It’s that point in the season where 0-5 or 1-4 teams need to change their strategy. If that’s you, this week’s waiver wire is especially important. You can’t afford another loss so the usual waiver wire math goes out the window. You have to buy wins sometimes.
I’m not talking about bribing your teammates with cash to trade you CMC. Or wiring money to Sleeper or ESPN or Yahoo to change the L to a W. I’m talking about overspending on players to secure them on your team. I’m talking about adding players for a single week because of a killer matchup. I’m talking about paying up for the RB who will only be the starter for one game.
Wins are everything in fantasy football (besides the friends we made along the way) and if you’re still searching for your first, it’s time to adjust your strategy. Be aggressive on the wire and look at your season in one-week windows.
Wide Receivers
K.J. Osborn, Vikings, (17% Rostered)
Vikings WR Justin Jefferson will be placed on IR and will miss at least four weeks. With Jefferson going down in the fourth quarter, we saw both rookie wide receivers Jordan Addison and Osborn step up, receiving nine targets apiece.
While the output may have been underwhelming from Osborn in Week 5, the volume he saw from QB Kirk Cousins is promising. With Jefferson sidelined, Osborn should continue to see higher volume. Think of him as a WR3 until Jefferson returns.
Josh Reynolds, Lions, (52% Rostered)
While inconsistent, Reynolds is a vital piece of the passing game. In Week 5 against Carolina, he led Detroit in receiving yards and hauled in a TD in the absence of Amon-Ra St. Brown.
Reynolds is a legitimate start option each week if St. Brown continues to miss time. With St. Brown back, Reynolds becomes less reliable but can still be started as a WR4 with serious upside.
Curtis Samuel, Commanders, (28% Rostered)
If WR12 and WR14 in back-to-back weeks sounds pretty good, great news! Samuel just accomplished that and is most likely sitting on your waiver wire just waiting to be picked up.
With an uptick in usage as the season progresses and growing rapport with quarterback Sam Howell, Samuel should be rostered in all leagues and can be started as a WR3/4 through the next few weeks as Washington has a friendly schedule.
Underperforming Rookies
Each year we see rookie wide receivers start slowly and then have huge second halves of the season. We’re approaching the halfway point of the fantasy year, so it’s time to start adding some of these high-upside rookies to your bench. These are guys like Christian Watson in 2022, Amon-Ra St. Brown in 2021 and A.J. Brown in 2019.
The guys below could have a second half breakout and could be vital pieces to a championship roster. Put them on your bench and see if these rookies earn an increased role over the next couple of weeks.
- Quentin Johnston (54% Rostered)
- Marvin Mims (41% Rostered)
- Josh Downs (26% Rostered)
- Jayden Reed (39% Rostered)
- Jonathan Mingo (21% Rostered)
Running Backs
Roschon Johnson, Bears, (52% Rostered)
After a big Week 1, Johnson has been disappointing for anyone looking to start him in fantasy, but the rookie could get a big workload with Khalil Herbert out multiple weeks.
- Open Your Eyes to Our 'Close Your Eyes Special'
- If You're Hurting, Play for the W
- Studs & Duds: Has King Lost His Crown?
- Check out our Contrarian Edge Optimizer
Johnson does need to clear concussion protocol before Sunday, but barring any unexpected setbacks he should suit up. The Bears just added Darrynton Evans on top of D’Onta Foreman and an injured Travis Homer, but Johnson seems to have earned the No. 2 role after Herbert.
Johnson will have first crack at being lead back in an offense coming off two good weeks. Starting RBs are hard to find on the waiver wire but you’ve got one for at least a couple of weeks here.
Emari Demercado, Cardinals (2% Rostered)
With James Conner suffering a knee injury, undrafted free agent rookie Demercado led the backfield Sunday to decent success. He had been seeing more involvement in recent weeks and Sunday had 45 yards on 10 carries and a touchdown.
Conner likely will be miss some time, according to coach Jonathan Gannon. Thus, Demercado can be started against the Rams even with the Cardinals adding Tony Jones Jr.. If Conner somehow does play, Demercado is relegated to a backup RB on your bench.
Tyjae Spears, Titans (36% Rostered)
You should have done it last week. And honestly you should have done it the week before that. When a team with Derrick Henry is giving significant snaps and touches to a running back not named Derrick Henry, you pay attention.
Spears scored his first touchdown of his rookie campaign Sunday and looked good doing it. While his seven carries and five targets isn’t anything to write home about, it shows how Tennessee values Spears and their commitment to getting him involved.
Look for Spears’ touches to continue to rise as the season goes on. If Henry were to miss anytime, Spears appears to be one of the best backups in the league for fantasy.
Tight Ends
Dalton Schultz, Texans (45% Rostered)
Sometimes all you need from a tight end is a touchdown and you’re happy. Schultz has given that to you two weeks in a row, including 10 targets for seven receptions and 65 yards in Week 5.
Texans QB C.J. Stroud has been electric, supporting an entire cast of fantasy-relevant options. While Schultz is late to the party compared to Tank Dell and Nico Collins, Stroud may continue to lean on his TE and go back to him in the end zone.
Consistency might continue to be an issue with the Houston receiving options, but you can do much worse at a position where all you need is 10 points to be a top 12 option most weeks.
Logan Thomas, Commanders (20% Rostered)
Outside of the brief stint in the concussion protocol following Week 2, Logan Thomas has been a relatively consistent option. Thomas has finished top 12 n three of four games and in Week 5 had 11 targets in a game where Howell had to throw the ball 51 times.
While the passing volume cannot be expected to be that high week in and week out, Thomas has established himself as a reliable option for Howell. Thomas is the perfect matchup play at TE with the upside of turning in a top 5 week.
Quarterbacks
Sam Howell, Commanders (55% Rostered)
Coming off a 388-yard passing performance, Howell will be a hot commodity on the waiver wire entering bye weeks. With Atlanta, the Giants, and Philadelphia in the coming three weeks, you should be able to continue riding with Howell.
We’ve seen the downside of Howell -- four interceptions, no touchdowns, and less than 200 passing yards against the Bills in Week 3. But we’ve also seen the Commanders let him air it out -- 51 attempts in their Week 5 loss to the Bears.
With the receiving trio of Terry McLaurin, Jahan Dotson, and Curtis Samuel (not to mention Logan Thomas), Howell has the weapons to continue this success and will likely find himself in more negative game scripts like the ones the Commanders faced Sunday.
Matthew Stafford, Rams (55% Rostered)
Turns out Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua can be good at the same time. That’s great news for Stafford now that his No. 1 WR is back. And great news for fantasy managers looking for a QB on the waiver wire.
Stafford has yet to have that huge week, but this is a team that wants to throw the ball. The Rams have the second-most pass attempts in the league, behind only the Minnesota Vikings. With Kupp back and good matchups against the Cardinals and Steelers in the next two weeks, Stafford should be rostered in most leagues and can be trusted as a starter.
.svg){kind=icon}
.svg){kind=icon}