RADIO
This week we head into another round of byes with the Los Angeles Rams, Minnesota Vikings, Philadelphia Eagles, and Buffalo Bills all on one. We are also now at a stretch of the schedule where stashing players is harder to do as you may not be afforded the luxury to just stash a guy as injuries plus players on a bye might force you to pick up some off of waivers who will be in your starting lineup.
The purpose of this article is to be looking for players who may emerge in their current situation due to injuries on the depth chart, players traded away, and even coaching changes. Unfortunately, injuries are the ultimate equalizer in fantasy football and we must be prepared as best as we can. Keep an eye on all of the Sunday injury reports and don't be afraid to put a player who is out for tomorrow on your league's Injured Reserve and use the free spot to pick someone up, even if only for a week.
Week to week, it is my job to keep my ear to the ground of all that is going on with 32 teams to help you bargain hunt for some free options on your league's waiver wire. Last week I recommended Daniel Jones and now he is almost up to a 40 percent roster ownership which would make him ineligible for this week's article. Here are this week's selections for you to keep an eye on.
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Weekend Waiver Wire Stashes Before Week 7
Wan'Dale Robinson, New York Giants - 27% rostered
Maybe the best Giant to don the No. 17 since Plaxico Burress himself, Wan'Dale found the end zone and impressed in limited playing time last week. He was on this list as a recommended stash and will likely remain on for another week until the rest of the market catches on. Last week Wan'Dale was rostered in just 6% of leagues at the time of this article.
Robinson played just 23 percent of the team's offensive snaps last week but had 4 targets where he caught 3 of them for 37 yards and a TD. A second-round pick of the Giants in 2022, Wan'Dale was the star of the 2022 training camp before injuries caught up to him in Week 1 and he wasn't able to play since. Sophomore receiver Kadarius Toney has been sidelined with injuries and veteran Kenny Golladay still finds himself in head coach Brian Daboll's doghouse on the 5-1 Giants.
Daniel Jones has been better than he was last season, but the Giants haven't been able to get their passing game going with just about all their entire WR corps sidelined with injuries. With Sterling Shepard done for the season, the Giants have been trotting out Richie James, David Sills V, and Darius Slayton. Wan'Dale is expected to be in this week's lineup against the Jacksonville Jaguars and should play a lot more than he did last week. If it makes you feel any more confident, he will be in two of my lineups tomorrow.
Isiah Pacheco, Kansas City Chiefs -29% rostered
This morning, Andy Reid and the Chiefs announced that Pacheco would be the team's starting running back against the 49ers in Week 7. While we still don't know how much he is going to play, it's easy to see that he is by far the most explosive of the Chiefs' three running backs. He probably isn't starting in your lineups today unless you are absolutely desperate for a warm body at your RB2 spot, but nonetheless it is an encouraging sign that Pacheco has been named the team's starting RB.
Pacheco was a seventh-round choice of the Chiefs in the 2022 NFL Draft and impressed many in training camp. He has the kind of upside that we want from players on our bench and Pacheco could be the type of league winner for teams as an RB2 later in the season as the Chiefs' offense is going to become more fine-tuned as the season goes on. He was a player that JJ Zachariason raved about all summer as a late stash worthy of your attention.
While Jerick McKinnon has been a capable backup and has looked good in his limited action for the Chiefs as well, Pacheco is the one with the highest possible upside of the two. So far this season Pacheco has carried the ball 31 times for 149 yards and a TD. He also has 2 receptions for a total of 9 yards and is worth picking up in all leagues where you have a roster spot. If he has a big game today you likely won't be able to get him once waivers / FAAB roll around again.
Chuba Hubbard, Carolina Panthers - 32% rostered
Look, I realize what is going on in Carolina is anything but pretty. Former head coach Matt Rhule was fired after a 1-4 start and the Panthers have been jettisoning off players in recent weeks as they will try to shed some veterans and look to add future draft capital. Honestly, who can blame them? Carolina made every attempt at trying to field a competitive roster this season, but it didn't work out. Now it's more important for them to look towards the future and try to get back some of the draft capital that Rhule mismanaged trying to resurrect fallen quarterbacks.
Christian McCaffrey was traded to the 49ers late Thursday Night, which now opens things up in the Carolina backfield for D'Onta Foreman and Chuba Hubbard. Foreman is likely supposed to be the lead running back on the team, but we do not yet know how the backfield is going to shake out for this week. The Panthers have a tough matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who feature one of the league's best-run defenses.
Opportunity has always mattered more than talent for running backs in fantasy, usually anyway. While the Panthers' offense is scary in a bad way and Hubbard hasn't produced much for his NFL career so far, due to injuries or bye weeks you may be forced to pick up a warm body at RB off the waiver wire. Hubbard is worth having on your bench just to see how the Carolina backfield situation works itself out, but at the same time please do so without expecting too much in return.
Mac Jones, New England Patriots - 16% rostered
Mac got off to a slow start this season before suffering a high ankle sprain against the Ravens in Week 3 and he has been sidelined since. Rookie Bailey Zappe filled in admirably and has some wondering if there is now a quarterback controversy brewing in New England. However, after spending the No. 15 overall selection on Jones in the 2021 NFL Draft, it is hard to imagine the Patriots pulling the plug so soon when Mac was easily the best rookie quarterback of the class last season.
Some weapons are starting to emerge on the Patriots' offense with Rhamondre Stevenson, Jakobi Meyers, Kendrick Bourne, DeVante Parker, and rookie Tyquan Thornton. There are more weapons at Jones' disposal than people realize. While the Patriots' defense has been solid so far this season, which could limit the number of shootouts that the team will play in, it does appear that much of the fantasy community has given up on Michael McCorkle Jones far too soon.
Last season Jones threw for 3801 yards and 22 touchdowns. After a 1-3 start, the Pats have rolled the Lions and the Browns by a combined 67-15 in the last two weeks to get to 3-3. Given the emergence of some of the wide receivers in the Patriots' offense as well as a new chip on Jones' shoulder with how well Zappe has played, he likely will feel some extra motivation to play well in the coming weeks. While Jones may not be overly flashy for fantasy purposes, he is reliable if you are in a pinch at the quarterback position.
Justice Hill, Baltimore Ravens - 9% rostered
Starting running back, J.K. Dobbins tweaked his knee and was left out of the second half of the Ravens' contest against the Giants. Later in the week, it was revealed he needed another knee surgery and would be sidelined for about 4-6 weeks. The wily veteran Kenyan Drake filled in admirably in the Ravens backfield where he rushed 10 times for 119 yards and a TD.
Hill was a fourth-round draft choice of the Ravens in the 2019 Draft, but he hasn't been able to do a whole lot in his career due to injuries and other good running backs on the roster. He has been activated and is off of Sunday's injury report. So far this season Hill has rushed 19 times for 125 yards with 4 receptions for 19 yards. He is averaging 6.6 yards per carry on the ground!
Gus Edwards is expected to be activated from the PUP List and the Ravens backfield already features Kenyan Drake. This inevitably makes things extra murky with Dobbins sidelined, but we shouldn't avoid the situation all together from a fantasy perspective just because it seems complicated. Hill is arguably the most explosive of the three running backs and could see plenty of touches on the field. While we don't know how the situation is going to work itself out, it is one we must be keeping an eye on.
Jameson Williams, Detroit Lions - 31% rostered
Sorry folks, but I am going to die on this hill. Williams won't be active coming off the team's bye week for their upcoming game against the Dallas Cowboys, but Williams has been making progress in his rehab from a torn ACL suffered in the BCS National Championship game. Williams was the No. 12 overall selection in the 2022 NFL Draft and football fans everywhere are excited to see him and Amon-Ra St. Brown on the field at the same time.
Jared Goff is thriving this season with the Lions' offensive line giving him plenty of time to throw and the receivers getting open downfield. While Amon-Ra St. Brown looks like the clear-cut WR1 on this offense, it is not difficult to see Williams overtaking DJ Chark and Josh Reynolds very quickly. St. Brown tends to play in the slot and near the line of scrimmage whereas Williams plays on the outside, so we shouldn't be worried about either of them taking away from one other.
If anything, Williams and St. Brown on the field at the same time when they are both healthy is probably going to look similar to the Bengals with Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. Judging from how well the Lions are moving the ball and the production we have seen from Chark and Reynolds, we should be licking our chops at the thought of Williams getting on the field. He could have the kind of second half similar to what Odell Beckham did in 2014 in his rookie season with the Giants. I'm not kidding. If your league has an IR spot, you can pick up Williams for free right now and stash him.
Zay Jones, Jacksonville Jaguars - 18% rostered
A player who has had some ups and downs so far this season, Jones has seen a total of 27 targets in five games. The Jaguars' offense has been a brutal game of hot and cold as they have looked great in some weeks and terrible in others. Right now Jones has a chance of still being a top two target on the team only to Christian Kirk.
Jones bounced around the NFL from the Bills to the Raiders before the Jaguars gave him a decent-sized contract in the offseason. The 37th overall selection in the 2017 NFL Draft is looking to find a permanent home and show what he can do in the NFL. While Jones has yet to be great for fantasy consistently, he has established some rapport with quarterback Trevor Lawrence and the Jaguars' offense should hopefully be an ascending offense as the season goes on.
In Week 3 against the Chargers, Jones had 10 receptions for 85 yards and a TD in a 38-10 victory. Since then the Jaguars have been ice cold. Can they regain some of their early season magic, as well as Trevor Lawrence tapping into his potential? In deeper and 3WR leagues Jones is worth our attention during the bye weeks.
Greg Dulcich, Denver Broncos - 11% rostered
Arguably the best hair and mustache in the entire NFL, Dulcich made a splash in his NFL debut on Monday Night Football against the Chargers. Dulcich caught 2 passes for 44 yards and a TD. The rookie tight end from UCLA had been sidelined for the first month of the season and was placed on the Broncos' injured reserve.
So far this season Denver's offense has looked anything but the high-powered machine many were expecting. Courtland Sutton has performed well, but Tim Patrick is out for the season and Jerry Jeudy has been less than impressive. Running back Javonte Williams also suffered a season-ending knee injury and the Broncos' offense has been struggling to get going.
We know that Russell Wilson loves to throw to the tight end. While Brett Rypien will be getting the start this week, Dulcich is worth our attention even as a rookie. There is a chance for him to see plenty of targets once Wilson is back in the lineup and Dulcich has some of the elite metrics that we want from tight ends in fantasy. Dulcich has faster game speed than he does straight-line speed and can stretch the field even at tight end. If you are hurting at the tight end position this year he is someone worth your attention.
Taylor Heinicke, Washington Commanders - 5% rostered
While it may seem crazy that he is on this list, just hear me out for a moment. Last season while filling in for an injured Ryan Fitzpatrick, Heinicke had five starts that went north of 20 fantasy points. His best week came in Week 4 against the Atlanta Falcons where he threw for 290 yards for 3 TDs and 0 INTs while rushing 5 times for 43 yards.
Heinicke is a better athlete than he gets credit for and rushed for 313 yards and 1 TD in his 15 starts in 2021. While that may not seem great, he is likely due for some positive touchdown regression and the rushing floor can be a nice addition to a fantasy lineup. So far the Commanders have gotten off to a rough start at 2-4 and Heinicke will play the next four games after starter Carson Wentz was placed on injured reserve with a broken finger.
Ron Rivera likes Heinicke and the weapons around him are much better than last year with a healthy Curtis Samuel and rookie phenom Jahan Dotson. While the backfield is mostly a three-headed monster and a complete mess for fantasy purposes, Heinicke could provide us with some value during a bye week or as a valuable depth piece in Superflex leagues. The entire coaching staff is under fire in Washington and if Heinicke should start winning games there is no guarantee they will go back to Wentz. Keep your eye on Heinicke as he is a much better quarterback for fantasy than he is being given credit for, real-life aside.
I hope you enjoyed these picks. Feel free to follow me on Twitter for more waiver and player analysis throughout the season!
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