Welcome back to the Waiver Wire Stashes column. This column aims to highlight players you should pick up now before they explode or have great matchups. By grabbing them now you can get ahead of the waiver wire carnage each week and pick them up for free.

Most players in this column will be rostered in 50% or fewer of Yahoo leagues. If you have additional add/drop questions, either jump in the Discord or find me on Twitter.

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Waiver Wire Stashes

Baker Mayfield (QB – TB): 33% Rostered

It’s been an up-and-down road for Baker Mayfield through his NFL career but he seems to have stability in Tampa Bay. Aside from losing Dave Canales as his offensive coordinator, the situation surrounding him could even improve this year. Last year the Bucs lost Pro Bowl center Ryan Jensen to a career-ending knee injury days before the season started. Throughout the 2023 season, interior pressure was a problem for the Bucs. Mayfield can play well, but he doesn’t deal with pressure well. Reports around Tampa suggest the addition of first-rounder Graham Barton has solidified the line to at least an average level. This should help the Bucs get off to a strong start against a Commanders passing defense that ranked 32nd in DVOA vs. the pass and allowed the second-most fantasy points to QBs and WRs in 2023, giving up 5.9 yards per play and an average of 262.2 passing yards per game. The Commanders made no significant additions to their secondary. With shootouts against the Lions and Eagles potentially on tap, grabbing Mayfield early makes sense.

J.K. Dobbins (RB – BAL): 47% Rostered

I get it… I do. I’ve been burned by J.K. Dobbins more times than I care to talk about, let alone have to admit in a column on the internet. With that said, though, I’m putting on my fireproof suit, strapping on the oxygen mask and am ready to walk through the fire again to once more have Dobbins on my roster. The key difference here is that Dobbins has cost you exactly nothing. None of those expensive draft picks that we’ve paid up for him in the past. If you grab him now then it won’t cost you anything on waivers either. Dobbins was listed alongside Gus Edwards as the No. 1 RB on the Chargers’ depth charts. With a miserable set of pass-catchers in L.A., he seems primed to earn the check-down role Justin Herbert leaned on Austin Ekeler. Dobbins won’t be as good in that role as Ekeler was, but if you’re playing in PPR leagues we don’t need him to be. Perhaps Dobbins flames you and me once more but for nothing, but it’s a risk worth taking on an ambiguous backfield, behind a very good offensive line in a very good run scheme, particularly with the Panthers on tap for Week 2.

You’re getting this JK bolt fam… I promise #BoltUp ⚡️ pic.twitter.com/wkI9nbM3mB

— Jk dobbins (@Jkdobbins22) April 18, 2024

Ray Davis (RB – BUF): 19% Rostered

The Bills don’t seem to trust James Cook around the goal line, subbing him out for Latavius Murray at times in 2023. Drafting Ray Davis could be a further part of that plan with the former Kentucky running back picking up the yardage that’s blocked and getting the hard yards Cook would occasionally leave on the table. At 5-foot-8 and 211 pounds, he has enough size to be useful around the goal line, but he’s also a fine receiver with 61 catches in the last two years. With question marks at wide receiver, running backs could be a big part of the Bills’ offense in 2024. If Davis looks to have the goal-line work this week then he could be a great waiver wire stash. If not, then we can potentially release him soon after if needs be. With games against Miami and Jacksonville coming up, there’s potential for this to pay off sooner rather than later.

Mike Williams (WR – NYJ): 43% Rostered

There are reasons to be skeptical of Aaron Rodgers and the Jets in 2024, after all, we don’t have much evidence to suggest that 40-year-old quarterbacks coming off a torn Achilles can be particularly good for fantasy football. There’s also the small matter that Aaron Rodgers wasn’t particularly good in 2022 either. But, betting markets consider the Jets a strong bet to make the playoffs and if they do that in a loaded AFC then they’re going to have to put up points along the way. After first-round talents Breece Hall and Garrett Wilson were drafted inside the top 12 picks, no other Jets player was taken inside the top 110 picks of drafts this year. Mike Williams would undoubtedly have been in that range were it not for a torn ACL that saw him miss much of last year. Williams can be a frustrating player at times, but as the clear No. 2 pass-catcher on this Jets offense, he’s worth a stash and taking a peak at his fitness and role in Monday’s game against the 49ers.

Mike Williams was a full participant in #Jets practice today.

— Zack Rosenblatt (@ZackBlatt) September 5, 2024

Josh Downs (WR -IND): 26% Rostered

A high-ankle sprain put the brakes on an impressive training camp for Josh Downs, who beat reporters were raving about at every opportunity beforehand. On Friday, the Colts ruled Downs out for Week 1 against the Texans, but there is optimism Downs should return soon as his high-ankle sprain was on the milder end of the range they can present. Downs had to earn his role in his rookie year, playing 64% of snaps, which was far fewer than Alec Pierce‘s 93% over the opening 12 weeks. When Downs was on the field he made a difference, earning 6.6 targets to Pierce’s 3.5 and boasting a higher yards per target than both Pierce and Michael Pittman Jr. (7.8), and an almost identical 1.8 yards per route run to Pittman’s 1.9. Unfortunately for Downs, he got hurt in Week 12 and seemed to struggle through injuries the rest of the season. Perhaps Downs is the kind of player who will be followed by injuries, but while he’s free, his upside is worth stashing.

Demarcus Robinson (WR – LAR): 6% Rostered

Readers of this column most likely remember me talking up Demarcus Robinson last year as he solidified the No. 3 wide receiver position on the Rams. Before Week 11, Robinson played only 5% of the snaps for the Rams as they allowed Tutu Atwell to make the role his. Robinson eventually earned his shot from Week 12 onwards, averaging 80.7% of snaps. This in part is down to the Rams playing three-wide receiver sets at one of the highest rates in the league. Robinson had 13+ PPR points in all six of these games. Jordan Whittington picked up some hype in training camp, but according to reports, the No. 3 wide receiver slot belongs firmly to Robinson for now. In Week 2, the Rams play the Cardinals in a game that could be very fun for fantasy.

Hunter Henry (TE – NE): 25% Rostered

The Patriots’ wide receiver room is a mess. Ja’Lynn Polk, the promising top-40 rookie from Washington, has struggled to make a starting role his own thus far. DeMario Douglas has struggled with injuries. Kendrick Bourne is recovering from a torn ACL. K.J. Osborn is looking like the most experienced option they can trust. Meanwhile, at tight end, Hunter Henry re-signed with the Patriots this offseason and can be exactly the type of outlet both Jacoby Brissett and Drake Maye need. With the offensive line in a miserable state, quick passes near the line of scrimmage will be called for. Henry can catch those passes as well as being the best option in the red zone.

Hunter Henry is so good in the red zone. pic.twitter.com/8DntjlMYJd

— Mike Kadlick (@mikekadlick) August 5, 2024

Jonnu Smith (TE – MIA): 8% Rostered

Yes, Miami didn’t use Mike Gesicki well under Mike McDaniel, yes they also failed to involve tight ends in 2023 as well, but no, that doesn’t mean it can’t work out for Jonnu Smith in 2024. Smith left the Falcons after setting career-highs in yardage, receptions and targets. For all of Arthur Smith’s many, many, many, many, many, many faults… he did use Jonnu Smith effectively. McDaniel is a creative play-caller who loves versatile and speedy players, both boxes Smith can tick. McDaniel himself has said this offseason, just because they haven’t used the tight end position well in the past it doesn’t mean they won’t going forward.

Houston Texans D/ST: 55% Rostered

This defense is a touch above the 50% line, but I can’t help but think that a defense with Derek Stingley Jr. and Will Anderson Jr. is being slept on somewhat, not to mention they added Danielle Hunter from the Vikings this offseason. I want the Texans’ defense in every league I can get them.

Seattle Seahawks D/ST: 37% Rostered

According to our strength of schedule projections, the Seahawks have the 10th-best schedule for fantasy purposes with games coming up against the Broncos, Patriots, Dolphins and Lions. Mike Macdonald was one of the most in-demand head coaching hires this offseason thanks to his incredible work with the Baltimore Ravens. He can bring back defensive solidity to the Seahawks after a difficult few years.