Waiver Wire

We talked about Elijah Moore last week in this column as a player trending up. He did not disappoint with a massive game against Indianapolis catching seven passes for 84 yards and two TDs. If he is somehow available, be aggressive and go get him. Moore could end the year with a strong finish and shoot up redraft boards heading into 2022. He is the most explosive player on The Jets and has big-time potential. 

James Conner was one of the stars of Week 9, but Eno Benjamin should be an exciting add this week. Chase Edmonds went down with an ankle injury, and Benjamin stepped in behind Conner. With Edmonds set to miss, look for Benjamin to see the field for about a third of snaps. Conner has dealt with injuries in the past, so expect the Cardinals not to overload him. Benjamin is a strong add, especially in deeper formats.

Jeremy McNichols has a leg up on Adrian Peterson (for now) as the incumbent back, and is a capable pass-catcher. He should see a good deal of work this week, but predicting the usage starting in Week 10 is difficult. If I could roster one of the two, I would take McNichols, but you want exposure to both backs. This could end up being an ugly committee backfield, but one of the two has a shot at RB2 production the rest of the way. 

If Kyle Pitts were not Kyle Pitts, Pat Freiermuth would have a lot more buzz right now. He is flashing and looks like a potential future top-five fantasy TE. Right now, he should be viewed as a streamer/bye-week fill-in, but he could be a locked-in fantasy starter by playoff time if his role stays the same.

Kenny Gainwell has appeared in this column multiple times this season. Miles Sanders exited the game early, and while Boston Scott should also see increased touches, Gainwell is the Eagles back to roster. The Eagles offense has issues, but I am excited to see Gainwell in a more significant role. He is a good pass catcher already and could spark a team that badly needs one. In deeper formats, consider adding Scott as well. 

Allen Lazard is an excellent streamer this week. The Packers will need to keep up with the high-powered Arizona Cardinals, and Davante Adams should miss the game. Lazard should be Aaron Rodger’s preferred target. He caught five passes this past week and found the end zone. 

For the Mark Andrews fantasy manager or TE streamer, Ricky Seals-Jones has 14 targts the past two games with Logan Thomas out. The former is now a full-time player, running 34-plus routes in each of the past two contests as well. This week, the Football Team play the Packers, ranking 14th-worst in Pass DVOA. Let’s see if Seals-Jones and the Football Team can make a name for themselves this week.

With Chris Carson on IR, Alex Collins paced the Seahawks backfield with 20 carries for 101 yards and a touchdown. He hauled in his lone target for –3 yards as well. Explaining Collins’ 59.4% snap share is the fact he missed part of the final quarter and all of overtime. This week, the Seahawks’ bellcow plays against the Saints. The defense hasn’t allowed 100 rushing yards in a game thus far. But, they have allowed three rushing touchdowns in their past two games.

Khalil Herbert may still be available in some leagues. We recommended Herbert last week and hopefully, you have him rostered. If he is somehow still available, he may have taken over Chicago’s RB job with his strong performance against Green Bay. He rushed 19 times for 97 yards and a TD and added two catches. He looks explosive and instinctual as a runner. This week, Damien Williams may or may not be off the COVID list, but Herbert is an ascending player who is earning more and more opportunities.

Rashod Bateman was recommended as an addition in previous articles and now I am stomping my feet for you to please add him. This past week, he was tied for a team-high six targets. The Baltimore offense is humming, and Bateman could quickly become a weekly starter. Get him rostered before the inevitable breakout game.

Devontae Booker should draw a few starts while Saquon Barkley deals with an ankle injury. Booker filled in well this past week when Barkley left the game, finishing with 58 yards rushing and a TD. Expect high-volume touches for as long as Barkley is out. He certainly meets the criteria if you are a “pay for touches” type with your FAAB bidding.  

David Njoku is coming off an incredible seven-catch, 149-yard and a TD performance in Cleveland’s shootout loss to the Los Angeles Chargers. Njoku saw 10 targets. This game is most likely a one-off, but he should be added this week on the chance that he sees increased usage based on production.  

David Montgomery is week to week with a knee injury. Damien Williams (provided he is good to go with a thigh bruise) should step right into a high-volume role in the Bears offense. Williams has had fantasy success and is a two-way threat that should play on passing downs and see the goal-line work. We do not know how long Montgomery will be out. Williams should be a very hot addition this week and should be very useful in the short term, and potentially longer. 

Dawson Knox appears to be this year’s Robert Tonyan. The third-year player now has caught four TD passes, including two this past weekend in the Bills 40-0 rout of Houston. Knox should be viewed as a TE1 moving forward. He is one of the Bills’ best red zone threats and is coming off a season-high eight targets.  

A bet on volume is a shaky bet. But Nick Westbrook-Ikhine ran a route on 82-percent of Ryan Tannehill’s dropbacks last week. Now, A.J. Brown and Julio Jones are out. After the Jets this week, the second-year WR has the Jaguars on tap. That Jaguars defense rank third-to-last in Pass DVOA. I’d flex Westbrook-Ikhine in both contests. Brown and Jones are no bets to make it back for Week 5. Let’s stash the Titans’ No. 1 WR for the foreseeable future before the price goes up.

Kadarius Toney totaled season highs last week with Sterling Shepard and Darius Slayton leaving the game early. The rookie WR totaled a 67.7-percent Snap Share, leading to 29 routes run. Toney earned three targets, more than in his first two games combined, and parlayed the opportunity into a 2-16 receiving line. While that’s nothing that’ll get the group chat talking, he has a first-round pedigree. This week, he’ll audition himself for a bigger role. And if he sticks, he has a juicy matchup against the Cowboys next week.

Chuba Hubbard is easily the most exciting and valuable addition for this week if he is available in your leagues. Hubbard filled in for Christian McCaffrey when he went down, rushing 11 times for 52 yards. He also caught three passes for 27 yards. He has a great shot at being an every-week RB2 for as many weeks as CMC misses. Last season, Mike Davis was one of the better waiver wire additions all season; history could repeat itself. Hubbard has an ample opportunity.

Dalton Schultz had a career night on Monday Night Football with six catches for 80 yards and two TDs in Dallas’ 41-21 beatdown of Philadelphia. He led the Cowboys in targets, and Dak Prescott seems to have faith in him. Schultz, not Blake Jarwin, is the Cowboys TE to roster. We want exposure to the Cowboys offense, and Schultz is available in many leagues.

Justin Fields looks set for his first start this season against Cleveland with Andy Dalton out with a knee injury. He should spark the offense with his scrambling ability. He is a starter in SuperFlex leagues right away and can be immediately considered for QB-streaming teams. He has elite scrambling ability and a fine pair of WRs in Allen Robinson and Darnell Mooney. Fields could be just what the doctor ordered to ignite the team and the fan base.

We discussed K.J. Osborn as a player dynasty managers should add. At this point, he should be added in all formats. Operating as the third option in the Minnesota passing attack, he followed up a seven-catch opener with five more catches this past weekend, including a 64-yard TD reception. Osborn could be the next in a long line of University of Miami WRs to have solid NFL careers.