Another week, another set of underwhelming options on the fantasy football waiver wire. You’d almost be tempted to think they are out to get us specifically — whoever they really are …
No matter. I’m still here, week after week, with the nose to the old grindstone trying to find value for shareholders even when the world may be trying to tell the shareholders that their team is either good or it isn’t at this point and there’s really no changing your destiny in this world of infinite randomness and absurdity. Or maybe it’s just already Week 5, could also be that.
This waiver column is thus for the fantasy football sickos among us; those of us who see increasing Germie Bernard target volume and go hmmmmm. If you’re with me, please enjoy 1000+ words about several marginal but potentially critical developments in the fantasy football streets. If you’re against me … well, please enjoy them anyway.
Disclaimer: All roster percentages are from ESPN. Players must be available in more than 50 percent of leagues, with recommendations based on 10-team PPR formats.
Running back waiver wire targets
- Woody Marks (Texans)
- Samaje Perine (Bengals)
- Marshawn Lloyd (Packers)
- Dameon Pierce (Eagles)
If there’s one guy, and there is perhaps just one single guy, that deserves your attention this week who’s below 50 percent rostered (he’s at 48 percent) it is Woody Marks. David Montgomery was already scuffling (and got the “sit” designation from me on Thursday), and is now “may miss some time” with a groin injury. That leaves Marks as the lone representative of the Texans backfield, and one you should definitely pick up if available. A word of caution, though: the Texans beat the Tennessee Titans, an unserious football team. Marks played over 80 percent of snaps and still only managed 62 yards on the ground and 12.5 fantasy points. This is not a quality rushing offense whatsoever, but the volume will objectively be there.
We then have a trio of … something for your fill-in needs: Samaje Perine has been playing a lot more than I thought this year and managed some valuable touches as the Bengals offense got ripping hot on Sunday — that’s much more of an emergency play, but sometimes emergencies happen. Marshawn Lloyd is a much better bet for longer-term value but is only really eligible for this list because he was dropped in so many leagues after a horrendous first four. He scored two touchdowns, and the Packers had been utterly unable to run the ball until now. Even though he’s still hardly a bell cow (Pierre Strong Jr. played a lot), do you know how rare it is for zero RBs in a good offense to be unplayable?
Finally Dameon Pierce is here by default and only by default. The Philadelphia Eagles have now lost Saquon Barkley, Tank Bigsby and Will Shipley to injury, and while their respective statuses are unclear as of Monday morning, Pierce would ostensibly be the starter if they were all inactive. But he’s not actually … good, and managed an impossibly bad 14 yards on 11 carries after Shipley left for a smooth 1.27 yards/carry. I would really, really try to avoid Pierce even if he “starts.”
Wide receiver waiver wire targets
- Efton Chism III (Patriots)
- Germie Bernard (Steelers)
- Darius Cooper (Eagles)
- Malik Washington (Dolphins)
This group is far more my tempo. First order of business (and most of the business in the tight end section, as you’ll see) is to make some money off Drake Maye, who appears to be the greatest passer of the football in NFL histor … okay, fine, but he was really good (I’m a Patriots fan). To capitalize, we’re grabbing Efton Chism III, who’s available in 99.3 percent of leagues, and while you may look at the scorelines and say “hey, what about Demario Douglas and Kyle Williams,” we don’t chase touchdowns here. We instead chase snap share, and Chism simply played more than those two. He didn’t catch a touchdown, but as long as both Mack Hollins and A.J. Brown are sidelined, which is probably at least one more week, you can play Chism.
Germie Bernard is my other passion project from this week. He basically became the undisputed number two receiver on the Steelers this week behind DK Metcalf, and Michael Pittman Jr. will not be returning to the lineup anytime soon after being placed on IR. Roman Wilson also went down with injury, and so it’s Bernard time, who was a pretty sick player at Alabama and a recent second-round pick. Otherwise, we’re chasing long touchdowns with Darius Cooper as long as every other Eagles offensive player is injured, and continuing to tell everyone that Malik Washington scores 11-12 points every single week whether we like it or not. He’s on bye, though, so more of a stash if you have an empty roster spot.
Tight end waiver wire targets
- Brenton Strange (Jaguars)
- Hunter Henry (Patriots)
- Eli Raridon (Patriots)
Business first, party second. Brenton Strange is a value pick here and someone I now officially endorse. I was worried about passing game competition, but he’s basically only competing with Parker Washington, and is easily second on the team in targets on the year. Brian Thomas Jr. is just out there doing cardio, apparently.
Now, for the fun part: I think you can pick up both Patriots tight ends (isn’t this great?). We all know the drill with Hunter Henry, someone you can literally pick up and play every week if you want, but Eli Raridon is someone my Patriots-fan brain needs to inform the masses of: he was their third-round pick and has been playing more since returning from a brief injury absence. He’s also just got the look of an impactful NFL pass catcher, and if you have the roster spot to burn or are in a deeper league, think about Raridon.
Quarterback waiver wire targets
- Aaron Rodgers (Steelers)
- Jordan Love (Packers)
I didn’t nail everything in last week’s column (half the guys I suggested picking up got injured), but I hit quarterback 430 feet to deep right field by telling you to pick up and start C.J. Stroud and Aaron Rodgers, who were two of the best streaming options of the week. I would advise against going back to the well with Stroud, but Rodgers is definitely playable against Tampa Bay — he has 20+ fantasy points in three straight and three passing touchdowns in all three. That’s just how it’s done.
Elsewhere, we find Jordan Love chucking deep balls to Christian Watson and Matthew Golden like prime Jameis Winston, and we are getting him in our lineup stat with the reprehensibly incompetent Dallas Cowboys defense on deck.
Defense streaming advice
Once again, I suggest anyone playing the Miami Dolphi … oh no! They’re on bye in Week 6! My whole process is ruined. I guess we can fire up the Patriots D/ST against the New York Jets, who look very much the garbage team we thought they would be coming into the year, as well as the 49ers D/ST, even if I am worried that Jayden Daniels fixed the Washington offense (before shattering it like an expensive glass egg on the final play). Not available in 50 percent of leagues since they were highly touted coming into the year but probably available in a lot of competitive leagues because they’ve actually been utterly mediocre, the Rams D/ST might be on waivers due to their Bills matchup but sees the Cardinals next week. Very much a playable unit.
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