Fantasy Football 2013 Week 1: Players To Add and Drop In Fantasy This Week
By Leo Howell
Fantasy football draft season has come to and end, and it’s time to start managing the team you’ve drafted. So every week, I’ll bring you this column with one player to add and one player you can drop at every position in fantasy football.
The goal is to make sure that your team is managed well all season long, as in-season management is just as important as solid drafting. Fansided will bring you weekly columns all through the NFL season to keep you up to date and to keep your fantasy team relevant all season.
So let’s make sure you rule the waiver wire during week one with these players you should add and drop:
Quarterback
One to Drop: Any backup quarterback in a 10 or 12 team league if you have a top 10 starting QB.
Reason: If you have any of the top 10 fantasy quarterbacks, you DO NOT NEED A BACKUP for him. Backing up a quarterback takes away a bench spot that could be used to add another upside player who could wind up helping you every week.
If you’re stashing EJ Manuel or Terrelle Pryor because you see upside in these players, that’s fine. But if you’re holding onto Jay Cutler to play “just in case Tom Brady gets hurt,” I command you to stop that nonsense immediately.
You can pick up a player on Tom Brady or Peyton Manning’s bye week, and you’ll be just fine.
Don’t waste a roster spot on a player you’ll use once.
One to Add: EJ Manuel
Reason: Did you wait a bit too long on quarterback in your draft, and get stuck with Eli Manning or Ben Roethlisberger? Then you need to get an upside QB from the waiver wire.
Ditch your backup kicker or defense and snag EJ Manuel. Manuel will play in a high-tempo offense in Buffalo, and has running ability which gives him a “high floor” every week.
Running quarterbacks have a high floor because rushing yards are worth more per yard than passing yards, and usually rushing scores are worth more than passing scores. So if EJ Manuel rushes for 70 yards and a touchdown, that’s worth three passing touchdowns in a standard scoring system.
The high-tempo in Buffalo will add even more value, because the more plays an offense runs, the more opportunities the players will have to score you points!
Running Back
One to Drop: Jonathan Dwyer
Reason: You should drop Dwyer, because he was dropped by his NFL team.
Dwyer might catch on with another NFL franchise and be on a roster, but Pittsburgh let him go despite an injury to workhorse rookie Le’Veon Bell. That’s a red flag that Dwyer is seriously lacking in some area, because there are few teams in need of a reliable running back as much as the Steelers.
Dwyer is still owned in over 50% of ESPN.com fantasy leagues, and if you’re one of those people, you need to check yourself before you wreck yourself.
One to Add: Andre Brown
Reason: You should add Brown, because he was probably dropped by his fantasy team in your league.
People have far too much access to the latest news from the sidelines thanks to Twitter and mobile apps on smartphones, so when it was announced that Andre Brown had a “fractured leg,” you could hear the clicking of the drop button all over America.
It was a premature exodus for Brown.
The Giants’ bruising runner won’t be out very long, and when he’s back, he’ll be a touchdown vulture who will see a portion of the snaps in New York. If you had Jonathan Dwyer hoping to snag a few touchdowns as an occasional flex play, drop him and get Brown.
Wide Receiver
One to Drop: Randy Moss
Reason: There aren’t any obvious receivers who should be dropped yet (unless you still own Danario Alexander or Jeremy Maclin…), so let’s turn our attention to a bigger problem.
Who on Earth are the individuals who have Randy Moss on their fantasy football rosters in 2013? Moss has 0.6% ownership in ESPN leagues, which is up from 0.5% last week. People are adding Randy Moss to their fantasy teams.
Think about that. Let it stew in your brain.
We live in a broken world.
One to Add: DeAndre Hopkins
Reason: For years, there has been a black hole in Houston in the “WR2” position on the depth chart. Fantasy owners have clung to the hope that Kevin Walter would develop into a fantasy relevant receiver, and it just never happened.
Apparently Houston got sick of the lack of ability across from Andre Johnson as well, as they added DeAndre Hopkins in the 2013 NFL Draft. Hopkins is going to be featured in the Houston offense, and believe it or not there are going to be enough passes to go around to satisfy owners of Andre Johnson and Mr. Hopkins.
Hopkins is probably only available in shallower leagues, but if he’s out there, you need to have him!
Tight End
One to Drop: Brandon Pettigrew
Reason: You should drop Brandon Pettigrew before he drops himself.
Pettigrew is not a reliable receiver in any way, shape, or form. You should do yourself a favor and grab a more consistent tight end, because there are a plethora of options that will produce as much as Pettigrew without the heartbreak of soul-crushing dropped passes every week.
The Lions have added Reggie Bush, who will take away targets from Pettigrew, and they will see the return of Ryan Broyles, who will also take away looks in the passing game. Pettigrew seems to have the right opportunity in Detroit, but he just can’t grab hold of it.
One to Add: Jordan Cameron
Reason: Norv Turner and Rob Chudzinski.
Do you need more of a reason?
Cameron will be a key figure in an offense led by two of the best minds in the NFL when it comes to involving tight ends into offenses.
He’s got the right physical tools to be a great tight end in the NFL, and he’ll be in the right system to be a breakout star in 2013.