Waiver Fire - Week 8

Week 7 Review:
QBs:
Bortles (1.4), Mayfield (20.9)
I think the less that is said about Bortles the better. The comeback game never materialized and now Bortles' confidence appears to be shot. Mayfield meanwhile was a top 8 option in an unusually low scoring week for QBs.

RBs:
Smith (6.5) Chubb (14), Gore (4.3)
Gores day was affected by injury but Chubb and Smith lit this section up. Both saw the end zone and should be playable options on a weekly basis.

WRs:
Kearse (0), Goodwin (4.4), Rodgers (8)
Kearse had 2 targets and a goose egg. Goodwin didn’t see any action until late in the game and Chester Rodgers was rendered ineffective by TY Hilton and Marlon Mack.

TEs:
Howard (11.7), Uzomah (9.3), Hurst (0)
Howard is a bit TD dependant and he came up dry this time but TE10 isn't bad. Uzomah was undone by Dalton being terrible in prime time games but was 1 place lower at TE11. Hurst is still going to need time to settle into the offense so isn't an option just yet sadly.

DSTs:
Colts (16), Chargers (3), Lions (4)
The Lions were the 12th ranked DST this week despite the low score. The Colts were the DST #3, proving the logic of picking whoever plays the Bills still works.


Week 8
On to week 8 now and while I’m trying to avoid repetition there are only so many available players to go around. 


Bye Week: Steelers, Packers, Seahawks, Raiders.

QBs
Case Keenum (DEN)
Keenum hasn’t been as impressive as I had hoped this season after he gave me a helping hand to a Championship Game last season while in Minnesota. This week the Broncos play the Chiefs which is always a good matchup for the opposing QB. I’d expect Keenum to add to his 8 passing TDs so far this season and it may finally be a game where Demaryius Thomas can get involved.

RBs
Jalen Richard (OAK)
In PPR leagues I prefer Richard over Doug Martin with Lynch out for a few weeks. The trade of Amari Cooper further opens up the passing game which only further promotes Richards cause. A lot of people will be pinning Martavious Bryant to have a big role in Cooper's absence but in reality, it’s Richard, Cook, and Nelson that will benefit. It’s too dangerous to trust Marty. Sorry.

Kenjon Barner (NE)
Provided the Patriots don’t trade for another running back and Michel does miss the week 8 matchup against Buffalo, Barner is a playable option off waivers. James White will still dominate touches by a reasonable amount but Barner is just about all the Patriots have left in terms of a committee. The passing game gets a big uptick and if Chris Hogan is out there he may be a sneaky grab too but don’t be spending FAAB or a high priority on Barner, it’s only going to be a temporary fix.

WRs
Tre'Quan Smith (NO)
Ted Ginn went onto injured reserve last week which effectively makes Smith the WR2 for the Saints. In the last 3 games, he’s seen 11 targets, catching 6 for 155yds and 2TDs. The same period has seen Meredith grab 9 out of 10 targets for 114 and a TD. They would be close but despite Meredith being on the field, Smith was the only WR to see targets other than Michael Thomas while Meredith only played 18 snaps in total. Smith has built rapport quickly with Brees and should get better now he has this huge opportunity.

Danny Amendola (MIA)
Sorry Devante Parker truthers, he isn’t going to be the guy to pick up in Miami. Albert Wilson and Kenny Stills are going to miss this weeks game against Houston so they may be left with no choice but to play Parker but he’s still low in the pecking order. Amendola becomes the most viable top dog and is still available in a lot of leagues. The WR1 on a team being available so far has been something only Buffalo has managed but this should be a better situation. Jakeem Grant is another sneaky option to have in deeper leagues.

TE
Mike Gesicki (MIA)
If the team are as low on Parker as think, then there could be a bigger role in the passing game for the Tight Ends. If AJ Derby is fit then he’s an option but in this years draft the Dolphins took Gesicki in the 2nd round for his pass catching ability and this is perhaps the time to unleash it. He is nursing a slight shoulder injury which is worth keeping an eye on but if that doesn’t appear to be much of a problem then he’s a decent flier in a tricky week for streaming tight ends.

Ben Watson (NO)
Watson should be available in most leagues and after catching Drew Brees 500th touchdown pass he showed how useful he can be. Losing Ginn does increase the role for the Tight end but it’s still a volatile situation since Sean Payton has a plan list going beyond Plan ZZ.

DST
Colts (IND)
If you took the Colts last week and enjoy the 13 points they gave you then it may not be a bad idea to stick with them for another week as they play an Oakland team who might as well be renamed the “Traiders”. Grammar aside, the Raiders offense is in pieces and doesn’t seem to have a clear direction. Explosions tend to be unpredictable. The Colts defense isn’t a bad unit which only adds fuel to the (dumpster) fire.

Patriots (NE)
The Patriots ran riot against the Bears offense last week despite giving up 31 points. This week they are the team facing the Bills and Derek Anderson. The Pats are owned in less than 50% of games so they may well be out there. They may not be for long.


Just a genteel reminder to look out for the likes of Vance McDonald, Jared Cook and Geronimo Allison on your wires since they maybe have been dropped for last weeks byes.

Similarly look to see who gets dropped this week. With the Titans, Chargers, Falcons, and Cowboys all on byes, you may have some interesting options in the 2nd waiver wire phase.

Look out for the Hype Train which will hopefully arrive tomorrow if I don’t drop my phone on the tracks like I did this morning (oops). Then on Friday/Saturday look out for the latest “Solving the Puzzle” which I’m hoping to tweak and improve after last weeks first run.