Good evening, folks! We’ve made it through the bulk of Week 9 action, and it’s that most wonderful time of the evening once again. Sunday night gives fantasy owners time to reflect on the week’s triumphs or losses and take stock of their roster heading into the new week. It’s a time for reflection and a time to assess potential waiver wire options. Each week, I’ll be highlighting a handful of low-rostered options you should consider when making waiver wire claims. Each player’s upcoming three-game schedule will be noted, including strength of matchup. This is particularly helpful if you need a streaming option or a temporary replacement to get you through the tough times.
This week’s group of suggested adds is heavy on running backs with one receiver and one quarterback in the mix to round them all out. For the second week in a row, the players mentioned aren’t the sexiest or most exciting prospects, but all of them should carry some value in the coming week(s).
Best of luck in all of your leagues moving forward! If you’ve got any questions about the week’s waiver wire options or anything fantasy football, hit me up on Twitter @ZaktheMonster.
Note: Most players are less than 30% rostered in Yahoo leagues.
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Running Back
J.D. McKissic (WAS): 24% rostered
| WEEK 10 | WEEK 11 | WEEK 12 |
| NYG | @DET | CIN |
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Kyle Allen unfortunately sustained a nasty leg injury (do yourself a favor and don’t seek out the replay), and Captain Checkdown himself, Alex Smith, finished the game. That proved to be great news for McKissic who finished 9/65 on a ridiculous 14 (!) targets. He tacked on 17 rushing yards, but the real story was his unholy work as a receiver. With Smith likely under center for the rest of the season, expect JDM to see plenty of targets moving forward.
Duke Johnson (HOU): 15% rostered
| WEEK 10 | WEEK 11 | WEEK 12 |
| @CLE | NE | @DET |
__________
David Johnson sustained a concussion against Jacksonville, and Sir Duke (as he’ll now be called) piled up a highly inefficient 16/41/1 rushing line to go with 4/32 through the air. He mustered a sub-3.0 yards per carry average, but 20 touches is 20 touches, man. If David is out or limited in Week 10, Sir Duke will be a respectable option against Cleveland. Add with gusto!
Jordan Wilkins (IND): 26% rostered
| WEEK 10 | WEEK 11 | WEEK 12 |
| @TEN | GB | TEN |
__________
Another player featured for the second week in a row, Wilkins should be on your radar ahead of Week 10. He lead the Colts backfield in Week 9, logging 11 carries to Jonathan Taylor‘s six. Though Taylor scored on a goal-line tote, Wilkins was the top option for Indy and needs to be added to your roster. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice…
Kalen Ballage (LAC): 1% rostered
| WEEK 10 | WEEK 11 | WEEK 12 |
| @MIA | NYJ | @BUF |
__________
Kalen Ballage… a recommended waiver wire add? Desperate times call for desperate measures, I guess. Ballage rushed 15 times for 69 yards and a score and brought in two of his three targets for an additional 15 yards through the air to lead Miami with both Justin Jackson (knee) and Troymaine Pope (concussion) on the shelf. The severity of Justin Jackson’s knee injury is yet unknown, but if he’s forced to miss time, Ballage could play a meaningful role moving forward. He’ll get a crack at his former team in Week 10 for a possible “revenge game.”
Wide Receiver
Curtis Samuel (CAR): 29% rostered
| WEEK 10 | WEEK 11 | WEEK 12 |
| TB | DET | @MIN |
__________
“Once is happenstance. Twice is coincidence. The third time it’s enemy action.” Ian Fleming’s immortal words in Goldfinger certainly weren’t describing a fantasy football performance, but the point of the message is apt here. Samuel started the season as a mostly irrelevant fantasy force, though he’s now scored in three straight contests, racking up four total touchdowns in the process. Samuel continues to make plays, and if you didn’t snag him off the waiver wire last week (I warned you in last Sunday’s article!), he should be a priority add here.
Quarterback
Drew Lock (DEN): 20% rostered
| WEEK 10 | WEEK 11 | WEEK 12 |
| @LV | MIA | NO |
__________
True it was against the hapless Falcons defense, but Lock played like a man possessed Sunday, racking up 313 pass yards, two passing touchdowns and a 7/47/1 rushing line. This is the second week in a row Lock has finished with three touchdowns, and he’s got a matchup in Las Vegas next week that isn’t anything to fear. If you’re looking to lock down a signal-caller for Week 10, Drew is for you.
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Zachary Hanshew is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Zachary, check out his archive and follow him @zakthemonster.