Waivers of the future will focus on making decisions that improve our odds of our dynasty championship. The back of your dynasty roster should be flexible, with preferences made for players you can use in your lineup during the season.
Quarterback
Among the quarterbacks, there are two types of waiver options: those moving up this week and veteran backups.
Jameis Winston came into week 10 in relief of an injured Derek Carr and put the whole Jameis Winston experience on display. He threw two touchdowns early then followed them up with two interceptions late in the game. The Saints have a week 11 bye, so Carr has time to recover from his injuries before Winston makes a start in week 12. Winston should be rostered in Superflex leagues as a backup but does not warrant immediate addition in 1QB leagues unless a dynasty GM is very desperate at quarterback.
Baker Mayfield banged his thumb on a helmet in week 10, and the severity and time of his absence are not yet known. Mayfield has been playing better than expected this year and has a strong supporting cast in the form of Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Rachaad White, and Cade Otton. Trask warrants a small waiver bid in premium leagues but can remain on the waiver wire in start 1QB formats.
Veteran Backups
As a general rule, you should have a limited number of backup quarterbacks on your monitor list. With roster spots tight, optimized dynasty rosters under 25 spots in Superflex or quarterback premium. If you are in 25 to 35-man rosters and have a roster spot, these quarterbacks are the premium backups:
- Mike White, MIA
- Tyler Huntley, BAL
- Cooper Rush, DAL
- Jacoby Brissett, WAS
- Teddy Bridgewater, DET
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Running Back
One of the keys to dynasty fantasy football is continuously optimizing your backup running back situation. The last five to ten roster spots on your roster should be very fluid, with little allegiance if the player does not offer the capacity to help your lineup. A constant churn on the back end of your roster is critical.
Moving Up this Week
The following running backs have improved this week and are available in over 50% of MFL leagues.
Alexander Mattison suffered a concussion in week 10, leaving Ty Chandler as the primary running back. Chandler had 15 carries for 45 rushing yards and a touchdown but was held without a target. Minnesota has a great matchup in week 11, facing the Denver Broncos who have given up the most points to opposing running backs this year. Chandler can capitalize in a key spot start with the likes of Bijan Robinson, Jonathan Taylor, Rhamondre Stevenson, and Alvin Kamara all on a bye. Chandler warrants a 10%+ bid where he is available.
Travis Etienne was down to only 63% snap share in week 10 after being one of the more dominant running backs in the league in market share to start the season. In week ten, D'Ernest Johnson took 20% of the snap share and jumped ahead of Tank Bigsby in the pecking order of the depth chart. The game was a blowout, which may have been a factor, but the situation is moving. Johnson played ahead of Bigsby, and Jacksonville also cut JaMycal Hasty during the week. Johnson warrants an add in deeper leagues (25+ roster spots), but will
Cordarrell Patterson saw an expanding usage in week 10. Patterson played more snaps (19) than backup running back Tyler Allgeier (17) in week 10. Patterson did see the second most running back snaps of his season (6), but his spike came in a season-high in snaps in the slot (4) and out wide (12). Patterson is the type of player who can be a difference-maker in a short sample size in the event of an injury or two ahead of him on the depth chart. Patterson is on a bye this week, so warrants monitoring in shallow formats, and a cheap stash in 30+ man formats.
Other Backups
Other backups or free agents with high availability include:
- Trayveon Williams (83% available)
- Chase Edmonds (77% available)
Wide Receiver
The odds wide receivers from the waiver wire will become big difference-makers on your dynasty roster are very small. For every Tyreek Hill, there are 100 Travis Fulghams. Your strategies on the wide receiver position should be to find immediate lineup help or a flip candidate.
The New England wide receiver corps has been one of the worst in the league this season, but week 10 saw rookie Kayshon Boutte active for the first time since week 1. He ran routes on 17 of 34 dropbacks behind only JuJu Smith-Schuster and Demario Douglas. Boutte was only targeted once and held to 11 yards on his lone receptions. He warrants a small waiver add this week.
Tight End
Tight ends to monitor on your waiver wires include:
Fifth-round rookie Josh Whyle ran a season-high 16 routes in week 10 and was targeted 5 times, a solid 31% target rate on his routes. Whyle ran routes on 37% of the team's dropbacks, which took a big chunk of Chigoziem Okonkwo's route participation. Whyle warrants a monitor in smaller formats and a small waiver add in 28+ man rosters with premium tight end scoring.