We’re kicking off the first Waiver Wire column with a few names that should be on your radar. I know a lot of teams love making moves after drafting their teams. This tends to happen with teams that drafted earlier in training camp. I had eight drafts in the last week so I’m not making too many moves. It’s typically not my style to start making trades or several waiver acquisition before the season starts, but to each their own. Everyone on this list is largely a player who just went under-drafted, but they still possess some upside. So while you may not jump on them now, definitely monitor their performance, their snap counts, their total routes run, etc. We could see some ugly football to start the year and it could be reflected on your fantasy team. So keep an eye out for the following players. Update: FAAB bids have been added at the end of each player's section. Do not go crazy with FAAB bids briot to Week 1. Most of these players may be had for free at this point.
Quarterback
Daniel Jones (New York Giants) For a guy who could finish as a Top 12 quarterback, Jones is still available in an array of ten-team leagues as well as some 12-teamers as well. He has weapons in this offense as long as they can stay healthy and defenses have to respect the run game. The Giants threw the ball a ton when they got in the red zone last season and that could once again be the case this year. He flashed some upside last year as well. In his last seven starts to finish 2019 he threw 18 touchdowns, five interceptions, and had four games in that span with over 300 passing yards. A big concern a year ago was that he lost 11 fumbles. The offensive line is still a problem, but the Giants will find themselves in situations where they have to throw the ball more and this will help his fantasy value. FAAB Bid: <2%
Ryan Tannehill (Tennessee Titans) Tannehill’s 35% owned in ESPN leagues and I was more than happy to take him as my third quarterback in a two-quarterback league. Last year the Titans actually had designed plays for him to run. That likely won’t happen in 2020, but I do expect him to throw a little more. In six of his last seven starts he attempted 30+ pass attempts just once. I don’t believe we’ll see that lack of volume this year for him. Tennessee is still a run-first offense, but the Titans gave him a four-year deal worth over $100 million with $62 million guaranteed. In all but one of his starts he had multiple touchdowns and only threw six interceptions. It seems he’s found a good system in Tennessee so I’m a little surprised he wasn’t drafted in more leagues. FAAB Bid: <1%
Gardner Minshew (Jacksonville Jaguars) I’m not completely buying into Minshew yet. I know he presents upside because the Jags could be down a lot this year and he’ll have to throw a lot so garbage time will present itself. Accuracy is a slight concern as he completed barely over 60% of his passes a year ago, and in four of his last five starts he topped over 200 yards passing just twice and one of those performances resulted in 201 yards. But the Jaguars are in line to throw a ton. Even if he isn’t the most efficient quarterback, he could provide fantasy value on volume alone. And he’ll likely get you some rushing yards each week as he had at least 25 rushing yards in eight games a year ago. He could be a great asset for a guy who is available in about 80% of leagues. FAAB Bid: <1%
Others Worth Monitoring: Kirk Cousins , Baker Mayfield , Drew Lock , Philip Rivers
Running Back
Boston Scott (Philadelphia Eagles) The Eagles are optimistic that Miles Sanders will be good to go for Sunday’s game against Washington. However, he’s been held out of practice as a precaution the last couple weeks and if he does miss Sunday’s game then Boston Scott becomes an immediate flex play. And even if Sanders does play, Scott is still a great stash for fantasy. We saw Scott close out the last four games last year with 23 receptions, 350 all-purpose yards, and four touchdowns. He was a great late-round draft pick, but now he’s a great stash off waivers. FAAB Bid: 2-4%
Chris Thompson (Jacksonville Jaguars) It doesn’t look like Devonta Freeman will be signing with the Jaguars as of Labor Day as the two sides couldn’t reach a deal. So this bodes well for both Thompson and Devine Ozigbo. Remember, Ryquell Armstead is going to be out a while with no timetable for a return. There are a couple knocks on Thompson; he struggles to stay healthy, and he doesn’t register carries. But in PPR formats he might be worth a stash as he’ll be used on pass-catching downs. He’s also reunited with Jay Gruden, his former head coach in Washington, who is now the offensive coordinator in Jacksonville. This is a guy that you can keep off your radar in standard formats, but in PPR leagues keep an eye on him especially in an offense that will throw more. FAAB Bid: 3%
Chase Edmonds (Arizona Cardinals) If anything were to happen to Kenyan Drake , Edmonds could be a league winner. I’m not saying that I’m cheering for an injury to Drake, but it’s football, and nobody’s safe. If you’re a YPC truther you’ll love the fact that from Weeks 4-7 last year, he averaged 5.76 yards per carry on 46 carries, and he had that huge three-touchdown games last season against the Giants. If the Kenyan Drake trade didn’t happen, we could’ve seen bigger things from Edmonds. If Drake underwhelms or gets hurt, Edmonds could win you your league. FAAB Bid: 5%
Joshua Kelley (Los Angeles Chargers) Kelley entered training camp in a position battle with Justin Jackson as the team’s second running back behind Austin Ekeler . By all accounts, things haven’t changed as they’re still in a tight battle. Jackson has looked good in brief stints in the NFL, but Joshua Kelley could be a nice complimentary “change of pace” back for when Ekeler needs relief. He’s a big downhill runner that is a physical specimen who performed well at the combine. He’s more of a stash in deeper leagues, but definitely a player worth flagging. FAAB Bid: 3%
Tony Pollard (Dallas Cowboys) Pollard is a great stash especially if you believe in handcuffing and can afford the roster spot for Pollard. He only carried the ball 86 times last year, but was efficient and turned it into 455 yards and a touchdown. He also led all running backs with 2.7 yards after contact. He’s bigger in size and tough to bring down. It stands to reason that he’s still Zeke’s backup although Mike McCarthy has been mum on the usage of the two. There’s no reason to believe Pollard will even get 30% of the carries, but he’s a great stash if something were to happen to Elliott. FAAB Bid: <3%
Others Worth Monitoring: Bryce Love, A.J. Dillon, Benny Snell
Wide Receiver
Preston Williams (Miami Dolphins) He’s likely only available in more shallow leagues but this is a guy who needs to be on your radar if he is still out there. Williams was leading the Dolphins in targets prior to tearing his ACL with at least five in every game he played. He had some issues with drops, but the fact that he was that reliable in the offense as an undrafted rookie says a lot. He is ten months removed from the ACL tear so it’s possible that his workload is limited to start the season, but by all accounts, the knee looks fine. He’s around 70% owned but he’s a guy I’ve walked away from drafts with this past week. Even after DeVante Parker broke out after Williams’ injury, expect the second-year wideout to be involved once they take the leash off his snaps and routes run cap. FAAB Bid: 3-5%
Anthony Miller (Chicago Bears) If you buy into the third-year wide receiver breakout then Miller might intrigue you. He was far from the model of consistency in 2019, but he came on strong from Weeks 11-15 last year with 33 receptions on 52 targets for 431 yards and a pair of touchdowns. The quarterback play is shaky right now especially after the Bears announced their starting quarterback would be Mitchell Trubisky . Regardless, Miller is probably their WR2 in the slot and they don’t have the greatest depth at the position. They have almost as many tight ends as they do receivers. So his job security is safe for now, and hopefully there is carryover from his second half campaign from last year. FAAB Bid: <4%
Laviska Shenault (Jacksonville Jaguars) So far in this article, each section has included at least one member of the Jacksonville Jaguars. I’ve taken Shenault as a late-round flyer in every single draft I’ve done in the last week. I’ve already touched on how this team is going to have to throw a ton and by all accounts, Shenault has really impressed in training camp. Dede Westbrook is still dealing with a shoulder injury and this can only help Shenault who could see a gradual increase in targets out of the slot. With much of the attention on DJ Chark, Shenault will be a nice target for Minshew especially when they’re playing from behind. He’s barely over 5% owned in ESPN leagues and 0.4% of NFL.com leagues. I understand there was great value at wide receiver in the middle rounds and for running back it was best to target them early and then later in the draft. But Shenault went unnoticed and needs to be watched if this team is going to be playing from behind. FAAB Bid: 2-4%
Michael Pittman Jr. (Indianapolis Colts) I list Pittman after Shenault only because I don’t think the Colts will need to throw as much as the Jaguars. It’s clear the Colts have a backfield and offensive line that will run the ball down their opponents’ throats. But Pittman has some upside. He’s made some contested catches in camp, while also having some drops. And he’s a BIG target for Philip Rivers , as he stands at 6’4”. It also says something about how much the Colts like him considering they selected him a few spots ahead of Jonathan Taylor in this year’s draft. Both Zach Pascal and Parris Campbell are currently dealing with injuries so their status for Week 1 is up in the air. If I had to venture a guess, I’d say at least one of them definitely suits up, but how involved with they be? Pittman could see heavy involvement early on. FAAB Bid: <1%
Chase Claypool (Pittsburgh Steelers) I’m not incredibly excited about Claypool, but he’s a big, fast target for Ben Roethlisberger . The downside is there are already plenty of mouths to feed in the Steel City. JuJu Smith-Schuster , Diontae Johnson, and James Washington are all ahead of him on the depth chart. The team also signed Eric Ebron to play tight end and James Conner looks to be pretty healthy right now. So Claypool’s pretty far down the depth chart and he’s a player that may come on as the season progresses. But you still have to love his size and speed as a deep league option. FAAB Bid: <1%
Other Worth Monitoring: N'Keal Harry, Jalen Reagor (who is currently injured and likely to be inactive, but available in a good amount of leagues), Parris Campbell , Denzel Mims, Bryan Edwards
Tight End
Mike Gesicki (Miami Dolphins) Gesicki’s an athletic freak and while the catch rate last year wasn’t elite, he still had 11 targets in the end zone last season, and all five of his touchdowns in 2019 came in the team’s final six games. He may only be available as a stash in shallow leagues, but if he is available in your 12-team league then he’s worth stashing if you missed on one of the elite tight ends. He is a solid candidate to break out in 2020 and I expect his ownership to steadily climb early on. FAAB Bid: 2%
Jonnu Smith (Tennessee Titans) Smith is surprisingly available in a fair amount of leagues and with Delanie Walker out of the way, he’s finally the go-to guy at his position. He was incredibly efficient last year and stands to improve upon his 35 catches and 439 yards, and he’s a nice red zone target for Ryan Tannehill . Now it is worth mentioning the Titans could easily run the ball if they get that close, but Jonnu will get his looks as he enters his fourth year. FAAB Bid: 1%
Eric Ebron (Pittsburgh Steelers) If there was ever a time to play Eric Ebron , it would be Monday night against the Giants. He’s been weak as a run blocker throughout his career, but the Steelers have made an effort to develop him as a better blocker. This helps him get on the field a little more and he’ll be used as a nice pass-catching option. The Giants allowed eight touchdowns to opposing tight ends last season and if Ebron does happen to find the end zone Monday night then he’ll be well worth streaming. FAAB Bid: <1%
Others Worth Monitoring: O.J. Howard , Blake Jarwin , Chris Herndon, Ian Thomas
Defense/Special Teams
Tampa Bay Buccaneers – The Bucs have a very good offense. I’m of the mindset the defense is actually better than their offense. The thing going against Tampa Bay is their schedule. The NFC South presents matchups against tough competition and they play the AFC West this year as well. But there is still plenty of talent here. Shaquil Barrett had 19.5 sacks in a breakout season last year and he’s still looking for a long-term contract since he’ll be playing under the franchise tag. The Bucs are returning 11 of their Top 12 players in terms of snaps from a year ago so this is a fairly cohesive unit and they drafted Antoine Winfield Jr. to play safety and bolster the secondary. They were top ten in forced fumbles and sacks last season, and what killed them was the fact they had to come back on the field to clean up against Jameis Winston ’s mistakes last year. Tom Brady won’t force as many turnovers, so the Bucs won’t bleed as many points. FAAB Bid: <1%
Los Angeles Chargers – Obviously the loss of Derwin James hurts pretty bad, but they still have a very good secondary in Chris Harris Jr. and Casey Hayward . The pass rush is still stout with Linval Joseph , Melvin Ingram , and they locked up Joey Bosa . They also stole Kenneth Murray in the first round of the draft in April. So while the loss of James sucks, there is still plenty of talent here and they have a phenomenal matchup Week 1 in Cincinnati against a rookie quarterback making his first career start behind an improved offensive line, but remember this will also be Jonah Williams ’ NFL debut and he’ll have his hands full with Joey Bosa this week. FAAB Bid: <1%
Philadelphia Eagles – If you missed out on drafting the Colts to stream in Week 1, the Eagles have possibly an even better matchup and are available in most leagues. The Eagles play the Washington Football Team in Week 1 and a lot has been made of the Washington backfield in fantasy circles prior to the season, but the Eagles touted one of the better run defenses last year. They also acquired Darius Slay in the offseason so he might make things difficult for Terry McLaurin in Week 1. The Eagles are favored by six points with the Over/Under hovering around 43.0 so there isn’t a great amount of scoring expected in this matchup. The offensive line for Washington is pretty weak and I expect the Eagles to get plenty of pressure on Dwayne Haskins. FAAB Bid: <1%