By Ryan Weisse
Typically, towards the end of a fantasy season, the waiver wire starts to slow down. This is likely due to two things: 1. The good teams are pretty happy with their roster and stop tinkering. 2. The bad teams stop caring and hold guys on their roster that would have been dropped two weeks ago. We may have hit that time in 2020. There are still some good players out there (unless you need a QB) but this might be the shortest list I’ve put together this entire season. Just a reminder, all the guys listed below are available in at least 50% of Yahoo fantasy leagues…but time is running out, you need to Pick ‘Em Up!
PRO TIP: Always look at last week’s bye week teams for good players that may have been dropped out of desperation. Week 10 was Atlanta, Dallas, Kansas City, and the NY Jets.
Quarterbacks
Tua Tagovailoa (55% Available)
Speaking honestly, there is not a single waiver-wire QB that you are excited to add right now. If you need a QB, you might better off waiting to see what the field looks like on Wednesday after people have made their drops for other waiver claims. However, if you are trying to catch lightning in a bottle, Tua is worth a look. He hasn’t been a great fantasy QB yet, but his schedule is really good for the next few weeks and he has improved in each start. He’s not a lock for top-15, but he is worth a gamble if you’re tired of streaming each week.
Jameis Winston (99% Available)
Winston is an interesting choice. He will certainly need to be a waiver add if you want him. But do you want him? He is a proven top-5 fantasy QB, he showed that in 2019. He also threw 30 interceptions in 2019. He has weapons with Michael Thomas and Alvin Kamara but Thomas has struggled this year and, while Kamara is a beast, Brees is only the QB15 with those same weapons. The Saints’ upcoming schedule, however, screams that you must add him if you need a QB. They play ATL twice in the next three weeks with a date with DEN in between. The Falcons give up the most fantasy points to QBs and the Broncos give up the 16th most. He might only start two or three games, but Jameis could put in work during that time.
Running Backs
Wayne Gallman (50% Available)
I’ve let my preconceived notion that Gallman was “not good” blind me to the fact that he has played really well in the last few weeks with Devonta Freeman out. He’s never going to be a lock for RB1 or even RB2 stats, but if he keeps scoring touchdowns, he has an RB1-ceiling each week. He’s scored a touchdown in each of the last four games and has a pretty favorable upcoming schedule. Here’s the rub: the Giants have a Week 11 bye and Freeman should be healthy coming out of that bye. Has Gallman done enough to keep this job? Time will tell, but he has been too good to leave on waivers.
La’Mical Perine (76% Available)
Look, the starting RB for the Jets isn’t exactly a title that carries much weight in fantasy football, but it’s Perine’s job to lose after the Jets Week 10 bye. Adam Gase, who sucks, came out and said that Perine will be the feature back for the rest of the season. That is likely to land him 10-15 touches per week and the kid has looked pretty solid in limited time up to this point. He might only be an RB2 but he is someone you want on your roster, not your playoff opponent’s roster.
Nyheim Hines (59% Available)
Yes, we’re playing this game again. In fact, Hines and the next RB on the list were both Week 1 waiver-wire darlings– then duds. Hines’ usage cannot be ignored. He is playing just about 35% of the snaps for the Colts, a terrible number when you talk about Jonathan Taylor, but somehow stomachable for Hines. He is involved in the passing game every week, with 41 targets on the season and 15 over the last four games, and that is going to keep him in the RB3 conversation moving forward. A favorite line for Jonathan Taylor apologist (like myself) has been, “The Colts have the best playoff schedule for RBs.” Guess what? Hines has that schedule too, and it looks like he might make better use of it.
Malcolm Brown (75% Available)
Brown has been an inconvenient truth for fantasy football this season. Week in and out, he steals 10 touches from the higher-drafted Rams RBs, and a lot of his work comes in the passing game. He scored two TDs in Week 10, just like he did in Week 1, giving him five rushing TDs on the season. Don’t get caught up in the hype, Brown is not an every-week RB1, but if you view him as an RB3 with tremendous upside, you’ll be happy to have him on your roster.
Wide Receivers
Jakobi Meyers (52% Available)
I said this on our Saturday show — Jakobi Meyers is who we wanted N’Keal Harry to be. He’s also turning into who Julian Edelman used to be. In other words: YOU WANT HIM ON YOUR FANTASY ROSTER! Meyers has 27 targets in his last four games and threw for a touchdown in Week 10. Even when he doesn’t score, he finds a way to score. He is basically the perfect WR3 in fantasy football right now.
Jalen Reagor (74% Available)
Basically, I’m done speaking to any of you if Reagor is on this list next week. My intro will just be “Go Sign Jalen Reagor” The featured image will be two pictures of Jalen Reagor. And the analysis for each player will be “They’re a great add…if Jalen Reagor has already been signed.” Try me. He had four catches for 47 yards this week and gets the suspect Cleveland secondary in Week 11. Josh Hudson and I already have him in every league we play in, it’s time to do your part.
Sterling Shepard (50% Available)
I’ve fought this for way too long, but Shepard is the WR1 in New York. In his last four games, he has 32 targets, catching 26 of them for 219 yards and a TD. Darius Slayton is, and will remain, their big-play guy, but Shepard sees the volume and that is king in fantasy football. He also sees a Week 11 bye, but he is a player that should be rostered through that bye.
Michael Pittman Jr (81% Available)
The Colts are in desperate need of a WR to step up and Pittman might be that guy. We finally saw signs of life from TY Hilton on Thursday, but he is still impossible to trust. Pittman has 15 targets, 11 receptions, and 157 yards in the last two games for Indianapolis. It seems that Philip Rivers is starting to realize that he can use the rookie like he did Mike Williams and that led to a lot of yards in 2019.
Tight Ends
Logan Thomas (65% Available)
You want targets? Logan Thomas has all the TE targets you can handle. Thomas has 52 targets on the season, 11th best among TEs, and has at least four targets in every game this year. His results are a mixed bag but he is the TE5 over the last five weeks and that includes a bye week for Washington. He is basically an every-week low-end TE1 that can finish top-5 weekly if he finds the end zone. If you’ve been streaming, he’s the answer to your prayers.
Jordan Reed (81% Available)
After a shaky first week back from the IR, Reed bounced back into the fantasy top-10 with a five-catch, 62-yard performance. He is always an injury risk, but being the TE1 for the 49ers is a good spot for fantasy. In the void that currently exists with fantasy TEs, he should not be on waivers, even with a Week 11 bye looming. Fun Fact: Jordan Reed is the TE29 on the season…he’s played five games. He is the TE18 on a PPG basis.
