By Winsto (10/15/2024)
First off, this week’s waiver wire write-up will be shorter and to the point, as scheduling issues prevented more.
There are a few names here to consider for Week 07 and beyond. Keep in mind that the Bears and Cowboys have their Bye Week this week, so there will be several fantasy relevant players not playing.
(The following players are rostered by less than 50% according to Yahoo Fantasy.)
QUARTERBACK
Aaron Rodgers (QB-NYJ)–He is reuniting with his favorite target, Davante Adams (WR-NYJ), as news of the trade broke today. He has been okay so far, and now should be a borderline QB1. That said, this add is more for the rest of the season, as a matchup with the Steelers defense is on tap for Week 08.
Drake Maye (QB-NE)–I wrote in last week’s column the following: “I mean, who knows, right? If you have the bench, see what happens?” Well, a solid fantasy outing happened (243 passing yds, 38 yards rushing, 3 passing TDs, 2 INTs, and 1 fumble lost. This week, he gets the very movable object that is the Jacksonville defense, a defense that has given up the most passing TDs on the season (14).
Andy Dalton (QB-Car)–This is a Bye-Week fill in here. Look, I get this is not the upside grab, but he has a matchup with Washington this week. He will be forced to pass and keep up. Aside from his Week 05 match-up against a solid Chicago defense, he has been steady. Washington’s defense, a defense that tied for giving up the 2nd most passing TDs on the season (12).
RUNNING BACK
Isaac Guerendo (SF)—I still have no clue if/when Christian McCaffrey is coming off the I.R. Thus, Jordan Mason is going to be the guy for the foreseeable future, but Mason is a bit banged up. Mason looks like he will be okay. Still, running backs in the 49er offense tend to have success. For the foreseeable future, the rookie, Guerendo, is one injury away from being the number one RB in the 49er offense. We were warned about that possibility last Thursday night. With all of that said, the Week 07 matchup is against Kansas City, who is quite stingy in rushing yards allowed.
Tyrone Tracy Jr. (RB-NYG)–Tracy was in this column last week, and he continued his solid production, going for 107 total yards and 1 TD. At this point, he has probably taken over a portion of this back-field. That said, Devin Singletary (RB) is a coaching favorite and will not be going away. A committee looms if both are healthy, making both very iffy plays, as this is not a high scoring offense. Tracy Jr. may have earned an even split with Singletary. For the immediate future, Tracy’s value depends on Singletary’s health. Tracy has RB2 value while Singletary is OUT.
Ray Davis (RB-Buf)–This is somewhat similar to Tracy Jr.’s situation, though Davis’s ceiling with a healthy James Cook is probably more of a 30-40% carry share. Davis has higher end RB2 value with Cook out.
Kimani Vidal (RB-LAC)–I seriously doubt the coaching staff wants J.K. Dobbins touching the ball 27 times a game, like he did in Week 06. Vidal showed off some ability with his first NFL touch being a 38 yard TD reception. Vidal can carve himself a role, and for as long as Gus Edwards (RB-LAC) is on IR, it is Vidal who is one injury away from being a borderline RB1.
Blake Corum (RB-LAR)—I suppose this is just going to be a weekly reminder. I am not sure how these players are under 50% rostered. He is one injury away from being a borderline RB1s, and Kyren Williams has not been a model of durability. If you want to play the lottery, you have to buy a ticket.
Braelon Allen (NYJ)—Another lottery pick, Allen has proved to be a thorn in the side of Breece Hall fantasy managers, though this past week saw him play a more limited role. I put him on a tier below Benson and Corum simply because I am not completely sold of the ability of the Jets offense at this point, thus limiting his upside.
WIDE RECEIVER
JuJu Smith-Schuster (WR-Kansas City)–Once again, I am mentioning Smith-Schuster. No, it is not 2022, but Smith-Schuster looks like the number one option at WR for now. He led the WR room in targets (8), receiving yardage (130), and receptions (7) in Week 05. In essence, he is the replacement for Rashee Rice (WR) in this offense. Now, he does not have the ceiling as Rice did before the injury (sigh), but for the foreseeable future, he is going to be peppered with targets in the middle of the field, along with Travis Kelce (TE), while Xavier Worthy (WR) stretches the field. If he can keep his knees healthy, he has a chance to finish as a borderline top 30 WR from here on out.
DeMario Douglas (WR-NE)–It seems that Drake Maye may be lifting the offense a bit here, as Douglas went 6 for 92 yards and 1 TD on 9 targets. Jacksonville’s defense is on deck—see previous comments.
Darius Slayton (NYG)–With Malik Nabors (WR) missing Weeks 05-06, Slayton became a target monster, going 14-179-1 on 22 targets (29% target share). If Nabors continues to miss, Slayton could be a sneaky play.
Christian Watson (WR-GB)–I admit I am slightly surprised to see his him being rostered by lestt than 50%. I get it, though. Yes, Watson is an absolute fantasy tease. His talent and potential is elite. The problem, however, is the health. He does have some nice match-ups over the next two weeks (Houston and Jacksonville).
Jordan Whittington (WR-LAR)–This is contingent on Cooper Kupp’s (WR-LAR) possible return. Before the Rams Bye Week, he saw 10 targets and hauled in 7 for 89 yards. He also had to leave the game for injury—did not sound serious. He looks like the team’s WR1 for as long as Kupp and Puka Nacua (WR-LAR) are OUT.
TIGHT END
Taysom Hill (New Orleans)–I will continue to mention, especially while Derek Carr misses time. In basically less than two full games played, Hill has accounted for 75 rushing/receiving yards and 2 TDs. The problem, however, is Hill has now suffered two separate injuries and has not played since Week 04. IF Hill can return from his most recent injury (fractured ribs), his role in the offense should only grow. He still has the potential to win a fantasy week for you. Given the landscape of the position, how many Tight Ends can do that?
Hunter Henry (TE-New England)–As with DeMario Douglas, Drake Maye may be raising the baseline for this offense. Henry’s 5 targets, catching 3 for 41 yards and 1 TD, is something I would take every week from my tight end in 2024..
IDP
Trevin Wallace (LB-Carolina)–Once again, Shaq Thompson (LB) is out for the season, and Josey Jewell was unable to play in Weeks 05 and 06 due to injury. Wallace (3rd Round Rookie) has stepped in, wore the Green Dot for those two games, and amassed 24 total tackles (16 solo) and a forced fumble. Jewell will eventually return, but Carolina may be playing for the future. And if so, they may stick with Wallace as the full-time player. He may have already been cutting into Jewell’s playing time before Jewell was injured.