Welcome back to the “In case you missed them” Thursday Waiver Article! There were a couple important pick-ups from Monday’s article that you should have already put your claim in on, such as Hunter Henry being one of the tops if he was still available, followed up by Golden Tate , Sam Darnold , and the 49ers D/ST. However, if you were out-bid, out-prioritized, or whatever the case, let’s discuss a few further options you could still manage to scoop up this week!
QB
Ryan Tannehill (3% (+3) YAHOO – 1% (+0.8) ESPN)- Tannehill was named the week seven starting QB for the Tennessee Titans on Wednesday by HC Mike Vrabel, placing former starting QB Marcus Mariota firmly on the bench. As you can see, Tannehill is pretty much un-owned up until this point, obviously for good reason, but that also allows the scoop. For folks with two-QB leagues, or even SuperFlex leagues, Tannehill could be a decent pick-up for this week, as they Titans play host to the Los Angeles Chargers. The Chargers just haven’t been getting it done lately, and now rank 27th in PASS DEF for the first 6 weeks of the season, and 27th in terms of total TEAM DEF. Not to mention the fact that they have allowed 4 of their 6 opponents 20 or more points. This could play well into Tannehill this week.
Joe Flacco (8% (+0) YAHOO – 2.7% (-3.2) ESPN)- Flacco ends up on the Thursday waiver article for the second consecutive week. Flacco once again has a good match up, except this week he faces a KC DEF on Thursday night that is missing a plethora of players on the DEF side of the ball including DT Chris Jones and CB Kendall Fuller , along with CB Bashaud Breeland having the questionable tag heading into the game. Obviously, we know the Chiefs haven’t been that great on that side of the ball anyways, so this could be a major plus for Flacco this week.
RB
Miles Sanders (78% (+2) YAHOO – 81.7% (-1.3) ESPN)- Not sure, or why for this matter, but I have Miles Sanders available in two of my FF leagues at the current moment, and you better believe I put in a claim. Sanders should still be on a roster. The RBBC that the Eagles endorse is most definitely a frustrating one, however Sanders has been getting more passing-game work, and that could parlay into some spike weeks. If Sanders is available, and you have a spot, don’t hesitate on putting in a claim to scoop.
Darrell Henderson Jr. (27% (-1) YAHOO – 23.3% (+1.4) ESPN)- Henderson Jr. could get a few more looks given the instance that Gurley happens to sit out once again this week. Henderson is still widely available and could easily be used in a plug-and-play situation that many are facing this week with many teams on BYE, including Panthers, Bucs, and Steelers. If you find yourself scrambling to find a play-in option at the RB, or even the flex this week, Henderson Jr. could be your guy. Obviously, it would be important to watch the status of Gurley. The Rams get a cheesy match up with the ATL Falcons D this weekend, which makes this plug that much better in the event Gurley doesn’t suit up.
Brandon Bolden (2% (+1) YAHOO – 2.6% (+2.4) ESPN)- A major last-ditch effort here, but Bolden could be a nice flier play if you literally cannot, or do not have another option to plug at RB. It really isn’t that “awful” of a play, as he has now scored a touchdown in back-to-back games for the Pats. Bolden has been given 8 carries, and 3 targets, and parlayed those opportunities into double-digit fantasy point efforts the last two weeks. Just saying, IF Burkehead is out once again, Bolden is an above average flier play that “could” net you a TD.
WR
N'Keal Harry (11% (+5) YAHOO – 7.9% (+2.7) ESPN)- The Pats are thin at the receiving positions with a line of Q-tags in Josh Gordon , Phillip Dorsett , and even Rex Burkhead . If even two of the three, or even one for that matter happens to miss this week’s tilt with the NY Jets, this could open-up some playing time for Harry, who just came off the IR list last week and practiced in full all week. Harry was highly touted in the offseason, and could work right into a decent role out of the gate fresh off injury. He still could be worth a stash, even if all three of those questionable, end up playing this week.
Duke Williams (3% (+2) YAHOO –0.8% (+0.7) ESPN)- Duke Williams is the WR3 behind Beasley and Brown, but Brown has been dealing with a bit of injury late this week, and this could hinder him for this weekend. If so, Duke could be in line for some added target-share. This would obviously be a status to monitor for John Brown , but we all know how bad the Dolphins pass defense is, and it could also play well for Duke if Brown still does end up playing, as he would attract Xaiven Howard. This could lead starting QB Josh Allen to look more in Duke’s direction as well.
Allen Lazard (19% (+19) YAHOO – 3% (+3) ESPN)- The big buzz this week has been Lazard coming in during the 4th quarter and catching what turned into the touchdown that pulled the Pack within three points for the Packers against the Lions on Monday night. The pack went on to win this game by one point off the foot of Mason Crosby . Now, everyone is asking if they should add Lazard with the uncertainty of Devante Adams (turf toe), Geronimo Allison (Concussion), and even Marques Valdes-Scantling not practicing on Wednesday (ankle/foot). I do assume that at least one of the three, likely two of the three will play this week, but however, Lazard is still worthy of an add in case things turn hairy for the Pack WR corp.
TE
Benjamin Watson (3% (+2) YAHOO – 2.7 (+0.4) ESPN)- Watson was resigned this past week by the Patriots, as they needed to fill their TE depth with the injury to Matt LaCosse , leaving Ryan Izzo as the lead TE in New England. Izzo has filled in great so far, but we know Ben has been a primary pass-catching back and could get some red-zone targets when down near the goal-line. If you can stash and need an extra TE to hold and watch, I would absolutely look at Ben Watson.
Ricky Seals-Jones (3% (+0) YAHOO – 2.7% (+0) ESPN)- RSJ is back on my Thursday article as well, as we saw a bit more of him in terms of snap share last week when the Browns played host to the Seahawks. Seals-Jones was not only targets six times in this contest, while catching three for 47 yards and a TD, he also saw a bump in snaps, as he accounted for 67.6% of snaps on offense, compared to the 26.5% snap share for starting TE Demetrius Harris . RSJ is a sleeper pick that could potentially turn out to pay some nice dividends, as he now has seen 10 targets over the last three weeks, while also catching two TDs in those 3 contests as well.
D/ST
New Orleans Saints- The Saints are still widely available in most leagues, as they are in all three of mine. It is also highly note-worthy that they get a pretty good match up this week against a Chicago Bears team that could once again, start their back-up QB. There is hope and optimism that starting QB Mitchell Trubisky will practice all week, but it is still uncertain if he will play. Even if he does play, this offense has only shown flashes all season so far, and they are nothing to write home about. The Saints D/ST has now logged 11, 6, 11, and 14 fantast points in their last four games. If you need to start/stream a D/ST this week, I really like the Saints chances.
Dallas Cowboys- I really expect a big bounce-back game here on both sides of the ball for the Cowboys. Not only have they lost three games in a row now, but they are returning home to face a divisional rival in the Eagles. I really see their D getting after this sub-par O-Line for the Eagles this week, creating a lot of pressure on QB Carson Wentz , and causing some turnovers to happen. I am a Cowboys fan, but if you listened to my segment on Sirius FantasyXM Radio last week, you know I am not afraid to bet against my team. However, this week I am all for the Cowboys. They get the job done.