Here are some notable names from Sunday’s early slate! As always, measure your waiver wire zeal with considerations of how large your league is and your roster construction.
Running Backs
Alexander Mattison (RB – MIN): 48% rostered
Why is Mattison available in more than 50% of leagues? Rostering Dalvin Cook and not Mattison is as close to fantasy football masochism as you can get. Even if you don’t roster Cook, if you’re in a 10-team league or larger, you should find a way to get Mattison on your roster if he’s available.
Kenneth Gainwell (RB – PHI): 19% rostered
I like buying into shares of good offenses. If Miles Sanders is active, it would take a really rough roster for me to advise starting Gainwell. He’s the clear backup. However, if Sanders were to miss time, Gainwell has a chance to earn a solid workload.
Tyler Allgeier (RB- ATL): 17% rostered
While I wouldn’t recommend starting the rookie RB quite yet, Allgeier is in an intriguing spot. Damien Williams is on injured reserve, leaving Cordarrelle Patterson as the Falcons’ clear-cut RB1. However, CP is 31 years old, and while he is still electric, it would behoove the Falcons’ staff to limit his touches so they can preserve that electricity. That, in turn, would likely mean regular touches for Allgeier. I don’t think Allgeier’s ceiling is very high with Patterson healthy, but 10 carries for 84 yards today is definitely worth noting.
Wide Receivers
Josh Reynolds (WR – DET): 8% rostered
I always try to remind myself to chase future situations and positive projections in fantasy rather than past production. I really hope I’m not advising the antithesis of that strategy here, but Reynolds going 13/177/1 over the last two weeks has my attention. Let me say this: if two of Amon-Ra St. Brown, DJ Chark, and Jameson Williams are playing, I am going nowhere near Reynolds in a standard-sized league. However, if only one of that trio is active on any given week, Reynolds’ floor makes him a viable flex candidate.
Alec Pierce (WR – IND): 8% rostered
Pierce is definitely a speculative add, but any time you see a 6’3 rookie WR getting steadily targeted early in the season, it’s worth watching. Pull the trigger on Pierce if you’re in a deep league and reap the benefits if/when his breakout game comes.
Corey Davis (WR – NYJ): 7% rostered
Weeks one through five last season were the only weeks when both Davis and Zach Wilson played full games together. Davis caught 20 passes for 302 yards and three touchdowns in that span. Today they picked up right where they left off. While Garrett Wilson and Elijah Moore will limit his ceiling, Davis is startable in a pinch, given his obvious rapport with Wilson.
Quarterbacks
Geno Smith (QB – SEA): 15% rostered
Seahawks vs. Lions, the shootout-for-the-ages we all expected! I don’t know what Geno Smith ate before the game today, but I hope he has some in the freezer for the rest of the season because he was a machine out there. He’s still Geno Smith, so one very good performance does not make him a weekly fantasy starter, but if you’re looking to patch a hole at QB he’s definitely a candidate.
Matt Ryan (QB – IND): 16% rostered
Ryan’s about as sturdy a fantasy backup as you can find. He has no rushing baseline but, through four games, is averaging 39 passing attempts. I’d try to avoid starting him in Denver next weekend but don’t hate his Jaguars, Titans, Commanders, and Patriots matchups in weeks 6-9, respectively.
Kickers
Chris Boswell (K – PIT): 15% rostered
Boswell drilled a few field goals today, including a clutch boot from 59 yards out as the first half clock hit triple zeros. That confidence boost, plus an apparently inept offense that stalls out in field goal range, might give Boswell some more opportunities for field goals.
Jason Myers (K – SEA): 1% rostered
Myers is the Seahawks’ trusted leg, and they head down to New Orleans for what should be a close matchup between NFC bottom dwellers. I’d be surprised if this game weren’t close, and the Seahawks should be taking points where they can get them. Myers was a perfect three for three against Atlanta two weeks ago and booted a 56-yarder today.
Defense/Special Teams
Minnesota Vikings: 21% rostered
The Vikings host the Bears next weekend, who only managed to drop 12 points on the New York Giants. While the Vikings couldn’t manage to pick off Andy Dalton this morning, they did recover two fumbles and tally a couple of sacks.
Tennessee Titans: 6% rostered
The Titans have quietly rebounded from a worrisome 0-2 start, snagging wins over both the Raiders and Colts. They’ll head to Washington to face the Commanders, who have scored a total of 18 points in their last two games.
