A quiet week on the waiver wire front. We do not have a lot of players to use a very early waiver priority on, or blow a huge amount of FAB on, but there are some useful pieces that can help with depth and be used as a flex options. See below.
Note: All players listed are rostered in/or less than 20% in Yahoo! leagues.
RB Nyheim Hines, Colts (20%)
Hines may still be available in some leagues. Not only did he see 8 targets for 8 catches, but he also found the end zone on the ground. Now with Marlon Mack injured, Hines will be an every week flex. Jonathan Taylor will be the bell cow, but Hines showed a great connection with Phillip Rivers. He is worth a high waiver priority and a sizable FAB bid.
RB Benny Snell, Steelers (12%)
Oft-injured Pittsburgh RB James Conner exited Monday Night Football with an ankle injury. Snell looks more than capable of taking over as the lead back in Pittsburgh. Monitor injury reports before waivers go in. If Conner’s injury is significant then Snell is worth a large FAB bid and waiver wire one overall priority. He would be an RB2 any week Conner is missing.
RB Joshua Kelley, Chargers (13%)
The preseason-hype was warranted for the rookie RB. Kelley ran hard and decisively. He also found the end zone. He looks like he will be the complimentary back to Austin Ekeler and should also see the goal line role. He should be owned in all leagues.
RB Jerick McKinnon, 49ers (11%)
The 49ers clearly had a plan to use McKinnon. He received 5 targets and found the end zone. He also averaged 8 yards a carry. The backfield is crowded, but the team seems to love him.
TE O.J. Howard, Buccaneers (17%)
Howard showed some life after last season’s disappointing year. He was targeted 6 times and more importantly, looked flat out better than Rob Gronkowski. Tight end-needy teams and teams that lost Blake Jarwin should consider Howard, but do not go breaking the bank.
TE Logan Thomas, Football Team (2%)
Thomas saw a high target share and found the end zone. He now faces two plus match-ups in a row in Cleveland and Arizona. For teams that do not want to spend a lot of FAB, consider Thomas.
WR Laviska Shenault, Jaguars (12%)
Shenault was part of an impressive passing attack for Jacksonville. He found the end zone on a nice catch and run. The Jaguars also gave him two rushing opportunities. Compared to Anquan Boldin in the preseason by wide receivers coach Keenan McCardell, expect his role to grow as the season progresses.
WR Marquez Valdez-Scantling, Packers (8%)
Last year, “MVS” was a fantasy bust. After a 4 catch, 96-yard and one score performance, he is worth a cheap speculative grab on the chance that Aaron Rodgers continues to target him.
WR Russell Gage, Falcons (2%)
Gage exploded for a 9 catch, 114-yard performance against Seattle. While many will brush this performance aside and attribute it to game flow, Gage now has 25 targets his last two games for Atlanta (13 targets week 17 last season). Mohamed Sanu was never a must-start with Atlanta, but was a solid fill in flex/WR depth. Gage seems to be filling that Sanu role with Matt Ryan. He is worth rostering and Atlanta may shred the Dallas secondary this week.
WR Scotty Miller, Buccaneers (6%)
Tom Brady sure does love his slot wideouts. Miller had positive reports during training camp and it showed. He caught 5 balls for 73 yard, and now faces a soft Carolina secondary. He is worth adding as wide receiver depth and can be used as a low end flex in plus match-ups like this week vs Carolina.
BONUS CONTENT: DYNASTY SPECIAL
WR Quintez Cephus, Lions (0%)
With Kenny Golladay out with an hamstring injury, the 5th round Draft Pick Cephus stepped up with an outstanding 10 targets. While he only managed 3 catches, the future looks bright for Cephus. Marvin Jones is a free agent after this season, and slot wide receiver Danny Amendola turns 35 this season. Cephus should be the #2 opposite Golladay next season.