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It was just a matter of time before the injuries to big-name players hit, especially at the running back position. Those who spent a top pick on Jonathan Taylor seem to have dodged a bullet while those invested in Javonte Williams must now move ahead without him. Let's see what the best options are.
Below, you will find the top waiver wire options at each position with an analysis of their values, both immediate and long-term. We will look only at players who are rostered in 50% or fewer leagues, according to Yahoo! Players are listed in order of priority.
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Running Backs - Waiver Wire Options
Rachaad White, Tampa Bay Buccaneers - 27% rostered
If you stashed White since draft day, that proved to be a shrewd move. Like all rookie RBs, White has been slowly eased into the offense with almost no fantasy production to speak of in the first three games. He emerged in Week 4 with five catches for 50 yards and three carries for six yards with a touchdown. If that sounds eerily similar to James White, it should. The last name won't be the only similarity for this pass-catching back for Tom Brady.
Leonard Fournette is still the lead back and a weekly must-start but it should be noted that his snap share dipped to 61% on Sunday night after reaching 91% the previous week. Some might claim negative game script is to blame but that's only part of the story. Fournette has mentioned needing someone to carry part of the load and we know Brady relies on an RB to serve as a receiver on third downs. White could very well carry strong PPR value the rest of the way, although his production may vary based on game script.
Tyler Allgeier, Atlanta Falcons - 16% rostered
The Falcons have made many questionable decisions this season, most notably choosing to ignore their most talented player in Kyle Pitts. One thing they have wisely done is commit to the run in order to spare their defense. It's mostly been Cordarrelle Patterson leading the way with Allgeier coming on late. In Week 4, it was a three-man committee with C-Pat, Allgeier, and Caleb Huntley all seeing at least nine carries. It's tempting to look to the new shiny toy in Huntley but let's focus on Allgeier instead.
The fifth-rounder out of BYU was inactive in the season opener and received minimal usage in Weeks 2-3. His snap rate continues to climb slowly each game from 31% to 37% to 44%. His 10 rush attempts against Cleveland were the same as in Week 2 against the Rams but he was much more effective, netting 84 yards on the ground. While Patterson has been good so far, we saw him break down toward the second half of last year. Allgeier should continue to split time with him and looks like a high-end handcuff should Patterson miss time.
UPDATE: Patterson has been placed on IR due to a recurring knee issue. This makes Allgeier a high-priority add in nearly all formats as he should be the lead back for the next few weeks.
Mike Boone, Denver Broncos - 1% rostered
As of this writing, all we know is that Javonte Williams suffered a knee injury and will be evaluated further on Monday. It could be as serious as an ACL tear or as minor as a PCL sprain. If it's the former, then Melvin Gordon takes over as lead back and Mike Boone becomes worth adding in deep leagues. If it's the latter, similar to what Dalton Schultz just recovered from, then Javonte misses a week or two at most and Boone is irrelevant.
Boone has been a preseason warrior since his days in Minnesota when he led all runners in yardage for two straight exhibition seasons. That hasn't translated to the regular season where he has a grand total of 434 yards on 78 carries across four-plus seasons. He does average a stout 5.6 yards per carry for his career but consider that much of that is due to one monster game (148 yds) in the final week of the 2019 season against the Bears. Boone will not be used on passing downs so his floor is extremely low and it's not like this Denver offense was lighting it up even with Williams in the lineup. Don't overreact here regardless of his injury status - Boone is a deep-league stash and handcuff to Gordon but that's about all.
UPDATE: Javonte Williams suffered a torn ACL and his season is over. Boone becomes a logical pivot for those who rostered Williams and must now drop him to find a replacement.
Deon Jackson, Indianapolis Colts - 0% rostered
It's hard to imagine that Jackson becomes the early-down option for the Colts as long as Jonathan Taylor is out, which is unknown as of now. He is the only other RB on the active roster with a carry other than Nyheim Hines, though. They could elevate Phillip Lindsay or D'Vonte Price from the practice squad but until that happens, we'll hold off on recommending them as pickups. Lindsay may actually be more interesting from a fantasy perspective because he has a successful season under his belt as opposed to Jackson, who has all of 15 carries for 28 yards on his resume.
UPDATE: Taylor's x-rays were negative and he has not been ruled out of the Thursday night contest with Denver. He could still be scratched or limited, so keep Jackson in mind as a flier but nothing more. Nyheim Hines is the one to consider if available.
Caleb Huntley, Atlanta Falcons - 0% rostered
With Patterson on the shelf for at least four weeks, Huntley now figures to get his share of touches in addition to Allgeier. Huntley is not a physical specimen in terms of size or speed so he may be reliant on volume to generate fantasy production.
He is coming off a solid performance with 56 yards and a touchdown on 10 rush attempts vs Cleveland. Let's see if he can do it again with the run defenses of Tampa Bay, San Francisco, and Cincinnati coming up.
Others to consider: Kenneth Gainwell, Philadelphia Eagles (32% rostered); Dontrell Hilliard, Tennessee Titans (19% rostered); Jaylen Warren, Pittsburgh Steelers (9% rostered); Craig Reynolds, Detroit Lions (4% rostered)
Wide Receivers - Waiver Wire Options
Michael Gallup, Dallas Cowboys - 41% rostered
Gallup finally made his 2022 debut and wasted no time making a splash by scoring a touchdown. He would only catch one other pass and be held to 24 yards but it must be considered a good sign that he was involved. He should see more targets going forward and gets another boost when Dak Prescott returns. Fantasy managers who add Gallup or already have him stashed may want to wait before deploying him. The Cowboys are on a roll but they have two road games upcoming against the Rams and Eagles.
George Pickens, Pittsburgh Steelers - 39% rostered
Finally, a sign of hope for the preseason star. That sign is Kenny Pickett, who did what Mitch Trubisky would not do - throw the deep ball. Pickens was the biggest beneficiary of the QB switch, hauling in a 26-yard and 27-yard pass in the fourth quarter from Pickett. That resulted in his first 100-yard game as a pro. Not only that, he doubled the number of targets that Diontae Johnson received (8-4) while Chase Claypool didn't catch a single ball.
George Pickens target share by game (per @PFF):
Week 1: 9.1%
Week 2: 9.1%
Week 3: 21.9%
Week 4: 29.7%Note Pickens received a target on 33.3% of his routes once Kenny Pickett took over in the 2nd half of Week 4.
— Underdog NFL (@Underdog__NFL) October 3, 2022
Pickens will be boom-bust for the most part but his upside is well worth chasing on the waiver wire, especially if you were rostering Claypool instead.
Zay Jones, Jacksonville Jaguars - 21% rostered
Jones was a late scratch for Week 4 with an ankle issue. The Jags struggled to move the ball on Philadelphia and it's not as if another receiver stepped up in his place, unless you count returner/hybrid player Jamal Agnew. Jones should be able to go next week in a much better matchup at home against Houston.
Corey Davis, New York Jets - 25% rostered
It's interesting that in Zach Wilson's first game of 2022, it was Davis who saw the most targets rather than Garrett Wilson or Elijah Moore. Davis finished with a team-high five receptions and 74 yards along with a touchdown. This isn't a fluke either; Davis has gone over 70 yards in three of four games this season. This Jets passing offense has been maddeningly hard to predict and there's no guarantee Davis continues to produce at a high level. There is a good chance he keeps seeing targets and that the Jets keep having to pass frequently given their struggles on defense.
Josh Reynolds, Detroit Lions - 20% rostered
If you went with the chalkiest DFS tournament play of the day in Reynolds, you weren't disappointed. He caught seven passes for 81 yards and a touchdown, even if he was overshadowed by T.J. Hockenson. Reynolds will fall back to the WR3 spot as soon as Amon-Ra St. Brown and D.J. Chark return, which could be next week. He also has a tougher draw on the road in New England in Week 5 and gets a bye in Week 6 which is why he can't be recommended any higher.
Alec Pierce, Indianapolis Colts - 5% rostered
Pierce didn't score his first NFL touchdown yet but he posted a career-high 80 yards on four receptions. The Colts have been schizophrenic in terms of target share to its various receivers, so it's hard to trust someone like Pierce who mainly relies on the deep ball. He'll serve as a high-upside flier once bye weeks hit because of his big-play ability even if he can't be relied on as a consistent producer.
Others to consider: Josh Palmer, Los Angeles Chargers (36% rostered); Mack Hollins, Las Vegas Raiders (33% rostered); Donovan Peoples-Jones, Cleveland Browns (8% rostered);
Tight Ends - Waiver Wire Options
Tyler Conklin, New York Jets - 42% rostered
Conklin's numbers took a slight dip with Zach Wilson in at QB but he still saw more targets than Elijah Moore. His five targets were the lowest of this season but Conklin should continue to be a solid streamer.
Will Dissly, Seattle Seahawks - 3% rostered
Like it or not, we have to pay attention to Dissly based on his scoring upside. His three TD are tied for most among all tight ends with Travis Kelce, Mark Andrews, and T.J. Hockenson. You'd like to see a higher target share but his 116 yards does rank in the top 15 among TEs. He isn't a player you can set and forget but we've now seen that he can help those who stream the position in plus matchups.
Hunter Henry, New England Patriots - 35% rostered
Henry has not been fantasy relevant in the least this year, posting a total of five catches for 41 yards and no touchdowns across four games. He only warrants a mention because Jonnu Smith left early in Week 4 and may be in doubt for the following contest against Detroit. We've seen the Lions yield a ton of points to every opponent, so maybe this is the week Henry hits paydirt.
Others to consider: Taysom Hill, New Orleans Saints (29% rostered); Hayden Hurst, Cincinnati Bengals (21% rostered); Mo Alie-Cox, Indianapolis Colts (5% rostered)
Quarterbacks - Waiver Wire Options
Jameis Winston, New Orleans Saints - 33% rostered
There is a good chance Winston returns in Week 5, which would be ideal. The Saints return home from their overseas trip to face the Seattle Seahawks. This is a defense that let Jared Goff put up four TD and over 300 yards passing. If Winston is good to go and gets Michael Thomas back, he's the top QB streamer of the week.
Zach Wilson, New York Jets - 10% rostered
For three quarters, Wilson was looking like he wasn't ready for prime time and the New York media was ready to feast. Then, he led the team from a 10-point deficit to a victory that makes the Jets 2-2 to start the season.
The #Jets offensive EPA per drive in the fourth quarter was 6.48, per TruMedia, the fourth-best any team has been in any quarter played this season.
It was the Jets' best quarter offensively since at least 2000.
— Zack Rosenblatt (@ZackBlatt) October 3, 2022
Wilson deserves the credit as he made several crafty plays and showed poise down the stretch. The final numbers weren't great, especially from a fantasy perspective (252 passing yards, 1 TD, 2 INT) but it's something to build on.
This back to back play sequence is what makes Zach Wilson so special and why he was drafted 2nd overall. 1st play he somehow avoids a sack and disaster… throws ball out of bounds. 2nd play, dime to Elijah Moore for big gain. pic.twitter.com/KX4hdhggfS
— J. Gray (@JGrayJets) October 3, 2022
It might be premature to throw Wilson into fantasy lineups, even in Superflex leagues. The upcoming matchup with Miami, which has yielded the second-most fantasy PPG to quarterbacks so far, is a promising one and at least makes him an intriguing DFS option.
Kenny Pickett, Pittsburgh Steelers - 5% rostered
Good news: Pickett completed every pass in his NFL debut!
Bad news: three of them went to the other team.
Pickett's first NFL game was full of as many ups and downs as you could imagine. He scored twice on the ground and immediately found a connection with fellow rookie George Pickens. His three interceptions ultimately sank the team and allowed the Jets to come back late.
There will be better days ahead for Pickett and he has a great supporting cast of receivers along with RB Najee Harris to lean on. He has a brutal schedule coming up, however, with Buffalo and Tampa Bay next on the slate. He should be stashed in two-QB or Superflex leagues but that's it for now.
Others to consider: Matt Ryan, Indianapolis Colts (33% rostered); Ryan Tannehill, Tennessee Titans (17% rostered)
Team Defense - Waiver Wire Options
Minnesota Vikings Defense - 41% rostered
One hardly needs justification to stream a defense against the Bears these days. Chicago has the third-lowest point total, second-lowest yardage total, and Justin Fields has been sacked 16 times despite only attempting 67 passes. The Vikes will be at home ready to feast on bear meat.
Miami Dolphins Defense - 22% rostered
Lost in the hoopla of the Tua Tagovailoa injury scandal is the fact that the Dolphins nearly beat the Bengals in Cincinnati after holding them to 14 points over the first three quarters. They've given up large quantities of passing yardage but consider that they've had to face Joe Burrow, Josh Allen, and Lamar Jackson over the past three weeks. As promising as Zach Wilson looked late in the game, the Jets aren't likely to put up a massive point total on the Fins in what could be a low-scoring game.
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