Biggest Waiver Wire Movers On Fleaflicker: Who's Here To Stay

September 13, 2014

Justin Berglund analyzes fantasy football waiver wire movers for Week 2 of the NFL season, looking at Fleaflicker's most added players off the waiver wire for Week 2.

Welcome to a new feature here at RotoBaller. Every week, there seems to always be that guy, that player that comes out of nowhere to have an amazing fantasy week. Unfortunately, since it came out of nowhere, odds are most people did not have him on their team, let alone starting in their Week 1 lineups.

Reactive as everybody is in nature, come Monday morning (or whenever waivers open up in your league) that player has been added in every league is starting for everybody next week. While riding the hot hand is always smart in fantasy, I’m here to distinguish the contenders from the pretenders.

Editor’s Note: our famous 2014 fantasy football waiver wire pickups list is updated daily, and is a running list of waiver wire pickups for all fantasy football positions. You can also download our free waiver wire pickups iPhone app, to easily follow our waiver wire analysis on the run.

Top Fleaflicker Players Added For Week 2

Here are the five most added fantasy football players according to our friends at Fleaflicker (the full list can be found here: http://www.fleaflicker.com/nfl/most-added-dropped), along with my analysis as to whether they should be added on your team or left on the waiver wire.

Justin Forsett, RB, BAL (8,097 Adds)

Forsett is on this list for two reasons. First, he was added to due to his solid Week 1 of 84 rushing yards and a TD, totaling 14.4 points in standard leagues. The second is due to the biggest story in sports the past week; the release of Ray Rice from the Ravens following the video release of his assault on his then fiancée.

What is also going for Forsett is Bernard Pierce, the man who was starting in Rice’s place and is now the de facto #1 RB in Baltimore, had an abysmal -0.30 points with just 17 yards and a fumble in Week 1. He played better in Week 2, rushing for 96 yards, but Forsett was just as effective for fantasy owners with 56 rushing yards and 4 catches for 16 yards. So in this regard, I don’t see any reason why Forsett should not only be added (especially as a handcuff for Pierce) but played until Pierce shows he can be a solid every down back.

Allen Hurns, WR, JAX (6,428 Adds)

Coming in at #2 on this list is Allen Hurns, who was immediately put on the radar for Week 2 after posting 110 receiving yards and 2 TDs against a very game Eagles secondary. This week, he goes against the not-as-game Redskins, but there are still some concerns I have with him.

First off, Hurns only had 4 catches on 9 targets in Week 1, amounting to those 110 yards. He also benefited from having #1 wide receiver Cecil Shorts not active Week 1, which probably caused the increase in targets. I would still add Hurns for the short term, as Shorts and #2 wide receiver Marqise Lee have both missed practice time this week with injuries, leaving the door wide open for another breakout performance. I am just not expecting any sustained consistency out of Hurns over the long haul, and neither should you.

Texans Defense, DEF, HOU (3,547 Adds)

This is interesting. I did not expect any Defense/Special Teams to really be on this list, especially after Week 1. However, after a 16 point affair with 3 sacks and blocked punt touchdown - leading the Houston Texans to a Week 1 win over Washington - here are the Texans on this list.

It really isn’t surprising when you think about it. The best and highest paid defensive player in the game, J.J. Watt - along side #1 overall draft pick Jadeveon Clowney, Brian Cushing and others - make this a very scary team for offenses to play. This week, Houston goes against rookie QB David Carr and the Oakland Raiders. With Maurice Jones Drew unlikely to play Sunday, that is just another reason Houston should be added to your team off the waiver wire if they are still available. However, pending on who else you have as your team defense, Houston might end up being on your bench the later part of the year.

Dwayne Allen, TE, IND (3,528 Adds)

Now this top add really isn’t much of a surprise. Dwayne Allen, in my opinion, is a better TE than Coby Fleener. It showed in Week 1 - even though Fleener got more targets than Allen (8 vs. 5) - Allen caught four of those passes for 64 yards and a TD, while Fleener only caught three passes for 21 yards. Fleener also dropped a pass in the red-zone, and dropped another pass that resulted in a Denver interception.

It might not be soon before Chuck Pagano realizes this, and starts to use Allen on a permanent base as Indy’s #1 tight end. Meanwhile, Allen is still a huge threat in the red-zone. He should be added in all leagues as a TE2, but nothing more, considering the Week 2 match up against the Eagles.

Isaiah Crowell, RB, CLE (3,333 Adds)

This is a bit of an odd scenario for such a hot add. Despite the high amount of waiver wire adds, Crowell is still only at 24% owned according to Fleaflicker. Yes, he did have a great fantasy Week 1 against Pittsburgh with the 2 TDs. However, that only accounted to 32 total yards on 5 rushing attempts. What Crowell also has going for him is starter Ben Tate will be out 2-4 weeks with a knee injury.

So despite Terrance West (8^th most added player after Week 1) being the starter for Week 2, Crowell will see an increase in playing time as well. And I will still insist on adding Crowell in deeper leagues, as he is a talented young running back. But there are some red flags here too.

Coach Mike Pettine said the original plan for Week 1 did not include Crowell, meaning once Tate comes back Crowell will likely not see too many snaps unless he breaks out over the next couple of weeks. Cleveland has their BYE week Week 4, meaning Tate could very easily be back for Week 5. Also, the next two opponents for the Browns, New Orleans and Baltimore, both have very solid rushing defenses. So with that being said, Crowell might not be worth adding to your fantasy football teams off the waiver wire if he is just going to sit on your bench for two weeks, and then you end up dropping him once Tate is healthy.

Well there you have it. A case can be made to add any and all of the players on this list. However, there is generally a reason these five were not drafted in most leagues. There is obviously a risk in starting every player, and these waiver wire adds might be a risk for your teams and not worth starting until you know for sure what you are getting out of them. Make sure to share your thoughts and comments below, or leave any questions you have for me about these players, or any fantasy fantasy football questions in general. Good luck in Week 2 RotoBallers.