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Accountability is one of the things I pride myself on. Last week, we had some great suggestions for players to add, but I certainly whiffed on the players I suggested to cut. D’Andre Swift certainly made sure to prove me wrong, and both Chiefs WRs had bounce-back weeks. Should I consider that…..the jinx section? Oh well, it’s not about being right in this industry – it’s about minimizing the times you are wrong. And we hit on many waiver adds last week, and let’s continue that trend!
QUARTERBACK
Baker Mayfield (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
Yahoo – 15% Rostered
ESPN – 10% Rostered
Sleeper – 19% Rostered
What is there not to like about this version of Baker? He has 34 pass attempts in both games so far, just passed 300 passing yards in Week 2, and has three touchdowns in the first two weeks. Baker will continue to be in games where they ask him to pass a lot, and their bye week is early in the season with Week 5. What a fantastic bye-week QB to add to your roster.
Russell Wilson (Denver Broncos)
Yahoo – 51% Rostered
ESPN – 62% Rostered
Sleeper – 49% Rostered
Russell is bordering on not being available for this article, but this might be the last time we can write about him. The offense is right with the Denver Broncos; Russell can put up points as this offense gels and gets healthier. Their defense looks horrible, which means more scoring from the offense. Javonte Williams and Jerry Juedy will get healthier, and Greg Dulchich will return. Do we see where we are going with this? There is an upside with Russell, and it’s time to look to stash QBs for your bye weeks.
RUNNING BACKS
Zack Moss (Indianapolis Colts)
Yahoo – 53% Rostered
ESPN – 30% Rostered
Sleeper – 56% Rostered
Zack Moss:
Played 55/56 snaps (98%)
18 carries, 88 yards, 1 TD
4 receptions, 19 yards— Mike Clay (@MikeClayNFL) September 17, 2023
Finding this kind of usage from a waiver wire add is hard. Jonathan Taylor will return but be traded or eased into the offense after his injury. Deon Jackson also looks like they need more confidence in the coaching staff. Add Moss if you need a RB.
Matt Brieda and Gary Brightwell (New York Giants)
Yahoo – 0% Rostered
ESPN – 0% Rostered
Sleeper – 0% Rostered
Adding these players if you are desperate. It will be a short week with the Giants playing on Thursday, and Kyren Williams had a good game against the 49ers. I don’t suggest adding them, but desperate times call for desperate measures.
Jerome Ford (Cleveland Browns)
Yahoo – 17% Rostered
ESPN – 9% Rostered
Sleeper – 17% Rostered
This is a late addition to this week’s waiver wire targets, as Nick Chubb suffered a gruesome knee injury last night on MNF against the Steelers. The football community feels gutted as one of the best standard-scoring RBs goes down with another knee injury. Jerome Ford was already a name to watch in dynasty leagues, but he’s worth an addition now as Chubb is out for an extended period, and Ford’s impressive 69-yard (almost TD) run got our attention. Although Ford was vultured for the TD by Strong, Ford is the running back to add moving forward.
WIDE RECEIVERS
Josh Reynolds (Detroit Lions)
Yahoo – 12% Rostered
ESPN – 4% Rostered
Sleeper – 21% Rostered
High-scoring offense? Check. Has thirteen targets on the season? Check. Capable of scoring multiple touchdowns in a game? Check. It seems like a no-brainer to add, but he will be skipped over to add to your roster from other teams. Josh should be rostered on your team if you are dealing with injuries and underperforming fliers you took in the draft. He will continue to be this year’s Zay Jones.
Tutu Atwell (Los Angeles Rams)
Yahoo – 25% Rostered
ESPN – 30% Rostered
Sleeper – 32% Rostered
By the way, for all the (deserved) hype over Puka Nacua, let’s not ignore what Tutu Atwell is doing.
Last week: 8 rec, 119 yds
This week: 8 rec, 71 yds— M.G. (@MarcasG) September 17, 2023
All the praise is appropriate for Puka Nacua, but Tutu Atwell is undoubtedly playing out of his mind. Cooper Kupp is still injured, and I wonder how fast he will be up to speed. Tutu is a PPR machine currently doing this without a touchdown. That is some serious upside.
Jayden Reed (Green Bay Packers)
Yahoo – 10% Rostered
ESPN – 13% Rostered
Sleeper – 19% Rostered
He already has stats similar to Josh Reynolds, with thirteen targets and a two-touchdown game; we must include the same reasoning to add Reed. The concern is when Christian Watson will return and how much that will change the target distribution. He is still worth stashing on your roster; he may have already earned a role in this offense as he’s seen 13 targets in two weeks of play.
Marvin Mims (Denver Broncos)
Yahoo – 10% Rostered
ESPN – 13% Rostered
Sleeper – 21% Rostered
Marvin Mims ran 5 — FIVE — routes against the Commanders. He was targeted twice on those routes and caught both passes for 113 yards and a touchdown.
Maybe use him more, @Broncos.
— JJ Zachariason (@LateRoundQB) September 18, 2023
I just wanted to note if JJ Zachariason calls out the organization to use a player more. With how little they have used him, the production Marvin has done this season screams that the organization will start to design more plays for them. Everyone at the Undroppables was already on him during the draft process, hoping we see him shine more in his rookie season.
Tight End
Zach Ertz (Arizona Cardinals)
Yahoo – 10% Rostered
ESPN – 47% Rostered
Sleeper – 17% Rostered
I need clarification on the disparity between Yahoo and ESPN. It’s always interesting when you see that. But Zach Ertz has been fantastic coming off his ACL injury, and we love to see it! Tight ends have always been a dart throw, and some big names are disappointing (Looking at you, Arthur Smith!) I am adding Ertz to every team I can, especially with 18 targets in the first 2 games.
Jake Ferguson (Dallas Cowboys)
Yahoo – 38% Rostered
ESPN – 12% Rostered
Sleeper – 28% Rostered
A Dallas Cowboys tight end that is fantasy-relevant? It’s a tale as old as time. In Week 1, Jake had seven targets, and a couple were in the red zone. In Week 2, he found the end zone. I think Jake should be the other tight end you are trying to add to your rosters if you miss out on Ertz.
DROP CANDIDATES
Dalvin Cook (New York Jets)
Dalvin certainly looks cooked. Every time he touches the ball, the ground below him turns to sand and looks slower than we have ever seen. Breece will continue to get healthier and take away those carries, and Michael Carter is shown to be the preferred hurry-up back. Cut him; you will never want to start him, either.
AJ Dillon (Green Bay Packers)
Every time we have seen Aaron Jones go down for an injury and AJ Dillon needs to step up, he underperforms. He is rostered on too many teams and feels like a trap whenever you want to play him. Send him to the waiver wire and let someone else fall for that trap.
