Player value in dynasty football reminds me of watching ocean waves. They ebb and flow, always in a state of flux. Competitive dynasty players anticipate these movements before they happen and act by picking up, buying, or selling players as the situation demands. Dynasty general managers have previously been at the mercy of regular waiver segments to assist in dynasty pickups, but these fail to account for the long-term view necessary to dynasty success. This weekly column will focus on identifying assets that will help dynasty teams build for the future, as well as players that may plug a hole at a position of need on an otherwise strong squad.
Welcome to week eleven of Waivers of the Future! Whether you are a contender or a rebuilder, this article will seek to help you put yourself in the best position to have success in your dynasty league by assisting you in making preemptive pickups.
The trade deadline is rapidly approaching or past in most dynasty leagues. Weeks 10-13 are the most common dates for trade deadlines across dynasty leagues that do not allow year-round trading. That means that once the deadline passes, your only way of acquiring players for the remainder of the year is via the waiver wire. This tends to inflate the amount of capital you need to spend to secure a player. That said, do not be afraid to be aggressive with your spending at this point. The wire is razor thin by this time in the year and any player you can secure for your team with waiver dollars is going to be of help. You should never end the year with a waiver budget left over unless it is going to roll over to your next league year.
Budget percentages are to give the reader guidance regarding how the writer would prioritize these players. However, you know your league best. If you think you can get away with bidding less than recommended or nothing at all, go for it!
IN THE SKY
Players on this list have previously appeared in this article as pickups, but have had value spikes at points in the season that make them unlikely to be out there in your league. If they are still available and you need help contending, consider spending 30-50%+ of your budget on them.
IN THE CLOUDS
Players on this list are probably also rostered but are worth less than 30% of your budget.
- Jacoby Brissett
- Gardner Minshew
- Teddy Bridgewater
- Malcolm Brown
- Adrian Peterson
- Frank Gore
- Giovani Bernard
- Matt Breida
- Raheem Mostert
- Damien Williams
- Darrel Williams
- Wayne Gallman
- Chase Edmonds
- Sterling Shepard
- Demarcus Robinson
- Ted Ginn Jr Jr
- Phillip Dorsett
- Auden Tate
- Zach Pascal
- Darren Waller
- Jason Witten
- Jordan Akins
RIDE THE WAVE
(These are plug-and-play options who might patch a hole on your team in the short-term.)
QUARTERBACK
15-20%| Mason Rudolph, PIT- Rudolph has been unspectacular but solid in relief of Ben Roethlisberger. He will be the quarterback for the Steelers for the remainder of the year barring injury. Rudolph has a good matchup against the Browns this week.
15-20%| Ryan Tannehill, TEN- Tannehill has played moderately better than Marcus Mariota and the Titans have gotten three wins with him at the helm. The scheme by Offensive Coordinator Arthur Smith still does not seem to fit the strengths of the player personnel, which has been problematic for this offense when they play against quality defenses. The Titans are on a bye this week, but will return for a divisional matchup against the Jaguars in week 12.
5-10%| Ryan Fitzpatrick, MIA- You can play Fitzpatrick, but just be aware that he is at a high risk of turning over the football and getting benched. It has happened a couple of times already this year. The Dolphins play the Bills this week, so it is not an ideal time to turn to Fitzpatrick in your fantasy league.
5-10%| Brandon Allen, DEN- With Flacco placed on IR, the team had no choice but to roll out an inexperienced Brandon Allen. Surprisingly, the Broncos got the win behind Allen in week nine. They will face the Vikings, so Allen is not a choice play this week.
1-5%| Ryan Finley, CIN- The Bengals need to see what they have in Finley in a lost year. Finley had the usual ups and downs of an unseasoned starter in Cincinatti’s loss to the Ravens. The Bengals have a better matchup against the Raiders this week.
1-5%| Jeff Driskel, DET- Driskel has bounced around the league, but has ended up in a spot that is fairly fantasy friendly and will encourage him to be an aggressive downfield passer. Matthew Stafford’s season is very much in doubt and Driskel could earn work for the remainder of the season if Stafford’s back gets him shut down for the year. The Lions draw the Cowboys in their upcoming game.
1-5%| Brian Hoyer, IND- It appears that Hoyer may start after Brissett suffered a significant left MCL sprain that could hold him out a few weeks. While Hoyer is not a great quarterback, he can be an effective game manager and execute the plays that are drawn up. The Colts play the Jaguars in week twelve and it could be tough sledding for an offense that lost to the lowly Dolphins in week ten.
1%| Taysom Hill, NO- Hill has his own package of snaps in every contest and has a high upside to score on any given week because of the potency of this offense. He is a last-resort option at the position, but for some in very deep or superflex leagues, putting him in is better than taking a zero. The Saints play a Buccaneers defense that is giving up passing yards by the bunches, so Hill is a better-than-usual desperation play if you need help.
RUNNING BACK
25-50%| Brian Hill, ATL- Ito Smith was placed on IR and Devonta Freeman left Sunday’s contest with some sort of foot sprain. That will mean an extended audition for Brian Hill, albeit on a team that is sputtering. The Falcons will play the Panthers, who can be run upon, so Hill is worthy of consideration if you need him.
15-20%|, J.D. McKissic, DET- McKissic is the last man standing in Detroit with a significant injury to Ty Johnson. Though McKissic gets the most targets in the passing game, it would not be a surprise to see Detroit add another runner from the free agent pool. For this reason, McKissic does not command much more waiver money than last week. At this point, fantasy general managers may just need a player getting some opportunity to fill a starting spot. The Lions have the Cowboys next, who just gave up a big game to Dalvin Cook.
WIDE RECEIVER
10-15%| Allen Lazard, GB- Lazard has been filling in to supplement a banged-up receiver group and may have value even with Devante Adams back, as evidenced by six targets in their most recent contest. The Packers will be on bye this week.
10-15%| Chris Conley, JAX- We will need to see how Conley does with Foles in the game. He was a favorite target of Gardener Minshew, but that may not carry over, even with banged up receivers on the roster. We may want to monitor how this goes against the Colts before trusting Conley in lineups.
1-10%| Keelan Cole, JAX- Dede Westbrook is battling a shoulder injury and Cole got the start in his stead before the bye. He performed well, despite the team getting blown out in London. With Nick Foles back in, we will need to see how this receiver corps shakes out before trusting anyone from it to start for us.
1%| Alex Erickson, CIN- The fourth-year veteran continues to be the beneficiary of Tyler Boyd and Auden Tate drawing the more difficult coverage. It is not a given that will continue or that the Bengals, who are struggling as an offense, will have success through the air from week to week. However, for teams that are hard up at the position, Erickson is worth a speculative add until A.J. Green returns. The Bengals are playing the Raiders this week, which is not a particularly scary test.
TIGHT END
5-10%| Rhett Ellison, NYG- If Evan Engram is not ready to roll after the week eleven bye, Ellison has proven to be a more-than-serviceable stand-in. He has netted about 10 points in each of his fill-in games for Engram, which is fantastic.
5-10%| Ross Dwelly, SF- George Kittle is banged up. When that happened earlier this year, Ross Dwelly came in and performed admirably in Kittle’s role. As this offense is one that often utilizes its tight end, Dwelly might be able to fill a hole for you until Kittle is back. The 49ers play the Cardinals, who tend to struggle to defend the tight end.
1-5%| Anthony Firkser, TEN- Could the Titans have made a significant discovery last year with the undrafted Firkser? It’s a possibility. He has size, reliable hands, and the ability to box out defenders in the middle of the field. Jonnu Smith and Firkser could become quite the duo when Delanie Walker moves on in a few years or if Walker once again fails to complete the year due to injury. Walker suffered an ankle injury in week six and Firkser has become a contributor in the games since. We will see where Walker is at after Tennessee’s bye in week eleven, but Firkser is a very interesting add for both now and the future.
1%| Luke Stocker, ATL- Austin Hooper has a significant knee injury that will hold him out for a while. That means we should see more of blocking tight end Luke Stocker catching passes. Stocker is not a special pass catcher, but he is serviceable at the position and is the most likely to be targeted of the existing tight end group.
(Might be available in 30 or fewer roster spot leagues.)
QUARTERBACK
1-5%| Chad Kelly, IND- Kelly moves up from the watch list because he was elevated to the active roster after Jacoby Brissett’s injury. Kelly has talent, but the downside is that Kelly has had a variety of character issues both in college and the NFL that suggest he might not be mature enough to handle the opportunity. The talent is such that we should keep him on our radar and perhaps on our roster now that he is only one injury away from relevance.
RUNNING BACK
1-5%| Mike Davis, CAR- With the waiver wire so thin at this position, fantasy general managers may have to begin thinking about players in productive situations that are also not rostered because they are not thought of as future starters. Enter Mike Davis, who was cut by the Bears and signed by the Panthers. An accomplished runner, If McCaffrey were to go down, Davis would become a lot more interesting.
1-5%| Gus Edwards, BAL- Edwards also falls into the category of valuable backup who is unlikely to be rostered in dynasty leagues and is not getting many touches now, but he would benefit greatly if the lead back were to go down. Mark Ingram II II has been banged up before, so Edwards having fantasy relevance this year is not impossible.
WIDE RECEIVER
1-5%| Justin Watson, TB- Watson is not making an impact on the stat sheet yet, but there are reasons to think he may. Bruce Arians seems to want to stick with Jameis Winston and we know that Winston prefers short-to-intermediate throws. That could mean Watson gets more work than we anticipate as the season wears on.
TIGHT END
15-25%| Foster Moreau, OAK- Moreau came up from the watch list earlier this year because of continued involvement in the game plan, despite the presence of Darren Waller. He is a good pass catcher and a great blocker. Jon Gruden has shown the propensity to target his tight end heavily and there is no one on the roster that is a long-term lock to hold the job. Moreau has scored multiple touchdowns and has been involved in most games so far this year, which is encouraging for his future prospects.
10-15%| Jeremy Sprinkle, WAS- Sprinkle was elevated from the watch list based on the fact that Jordan Reed is now on injured reserve and his career is in jeopardy after sustaining another concussion. Vernon Davis is also dealing with a lingering concussion and is rapidly aging. Sprinkle has proven to be an able blocker and receiver. He is someone we want to monitor for now and pick up if we see him start to get more opportunities now that the season is lost for Washington.
10-15%| Ian Thomas, CAR- Thomas has been tossed back out on some waiver wires. However, when the box score is examined it is clear that he actually acquitted himself well when Greg Olsen was out last year. Thomas will need seasoning, but with Greg Olsen near the end of his career, Thomas is worth holding.
THE DEEP
QUARTERBACK
Watch List| Jarrett Stidham, NE- It is notable that New England cut backup Brian Hoyer and will roll with the rookie. Stidham performed well in preseason and shows promise to be the next in a long line of developmental quarterbacks for the Patriots. He is worth rostering in deep leagues because his perceived value will only grow with time.
RUNNING BACK
None this week, as the position is depleted. See other running back sections for pickup recommendations.
WIDE RECEIVER
Watch List| Byron Pringle, KC- Pringle moves back to the watch list with Sammy Watkins returning to the lineup. Pringle is a very good route runner and the coaching staff was complimentary of his improvement and professionalism towards improving his game this offseason. The quality of the offense also makes him worthy of consideration.
Watch List| Richie James, SF- James is getting more work in the passing game and has the skills to eventually play from any receiver position in this offense. Kyle Shanahan values this kind of multiplicity in his offense. James’ trademark skills are being very shifty and great on contested catches, despite his smaller size.
Watch List| Juwann Winfree, DEN- After a recent injury to Tim Patrick, Winfree had a chance to play a part. He was a camp standout who may have more upside for the team long-term than DeSean Hamilton. Winfree also should be counted on more with Emmanuel Sanders traded away to the 49ers. He is one to keep an eye on for the future.
Watch List| Emmanuel Butler, NO- Like Winfree, Butler made a name for himself in camp practices and has a disappointing role player in Tre’Quan Smith ahead of him on the depth chart. Butler currently resides on the practice squad. If he can stick with this team for another year or two, he has a great chance to step into that role.
Watch List| Javon Wims, CHI- Wims was constantly making plays throughout the preseason last year, so much so that the Bears dared not put him on the practice squad. He was doing the same in camp again this year and there have been some games in which Wims has been on the active roster and has even been targeted. He caught a touchdown in week six.
Watch List| Deon Cain, IND- Cain gets downgraded to the watch list after his recent demotion to the practice squad. He has had increased opportunities with T.Y. Hilton's injuries, but has been able to do little with them in most weeks. He may need more seasoning, as he spent last year on injured reserve. He's still a very talented prospect, one we should monitor, especially if the Colts once again promote him to the active roster after some time simmering on the practice squad.
TIGHT END
Watch List| Alizé Mack, PIT- Mack elected to sign with the Steelers’ practice squad earlier in the year. The Steelers have Vance McDonald, but like Jared Cook, he is often hurt and the Steelers have been looking for help at this position for some time. Mack is a good prospect who impressed over the summer as a receiving tight end in the Saints’ camp.
LOST AT SEA
Matt Moore, KC- With Patrick Mahomes II back, there is no reason to hold on to Moore.
Trey Edmonds, PIT- With Conner probably back soon, Edmonds becomes expendable.
Charles Clay, ARI- He is back to not getting targeted enough to matter. Drop him.
Reggie Bonnafon, CAR- Mike Davis is the prefered option, so it’s ok to let go of Bonnafon.