Working the Wire- Week 11
@Hoover__26 November 17
As the season rages on, the waiver wire gets less and less fruitful. Some players have already broken out, and now they have gone from free agent gold to fantasy must-starts. Others have been flops, and have gone from top picks to bench warmers. However, there are always a few great pickups hidden in the waiver wire’s choppy tides. Here are a few of them.
Brock Osweiler- 0.3% Owned
Peyton Manning needed three measly yards to break Brett Favre’s all-time record going into his last game, and he barely got it. He had only one more completion than interception, and ended up getting benched. Peyton’s body is beginning to fail him, and he looks to be out next week against the generally poor Bears defense. In comes Brock Osweiler, who was one of my favorite quarterbacks in the 2012 draft (a draft that produced four Pro Bowl QBs and seven starting QBs, not counting Brock). Brock is a huge quarterback, at 6’8”, and has a cannon arm. He can be a little wild at times, but he should certainly be able to hit the deep vertical and post routes that Peyton struggles with. Brock is slated as the starter next week, and depending on Brock’s play and Peyton’s health, might be in for more snaps going forward. With an ownership rate that is equal to Ryan Mallett’s (who doesn’t even have a job), Brock is a great stream for someone who is lacking a viable quarterback, or in a deeper league.
Jay Cutler- 26.3% Owned
Jay Cutler has had some struggles this year, to say the least. His play in the early season was mediocre at best, and his Bears limped on. However, Cutler’s play is looking up recently. He threw five touchdowns and only one interception in his last two games, and ranks higher than guys like Tyrod Taylor and Eli Manning in Defense-adjusted Yards Above Replacement (footballoutsiders.com). If you look past the poor play of his team, he actually has been pretty good. Alshon Jeffery might be a bit banged up, and Eddie Royal hasn’t been very healthy, but Cutler still has some good targets. Martellus Bennett has played well, and the running back combo of Matt Forte and Jeremy Langford should take a little bit of the pressure off. Plus, they are both good receiving options out of the backfield. Cutler has a shot to be a very strong fantasy play for the rest of the year, but his ownership rate is at a low point with their impending Denver matchup. Now would be the time to add him, and if you can afford to stash him this week, he could be a very nice option for the remaining weeks.
Shaun Draughn- 9.4% Owned
Let me start by saying, Draughn is a journeyman. He has had a contract with eight teams since 2011, when he was drafted. However, it looks like he may have found a home in San Francisco, with Carlos Hyde’s health on the fritz. Draughn had almost 100 total yards, and ran the ball 16 times, so the opportunity is there. There aren’t really many statistics that I can use to evaluate Draughn, as his college days at UNC were spent mostly splitting carries with other backs. But, I can say that Draughn will probably have all the opportunity he needs to be a strong acquisition in many deeper leagues, as well as for someone who either owns Carlos Hyde or another banged up back.
Chris Givens- 2.8% Owned
After the Baltimore Ravens lost Steve Smith, the wide receiver position opened up for Kamar Aiken and Chris Givens to take over the fantasy points that Smith was drawing. Aiken has taken over the role of top dog, but there is still room for Givens to grab some fantasy points against second tier corners. Givens had seven targets in the Baltimore loss to the Jaguars, and he hauled in a touchdown. With Givens’ crazy low ownership percent, he is probably available in your league. He is also most likely the best receiver on the waiver, so act fast. Supplies are limited.
Garrett Celek- 1.1% Owned
Garrett Celek is an up and down kind of player. One week, you forget he exists, and the next, he catches two touchdowns. It looks like Celek is going to really profit from the QB switch, as Blaine Gabbert is looking a bit more accurate than Colin Kaepernick (wow, never thought I’d say that). If you are in need of a tight end, the waiver wire is a complete mess. Trying to pick one up will give you a headache, no doubt. Adding Celek might be a good idea however, as his upside is very high. Unfortunately, his floor is a bit lower than I usually like. But, with Vernon Davis gone, Celek might be able to maintain his fantasy-worthy numbers.
Dallas Cowboys Defense- 21.6%
Believe it or not, the Dallas D was actually the fourth defense taken on average in espn.com leagues. They have not even come close to living up to that, but things are improving. Their schedule doesn’t look that bad, as they are playing mostly average offenses besides Carolina and Green Bay (if they can get to Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay might even be a good matchup). Now, you may be thinking, they have to play the Redskins (who scored 47 points last week) twice, how is that good? Honestly, as good as I think a healthy Redskins team can be, I don’t think they can come close to that again. Kirk Cousins had a great game, but for every great game, there are five bad ones. If Dallas can stay healthy, and get Tony Romo back (it may not seem like that can really help the defense, but trust me, a better QB takes a ton of pressure off the defense), they can finish the season very strong, and help you do the same.
Brock Osweiler- 0.3% Owned
Peyton Manning needed three measly yards to break Brett Favre’s all-time record going into his last game, and he barely got it. He had only one more completion than interception, and ended up getting benched. Peyton’s body is beginning to fail him, and he looks to be out next week against the generally poor Bears defense. In comes Brock Osweiler, who was one of my favorite quarterbacks in the 2012 draft (a draft that produced four Pro Bowl QBs and seven starting QBs, not counting Brock). Brock is a huge quarterback, at 6’8”, and has a cannon arm. He can be a little wild at times, but he should certainly be able to hit the deep vertical and post routes that Peyton struggles with. Brock is slated as the starter next week, and depending on Brock’s play and Peyton’s health, might be in for more snaps going forward. With an ownership rate that is equal to Ryan Mallett’s (who doesn’t even have a job), Brock is a great stream for someone who is lacking a viable quarterback, or in a deeper league.
Jay Cutler- 26.3% Owned
Jay Cutler has had some struggles this year, to say the least. His play in the early season was mediocre at best, and his Bears limped on. However, Cutler’s play is looking up recently. He threw five touchdowns and only one interception in his last two games, and ranks higher than guys like Tyrod Taylor and Eli Manning in Defense-adjusted Yards Above Replacement (footballoutsiders.com). If you look past the poor play of his team, he actually has been pretty good. Alshon Jeffery might be a bit banged up, and Eddie Royal hasn’t been very healthy, but Cutler still has some good targets. Martellus Bennett has played well, and the running back combo of Matt Forte and Jeremy Langford should take a little bit of the pressure off. Plus, they are both good receiving options out of the backfield. Cutler has a shot to be a very strong fantasy play for the rest of the year, but his ownership rate is at a low point with their impending Denver matchup. Now would be the time to add him, and if you can afford to stash him this week, he could be a very nice option for the remaining weeks.
Shaun Draughn- 9.4% Owned
Let me start by saying, Draughn is a journeyman. He has had a contract with eight teams since 2011, when he was drafted. However, it looks like he may have found a home in San Francisco, with Carlos Hyde’s health on the fritz. Draughn had almost 100 total yards, and ran the ball 16 times, so the opportunity is there. There aren’t really many statistics that I can use to evaluate Draughn, as his college days at UNC were spent mostly splitting carries with other backs. But, I can say that Draughn will probably have all the opportunity he needs to be a strong acquisition in many deeper leagues, as well as for someone who either owns Carlos Hyde or another banged up back.
Chris Givens- 2.8% Owned
After the Baltimore Ravens lost Steve Smith, the wide receiver position opened up for Kamar Aiken and Chris Givens to take over the fantasy points that Smith was drawing. Aiken has taken over the role of top dog, but there is still room for Givens to grab some fantasy points against second tier corners. Givens had seven targets in the Baltimore loss to the Jaguars, and he hauled in a touchdown. With Givens’ crazy low ownership percent, he is probably available in your league. He is also most likely the best receiver on the waiver, so act fast. Supplies are limited.
Garrett Celek- 1.1% Owned
Garrett Celek is an up and down kind of player. One week, you forget he exists, and the next, he catches two touchdowns. It looks like Celek is going to really profit from the QB switch, as Blaine Gabbert is looking a bit more accurate than Colin Kaepernick (wow, never thought I’d say that). If you are in need of a tight end, the waiver wire is a complete mess. Trying to pick one up will give you a headache, no doubt. Adding Celek might be a good idea however, as his upside is very high. Unfortunately, his floor is a bit lower than I usually like. But, with Vernon Davis gone, Celek might be able to maintain his fantasy-worthy numbers.
Dallas Cowboys Defense- 21.6%
Believe it or not, the Dallas D was actually the fourth defense taken on average in espn.com leagues. They have not even come close to living up to that, but things are improving. Their schedule doesn’t look that bad, as they are playing mostly average offenses besides Carolina and Green Bay (if they can get to Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay might even be a good matchup). Now, you may be thinking, they have to play the Redskins (who scored 47 points last week) twice, how is that good? Honestly, as good as I think a healthy Redskins team can be, I don’t think they can come close to that again. Kirk Cousins had a great game, but for every great game, there are five bad ones. If Dallas can stay healthy, and get Tony Romo back (it may not seem like that can really help the defense, but trust me, a better QB takes a ton of pressure off the defense), they can finish the season very strong, and help you do the same.