Fantasy football can be an extremely fun game to play. It can also be highly frustrating at times. Nothing is more annoying than needing to make a last-minute waiver-wire move because someone in your starting lineup is out for the week.
Sadly, there isn’t much you can do about it. However, I’m going to try and help.
Every week I will have six players you can grab off the waiver wire at the last minute and throw into your lineup. Some will succeed, while others will fail. Unfortunately, that’s how the game of fantasy football is played.
All the players in this article are rostered in under 35% of ESPN leagues.
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Andy Dalton (QB – NO) vs. Baltimore Ravens (17.5% Rostered)
Last week the veteran quarterback had 229 passing yards, two touchdowns, and 17.2 fantasy points against the Las Vegas Raiders. Dalton has played well lately, totaling 590 passing yards and six touchdowns over the past two weeks while averaging 21.9 fantasy points per game. More importantly, the Saints named him the starter this week despite Jameis Winston being healthy. Meanwhile, Dalton has an appealing matchup on Monday night against Baltimore.
The Ravens have historically always had a strong defense. However, that hasn’t been the case this year. Baltimore has surrendered 18.8 fantasy points per game to quarterbacks, giving up 17 or more fantasy points in three of their past five games. They have given up 285.6 passing yards per game this season, the second-most in the NFL. Furthermore, the Ravens have surrendered over 300 passing yards in half of their games this season, including last week. While Michael Thomas is out for the season, the Saints could get Jarvis Landry back for this game. Either way, Dalton has played well without the veteran receiver, making him a solid QB1 this week.
Kenyan Drake (RB – BAL) vs. New Orleans Saints (31.3% Rostered)
Somehow the Ravens have a 5-3 record and sit atop the AFC North division. Baltimore has dealt with numerous injuries on offense this season and recently lost wide receiver Rashod Bateman for the rest of the year. Meanwhile, J.K. Dobbins is on injured reserve, and Gus Edwards is dealing with a hamstring injury. While he could play Monday night, Edwards didn’t practice on Thursday or Friday. Barring a massive change, Drake will be the starting running back for the Ravens on Monday.
Drake has been a fantasy roller coaster the past few weeks. He had 119 rushing yards and scored 19.2 half-point fantasy points two weeks ago against the New York Giants. However, the veteran had only five yards on 11 rushing attempts the following week. Yet, he had seven rushing attempts for 62 yards and 14.7 fantasy points last week against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, with Edwards playing most of the game. Meanwhile, the Saints have surrendered over 100 rushing yards to running backs in half of their games this season. If the Ravens are without Edwards this week, Drake is a low-end RB2 with plenty of potential upside.
Dontrell Hilliard (RB – TEN) vs. Kansas City Chiefs (10.2% Rostered)
Yes, the Tennessee backfield belongs to Derrick Henry. However, the superstar running back did miss some practice earlier this week with a foot issue. While he is off the injury report and ready to go Sunday night, Hilliard could see an uptick in work. Last week the veteran running back scored 10 half-point PPR fantasy points against the Houston Texans. More importantly, he had 95 scrimmage yards on only nine touches. The Titans ran the ball 45 times last week compared to only 10 pass attempts, as it was Malik Willis‘ first career start. Expect the Titans to repeat last week’s game plan on Sunday night if Ryan Tannehill can’t play with an ankle injury.
While last week’s matchup was a fantasy goldmine for the Tennessee running backs, this week’s matchup is also very fantasy-friendly. The Chiefs have surrendered 22.6 fantasy points per game to running backs this season, the ninth-most in the NFL. Furthermore, Kansas City has given up at least 93 rushing yards to running backs in three straight games. More importantly, they have had no answer for pass-catching running backs. The Chiefs have surrendered the most receptions (58) and second-most receiving yards (430) to running backs this season. Hilliard is a solid bye-week flex option, especially in PPR leagues.
Alec Pierce (WR – IND) vs. New England Patriots (23.9% Rostered)
Last week the Colts made a change at quarterback, giving Sam Ehlinger his first career start. While the former Longhorn star scored only 7.5 fantasy points, Ehlinger played well. He completed 73.9% of his pass attempts for 201 yards. More importantly, the young quarterback targeted Pierce five times in the game. The rookie receiver’s five targets were the second-most on the team behind Michael Pittman. Furthermore, Pierce had three more targets than Parris Campbell despite playing 13 fewer snaps. Moreover, the rookie has averaged six targets per game since returning from a concussion in Week 2, seeing at least four targets in every contest.
Meanwhile, the Patriots have held wide receivers to 24.9 half-point PPR fantasy points per game this season, slightly below the league average. However, they gave up 214 receiving yards and 25.9 fantasy points to the New York Jets’ wide receivers last week. Furthermore, Garrett Wilson and Denzel Mims had at least 75 receiving yards and 8.5 fantasy points apiece against New England. Pierce has played well since Week 1, averaging 62.2 receiving yards and 9.2 fantasy points per game. With Nyheim Hines in Buffalo and Jonathan Taylor out this week, the Colts will have to throw the ball more than they would like against the Patriots.
DeAndre Carter (WR – LAC) vs. Atlanta Falcons (8.3% Rostered)
Stop me when you’ve heard this before, but the Chargers have been killed by injuries this year. The Chargers have played less than two complete games this season with Keenan Allen and Mike Williams on the field. Unfortunately, both star receivers won’t play this week against the Falcons. While Joshua Palmer is the next man up, the second-year wide receiver can’t carry the passing game by himself. Meanwhile, Carter has played well in critical situations this season. He caught a 35-yard pass late in the game on fourth down in the Week 2 matchup against the Chiefs.
More importantly, the matchup this week is fantasy-friendly for Carter. The Falcons have been awful at defending the pass this season. They have surrendered 38.6 half-point PPR fantasy points to wide receivers, the second-most in the NFL. Furthermore, Atlanta has given up 643 receiving yards, four touchdowns, and 53.3 fantasy points to wide receivers over the past two weeks. With Allen and Williams unable to play, Carter should see enough targets to end the week in the low-end flex range.
Logan Thomas (TE – WAS) vs. Minnesota Vikings (8.1% Rostered)
Finding a last-minute tight end on the waiver wire with six teams on a bye is challenging, but Thomas is a solid option for Week 9. The veteran tight end returned last week after missing the past three games with a calf injury. While he didn’t see a target in the game, Thomas split time with John Bates and Armani Rogers. However, the veteran played 68.5% of the snaps before getting hurt, while no other tight end played more than 38.4%. More importantly, his matchup this week is appealing for fantasy players.
The Vikings have struggled to slow down tight ends this season. They have surrendered 12.6 half-point PPR fantasy points per game to the position, the seventh-most in the NFL. Furthermore, Minnesota has had no answers for tight ends over their past four games. They have surrendered 14.6 fantasy points per game to the position during that span, giving up at least 11.4 fantasy points in three contests. Meanwhile, Washington will be without Jahan Dotson because of a hamstring injury. While he lacks the upside to end the week as top-five tight end, Thomas is a solid last-minute replacement option or bye-week filler.
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Mike Fanelli is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Mike, check out his archive and follow him @Mike_NFL2.
