Working the Wire: Week Three
-Jagibbs_23 September 22
Alright Underground readers, this is a new weekly column I’m starting called “Working the Wire” and it is dedicated to helping you dominate your league’s waiver wire, an important part of the road to the championship. I’ll be taking you through the players that are under 30% owned on ESPN each week and highlighting the ones I think deserve to be on your roster to help you destroy your league mates this year. These are listed in order of current ownership percentage, so keep in mind that their order on this list is not a reflection of the priority in which you should give them when making waiver claims.
Breshad Perriman, WR, Baltimore Ravens, 29.8%
I feel like people are really overlooking Perriman. Baltimore’s first round pick, while raw, is incredibly talented and will be coming into a terrific situation when he gets healthy. A 6’2” receiver with 4.2 speed, Perriman has all the tools to be a stand-out player in the NFL. The Ravens are currently trotting out the likes of Kamar Aiken and Marlon Brown as their number two and three options. Aiken was able to gather 89 yards this weekend, while TE Crockett Gillmore put up a line of five catches for 88 yards and two TD. If those two can put up numbers like that, the far more talented Breshad Perriman should put up huge numbers when he gets back, which could be sooner, rather than later. According to Jon Meoli of the Baltimore Sun, Perriman is ramping up his activity and his debut is getting closer. He’s still on the wire in 70% of leagues. Get him now and sit on him for a couple weeks while he gets healthy, and you’ll reap the rewards during the fantasy playoffs.
Jameis Winston, QB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 25.9%
Hey, he’s not the worst QB in the world after all! In fact, Winston actually had more points this week than the already-crowned-to-the-hall-of-fame Marcus Mariota. Winston still has yet to connect with top WR Mike Evans, so expect his numbers to be even better when he gets that connection going. I think the next few weeks might still be shaky for Winston as he comes into his own in the NFL and develops chemistry with Mike Evans, but check out his schedule from week 7-16:
Team - DVOA against the pass in 2014
WAS - 32nd
ATL - 31st
NYG - 21st
DAL - 22nd
PHI - 18th
IND - 10th
ATL - 31st
NO - 27th
STL - 20th
CHI - 29th
Assuming Winston begins to realize his talent and develop into even an average QB, he could put up big numbers with his group of behemoth WR (Seriously, they’re all 6’5”) and his cake schedule. If you’re a desperate Tony Romo owners, Winston just might be the answer.
Andy Dalton, QB, Cincinnati Bengals, 21.0%
Through two games, Dalton has 5 TD and more importantly, no interceptions. He plays for a great offense, with a top-flight WR in A.J. Green, an elite pass-catching RB in Giovanni Bernard, and an emerging young TE in Tyler Eifert. Nobody likes Dalton because of his poor playoff performances, but let’s not forget that just two years ago he went for 33 passing TD and was a top 5 fantasy QB. He should definitely be owned in more than 21 percent of leagues, especially following all the QB injuries. (Romo, Brees, Stafford, Cutler)
Eric Ebron, TE, Detroit Lions, 20.0%
Ebron already has 15 targets through two games, including 10 last week against the Vikings. We all know how athletic he is, it was just a matter of his usage in this offense. In his sophomore campaign, Ebron has already accounted for 40% of his target total from 2014. He’s put those targets to good use, totaling 96 yards, 2 TD on nine catches. Get the talented young TE while you still can.
Tyrod Taylor, QB, Buffalo Bills, 17.8%
If you’re one of the owners in need of a QB that I mentioned earlier, Taylor has a lot of potential. The running QB phase has kind of gone out of style in recent years, but with 4.47 wheels, Taylor is attempting to bring it back. Tyrod Taylor averaged 9.8 yards per carry this preseason, 5 ypc over his NFL career, and 4.4 in college (really impressive considering sacks count against your rushing yards in college) Taylor also had 23 career rushing TD for West Virginia. He showed off his rushing ability this weekend, going for 43 yards and a rushing TD. He finished the day with 242 passing yards, 3 TD, and 3 interceptions, good for sixth among QB in week two. (standard scoring)
Matt Jones ,RB, Washington Redskins, 15.8%
Jones will likely be one of the most popular pickups of the week, and rightfully so. I wrote my #MCM on the talented young RB, so if you want a more detailed look, read this:
http://dfsunderground.weebly.com/matt-jones.html
James Starks, RB, Green Bay Packers, 8.3%
This is really just a speculative plug and play for this week, with Lacy’s ankle injury reportedly not too serious. If Lacy were to miss any portion of time, Starks would be valuable in that high powered offense. He proved that in week two, totaling 106 yards on 24 touches against the Seahawks defense. Starks doesn’t hold much long-term value, but if you’re in need of a RB for this week and don’t have a high enough waiver claim to get Jones, go for Starks.
Travis Benjamin, WR, Cleveland Browns, 6.3%
The Manziel to Benjamin deep connection is clearly on point right now, but let’s slow down a little bit people. Benjamin is not a top priority waiver option. Honestly, I wouldn’t add him if he didn’t play for the Browns, but he does, and so he makes for an interesting speculative add to see if he can keep the long TD train rolling.
Here’s what we know about Benjamin:
The 4th round pick out of Miami has legit, game-changing speed. He ran a 4.36 at the combine, and has receptions of 39, 43, 54, 60, and 69 over his time with the Browns. He also has three punt return TDs. The big-play ability is real.
He also is 5’10” and 172 pounds. His NFL.com draft profile said: “He has a hard time getting off the line of scrimmage if not given a free release, lacking the strength to recover if jammed by a more physical defender. Benjamin has also historically struggled to work in traffic. He prefers to be outside on the perimeter, away from contact; this could be his Achilles heel if he were to try to move into the slot.”
His inability to handle work in the slot has kept him off the field for the most part, as evidenced by the fact that in 40 career NFL games, Benjamin has only hauled in 47 balls. If he’s not able to be effective over the middle, it’s going to be very hard for him to put up consistent start-worthy stat lines, especially on a run-first Browns team.
In conclusion, Benjamin is a very dangerous player with the ball in his hands, but because of his inability to do much outside of running fly routes, he won’t have the ball in his hands all that often. If you feel comfortable in your ability to predict which games he’ll go off from week to week, then he’ll be a valuable asset, as he’ll probably haul in a few more long ones before week 17. He’s far too risky of a play for me though, even on a Browns team devoid of any other receiving options.
Breshad Perriman, WR, Baltimore Ravens, 29.8%
I feel like people are really overlooking Perriman. Baltimore’s first round pick, while raw, is incredibly talented and will be coming into a terrific situation when he gets healthy. A 6’2” receiver with 4.2 speed, Perriman has all the tools to be a stand-out player in the NFL. The Ravens are currently trotting out the likes of Kamar Aiken and Marlon Brown as their number two and three options. Aiken was able to gather 89 yards this weekend, while TE Crockett Gillmore put up a line of five catches for 88 yards and two TD. If those two can put up numbers like that, the far more talented Breshad Perriman should put up huge numbers when he gets back, which could be sooner, rather than later. According to Jon Meoli of the Baltimore Sun, Perriman is ramping up his activity and his debut is getting closer. He’s still on the wire in 70% of leagues. Get him now and sit on him for a couple weeks while he gets healthy, and you’ll reap the rewards during the fantasy playoffs.
Jameis Winston, QB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 25.9%
Hey, he’s not the worst QB in the world after all! In fact, Winston actually had more points this week than the already-crowned-to-the-hall-of-fame Marcus Mariota. Winston still has yet to connect with top WR Mike Evans, so expect his numbers to be even better when he gets that connection going. I think the next few weeks might still be shaky for Winston as he comes into his own in the NFL and develops chemistry with Mike Evans, but check out his schedule from week 7-16:
Team - DVOA against the pass in 2014
WAS - 32nd
ATL - 31st
NYG - 21st
DAL - 22nd
PHI - 18th
IND - 10th
ATL - 31st
NO - 27th
STL - 20th
CHI - 29th
Assuming Winston begins to realize his talent and develop into even an average QB, he could put up big numbers with his group of behemoth WR (Seriously, they’re all 6’5”) and his cake schedule. If you’re a desperate Tony Romo owners, Winston just might be the answer.
Andy Dalton, QB, Cincinnati Bengals, 21.0%
Through two games, Dalton has 5 TD and more importantly, no interceptions. He plays for a great offense, with a top-flight WR in A.J. Green, an elite pass-catching RB in Giovanni Bernard, and an emerging young TE in Tyler Eifert. Nobody likes Dalton because of his poor playoff performances, but let’s not forget that just two years ago he went for 33 passing TD and was a top 5 fantasy QB. He should definitely be owned in more than 21 percent of leagues, especially following all the QB injuries. (Romo, Brees, Stafford, Cutler)
Eric Ebron, TE, Detroit Lions, 20.0%
Ebron already has 15 targets through two games, including 10 last week against the Vikings. We all know how athletic he is, it was just a matter of his usage in this offense. In his sophomore campaign, Ebron has already accounted for 40% of his target total from 2014. He’s put those targets to good use, totaling 96 yards, 2 TD on nine catches. Get the talented young TE while you still can.
Tyrod Taylor, QB, Buffalo Bills, 17.8%
If you’re one of the owners in need of a QB that I mentioned earlier, Taylor has a lot of potential. The running QB phase has kind of gone out of style in recent years, but with 4.47 wheels, Taylor is attempting to bring it back. Tyrod Taylor averaged 9.8 yards per carry this preseason, 5 ypc over his NFL career, and 4.4 in college (really impressive considering sacks count against your rushing yards in college) Taylor also had 23 career rushing TD for West Virginia. He showed off his rushing ability this weekend, going for 43 yards and a rushing TD. He finished the day with 242 passing yards, 3 TD, and 3 interceptions, good for sixth among QB in week two. (standard scoring)
Matt Jones ,RB, Washington Redskins, 15.8%
Jones will likely be one of the most popular pickups of the week, and rightfully so. I wrote my #MCM on the talented young RB, so if you want a more detailed look, read this:
http://dfsunderground.weebly.com/matt-jones.html
James Starks, RB, Green Bay Packers, 8.3%
This is really just a speculative plug and play for this week, with Lacy’s ankle injury reportedly not too serious. If Lacy were to miss any portion of time, Starks would be valuable in that high powered offense. He proved that in week two, totaling 106 yards on 24 touches against the Seahawks defense. Starks doesn’t hold much long-term value, but if you’re in need of a RB for this week and don’t have a high enough waiver claim to get Jones, go for Starks.
Travis Benjamin, WR, Cleveland Browns, 6.3%
The Manziel to Benjamin deep connection is clearly on point right now, but let’s slow down a little bit people. Benjamin is not a top priority waiver option. Honestly, I wouldn’t add him if he didn’t play for the Browns, but he does, and so he makes for an interesting speculative add to see if he can keep the long TD train rolling.
Here’s what we know about Benjamin:
The 4th round pick out of Miami has legit, game-changing speed. He ran a 4.36 at the combine, and has receptions of 39, 43, 54, 60, and 69 over his time with the Browns. He also has three punt return TDs. The big-play ability is real.
He also is 5’10” and 172 pounds. His NFL.com draft profile said: “He has a hard time getting off the line of scrimmage if not given a free release, lacking the strength to recover if jammed by a more physical defender. Benjamin has also historically struggled to work in traffic. He prefers to be outside on the perimeter, away from contact; this could be his Achilles heel if he were to try to move into the slot.”
His inability to handle work in the slot has kept him off the field for the most part, as evidenced by the fact that in 40 career NFL games, Benjamin has only hauled in 47 balls. If he’s not able to be effective over the middle, it’s going to be very hard for him to put up consistent start-worthy stat lines, especially on a run-first Browns team.
In conclusion, Benjamin is a very dangerous player with the ball in his hands, but because of his inability to do much outside of running fly routes, he won’t have the ball in his hands all that often. If you feel comfortable in your ability to predict which games he’ll go off from week to week, then he’ll be a valuable asset, as he’ll probably haul in a few more long ones before week 17. He’s far too risky of a play for me though, even on a Browns team devoid of any other receiving options.