Fantasy Football

Unlike other weeks this season, this week of waiver wire pickups is not that promising. Typically around this time of year, we start to see major injuries or breakout players start to emerge. However, this week has been a little lackluster on both fronts. These 5 players are only worth having if you have completely lost faith in certain players on your roster. These players will not be a week in, week out starter for you, but they could help you win a couple of games as your bye week fill-ins.

1. Romeo Doubs
2. DeVante Parker
3. Khalil Herbert
4. Mack Hollins
5. Zay Jones
6. Russell Gage

RBs

Khalil Herbert:

Value: 8.1/10

Herbert looked like a complete stud on Sunday with 157 yards on 20 carries and 2 TDs after Montgomery left with an injury. Additionally, he had 2 catches for 12 yards. His play time is still limited with Montgomery being the RB1 in Chicago, but he looks to be the best handcuff in the NFL right now with potential to take over more carries regularly.

Role: Bench / Handcuff to Montgomery

WRs

Romeo Doubs:

Value: 8.7/10

Romeo Doubs came out Sunday and was phenomenal. Since losing Adams in the offseason, Rodgers has struggled to find a WR on the Packers to really click with. However, Doubs came out in a big way with 8 catches on 8 targets, racking up 73 yards and a TD. This was huge in helping the Packers defeat Brady and The Bucs on the road. Granted, Doubs benefitted from both Watkins and Watson being injured, but it is fair to say a lot of trust was built between Doubs and Rodgers this past weekend.

Role: Fringe WR2 / Occasional Starter

DeVante Parker:

Value: 8.4/10

At the begin of the season, most people believed Parker would be the Patriot’s go to receiver. But after the first two weeks, almost everyone had lost faith. That is great news for you as owner because that most likely means he is on the waiver wire. Last week he came out with 5 receptions and over 150 receiving yards. He is a must add and a potential starter for your team.

Role: WR3 / Occasional Starter

Mack Hollins:

Value: 7.9/10

Mack Hollins has been on a journey to find a place to call home and it is great to see Las Vegas might be that place. He use to be a special teams guy in Miami before heading to Vegas, and in that short amount of time, he has already been named captain. Although he is not the best athlete out there, this guy has a lot of heart and is starting to get noticed more and more as the season wears on. He is worth the roster spot, especially as he develops more of a rapport with Carr.

Role: Flex / Occasional Starter

Zay Jones:

Value: 7.4/10

Zay Jones might have just become the luckiest man in the NFL. The definition of in the right place at the right time. He is a journeyman who landed in Jacksonville right when the former top college QB prospect, Lawrence, started to get comfortable, and former Super Bowl winning coach, Peterson, took over as head coach. Jones caught 10 out of 11 targets for 85 yards and a TD. He might be the team’s favorite WR, making him a potential viable threat.

Role: Flex / Occasional Starter

Russell Gage:

Value: 6.9/10

Although Gage is talented, there is a lot more talent ahead of him on the depth chart. Mike Evans, the WR leader on the team, was out this game for suspension. And Godwin and Jones are frequently injured. If Gage does get another shot, it is very possible he puts up another 20+ game. But just know you might have to stash him until certain weeks.

Role: Flex / Instant starter if Godwin and Evans are out

If you are currently in the market to find replacement players, you are in luck because this week’s waiver wire is full of players in almost every position. There is at least 1 starting QB, RB, WR, and TE on this list that you should be able to plug into your roster. Now some of these players are just temporary fixes replacing injured players until they are healthy, and others are just worth stashing on your bench until they adjust to the NFL. I will start off by listing all 12 players in order then go position by position on why each player is valuable and what I see their potential role being on your team.

1. Carson Wentz
2. Tyler Allgeier
3. Logan Thomas
4. Chris Olave
5. Brian Robinson
6. Raheem Mostert
7. Sterling Shepard
8. Michael Gallup
9. Darrel Williams
10. Rondale Moore
11. Jared Goff
12. KJ Hamler

QBs

Carson Wentz:

Value: 9.1/10

Carson Wentz has been very impressive recently posting 2 consecutive 20+ performances. It is clear he has a lot of weapons in Washington. The Commanders have struggled in both games which is actually a huge bonus for Wentz. This forces him to spend the second half airing the ball out, resulting in good fantasy production. Still expect the occasional interception but he should make up for it.

Role: QB1 / Instant starter

Jared Goff:

Value: 7.3/10

Detroit is proving to be the real deal on offense scoring 35+ on back to back games. St Brown may become a WR1, Swift is as explosive as ever and Chark has been extremely close to scoring a couple of TDs. Goff is looking like he can be a good streaming QB depending on the matchup.

Role: QB2 / Potential starter depending on matchup

RBs

Tyler Allgeier:

Value: 8.9/10

Allgeier was one of most productive RBs in college during his time at BYU. It is clear Atlanta is trying to ease him into the starting role but it is certainly happening. Last week he tied team high 10 carries with Patterson. With fellow RB, Williams, on IR, it opens up a big opportunity for Allgeier to take over.

Role: RB2 / Stash player

Brian Robinson:

Value: 8.6/10

Washington has been hesitant to fully commit to Gibson after last year’s fumble issue. On top of that, Gibson struggles to hit the gap hard and get the necessary 4 to 5 yards on first. However, in preseason, Robinson proved he could be that guy for the Commanders. Although he is recovering from an injury, he could be back by Week 5. He is worth the stash and grab this week if still available.

Role: RB2 / Stash player

Raheem Mostert:

Value: 8.1/10

Raheem Mostert has now emerged as Miami’s #1 back, edging out Edmonds and Gaskins in overall touches. Mostert is by far the superior talent, but be cautious when getting him. He has a long history of injuries that could resurface again this year.

Role: Flex / Potential starter depending on matchup

Darrel Williams:

Value: 7.4/10

James Conner left the game on Sunday with an ankle injury. This is nothing new for Conner. And when he left the touches were pretty evenly split between Williams and Eno. However, Williams saw almost all of the redzone carries, making him the more important RB in that backfield. Conner may be back this week but Williams is a good handcuff to have in case another injury happens with Conner.

Role: Flex / Handcuff to James Conner

WRs

Chris Olave:

Value: 8.7/10

Chris Olave came out of this year’s draft as one of the most interesting WRs to watch this season. Olave and Winston seemed to have built a great rapport in the preseason. People were worried that Thomas would still be the #1 receiver this year in New Orleans, however, Olave looks to have taken over that role. Definitely worth the waiver wire pick this week.

Role: Flex / Instant Starter

Sterling Shepard:

Value: 7.9/10

Every year owners either draft or pick Shepard up off the waiver wire thinking this year will be different, but then he falls off or gets injured. I say that to temper your expectations. His performances have looked solid so far this year, he does possess the talent to be the guy at the Giants, and Daniel Jones seems to be growing as a QB. However, do not be surprise if he either falls apart of or gets injured this year.

Role: Flex / Instant Starter

Michael Gallup:

Value: 7.6/10

This is a tricky one to predict. Gallup has the talent to be a lethal redzone target Dallas, however he is coming off an injury and Cooper Rush is the starting QB. In my opinion he is worth an eventual potential flex spot. I would grab him off the waivers and see how he does in the next couple of weeks.

Role: Flex / Stash player

Ronadale Moore:

Value: 7.2/10

This second year WR has so much potential to be a breakout candidate for this season. Arizona is missing important pieces at the WR position and Moore can definitely fill that void. The only issue is, he has been struggling with a hamstring issue and has yet to see the field this year. He should be back in Week 3 but it is worth monitoring his health before putting him in your starting lineup.

Role: Flex / Instant starter if healthy

KJ Hamler:

Value: 7.0/10

Russel Wilson has always been a fan of fast receiver. In Seattle, Lockett had great success with Wilson as the speedy slot guy. Fortunately for Hamler, he is actually faster and younger than Lockett was during that time. The only down side is Denver has Juedy and Sutton as their top 2 WRs already. Hamler’s value really only comes when Juedy is injured. Juedy did leave the game Sunday with foot issues so it is definitely possible he could be out for Week 3. If this is the case, Hamler is definitely worth consideration for your flex spot.

Role: Flex / Only play when Juedy is injured

TEs

Logan Thomas:

Value: 8.8/10

I have always been a huge Logan Thomas fan. He is tall, great hands, and understands the QB position well. He is one of the best redzone and 3rd down TEs in the league. Wentz trusts him and has already proven it in Week 2 when Thomas had his first TD of the season. The 2 things to watch out for with Thomas is; he is injury prone and Washington now has a lot of weapons on offense. But even with those things going against him, he is worth the starting spot if you don’t have Andrews or Kelce.

Role: Fringe TE1 / Instant Starter

Curtis Samuel:

The Commanders are thrilled to have Curtis Samuel back from injury. Anyone watching the game knows he is ‘the guy’ on that offense. He has incredible speed and reliable hands. Consider him Washington’s version of Deebo Samuel. He was able to haul in a touchdown for them early in the game and you should continue to see more and more red zone looks from him.

Value: WR2

Jeff Wilson Jr.:

Elijah Mitchell is unfortunately added to the list of 49er RBs to get hurt early on in the season for San Francisco. However, this is good news for owners who are still in need of filling out some roster spots. Wilson should be the lead back while Mitchell is out and definitely has the opportunity to get you points every week. The only thing I would worry about is that the 49ers still love to run the ball with Deebo Samuel and Trey Lance, also Jordan Mason and Tyrion Davis-Price have the potential to step in as the RB from time to time. But regardless, Wilson should be in your lineup week to week for the time being.

Value: Fringe RB2/Flex

Jahan Dotson:

Two things that Carson Wentz reminded us this past weekend was that 1) He loves to take chances; 2) He loves to spread the ball out. For the past couple of years, Terry McLaurin has been Washington’s go-to receiver, but not anymore. McLaurin only had 2 catches all day and saved a poor fantasy performance by catching a deep ball on the sideline for a long touchdown. However, Dotson proved he belongs in the NFL with 2 amazing touchdown grabs. The first one, he had a great route where he cut to the inside, lost his defender and made a high catch. The second one was a third down, at the end of the game, all the pressure in the world, and reached around his defender to make a deep, clutch game-winning catch. This kid has hands, great footwork and nerves of steel.

Value: Fringe WR2/Flex

Rondale Moore:

This is the only waiver wire pickup I am suggesting that did not actually play Week 1. Due to a hamstring injury earlier on in the week,  he was not able to suit up for the game. He is not for certain to return this Sunday, but if he does, expect him to have a good target share. The Cardinals love to throw the ball and although Ertz and Brown did well this past week, they would love to add Moore back into the rotation while Hopkins is still suspended.

Value: Fringe WR2/Flex

Rex Burkhead:

Rex Burkhead came out hot as the lead back for Houston on Sunday and seemed to take the majority of the rush attempts as well as the targets in the backfield. He rushed for 40 yard on 14 attempts and caught 5 out of 8 targets for 30 yards. This comes as a shock because most believed Dameon Pierce would have the role mostly to himself. Now you should still expect Pierce to creep in with more and more touches as the season progresses and he becomes more comfortable in the NFL. But for now, Burkhead is Houston’s main RB and you should be able to get full use out of him for a while.

Value: Flex

Devin Duvernay:

Duvernay had an amazing opening game against The Jets this past weekend. He had 4 catches on 4 targets resulting in 54 yards and 2 TDs. Now I do not expect him to continue this production every week, but he has made himself a potential threat to get a TD in any game this year. Consider him the new Marquise Brown with a little more downside. Remember, Andrews did not do well in Week 1 but that will certainly not be the case the whole year. I view him as a boom-or-bust player for right now.

Value: Flex

Dontrell Hilliard:

It is clear the Titans can not rely on Derrick Henry to run the ball for the whole game, and with Robert Woods and Treylon Burks being new to the system, they are lacking in the passing game. Hilliard emerged as a reliable outlet for Tannehill on Sunday, proving he can be a viable starter for your fantasy football roster. Although he hauled in 2 touchdown passes, that was probably his ceiling. Consider him a boom-or-bust player as well as a solid handcuff for Henry.

Value: Fringe Flex

Josh Palmer:

Keenan Allen and Mike Williams have benefitted from being in a pass heavy offense over the past 2 years. And with Allen going down with an injury, it has created a void for the Chargers. Palmer should be able to jump in right away and start producing for this team while Allen is recovering.

Value: Flex