By RahimAli Merchant
So I know it’s a bit late to tell you who you may or may not need to have on your roster come this weekends games, but I’ll do it anyways.
You see I had to make sure I got my team set. I got a little trade happy after week one and very active on the waivers. But you see my teams are nothing like any of yours, and after week one, it worked out well.
If it weren’t for the poor play of Lions QB Matthew Stafford and Raiders WR Amari Cooper, I would’ve won in all three of my leagues.
How did you do? Did you win your first game in your league, but still aren’t satisfied with the roster you have? What about if you lost your game and need to really make some improvements? How about just being a smooth Fantasy owner and like to add the hottest players available to you? If that’s the case, then I will share with you some of the bigger names to add on your rosters whether you really need them or not.
Let’s start with the QB position. Of course, we all saw what Drew Brees, Tom Brady, and Aaron Rodgers were able to do, but if you’ve got guys that you like and hope to have a good season like I do with Stafford, you might just ride with who you have. Or you may have guys like Matt Ryan, who is struggling to find the end zone. But that’s why there’s a waiver, and you can pick up some of the quarterbacks while they are hot.
Quarterbacks:
1. Tyrod Taylor, Cleveland Browns, 54.1 percent availability
2. Ryan “Magic” Fitzpatrick, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 69.9 percent availability
3. Case Keenum, Denver Broncos, 75.7 percent availability
4. Andy Dalton, Cincinnati Bengals, 81.5 percent availability
5. Joe Flacco, Baltimore Ravens, 91.1 percent availability
Fitzpatrick looks to prove to the coaches why he should remain the starter when Jameis Winston returns from suspension. Another great performance against one of the best defenses in the league could help his status, and even yours if you need a quarterback for the week. Of course, you will now have to wait until next waiver period to get Dalton and Flacco due to them having played this past Thursday. But, that’s okay, we can still get by with Taylor and what looks to be a Browns team looking to tie the knot. Or Case Keenum and his continued play from last year, as he helped the Broncos offense be more reliable.
Speaking of Broncos offense, their two rookie running backs are something else, and if possible, I would try to add both of them on your roster. That’s what I had to do because you never know when you might need one, or both if they continue to split the work.
Running backs:
1. Phillip Lindsay, Denver Broncos, 39.5 percent availability
2. Bilal Powell, New York Jets, 42.6 availability
3. Austin Ekeler, Los Angeles Chargers, 59 percent availability
4. Javorius “Buck” Allen, Baltimore Ravens, 80.8 percent availability
5. T. J. Yeldon, Jacksonville Jaguars, 49.5 percent availability
Lindsay and fellow rookie Royce Freeman both had the same number of rushes and rushing yards against the Seattle Seahawks in week one, but Lindsay scored a receiving touchdown and recorded some receiving yards as well. That’s why he is atop this list. Powell didn’t score any touchdowns, but he does look to continue to share the workload with teammate Isaiah Crowell. Ekeler is not the primary back on the team. That belongs to Melvin Gordon, but Ekeler is one of the favorite targets to QB Philip Rivers, and for that reason, he should be on your roster, especially if it’s PPR format. Allen has two touchdowns in two weeks, and though he isn’t available for this week, he should be somebody who is added to your waivers for next week. Yeldon looks to be getting more time in the backfield while Leonard Fournette gets back to 100 percent. Any of these players should be worth a start at the flex position, especially if you’re down some top guys like Atlanta’s Devonta Freeman.
Already after one week, we have seen some key players get injured and could miss some valuable time. The two key players are Seattle Seahawks’ Doug Baldwin and San Francisco 49ers’ Marquise Goodwin. But let’s take a look at who you could add as a replacement pick.
Wide Receivers:
1. Tyler Lockett, Seattle Seahawks, 34.4 percent availability
2. Quincy Enunwa, New York Jets, 45.8 percent availability
3. John Brown, Baltimore Ravens, 76 percent availability
4. Keelan Cole, Jacksonville Jaguars, 50.1 percent availability
5. Cole Beasley, Dallas Cowboys, 84.5 percent availability
Adding Lockett makes perfect sense to those who are owners of Doug Baldwin. Even if you don’t, Lockett is still a good add, as he’s looking to be the primary receiver and could find more receptions in PPR leagues. Enunwa returned from an injury in the preseason and scored a touchdown in the Monday night beatdown of the Detroit Lions. Enunwa and Robby Anderson are looking to take the WR 1 and WR 2 spots on the roster, and that only means good things for QB Sam Darnold. John Brown has emerged as Joe Flacco’s favorite target so far this season, and we look for that to continue. Again, you will have to wait until the next waiver period, so good luck with that. Cole is the next one on this list, and there are still a lot of questions that need to be answered with the Jaguars offense and how things will be run. Cole is still the top receiver available on the Jaguars roster that could be an exciting offense with or without Fournette. Beasley is probably the only receiver who is trust-worthy of having on the team at this point. Of course, it’s only been one week, and we are all still interested in what is going to happen with the receivers down the road.
Below are other players to keep an eye on down the road as the season goes along, especially with the injuries to Pro Bowl tight ends, Greg Olsen and Delanie Walker.
Tight End:
1. George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers, 19.2 percent availability
2. Jared Cook, Oakland Raiders, 22.9 percent availability
3. Ben Watson, New Orleans Saints, 63.6 percent availability
4. Will Dissly, Seattle Seahawks, 75.9 percent availability
5. Austin Hooper, Atlanta Falcons, 82.8 percent availability
Kittle will be the biggest beneficiary of the Goodwin injury as the 49ers look to bounce back from a tough loss to the Minnesota Vikings last Sunday. He has proven that he could be one of Jimmy Garrapolo’s favorite targets, and with their opponent being the Lions, we could expect a shootout. Cook is clearly the Raiders top guy this early in the season. With Cooper and Carr struggling to get anything going, Cook is expected to see the same numbers he did in week one, especially against tough defenses like the Rams and Broncos. Watson may not be on everyone’s watch list, but with the explosive offense that the New Orleans Saints have, there will always be space for receptions to Watson, especially in the red zone. Dissly is still one of those rookie players who has a big question mark? With his emergence as a pass-catching tight end over a pass blocking tight end, he could very well be one of those players added to replace the injured Walker or Olsen. Hooper is another one of those tight ends who could be a replacement, although I think it will be for this week alone due to Freeman not suiting up for the Carolina game.
Good Luck to those of you looking at the last minute waivers. Continue to follow these articles as there will be an updated waiver wire every week.
Let’s go get the W, and I’ll hear from you all next week!
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