Working the Wire- Week 8
-Hoover26 October 27
If you are anything like me, your current roster looks nothing like the one you drafted. For every disappointment, there is a sleeper on the waiver wire to replace him. Let’s delve deeper into the wonderful world of the waiver wire.
Brian Hoyer- 12.9% Owned
Now that Blake Bortles is finally getting the fantasy respect he deserves, Brian Hoyer moves into the position of most underrated fantasy quarterback. He is in the top third in the league in pretty much every metric statistic (footballoutsiders.com), and his passer rating is top ten in the NFL (pro-football-reference.com). Don’t be fooled by his low fantasy ranking, remember, he ceded playing time to Ryan Mallett early in the year. Using his averages, he would be a top eight fantasy quarterback had he played the entire season. If you are stuck with an overrated underperformer at quarterback, why not give Brian Hoyer a try? He is probably available in your league.
Ryan Fitzpatrick- 24.4% Owned
Another vastly underrated quarterback, Ryan Fitzpatrick has been consistently solid so far this year. He is the fifteenth ranked fantasy quarterback, but that may be deceiving. Four of the five players between him and the top ten have not had their bye week yet (Fitzpatrick has), and his best two performances have come in his last two games. Fitzpatrick looks to be finding a rhythm with his offense, especially receivers Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker. And, with his usually productive (albeit mysterious) running game drawing the defense in, Fitzpatrick can air it out to his big receivers. Ryan Fitzpatrick is definitely worth an add, he has a high floor and a high ceiling.
Danny Amendola- 16.1% Owned
Danny Amendola put some of his poor performances in the past when he burned the tough Jets secondary for 86 yards and a touchdown last week. Evidently, two straight ten point performances doesn’t make many ripples in the waiver wire, as Amendola’s ownership percentage only went up 5.6 percent. From the outside, it might not look like Amendola is one of Tom Brady’s top targets. With Julian Edelman and Rob Gronkowski getting the bulk of the catches, and Brandon LaFell coming back off the PUP list, Amendola looks like the odd man out. But, in an offense like New England’s, even the odd man out is going to get some work done. His catches have steadily risen to where he is averaging 7.5 receptions in his last two games. And, with LaFell not exactly setting the world on fire (two catches on eight targets, twenty-five yards) in his first game back, Amendola might be worth the risk as a deep sleeper.
Stevie Johnson- 24.6% Owned
Coming back from a hamstring injury, Stevie Johnson didn’t do much from a fantasy perspective last week. He had a costly drop, and the Chargers fell to Oakland. However, coming up against the Ravens and Bears (two of the most porous secondaries in the game) in the next two weeks, Johnson could be due for a fantasy breakout. Philip Rivers has been playing at a career pace, and Johnson might be in line for some extra targets with Keenan Allen a bit banged up. So, if you are in need of a wide receiver or flex player to pick up and start, look no further than Stevie Johnson.
Branden Oliver- 6% Owned
Another Charger, Oliver’s Darren Sproles-esque skill set might be more useful to San Diego than Melvin Gordon’s. With Danny Woodhead more of a receiving threat, Oliver and Gordon will have to duke it out for touches. However, something tells me Gordon’s slow start in the NFL and minor ankle injury will make the coaching staff lean a bit towards Oliver getting an increased workload. For the record, I think the Melvin Gordon-Trent Richardson comparisons are more than a little premature. Nevertheless, Oliver is a solid fantasy add with a very high upside until Melvin Gordon gets his sea legs.
Alfred Blue- 19.2% Owned
So far this year, Brian Hoyer and DeAndre Hopkins have been pretty much the only consistent fantasy performers for Houston (Unless you have J.J. Watt in an IDP league). Arian Foster was out for the first three games, and a non-factor in the fourth one, but had picked up the pace in the last three and was becoming a top fantasy back. That is, until he tore his achilles tendon. Now, Houston has to patch the large hole Foster left behind with Alfred Blue and Chris Polk. All through his two year career, Blue has shown spurts of incredible talent, yet not really stringing anything together consistently. He rushed for 156 yards against Cleveland last season, and 139 against Tampa Bay this year. However, Blue’s touches have been all over the map. He will have seven carries one game, and thirty-six the next. Even with the presence of Polk, among others, Blue will still be tasked with extra carries in Foster’s absence. If you are like me, and you owned at least two running backs that ended up fantasy flops, try your luck with Blue. He is one of the best waiver wire picks out there right now.
New York Giants Defense- 19.3% Owned
I know what you’re thinking, but hear me out on this one. The Giants are a top ten fantasy defense, and are tied for second with eleven interceptions. And, with the next five quarterbacks they face combining for twenty-seven interceptions on the season, New York could be in for some big fantasy games. The Giants have also been one of the best rushing defenses in football (footballoutsiders.com), as much as their play may convince you otherwise. Basically, the Giants flunk the eye test, yet pass the fantasy test with flying colors. They are certainly worth an add for the next few games, and you might end up keeping them as your starting defense for the rest of the year.
Brian Hoyer- 12.9% Owned
Now that Blake Bortles is finally getting the fantasy respect he deserves, Brian Hoyer moves into the position of most underrated fantasy quarterback. He is in the top third in the league in pretty much every metric statistic (footballoutsiders.com), and his passer rating is top ten in the NFL (pro-football-reference.com). Don’t be fooled by his low fantasy ranking, remember, he ceded playing time to Ryan Mallett early in the year. Using his averages, he would be a top eight fantasy quarterback had he played the entire season. If you are stuck with an overrated underperformer at quarterback, why not give Brian Hoyer a try? He is probably available in your league.
Ryan Fitzpatrick- 24.4% Owned
Another vastly underrated quarterback, Ryan Fitzpatrick has been consistently solid so far this year. He is the fifteenth ranked fantasy quarterback, but that may be deceiving. Four of the five players between him and the top ten have not had their bye week yet (Fitzpatrick has), and his best two performances have come in his last two games. Fitzpatrick looks to be finding a rhythm with his offense, especially receivers Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker. And, with his usually productive (albeit mysterious) running game drawing the defense in, Fitzpatrick can air it out to his big receivers. Ryan Fitzpatrick is definitely worth an add, he has a high floor and a high ceiling.
Danny Amendola- 16.1% Owned
Danny Amendola put some of his poor performances in the past when he burned the tough Jets secondary for 86 yards and a touchdown last week. Evidently, two straight ten point performances doesn’t make many ripples in the waiver wire, as Amendola’s ownership percentage only went up 5.6 percent. From the outside, it might not look like Amendola is one of Tom Brady’s top targets. With Julian Edelman and Rob Gronkowski getting the bulk of the catches, and Brandon LaFell coming back off the PUP list, Amendola looks like the odd man out. But, in an offense like New England’s, even the odd man out is going to get some work done. His catches have steadily risen to where he is averaging 7.5 receptions in his last two games. And, with LaFell not exactly setting the world on fire (two catches on eight targets, twenty-five yards) in his first game back, Amendola might be worth the risk as a deep sleeper.
Stevie Johnson- 24.6% Owned
Coming back from a hamstring injury, Stevie Johnson didn’t do much from a fantasy perspective last week. He had a costly drop, and the Chargers fell to Oakland. However, coming up against the Ravens and Bears (two of the most porous secondaries in the game) in the next two weeks, Johnson could be due for a fantasy breakout. Philip Rivers has been playing at a career pace, and Johnson might be in line for some extra targets with Keenan Allen a bit banged up. So, if you are in need of a wide receiver or flex player to pick up and start, look no further than Stevie Johnson.
Branden Oliver- 6% Owned
Another Charger, Oliver’s Darren Sproles-esque skill set might be more useful to San Diego than Melvin Gordon’s. With Danny Woodhead more of a receiving threat, Oliver and Gordon will have to duke it out for touches. However, something tells me Gordon’s slow start in the NFL and minor ankle injury will make the coaching staff lean a bit towards Oliver getting an increased workload. For the record, I think the Melvin Gordon-Trent Richardson comparisons are more than a little premature. Nevertheless, Oliver is a solid fantasy add with a very high upside until Melvin Gordon gets his sea legs.
Alfred Blue- 19.2% Owned
So far this year, Brian Hoyer and DeAndre Hopkins have been pretty much the only consistent fantasy performers for Houston (Unless you have J.J. Watt in an IDP league). Arian Foster was out for the first three games, and a non-factor in the fourth one, but had picked up the pace in the last three and was becoming a top fantasy back. That is, until he tore his achilles tendon. Now, Houston has to patch the large hole Foster left behind with Alfred Blue and Chris Polk. All through his two year career, Blue has shown spurts of incredible talent, yet not really stringing anything together consistently. He rushed for 156 yards against Cleveland last season, and 139 against Tampa Bay this year. However, Blue’s touches have been all over the map. He will have seven carries one game, and thirty-six the next. Even with the presence of Polk, among others, Blue will still be tasked with extra carries in Foster’s absence. If you are like me, and you owned at least two running backs that ended up fantasy flops, try your luck with Blue. He is one of the best waiver wire picks out there right now.
New York Giants Defense- 19.3% Owned
I know what you’re thinking, but hear me out on this one. The Giants are a top ten fantasy defense, and are tied for second with eleven interceptions. And, with the next five quarterbacks they face combining for twenty-seven interceptions on the season, New York could be in for some big fantasy games. The Giants have also been one of the best rushing defenses in football (footballoutsiders.com), as much as their play may convince you otherwise. Basically, the Giants flunk the eye test, yet pass the fantasy test with flying colors. They are certainly worth an add for the next few games, and you might end up keeping them as your starting defense for the rest of the year.