LAFB Week 9 Waiver Wire Wonders

Washington Football Team Quarterback Kyle Allen. Photo Credit: All-Pro Reels | Under Creative Commons License
Washington Football Team Quarterback Kyle Allen. Photo Credit: All-Pro Reels | Under Creative Commons License

Hey there LAFB Network Fam! Week 8 is in the books and boy was it a doozy. The Chiefs stomped on the Jets, Denver beat fellow division mate Los Angeles Chargers at the last minute by a single point, and the Cowboys are slowly deteriorating at the seams.

Here’s hoping all of your teams are like the Chiefs, dominating your opponents, if they look like the Chargers or Broncos there’s still hope, but if you’re looking like the Cowboys it might be time to start a flash-sale for some picks next season.

Right now, I have a few Charger and Bronco looking teams, no high powered Chief teams but no Cowboy lookin’ teams stumbling to my matchups, so I can’t complain. Well, I guess I could but that’s not why you’re here. You’re here to get some info on what you should do with this week’s waivers, so let’s get to it.

LAFB Week 9 Waiver Wire Wonders

Quarterback

(DEN) Drew Lock @ Atlanta Falcons

owned in about 10% of  fantasy leagues

Drew Lock might not be the stat-sexy QB that the Broncos wanted him to be but he is the QB getting it done. After starting 0 – 3, the Broncos turned that on its side and have won three of their last four games. Sure, Lock was hurt for their first win but he continued the success once back on the field. These past two weeks alone have been very playable fantasy streaming weeks for Drew Lock; he finished with 19.5 and 24.3 fantasy points in weeks seven and eight.

This week he gets the favorable matchup with the Atlanta Falcons. The Falcons are sitting in the Top 5 worst passing defenses in the NFL. On average they are giving up 311.4 passing yards with a 70.3% passing completion rate. If you are in need of a stream, Lock might be a worthwhile player to consider.

(CHI) Nick Foles @ Tennessee Titans

owned in about 9% of fantasy leagues

A man who has found his way in and out of many fantasy coaches’ teams and highly disregarded because of his rolling waves of success, Nick Foles, is now once again on our Waiver article. Which, might surprise my readers because of his obvious hot and cold streak, but shouldn’t completely shock anyone since I am all for streaming my QBs. Nick Foles is definitely a QB I would be looking to this week with his matchup against the Tennessee Titans.

Right now the Titans are averaging 268.7 passing yards a game against opposing QBs. Not only that, but the Titans have also given up 17 passing TDs this season which is tied for 4th for defenses giving up TDs through the air. I get it, you see Foles and think there might not be much left in the tank but in a pinch, he could win you the week with his average of 18.1 fantasy points a week.

(WAS) Kyle Allen vs New York Giants

owned in about 4% of fantasy leagues

I bring up Kyle Allen this week for two reasons:

1. He’s going against the Giants this week, making it twice in four weeks. The last time around Allen actually recorded a loss for the team but as a fantasy asset, he didn’t fare too bad. He finished with 31 completions on 42 attempts for 280 passing yards, two TDs, and one pick, totaling 22.8 fantasy points in Week 6. A very playable game in anyone’s eyes.

2. The next reason has got to be his cushy schedule. After the Giants the Washington Football squad will face: the Detroit Lions, Cincinnati Bengals, Dallas Cowboys, Pittsburgh Steelers, San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks, Carolina Panthers, and Philadelphia Eagles. In those eight games, I see maybe two or three unfavorable matchups (Steelers and 49ers). Other than that, all of those teams look like nice matchups for young Kyle Allen.

Running Back

(NE) Damien Harris @ New York Jets

owned in about 47% of fantasy leagues

Right now the lead rusher in the New England offense is Cam Newton. He’s not getting it done through the air but he is getting it done on the ground. Now Cam Newton has been claimed for quite a while now but currently, the official “No. 1” RB in New England is Damien Harris. What does that mean? Well that depends, Harris isn’t the change-of-pace back for the Patriots like James White but he is their rushing man.

He’s taken over for Sony Michel and done so famously, but like Sony Michel, he has a lot of value primarily in standard leagues. In the PPR realm Harris, like Sony Michel, gets knocked down a few pegs because of his usage in only running the ball. In the last four games, Harris has recorded only two targets and two completions. But in those four games, he has rushed for 100 yards or more twice and averaged more than 5.7 yards a carry in three of those four games.

(SF) JaMycal Hasty vs Green Bay Packers

owned in about 42% of fantasy leagues

This is Hasty’s second time on our beautiful waiver article so I will try to make this fairly straightforward. The Packers are giving up 4.7 yards per rushing attempt, as well as, 119 rushing yards to opposing RBs. This past week the 49ers had three RBs line up in the backfield rushing the ball and Hasty was the one who received most of those carries. He actually led the backfield by a significant amount with 12 carries while Tevin Coleman and Jerick McKinnon both had three. If that’s not enough, San Francisco is one of the top rushing teams averaging 127.0 yards a game and 224 attempts on the year.

(BAL) Gus Edwards @ Indianapolis Colts

owned in about 30% of fantasy leagues

As expected, Mark Ingram was sidelined this past week and in his absence, Gus Edwards and J.K. Dobbins were able to spread their wings. Both men finished with double-digit fantasy totals but Edwards was the man to get the score. Not only that, Edwards had 16 rushing attempts and Dobbins had 15, which means this might be a true timeshare forming in Baltimore.

Now I am not trying to claim that having an RB in a timeshare is really something to strive for in fantasy football but I will claim that having an RB in the Baltimore offense is something that piques my interest. The Ravens, like San Francisco, love to run the ball. Right now, Baltimore is sitting with 228 rushing attempts on the year which averages at 32.5 rushes a game for the team. If possible, try to scoop Edwards or Dobbins for your team.

(GB) Tyler Ervin or Dexter Williams @ San Francisco 49ers

Tyler Ervin owned in 0.2% of fantasy leagues

Dexter Williams owned in 0% of fantasy leagues

Yes, that is not a joke, Williams is owned in 0% fantasy leagues because he is on the practice squad for Green Bay. Why bring him up? Well, reports have surfaced that Jamaal Williams and A.J. Dillon might have some COVID issues that will have them on the sidelines. Dillon has tested positive and Williams is being considered a “close contact” because of it. I only mention Tyler Ervin and Dexter Williams because of Aaron Jones‘s injury, but if Jones is back then feel free to disregard the shot in the dark pickup.

Wide Receiver

(DET) Marvin Jones @ Minnesota Vikings

owned in about 49% of fantasy leagues

Here we go again mister, Mr. Jonesss, Mr. Jones, Mr. Jones, Mr. Jonessss. You have a thing going on and it is Kenny Golladay’s injury. If this kind of feels like deja-vu, it should. At the beginning of the year, Golladay was sidelined with a hamstring injury and didn’t return until Week 3.

But when he was gone, Marvin Jones wasn’t exactly making waves with his production. In week 1 he scored 9.5 fantasy points and in Week 2 it was 12.3, not something we would sit there and brag about. This past week when Golladay was taken out, there seemed to have been a turn in the Detroit offense because Marvin Jones actually had a good fantasy day.

Jones concluded with seven targets, three receptions for 39 yards and two TDs. Now it doesn’t seem like much but what I am focusing on here are his TDs. With Golladay out, they are now targeting Marvin in the red zone when before they hadn’t. Jones is rostered in almost half of fantasy leagues but if you see him on your wire don’t be afraid to throw a speculative claim out there.

(TEN) Corey Davis vs Chicago Bears

owned in about 48% of fantasy leagues

As shocked as I am to report this, Corey Davis has scored double-digit fantasy points in every game he has suited up for this season. Week 3 was his lowest with 11.9 points but other than that Davis has been a very playable option when it comes down to it.

These past two weeks alone, Corey Davis has recorded 20 targets for 14 receptions, 163 yards, and two TDs. Pretty crazy when on the other side of the field second-year monster A.J. Brown is too receiving plenty of fantasy wealth. Both WRs are proving to be a solid 1-2 punch for Ryan Tannehill and the Tennessee offense.

(NYJ) Braxton Berrios vs New England Patriots

owned in about 1% of fantasy leagues

It is pretty clear that if Jameson Crowder is out, Braxton Berrios is in for the Jets offense. Now that might not mean much because of the less than favorable team that he is on but it does mean that the Jets at least live by the “next man up” mentality. And when Berrios is in, he turns into the same target machine that Crowder is when he suits up.

This past Sunday Berrios had 11 targets for eight receptions, the week before it was seven targets for four receptions. I am digging what he is putting down just not enjoying the team or situational playtime. If Crowder is out another week, Berrios should be playable against the Patriots.

(NE) Jakobi Meyers @ New York Jets

owned in about 1% of fantasy leagues

Speaking of a target machine, Jakobi Meyers has garnered 16 targets, 10 receptions, 118 yards, and one TD since his return in Week 7. Now I will admit, Meyers comes with a little bit of a fantasy asterisk. The Patriots haven’t exactly been airing it out, nor have they been the team to throw the ball a ton, especially now with Cam Newton manning the team. This season alone, Cam has thrown over 20 times only once, other than that, Newton sits between 15 to 19 passing attempts, cutting down the potential Meyers could bring.

Tight End

(PIT) Eric Ebron @ Dallas Cowboys

owned in about 45% of fantasy leagues

For all of you late TE drafters, I am sure Eric Ebron’s recent success is starting to feel like your drafting is paying off. In week 7 he had eight targets, six receptions, and 50 yards, in week 8 it was even better with five targets, four receptions, 48 yards, and a score. It’s starting to look like Big Ben is trusting Ebron and his other WRs not named JuJu Smith-Schuster. If you ask me, all of the Steelers offensive units should be rostered no matter what kind of league you are in.

(SF) Ross Dwelley vs Green Bay Packers

owned in about 0% of fantasy leagues

If you don’t know, now you know. George Kittle is going to be sidelined for eight weeks or so because of a broken bone in his foot. After he went down on Sunday, Ross Dwelley stepped in and did swimmingly with one reception and a score. Sure it wasn’t a bunch of usage, but Frisco just got hit with their best-receiving option being taken out so they focused more on their young WR corps. This will be just another injury on the vast amount of players getting hurt for the 49ers this season but at least we know the 49ers know how to feed their TEs.

Washington Football Team Quarterback Kyle Allen. Photo Credit: All-Pro Reels | Under Creative Commons License