monday night’s game with the Bengals. It was very interesting to note that Samuel played 44.8% of the snaps, still below Conner (65.5%) however, the important thing here was the carries/targets, which were literally split in half with both toting the rock 10 times AND both getting eight targets with QB Mason Rudolph under center. Samuels didn’t fare as well on the ground compared to Conner (as far as yardage), but the Steelers did add a new wrinkle into the offense via the Wild Cat formation, and it was Samuels who got the totes for this package. So, take this as you want, but if this is any indication of how they will come out now with Rudolph at QB to help him ease into passes and such, Samuels will absolutely have stand-alone value going forward. I was fortunate to grab him in two of my three leagues on Wednesday morning. (NOTE: Although Conner said his foot was “fine,” he did not practice on Wednesday, so monitor this)
2.) Nyheim Hines -IND Colts (20% (+1) YAHOO – 38.7% (-4.8) ESPN) - This isn’t a savvy add, but with the lingering injury concerns to starting RB Marlon Mack , this makes it worth a look here if you need some immediate mild-consistency. Hines comes in as the 3rd-down back, more so, but could see a split carry role with Wilkins if Mack is hampered even further by his injury. The calf injury that Mack sustained is the same injury that kept Derrick Henry out for a good while last season, as well as Andrew Luck , which could have eventually aided in his retirement decision, who knows? Either way, the calf is a serious injury and its’ hard to run with it to say the least. Mack wasn’t “medically ruled out” after he left last week’s game vs the Raiders, however his status is still up in the air for Sunday night against the Chiefs. Hines did get one less carry than Wilkins in the fill-in split role, BUT received six targets compared to Wilkins one target in that game as well. Since they are playing the Chiefs and all, this game script could and should favor Hines a bit more if they get behind.
3.) Jeff Wilson Jr.- SF 49ers (6% (+1) YAHOO – 7.5% (+4.6) ESPN)- Even though Wilson Jr. is part of a trio of backs that are rotating out of this Niners backfield, he has been getting the looks that matter the most – Goal Line carries. Not only is this what he is getting, he is converting these high-value touches into fantasy points in the form of touchdowns. Wilson Jr. has more value on the standard league side of the fantasy gate, however, if you absolutely need a plug this week even in PPR, you can just hope he gets 1-2 touchdowns and will bring you more than enough value while you await a bye week, or injury, etc. Fresh off of their bye week as well, SF is still without Tevin Coleman , so this makes Jeff Wilson Jr. still decently relevant until he is back. Use it as you wish.
WR
1.) Auden Tate - CIN Bengals (8% (+8) YAHOO – 3.2% (+3.1) ESPN)- Tate should be a huge beneficiary of a starting outside WR role vacated by John Ross III after his sustained an injury Monday night that landed him on the side-lines for at least 4-6 weeks, roughly. This is big news for Tate, meaning that he will not just be a weekly add, he will accrue some decent value for a few weeks here. If you are hurting at the WR spot and lack consistency, this could be a great add for a few weeks in the form of a plug-and-play. In the three and a half games that Ross started this season, he saw a whopping 32 targets, good for an average of over eight per game. This leaves a ton to be desired for Tate going forward for the short future.
2.) Cole Beasley - BUFF Bills (17% (+5) YAHOO – 25% (+7.5) ESPN)- Beasley has been a staple WR for the Bills, just as he was for the Cowboys. Garnering a hefty number of targets each week (36 total now, 13 this past Sunday vs Pats), although these targets aren’t exactly translating into a high number of yards, they are essential in PPR formats. If this is your format, and you need help, Beasley could be your guy. Not to mention the fact that starting QB Josh Allen is still not out of concussion protocol, and this could leave the Bills with back-up Matt Barkley as the signal-caller for this week, which could lead to Beasley being the safety blanket on short routes, per usual.
3.) Zach Pascal - IND Colts (1% (+0) YAHOO – 0.2% (+0.2) ESPN)- Obviously, this is a temporary band-aid type play here, but as long as Hilton is staying on the sidelines, the less likely he is to suit up for an NFL game. Pascal seemed to be one of the main beneficiaries of his target share, as he ceded seven targets, only behind the eight of both Pars Campbell and Jack Doyle . However, he was able to find pay-dirt as well and now has eclipsed double-digit fantasy points in his last two games. Not saying he will stay this consistent, but it seems as long as TY is out, this could be a nice temporary plug if need be. Pascal was added to over 2.2k rosters on Yahoo, fwiw.
TE
1.) Dallas Goedert - PHI Eagles (10% (+0) YAHOO – 4% (-0.3) ESPN- Funny enough Goedert is still widely available all over the fantasy worlds, but should he be? I don’t think so. According to the great Andrew Cooper’s Snap Count Article, Goedert was in on almost 70% of the Eagles snaps in their game with the Packers last Thursday. Goedert was in on 43 of the 62 snaps that the Eagles had on offense, however, was only targeted three times on the night, but made it count as he hauled in a touchdown with one of his two catches. I suppose he isn’t an insta-add just yet, but I believe he will continue to see RZ targets.
2.) Ricky Seals-Jones - CLE Browns (3% (+2) YAHOO – 2.2% (+2.1) ESPN)- RSJ came alive this weekend for the Browns hooking up with Baker Mayfield on three different occasions. His line of three catches for 82 yards and a touchdown was good for 17.20 fantasy points.It is important to note that he only played on 30% of the snaps Sunday, not even half as many as starting TE Demetrius Harris , however he was targeted in the passing game and Harris was not. It is something worth monitoring going forward.
D/ST
1.) Carolina Panthers (31% (+16) YAHOO – 43.6% (+2.5%) ESPN)- The Panthers have now turned in double-digit fantasy point efforts in their last two games---- on the road. Now, it was against a putrid Arizona team and a half-decent Texans team (albeit their cat gravel O-Line), but the main thing you cannot discount is that they are getting to the QB. The Panthers now have 14!!! FOURTEEN sacks in their last 2 games, and a total of 18 on the season. They are getting after folks. Not to mention four INTs on the year as well. This D/ST seems to be trending way up and should be owned in all leagues. This week they get a Jags team who allowed five sacks to the not-so good DEN Defense last week. Minshew has been sacked a total of 10 times so far in his 3 games started as well.
2.) New Orleans Saints (57% (+6) YAHOO – 64.8% (+2.5) ESPN)- Another D/ST that seems to be trending up is the Saints, who ALSO have turned in double-digit fantasy point efforts in their last two contests. The Saints also just held the daunted Cowboys offense to just 10 points last Sunday night. The Saints host Jameis Winston and Co. this week in the Mercedes Benz SuperDome and we already know that comes with at least one INT on the day from Winston. The Saints have also forced four fumbles in their last three games, and recovered all four as well. This is a D/ST that you can plug and play this week for sure.