Major injuries on Sunday may have affected your fantasy football roster directly. If they did, take a look at these names on the waiver wire.
BYES: None
Believe it or not, there are just two weeks left in most fantasy football regular seasons. I hope you’re on your way to that first round bye for the playoffs. In what seems like a scheduling glitch, there are no BYEs this week for the first time since Week 3. Adjust your strategy accordingly and don’t forget to set your lineups before the three games on Thanksgiving.The two winners from last week’s column were Robert Kelley and his league-leading 31 fantasy points (standard scoring), and the Lions D/ST’s 20 points (standard scoring). Two other players from last week’s column, C.J. Prosise, and Robert Woods, both left their games with injuries so be sure to check on their availability in the coming weeks. Read below for who might make the winner’s list next week.
Worthy Of Your First Waiver Claim:
Brandon LaFell / Tyler Boyd
A.J. Green went down hard with a hamstring injury in the first quarter on Sunday. He did not return to the game and early reports indicate he will miss at least a couple of weeks and probably the rest of the regular season. The Bengals also lost Giovanni Bernard to an ACL injury and he will be done for the rest of the year. In their absence, their teammates will need to step up.
Most likely to do that in the passing game are Brandon LaFell and Tyler Boyd. These two are Cincy’s top two options at receiver now that Green is going to be sidelined. I list them both here because I’m not positive on how the Bengals offense will operate without a top-5 wideout, but both will see more targets going forward. If I had to rank them, I would put Boyd slightly ahead of LaFell.
Wendell Smallwood
The Philadelphia offense looked out of sorts on Sunday, but that’s what happens when you play in Seattle. However, a starting running back in the NFL is a coveted player to own, especially this late in the fantasy football season. That is exactly what Wendell Smallwood might be in line for next week when he faces the Packers, who were just gashed for 3 rushing touchdowns against the Washington Redskins.
Ryan Mathews and Darren Sproles both sustained injuries in Seattle and could miss some time. If that’s the case, Smallwood becomes the starter. It’s not like the Eagles don’t trust the rookie running back either; he logged 13 carries in Week 10 against the Atlanta Falcons. He added to that total on Sunday with 17 touches for just under 80 total yards. If Sproles-Mathews were to miss any time, Smallwood would be a great free agent pickup.
Worthy Of Your Second Waiver Claim:
Cameron Meredith
What was already a depleted offense at receiver took yet another hit on Sunday against the New York Giants. Tight end Zach Miller sustained a foot injury and will miss the rest of the season. Alshon Jeffery was suspended last week due to PED use and will not be eligible to play until Week 15.
The Bears will probably try to be more run-oriented going forward, but Cameron Meredith and Eddie Royal immediately become the top two pass catchers in this offense. I don’t know that Meredith is going to be much more than a WR3 for fantasy purposes, but if you’re hurting at receiver as badly as the Bears are and another team in your league already owns Tyler Boyd, scoop up Meredith.
Jared Cook
At such a shallow position, any type of success at tight end has to be examined. Success is exactly what Jared Cook had on Sunday night for the Green Bay Packers. Cook tallied 6 catches for 105 yards and a touchdown which vaulted him into the top-scoring fantasy tight end for the week. I told you this position was shallow. Tight end got even shallower with Zach Miller’s injury, so if you own him, pick up Jared Cook.
Bye Week Fill-In QB:
Carson Wentz
While there are no byes this week, you may be employing a streaming strategy at the quarterback position. However, the waiver wire is pretty thin at QB this late in the season. With a lot of top options facing sub-par defenses, what are left are average gunslingers facing mediocre secondaries. While none of the alternatives are all that enticing, Carson Wentz is your best bet. He threw for 218 yards and 2 touchdowns against Seattle on Sunday.
Wentz easily could have had a third if his receivers had been able to line up properly and avoid the illegal formation penalty that brought back a touchdown. This week, he’ll get a banged up Packers defense that has allowed 153 points in the last four games. The Eagles seem to play a lot better at Lincoln Financial, and this week shouldn’t be any different.
Getting Defensive:
Giants D/ST
I hate to do this, but who would you start over the Giants defense against the Cleveland Browns? It seems like a low-hanging fruit to pick the defense that plays against the Browns but this is different.
This Giants defense is legit. They have yet to allow 30 points all season and have registered at least two sacks in all but three games this season. Throw in the fact that they are averaging one takeaway per game and are playing against a turnover-prone team and you’ve got a recipe for success at your D/ST position.
