There is a lot of value on the waiver wire this week as Drew Brees’ hand was simply crushed by Aaron Donald’s palm, Ben Roethlisberger finally suffered an injury he wasn’t faking and Devin Singletary seems more fragile than his ancient backup. There are also players who remain on wires in many leagues who should have been picked up last week. Man, how do I get into leagues with you guys? I could really use the free money.
There is a lot of value on the waiver wire this week as Drew Brees’ hand was simply crushed by Aaron Donald’s palm, Ben Roethlisberger finally suffered an injury he wasn’t faking and Devin Singletary seems more fragile than his ancient backup. There are also players who remain on wires in many leagues who should have been picked up last week. Man, how do I get into leagues with you guys? I could really use the free money.
*while I’ve ranked all the players in terms of value this week (some due to short-term circumstance, others due to matchup and finally some for season long success), please remember that the order for which they may be important to you depends on who’s available in your league’s waiver wire as well as your own needs and roster construction. If you disagree you should close the window that you’re reading the article on, then open it once more and repeat until the information changes. It won’t change but it will increase my clicks… and I love dem clicks
1.Josh Allen-QB, Buffalo Bills: I know nobody wants to own a Bills anything. They have been a joke of a franchise that did nothing with 4 Super bowl trips and a Hall of Fame quarterback, running back and defensive end. People mocked their selection of Josh Allen (ESPN’s Mina Kimes most specifically). However, the Bills seem to have made the right selection with Allen. He is a better thrower than people expected and he runs like an angry horse. Jesus, I just pictured being chased by an angry horse and it’s terrifying. Josh Allen reminds me of a young, healthy, Cam Newton. If you lost a QB to injury this past weekend Josh Allen may be your season long answer
2.Kyler Murray-QB, Arizona Cardinals: Murray is largely unowned in most leagues. He hasn’t shown us much value with his legs and the Cardinals are deplorable. However, they will be trailing a lot this season and they will be throwing a good deal. In 4point per thrown touchdown leagues (generally considered to be standard), Kyler Murray is just outside the top 10 of QBs after two weeks. This is impressive considering he’s averaging only a single touchdown a game. He has done so by being currently ranked fourth in passing yardage after two weeks. He finds himself behind only Patrick Mahomes, Andy Dalton (?) and Dak Prescott.
3.Terry McLaurin-WR, Washington Raceskins: When the Raceskins drafted Haskins as a quarterback they seemed intent on drafting a receiving teammate and actually invested some of their draft assets to acquiring McLaurin in the draft. He seems to be the only exciting part of their offence as Case Keenum has been better than expected and if/when he gets benched, McLaurin will once again share the field with his college quarterback.
4.Mecole Hardman, WR-Kansas City Chiefs: It is clear that the Chiefs offense can suffer legitimate losses (Tyreek Hill to injury and having released Kareem Hunt). Pat Mahomes clearly seems to be more than the sum of the offensive parts and Andy Reid’s system has never looked better now that he has a quarterback with Mahomes’ insane physical skill set. The Chiefs drafted Hardman early expecting that Tyreek hill would miss time for disciplinary consequences that were never levied. Therefore, he was part of the Chiefs plan all along. He also is a similar style wide receiver to Tyreek Hill and therefore will produce quite nicely. Hardman has suffered from drops and fumbles, but, and perhaps this is my Georgia Bulldogs bias showing, I think the upside outweighs the risk.
5.Raheem Mostert, RB, San Francisco 49ers : Mostert is fast, and with Tevin Coleman out and Matt Breida out here looking like Matt Brittle, Mostert is a must own. Not only do I think that the 49ers will be using multiple running backs all season, he seems to be the most durable of the three and maybe acting as an equal workload to whoever is healthy between Coleman and Breida. The 49ers liked him enough to run Alfred Morris out of town. I like him cause his name reminds me of Mustard and fuck do I love mustard.
6.Frank Gore-RB, Buffalo Bills: I mentioned in my preseason article that Gore would have value before the season was done. Here we are. He has already surpassed his touchdown total from last season (1). He was with the Miami Dolphins last year and well, the Dolphins will do that to you. At this point of the 2019 season, Gore has already outscored his former team. I digress, he had 14.3 points last week and saw a decent amount of work before Singletary went down. After the injury, Gore was the workhorse back for the Bills. He will need volume to be effective but, until Devin Singletary returns, he is a high floor low-efficiency play.
7.Demarcus Robinson-WR, Kansas City Chiefs: I know that he put up an insane stat-line this past week. However, season long he will eventually be bumped to fourth on the depth chart. That said, the chiefs play a lot of 11 sets (three wides) and for the time being is yet another speedy threat for the gun-slinging Pat Mahomes. Essentially, if you can own part of the Chiefs offense, you should.
8.Deebo Samuel-WR, San Francisco 49ers: He was targeted seven times this past week which makes everyone feel better about his usage. He was also the “hot-read” on a two yard speed out that was caught for a touchdown. The 49ers looked to make a conscious effort to have him involved in the game plan and the fact that they went to him on a quick separation route in the end zone means that they trust him in high pressure situations.
9.Jason Witten-TE Dallas Cowboys: No one runs more button hooks or quick outs than the formerly terrible NFL broadcaster. He has been targeted 8 times and twice in the redzone that resulted in touchdowns. If you need a tight-end remember he’s playing against the Miami Dolphins and they’re giving it up easier than…you all know where I was going with that joke. If you need some life at the tight-end spot Witten may be your man, even if it is a stop-gap solution.
10.Andy Dalton-QB, Cincinnati Bengals: I hate recommending Dalton. I know he’s gonna screw up and get me tons of hate mail. However, the passing yardage is absolute insanity and at some point, opportunity out-weighs skill. He’s been given ample opportunity to amass yards in Cincinnati.