Fantasy Football 2019 Week 14: Waiver Wire Pickup Advice
Is your fantasy team in need of new blood? Each week I’ll bring to you the best pickups to make ahead of the waiver deadline. All the players I list will be owned in fewer than 50 percent of leagues, with the ownership percentage coming from Yahoo.com
Quarterbacks
Ryan Tannehill, Titans (39% Owned): It’s time we take Ryan Tannehill seriously. He doesn’t throw the ball much – typically a red flag for me – but in this offense he’s so efficient that he continues to thrive for fantasy owners. He’s tossed two touchdown passes in three straight weeks, and has thrown at least two touchdown passes in all but one start this year. He’s also rushed for three touchdowns since taking over for Marcus Mariota in Week 6, and rushed at least four times in all but one start. If you’re trying to make the playoffs, Tannehill gets Oakland this week, who entered Week 13 as the No. 30 pass defense per Football Outsiders. If you want to advance, he gets the Texans in Week 15, who came into Week 13 ranked 26th. It’s a nice stretch for Tannehill, so ditch the “marquee” QB names and follow the points.
Daniel Jones, Giants (26% Owned): Jones is one of my favorite playoff QB plays, and no, I’m not crazy. He’s playable this week vs. the Eagles – I’d prefer to not use him in that spot though – but in Weeks 15 and 16 he’s home for Miami, and at Washington. That is pure gold for a rookie who has a pretty low floor but a sky high ceiling. Peep what he’s done in some plus matchups; 336 yards, two touchdowns vs. Tampa Bay, 322 yards, four touchdowns vs. Detroit, 308 yards, four touchdowns vs. the Jets. He also has had bad touchdown luck since he debuted in earnest vs. the Bucs, but he regularly logs around 4-6 rushing attempts a week, so he has the capability of saving a weak passing game with some production on the ground. Guys like Matt Ryan, Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady are universally owned, but winning fantasy owners will rock with Daniel Jones over any of them rest of season.
Jacoby Brissett, Colts (38% Owned): Brissett is a nice consolation prize on the wire if you can’t get Tannehill if you need someone to start this week. Brissett is shaky, but can put up some big numbers with the right matchups. This week he gets the Bucs, who did shut down Kyle Allen last week, but nonetheless are a bad defense. Brissett put up 319 yards last week vs. Tennessee, and lit up the Texans for 326 yards and four scores in Week 7. The capability is there, but his floor is admittedly very low.
Running Backs
Alexander Mattison, Vikings (31% Owned): I’ve been telling you guys! Mattison is about to be the biggest add of the week, and one of the most sought after pickups of the entire season as we wait with bated breath for the status of Dalvin Cook’s shoulder injury. For you Cook owners (myself included) who wisely have held onto Mattison…congratulations! If he’s out there on your waiver wire though, spend the rest of your FAAB on him and pray. This guy can win leagues, or save your culo. Anytime he sees work, he produces in this offense and that was no different Monday night in relief of Cook. He piled up 73 yards from scrimmage on four carries and four receptions which continues his productivity in limited opportunity. With a home game vs. Detroit, followed by a pseudo-home game at the Chargers the next two weeks, he’s an RB1.
Bo Scarbrough, Lions (43% Owned): Scarbrough is clearly the back to own in Detroit, and if you’re really hurting you’ll get volume out of him. His matchups rest of season are brutal – at Minnesota, vs. Tampa Bay, at Denver – so play other options if you have them. But he’s going to be in the neighborhood of 20 carries on a weekly basis with touchdown upside so as desperation plays go, he’s on the higher end.
Benny Snell Jr., Steelers (34% Owned): Snell is a wonderful play for the next two weeks if James Conner continues to miss time, but make sure you are paying attention to the reports. If Conner comes back, Snell needs to be sent back to the bench. Assuming Conner is still out though, Snell has seen 21 and 16 carries in back-to-back games, scoring last week vs. the Browns. Pittsburgh’s passing game is severely limited by Devlin Hodges/Mason Rudolph, so as long as Conner remains inactive, Snell is a locked and loaded RB2.
Gus Edwards, Ravens (13% Owned): Learn from the Dalvin Cook situation. Aside from Mattison, Gus Edwards is the top handcuff in football right now because of how unstoppable Baltimore’s run game has become with Lamar Jackson. Edwards is not a pass-catcher, so his upside is capped there, but he is still a monster on the ground when given the chance. Mark Ingram owners, go get him ASAP or run the risk of your season going down in flames if Ingram gets hurt.
Darwin Thompson, Chiefs (5% Owned): Kansas City’s RB situation has been an impossible, infuriating mess all year. But if Damien Williams and Darrel Williams are both out, Darwin Thompson will see work alongside LeSean McCoy. He’s shown explosiveness this year in extremely brief opportunities, and averaged four yards per carry on Sunday in his first extended look. I’d avoid him this week if possible because we don’t know how much work Andy Reid is willing to give him, but he’s playable if you are really banged up or desperate.
Tony Pollard, Cowboys (13% Owned): Like Mattison and Edwards, Pollard is a clear handcuff to one of the best backs in the game. Should Ezekiel Elliott get injured, Pollard becomes a safe option to plug right in. His matchups aren’t stellar, but this late in the season pickings get real slim. Zeke owners should not leave themselves vulnerable.
Malcolm Brown, Rams (5% Owned): Brown is yet another handcuff that should be universally owned, because Todd Gurley is. This isn’t the 2018 Rams, but he has high touchdown upside should Gurley get injured even with a tough slate of run defenses to end the year (vs. Seattle, at Dallas, at San Francisco).
Wide Receivers
A.J. Brown, Titans (25% Owned): What’s your tolerance for risk? If you have the stomach for it, A.J. Brown will interest you a great deal against the Raiders. As a rookie, Brown has lived and died by the big play; against Jacksonville he treated owners to 135 yards and a touchdown. The two weeks sandwiching that Week 12 eruption he totaled 62 yards on four catches. Still, his snap percentage has been 90% or better in two of the last three games, so he’s earning the trust of the coaching staff. If he’s on the field that much, he’s too much of a complete athletic freak to not get loose on Oakland’s dusty secondary. I daresay for this week Brown has low-end WR1 upside.
Darius Slayton, Giants (27% Owned): Slayton is a good receiver, and I’d feel highly comfortable rolling him out there as a WR3 or FLEX if Golden Tate misses another week. In the last three games, Slayton has been matchup proof with either Sterling Shepard or Golden Tate out of action, along with Evan Engram being sidelined. If the Giants’ full complement returns, I’d be hesitant to use him because this is just not a good enough offense to support all those players plus Saquon Barkley. But if Engram and Tate are both missing, Slayton is bordering on target hound status. Keep abreast of G-Men injury updates.
Tight Ends
Darren Fells, Texans (37% Owned): Fells is so frightening. He’s been targeted three or fewer times in each of his last four games, but he’s scored in two of them. This week’s matchup with Denver is middling, but for the playoffs he gets Tennessee and Tampa Bay, both of whom have struggled mightily against opposing TEs. You’d like to have more security, but players dealing with injuries to Evan Engram, or who have been streaming all year, need to realize that despite his extremely low floor, Fells has a better chance than most at the position of scoring with Deshaun Watson at the helm.