IT HAS BEGUN FOLKS!
Waivers have cleared and dust of the week one has settled. Now it’s time to reap the rewards of being patient and level-headed.
For example, a guy in my league dropped Chris Ivory onto waivers for Jeremy Kerley.
It wasn’t only an owner in my league, either. According to ESPN, Ivory dropped from 90 percent owned down to about 85 percent. I would LOVE to see what type of players that 5 percent of owners picked up in exchange for a back like Ivory.
Let’s really evaluate this for a minute.
Last year, Chris Ivory was the 9th highest scoring RB in all of fantasy. Ivory racked up 159 points for his owners, me being one of them, last season. He was a rock solid start damn near every week of the season.
Sure, this year has not been ideal for him. He’s in a bit of a timeshare with T.J. Yeldon, who I also owned last season, and he missed week one with some yet to be revealed mystery illness. He even ended up in the hospital for a day or so, so it must not be something to make light of.
Even with all of this in mind, it still boggles my mind that someone dropped him for Jeremy Kerley. All of last season, Kerley has 16 receptions on 26 targets, 152 total yards. For ALL of last year with the Lions, a team with pretty much no running game, he only managed a measly 25 points.
Kerley is off to a much better start this year with the dreadful 49er’s, already racking up 7 receptions on 11 targets for 61 yards and a respectable 6 points overall. He was preferred over one-dimensional deep threat Torrey Smith by Blaine Gabbert all Monday night against the Rams.
Here’s the thing, however.
I simply can’t imagine that Kerley, over the course of a full season, would score more than the starting RB for a offense as dynamic as Jacksonville.
I’m willing to bet that over the long run, Ivory rallies from whatever mystery injury he’s suffering from and easily doubles the total points Kerley will put up.
Mark my words, Chris Ivory will double Jeremy Kerley’s fantasy output this season. Book it, bet on it, send it to Vegas.
These are the type of boneheaded moves that owners who panic make.
Needless to say, I played my waiver claim for the Jacksonville RB.
Let’s us that as a transition, shall we? Who else should owners be looking for on the waiver wire this week? Good question, my ever astute readers. Let me give you a guy at each position that I think are worthy of a waiver wire claim.
QB: Jimmy Garoppolo
Okay, so hear me out on this one for a minute.
I know Garoppolo is merely a fill in until Brady comes back, so he’s by no means a permanent fix for QB needy owners. That being said, DeAngelo Williams is a fill in for Le’Veon Bell for three weeks, and that didn’t stop him from lighting it up as the top scoring RB and third overall scorer in Week One.
Plus, for owners like me who waited on a value QB like Tyrod Taylor, we’re in desperate need for other quality QB options.
According to ESPN, Jimmy G is owned in only about 10 percent of leagues and, if you ask me, he looked damn good against a stout Arizona D/ST.
Last week, he scored a pedestrian 13 points, but this week he faces a Miami defense that ranks 19th in the league so far. He knows he can trust Amendola and Chris Hogan and I expect him to look sharper with a week of experience under his belt.
I think Jimmy G will be a solid fantasy play this week, especially for owners desperate for a starting QB.
Honorable mentions:
Carson Wentz
Wentz looked really good in his first NFL start, completing 22 of 37 passes, tossing two TD’s and racking up a 101 passer rating.
I was at that game, the kid looked composed. Even when nobody was open, he calmly threw the ball away or scrambled out of bounds to live play another down. It was refreshing to see a rookie in his first NFL start looking like he fit right in.
The kid wasn’t perfect, but he did a damn good job.
I know it was against the putrid Browns, but he’s worth a flier in deeper or two QB leagues.
Josh McCown
Speaking of the putrid Browns, they’ll have a familiar face under center for Week 2. RGIII is, big surprise, on IR again so the Browns turn to 37 year old Josh McCown.
Now, I know the Browns offense looked really bad last week, but I think a lot of that had to do with RGIII.
Isaiah Crowell looked pretty decent running the ball and QB-turned-WR Terrelle Pryor and rookie Corey Coleman snagged a couple impressive grabs.
Not to mention, McCown and TE Gary Barnidge have undeniable chemistry. Barnidge put up his best season, ranking as the 2nd top scoring TE, with McCown feeding him passes.
I don’t expect McCown to light the world on fire but he’ll be a decent option for owners desperate for a starting-quality QB option.
RB: Chris Thompson
Washington looked like a dumpster fire this Monday night against the Steelers.
Thompkins was one of the few highlights that night. He looked way better than starter Matt Jones, averaging 5.8 yards per carry and scoring.
Not only did he look much better, but I get the feeling Jones is on a short leash. Not only is Jones injury prone but he looked like a bad RB compared to Thompson.
I have a sneaky feeling that after a couple weeks, Thompson is going to be the starter over Jones. I would grab him now while he’s only owned in 9 percent of leagues. He’s worth the stash and if he doesn’t pay off after a couple weeks, throw him back into the free agency pool.
Honorable mentions:
Jalen Richard
This kid is an awesome story. He went from training camp invitee to second string, NFL running back.
After he ripped off a 75-yard TD scamper against the Saints, helping them to a nail-biting final couple seconds, I think his stock is on the rise.
Most think Richard is firmly planted as the number two behind horse back Latavius Murray.
Murray is a back that gets TONS of volume, which gives him lots of potential to get hurt. I think the Raiders give Richard more carries to try and take some of the pressure off Murray’s shoulders.
I think Richard is worth a stash. If Oakland gives this kid a real shot, I bet he makes good on that chance.
WR: Tyrell Williams
The loss of Keenan Allen was devastating to both his owners, me being one of them, and the Chargers offense.
Unfortunately, Allen going down isn’t new for San Diego. Now, it’s next man up.
That man is Tyrell Williams.
Williams is the clear number two WR option, with Travis Benjamin bouncing up to WR1. He’ll have to share targets between Antonio Gates, Benjamin and Danny Woodhead, but Philip Rivers has plenty of passes to go around.
After Allen went down, Williams started seeing the field. In the half of football he played, Williams grabbed 2 of 5 targets for 71 yards.
With a week of practice with the first team, I expect he should be able to put up a impressive stat line against a middle of the road Jacksonville defense.
At only 22 percent owned, Williams should fit nicely into someone’s roster.
And by the way, I know I speak for many Allen owners when I say Williams may replace Allen on my roster, but never in my heart.
I’ll miss you Keenan.
Honorable mentions:
Victor Cruz
Last week, Victor Cruz marked his return to football after two years with 4 catches on 4 targets, 34 yards and a score.
Cruz managed to establish himself in a stacked receiving corps for the Giants. He looked sharp and quick, with Eli obviously looking his way plenty during the game.
Surprisingly, Cruz is only 27 percent owned. I know he was out for a long time prior to this, but I would have thought more people took the gamble with such a talented receiver.
I’m not expecting Cruz to go nuts every week with talents like ODB and Sterling Shepard in the lineup, but he’ll get his share. I think Cruz is a legitimate FLEX/WR3 option in most weeks going forward. Grab him while still you can.
TE: Jesse James
With Heath Miller hanging up his spikes and Ladarius Green injured, the 6’7 Jesse James steps in as the starter on a prolific Pittsburgh offense.
Many had him pegged as a solid option in a league
James lived up to the hype on Monday night against Washington, snagging 5 of his 7 targets for 31 yards.
Big Ben looked his way when he wasn’t bombing the ball deep to Antonio Brown or handing off to DeAngelo Williams.
He played the safety valve role well in a week where the TE position was an absolute wasteland.
At only 22 percent owned James is a good streaming option for a Pittsburgh offense that’s going to put up a lot of points this year.
Honorable mention:
Kyle Rudolph
Minnesota was brutal last week. Absolutely brutal. The only thing that went right for Minnesota last week was their defense.
But don’t worry guys, I’m not going to rant on more about how AP broke my heart last week. (#neverforgettho)
Instead, I’ll talk about a highlight on the Minnesota player on the Minnesota offense who actually performed well!
Rudolph caught 4 of his 8 targets for 65 yards last week, which ain’t too shabby considering he has Shaun “Obviously Over the” Hill throwing him the pigskin.
Now, I don’t think Minnesota will be anywhere close to how bad they were last week.
Rudolph looked sharp last week, making some clutch their down grabs. This week against the Packers, who’s defense allowed 112 yards and a score against TE’s this year, I expect him to do well.
At only 22 percent owned, he’s worth picking up, especially when so many TE studs failed to show up in week one.
So there you go, guys. Those are my waiver wire pick ups for week two.
I, for one, am hoping that my week two is steeped in glory. Very much unlike my week one effort.
Here’s hoping you guys have success this week, riding my waiver wire pickups to glorious fantasy victory.
Ahead of the game this week, starting with Buffalo and the Jets on Thursday night, may your points be plenty, the injuries be minor and the Fantasy Gods have mercy on your soul.
See you tomorrow, guys.
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