It's time for waiver wire advice and guest writer Mike is back with more. Read on for this week's advice and some expert links.
It’s always tricky to make blanket statements when
discussing waiver wire additions, because each league is so different. A
competitive 12-team league with deep benches is going to have a vastly
different group of players available than casual 10-team leagues with short
benches. No matter what league you’re in though, general philosophies about
roster construction and what sort of player you should be looking to add remain
generally the same.
Hopefully, your team is either assured of making the playoffs,
or at least in the hunt for a playoff spot. If so, it’s time to evaluate your
bench. At this point in the season, there is little reason to worry too much
about depth, particularly at positions like QB and WR where injuries are far
more infrequent. You should be stacking your bench with players that you could
conceivably envision putting into your lineup and helping you win that key game
in Week 13, or even better, in your championship game.
While there are certainly some players at various positions
in the links below that can help you out, I prefer a strategy this time of the
year where you stack your roster with as many running backs as possible, and
specifically running backs that offer high upside through either injury or
opportunity. These would be players that would likely see a high percentage of
their team’s carries if circumstances were to change. Here are a few examples:
Isaiah Crowell
He’s probably already owned in most leagues, but if he’s
available, he’d be on the top of my list. The Browns love to run the ball, but
week-to-week it’s impossible to determine if it will be Ben Tate, Terrance
West, or Crowell that puts up the best numbers. If Crowell can just get better
at hanging on to the ball, his opportunities should continue to increase, as he
clearly is the most dynamic back on the roster.
Alfred Blue
Similar to the Browns, the Texans prefer a run-heavy
approach. Arian Foster has been outstanding this season, but with his nagging
hamstring issues, he’s one of the most likely running backs to miss time the
rest of the way. If he does, or if the Texans fall out of the playoff race and
simply shut Foster down the last couple weeks, Blue would see the bulk of the
carries.
Joseph Randle
Randle has had his share of off-field issues, and is reportedly not winning any popularity contests with his teammates. However, he’s looked good in limited duty,
and would likely be the Cowboys’ workhorse behind a stellar offensive line if
DeMarco Murray were to miss any time.
Devonta Freeman
Atlanta’s running game isn’t anything to get excited about,
but if the Falcons fade from the playoff picture, it would make sense to hand
over the reins to Freeman to see if the fourth-round pick has a future as the
club’s feature back.
Montee Ball
Ball is likely to return this week. If he was dropped during
his absence, he’s certainly worth an add going forward. Ronnie Hillman is out
for at least a couple weeks, and everyone will be rushing to add C.J. Anderson.
While Anderson could certainly take the job and run with it, who’s to say the
Broncos’ backfield might not come full circle and end up with Ball taking over
again? While he wasn’t particularly effective, Ball was deemed the lead back up
until he was injured. Anyone who drafted him this season is undoubtedly feeling
burned, but if he’s available now on waivers, there’s little risk in adding him
on the cheap.
On to the links…
Adam Levitan of Rotoworld likes Jordan
Matthews’ chances of staying productive with Mark Sanchez throwing him the
ball.
Christopher Harris of ESPN considers this a
skimpy waiver wire, but notes C.J. Anderson and Damien Williams may have some
value at RB.
Numberfire’s Nik Bonaddio has his top 10
waiver adds, including yet another rookie WR, John Brown
Michael Fabiano of NFL.com reminds us of some
players we all know, but that may have newfound relevancy, including Ryan
Matthews and Josh Gordon.
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