Waiver Wire: Week 9
The King: On the Shelf
(Posted November 2, 2021)
New for November - each Tuesday, I will post a Waiver Wire column, and separately, the weekly recap column. See the Weekly Recap Column here: https://www.thepigskinpapers.com/posts-1/the-pigskin-papers-postscript-week-8-footing-the-bill
A few preliminary Waiver Wire thoughts:
1. As the weeks go by, the Waiver Wire tends to offer slimmer pickings. But every so often, injuries or unexpected breakouts occur that create a feeding frenzy for one or more players. Welcome to Week 9 waivers, where there could be chum in the Tennessee waters.
2. If your league uses priority waivers or even worse, open waivers, get that fixed as soon as you can - it’s garbage. If your league does things the right way and has blind bids using FAAB, remember that your FAAB dollars decrease slightly in value every week, because with each passing week you’re buying players for one less week of usage. If you’re the owner sitting on the biggest pile of cash, it’s a good position to be in, but the trick is trying to figure out when to pull the trigger - a difficult task since there is no way of knowing what will be available in future weeks.
3. A strategy tip - if you’re looking to stream a QB, TE, PK, or DST during an upcoming bye week, do this: one week early, see who is available, look ahead at the matchups, find the one(s) you like best, and try to make your desired pickup(s) that week - a week in advance of when you need the streamer. It’s a great way to get the player(s) you’ll eventually want without sweating it or having to overpay.
With that said, on to the Week 9 Waiver Wire:
QB
Jameis Winston (knee) is done for the year. Taysom Hill should return from his concussion this week, and should start over Trevor Siemian. As we learned last year, Hill won’t give you big passing numbers but his rushing floor makes him a viable streamer, or QB2 in 2-QB leagues. He’s a decent asset for fantasy.
I can’t tell you not to pick up Mike White after what he did not only yesterday in his first-ever start, but in his first game action a week ago. He is an efficient check-down artist and the league has no scouting report on him - yet. I can’t imagine him duplicating his preposterous numbers from Sunday ever again, nor do I envision him keeping Zach Wilson on the bench once Wilson returns, but I live in the NYC area and I wonder - could this play out so that it’s Linsanity all over again? Highly doubtful, but if this turns into Linsanity 2.0 (I’m dubbing it “The White-Out” and if anyone uses that I want royalties), it would be fun to be in on that. So if you have the bench slot and want to ride the wave, or if you’re wondering aloud if the Jets just found their franchise QB after spending the #2 overall pick on a different QB, then once you stop laughing hysterically, ask yourself, why not?
RB
You’ll be Hearing About All Day, all day
Nobody is replacing Derrick Henry, in terms of either the share of the work or the ludicrous production. But Henry is going to miss at least 6 weeks and probably more than that, this team is designed to run the ball, and it’s still going to produce plenty in the run game. So the question is who gets that production? Jeremy McNichols is listed as the backup but has mostly been used as a receiving back and has all of 7 carries this season. No, the most likely lead back here is, like Henry, one of the 8 men on the planet who has rushed for 2,000 yards in an NFL season. Yup, it’s Adrian Peterson, who the Titans signed on Monday. It may take a couple of weeks for Peterson to get up to full speed, and yes he is 36 and won’t carry the full load, and yes, the trade deadline is today and maybe they sign or trade for another back, but AP showed last season (on a terrible Lions team) that he can still run, and still has a nose for the end zone (7 rushing TDs). I expect him to emerge as the lead back. If you’re sitting on a lot of FAAB, this could be the best opportunity you get from this point forward to add a starting RB on a good offense. It’s not without risk as Peterson was literally sitting on his couch this weekend, just like the rest of us, and we don’t know exactly what the workload will be. McNichols should see his role expand and is also worth an add. So here we go! AP could be the center of the biggest FAAB battle since Elijah Mitchell after Week 1- who, by the way, has back to back games of over 100 Yards and a TD.
Derrick Gore got some run for the Chiefs on MNF, including some red zone work in the first half which he converted into a TD. He can be added for RB depth.
Carlos Hyde came into the game when James Robinson limped off with an ankle injury, and got most of the work thereafter. If J-Rob is going to miss any time, Hyde is a decent add. The Jaguars are a bad team but J-Rob has shown that an RB can produce fantasy points there. They do have the Bills this week so it’s not an ideal week to pick up Hyde and start him.
Jaret Patterson got a surprising amount of work Sunday for the WFT - in fact he got more carries than Antonio Gibson, who is battling a shin injury that’s likely to linger all season. I doubt this is a real thing, and McKissic is going to get the passing downs work, but Patterson is a good speculative add if you have space and especially if you’re a Gibson owner.
Mark Ingram is at most a decent add for RB depth, but he isn’t going to have as big of a role on the Saints as he used to and Taysom Hill’s presence limits the TD upside too.
I touted Boston Scott last week (and Kenneth Gainwell). It looks like Scott is probably the best Eagles RB to own while Miles Sanders is out. Jordan Howard has been frustrating fantasy owners for years - his own, and the owners of the RBs who he vultures. It’s so great having him back again. I’m not recommending Howard, but note that the Eagles are playing the Chargers and their awful run defense this week.
WR:
Parker is a Nice Grab
If Devante Parker got dropped in your league, pick him up. He produces when he is healthy - note that he is a candidate to be traded before the deadline.
Speaking of the Dolphins, Will Fuller should return in the next week or two and is worth a stash.
Jamal Agnew has had 7, 6 and 12 targets the last 3 games. Clearly, the Jaguars want to get him more involved. I like him as a depth add also.
Jamison Crowder and Elijah Moore both were targeted a lot this week - but I don’t expect a lot of 400 yard passing days for the Jets. Of the 2, I like Crowder better and especially in PPR.
I’m not particularly high on either Russell Gage or Tajae Sharp, even with Calvin Ridley due to miss multiple weeks. The pass-catchers to own in this offense are Pitts and Patterson. But if you’re thin at WR, these are OK options.
There was a Brandon Aiyuk sighting this weekend. I’m not sold, and Deebo is the guy, but there is potential upside.
TE:
Friermuth: The Rookie is Making Noise
I mentioned both Pat Friermuth and Logan Thomas last week - if either one is still there for you, I think they’re both good grabs for the rest of the season. The WFT is optimistic that Thomas can return in week 10, after the bye.
Dan Arnold is getting more targets each week and he led the Jaguars in catches and yards this week. You could do worse at this position.
Good luck with your pickups. Be sure to check out our Week 8 Fantasy recap, posting later today.
DH
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