RADIO
It's Wednesday morning. You dropped a player last night expecting to make some moves on the waiver wire, only to wake up and find out you weren't able to get anyone you put a claim in for. What now?
If you've got an open roster spot, its always a good idea to plan ahead for the future. There are plenty of players in the NFL ripe for a breakout game that will fly up the waiver wire in the following week. This column is here to help you anticipate who thats going to be.
I'll be giving you a couple players who may be worth grabbing before their stock rises. Here are some players that will help you beat the waiver wire ahead of Week 8 of the 2017 NFL season.
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Early Waiver Wire Adds for Week 8
Brett Hundley (QB, GB) - 14% owned
Stranger things have happened than Brett Hundley becoming a QB1 in place of Aaron Rodgers. He struggled in his first game, but he was playing his first meaningful NFL snaps of his entire career. Hundley has been learning from Aaron Rodgers for almost three years and has a ton of talent surrounding him on the offense. He's going to be put in a position to succeed. There is absolutely no way this guy produces like Rodgers did, but he has a clear path to becoming a low-end QB1 if he can prove one thing: that he's good at football. A big game against the Saints would see a major increase in Hundley's owned percentage, and owners who don't want to fight for this one may wanna grab him now.
Case Keenum (QB, MIN) - 9% owned
Six teams are on bye in Week 8, including quarterbacks like Marcus Mariota, Carson Palmer, and Jared Goff. Keenum will likely still be the Minnesota quarterback in Week 8 and has a dream matchup against Cleveland. Keenum proved in Week 3 that he is more than capable of putting up great fantasy numbers and makes for a solid streamer or bye week fill in.
C.J. Beathard (QB, SF) - 6% owned
Here's what C.J. Beathard has going for him: he has a capable running back to hand the ball to, he has a very capable receiver to target often, he played in college with his tight end, and his head coach is one of the smartest offensive minds in football. We could say with 99% certainty that Brian Hoyer was not good enough to be a starting NFL quarterback. How much certainty can we have when saying that about Beathard? We'll find out this Sunday.
Matt Forte (RB, NYJ) - 29% owned
For whatever reason, the Jets continue to use Matt Forte as their lead running back. He hasn't had double digit carries yet this season. But lets just imagine that Forte does manage to get 14-15 touches this week, and lets imagine that he finds the end zone twice just off of sheer opportunity. It doesn't sound that unrealistic. Forte will have the chance to make this happen any game he plays in. There are a ton of running backs on bye in Week 8 and Forte could prove useful to owners who need a replacement. You might want to pick him up now before he has the inevitable touchdown performance.
Eddie Lacy / Thomas Rawls (RB, SEA) - 25% / 22% owned
The Seattle backfield is basically a lottery ticket right now. They're almost always worth nothing, but you keep buying in because at some point somebody has to win here. The Seahawks running game has been a fantasy wasteland outside of the brief Chris Carson era. Rawls and Lacy have both proven in the past that they can produce in an NFL running game. One of these guys is bound to have a big day at some point. They're really the only backs on the market that have RB1 volume potential without an injury happening to their team. Picking one of them now will keep you ahead of the curb... or you'll just be throwing away another scratcher.
Rex Burkhead (RB, NE) - 8% owned
The last time Burkhead was on the field, he caught a couple passes and found the end zone. We know that the Patriots find a way to use every running back on the depth chart. When Burkhead returns, which is likely to be in Week 8, I'd be shocked if he didn't see the field. Expect Burkhead to see some work in the passing game out of the backfield, which makes him a solid pickup in deeper PPR leagues.
Mike Williams (WR, LAC) - 18% owned
The seventh overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft made his debut on Sunday. The debut was, well... uneventful. The rookie grabbed one catch for 15 yards and appeared in just 17% of offensive snaps for the Chargers, who are understandably easing him into the offense. The team is fairly deep at receiver and has no reason to give Williams a trial by fire.
The depth at receiver doesn't concern me when it comes to Williams, considering they were already deep when they drafted him. You don't draft a guy seventh overall if you don't plan on unleashing him. Williams will have his day in the sun soon enough. I see to scenarios here: Williams has a big day against Denver and becomes a top waiver target next week, or Williams has another quiet day yet is still targeted due to a potential breakout matchup against New England. Either way, he'll be sought after. Owners who want Williams should grab him now before the hype reaches maximum altitudes.
Josh Doctson (WR, WAS) - 11% owned
If there was ever a receiver ripe for a breakout game, its Josh Doctson. The 2016 first round pick flashed his potential in Week 3 with an incredible 50 yard touchdown, but has been quiet since outside of a touchdown grab last week. There is way too much talent on the Washington offense to be producing this poorly. Somebody in the group of Doctson, Jordan Reed, and Terrelle Pryor is bound to have a big game soon. If you want to bet on somebody who is available in most leagues, Doctson is the guy. I was high on him this offseason and I'm not getting off this bandwagon just yet.
Josh Gordon (CLE, WR) - 4% owned
I mentioned lottery tickets earlier. If the Seattle backfield is a lottery ticket, picking up Josh Gordon is like buying a ticket to win the $500 million Powerball jackpot. The odds of it paying off are ridiculously unlikely. Gordon would not only have to be reinstated, which he hasn't applied for yet, but he'd also have to be welcomed back by the Browns organization, than prove himself worthy of actually earning snaps during games, and then he'd actually have to produce on the field, which he hasn't done since 2014 or at a high level since 2013!
For somebody who needs ALL of those things to happen to actually be considered a legitimate fantasy option, the fact that he is owned in 4% of leagues says just how freaking good this guy was when he played. Or maybe it just says that the 4% of us still holding out hope for this guy are out of our minds.
George Kittle (TE, SF) - 13% owned
Kittle came out of left field in Week 6 when he recorded seven catches for 83 yards and a touchdown. He settled down in Week 7, but Kittle has some real upside. His college quarterback, CJ Beathard, was named the 49ers starter. Either the 49ers passing attack will start to get going with Beathard, or they'll find plenty of garbage time opportunity for points. Regardless of which scenario plays out, its hard to image Kittle not becoming one of Beathard's top targets. I wouldn't be surprised if Kittle ends up becoming a low end TE1. At such a weak position this year, he's a great add for anyone weak at tight end with an open roster spot.
Nick O'Leary (TE, BUF) - 1% owned
When Charles Clay went down in Week 5, it was backup tight end Nick O'Leary who became Tyrod Taylor's new go-to target. O'Leary led the Bills in receiving yards and finished second in targets and receptions behind LeSean McCoy. Taylor loved throwing to Charles Clay and if this was any indication he will continue to throw to his tight end. Tight ends have become a fantasy wasteland this year, and many of the so-called "reliable" picks like Jordan Reed have been disasters. Charles Clay is still eighth in receiving yards among tight ends this season. Should O'Leary pick up where Clay left off, he'll quickly rise to TE1 status. This guy is virtually unowned right now. If he plays like he did in Week 5, he'll skyrocket up the waiver wire.
Tyler Kroft (TE, CIN) - 15% owned
With the news that Tyler Eifert is done for the year, Tyler Kroft's fantasy value has increased significantly. He's had at least three catches over the past three weeks with the highlight being a two touchdown performance against the Browns. It's hard to justify starting Kroft against the Steelers this week, but he's a decent volume tight end in a great Week 8 matchups. Owners ready to brace for a bye week may want to consider Kroft.
Cincinnati Defense - 23% owned
The week in advance defense to target for our streamers. Cincinnati will be available in most leagues thanks to a Week 7 matchup with Pittsburgh, but they have a date with Jacoby Brissett and the Colts in Week 8. The Bengals defense has been a decent fantasy option this year. They've only given up 23 total points in their last two games, have multiple games with six sacks, and have had an interception in four of their five games. It would be wise to grab the Bengals defense now before they become a top waiver target next week.
