2014 Fantasy Football, Week 7 Waiver Wire: Odell Beckham, Jr. Tops The List
Week 6 of the National Football League is just about in the books. And with that, football fans are looking towards the fantasy football waiver wire to see if their team can be improved in any way. Some fantasy footballers will still react — or, overreact — to their players performances unjustly. Plenty of buzz and player recommendations will surface in preparation of your league’s waiver period causing owners to make rash decisions and drop players they spent months researching.
Before we get to this week’s potential waiver wire pickups, it’s important to note that I WOULD NOT spend my first waiver priority on any player from the list below. Also, players listed below are in no particular order.
Odell Beckham, Jr. | Giants
The rookie is a veteran of the waiver wire here at the Fix, but being owned in less than 40% of fake leagues necessitates a second appearance on the list. OBJ’s second professional outing last evening against the Eagles didn’t go so well — two receptions on three targets for just 22 yards — but, nothing the Giants tried to do last night went well. With Victor Cruz out for the season, Beckham, Jr. — and to a lesser extent, Preston Parker — should see a solid spike in usage/value until the end of the season.
Consider in leagues: All
Waiver Priority Worthy: 2 and lower
Spend this much FAAB to acquire: 10-15%
Players I’d drop for him: Victor Cruz, Hakeem Nicks, Brian Hartline
Andre Holmes | Raiders and Brandon LaFell | Patriots
Holmes had the best game of his career in week six against the Chargers, hauling in four passes on seven targets for 121 yards and two touchdowns. He’s seen seven or more targets in three of his last four contests. Chemistry between he and Derek Carr seems to be heating up, maybe they should get a room.
Apparently there’s a little bit of gas left in Tom Brady’s tank. Good thing for Brandon LaFell, I suppose. He’s seen a minimum of four looks in each of the first six weeks and hauled in 15 passes for 282 yards and three touchdowns so far this season. Love the 171 yards after the catch, too.
Consider in leagues: All
Waiver Priority Worthy: 4 and lower
Spend this much FAAB to acquire: 0-5%
Players I’d drop for him: Victor Cruz, Hakeem Nicks, Brian Hartline
Antone Smith | Falcons and Jerick McKinnon | Vikings
Smith’s tale is unbelievable. This guy is averaging 22 yards per carry and over 21 yards after the catch per reception. On the year, Smith has reeled in 10 passes on 12 targets for 220 yards and three scores. Additionally, the Falcon carried the ball 13 times in the first six weeks for 126 yards and another two touchdowns. Can it continue? Definitely not at this rate, but we know he’ll be getting touches each week so there’s always another chance for the Seminole to go ham sandwich. Deeper leagues need only apply.
Jerick McKinnon earned the lion’s share of work on Sunday against a tough Lions’ run defense. He didn’t find the end zone, but carried the rock 11 times for 40 yards and led the Vikings with six receptions for 42 yards. McKinnon started and played 48 snaps while Matt Asiata took just 15. He’s owned in less than 40% of Y! leagues at the moment and gets two of the most generous defenses to opposing fantasy ball carriers (Tampa Bay, Washington) in the next three weeks. He could be a fine flex option for you during the bye weeks.
Consider in leagues: All
Waiver Priority Worthy: 2 and lower
Spend this much FAAB to acquire: 10-15%
Players I’d drop for him: Shonn Greene, LeGarrette Blount, Jacquizz Rodgers
Storm Johnson | Jaguars
To be honest, many touted Toby Gerhart to start the 2014 season. But a combination of health and Gerhart’s inability to play football have pushed the Jaguars to starting rookie Storm Johnson in the backfield. He ran the ball 10 times for just 21 yards (2.1 yards/carry isn’t all that sexy), but Storm found the end zone, resulting in a zillion puns on Twitter that made my eyes throw up. At any rate, Johnson found paydirt and should be considered if your stable of backs is struggling.
Consider in leagues: All
Waiver Priority Worthy: 4 and lower
Spend this much FAAB to acquire: 5-10%
Players I’d drop for him: Shonn Greene, LeGarrette Blount, Jacquizz Rodgers
Cecil Shorts III | Jaguars
Salute your Shorts! Okay, that’s enough. Ten receptions on 15 targets brings Cecil back into flex conversation during bye weeks. Love Blake Bortles under center for Shorts’ value as well.
Consider in leagues: 10-team
Waiver Priority Worthy: 8 and lower
Spend this much FAAB to acquire: 5-10%
Players I’d drop for him: Victor Cruz, Hakeem Nicks, Brian Hartline
James White | Patriots, Brandon Bolden | Patriots and Jonas Gray | Patriots
If you invested in the Patriots backfield, you’ve been playing with fire for some time. And now with Ridley done for the remainder of the ‘14 season, it sounds like the Shane Vereen show could be accompanied by a mixed bag of Bolden, White and even Gray. Some analysts say Bolden is the best option, some say Bolden is so entrenched in special teams that Bill the Thrill could leave him be to avoid the significant increase in workload. I’m avoiding this situation, but if I had to select one of the group above to add, it would be James White.
Consider in leagues: 12-team
Waiver Priority Worthy: 10 and lower
Spend this much FAAB to acquire: 5-10%
Players I’d drop for him: Stevan Ridley