November 10, 2017

Steve Rebeiro speculates on players who can be added a week early in case they emerge in Week 10. His waiver wire stashes and bench fliers to pickup in advance.

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 that's going to be, and stay a week ahead of your competition.

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 11, in case they emerge this week.

Waiver Wire Stashes and Fliers for Week 11

Colin Kaepernick (QB, FA) - 1% owned

This column is for speculative stashes, right? There are two teams with talented players on offense right now stuck with horrible quarterbacks: Houston and Green Bay. If either of these teams decide they want to try and win some ball games before the season ends, the clear answer for both is to bring in Kaepernick. There are a ton of varying reasons why Kaeprnick hasn't been signed, but these two situations make too much sense strictly in football terms. It is still unlikely, but Kaepernick would become a must-add in two QB formats if he is signed to either of these teams.

Teddy Bridgewater (QB, MIN) - 7% owned

Its starting to become a matter of when, not if, Teddy Bridgewater takes over at quarterback for the Vikings this season. The team is 6-2 and former starter Sam Bradford is likely done for the season. Case Keenum has been fine filling in, but he hasn't exactly been carrying the team to victory. I'm still not confident that Case Keenum can lead a contender. Bridgewater has flaws in his game, but I'd take my chances with him at quarterback over Keenum. The Vikings have finally activate Bridgewater and will take it slow on deciding when he will play. Case Keenum has been a decent streaming QB option at times this season. Bridgewater will have plenty of upside when he takes over.

David Johnson (RB, AZ) - 61% owned

Johnson owners have finally received some promising news: Johnson finally has his cast off and can get started with his rehab process. There's still a high chance Johnson doesn't play this season. But there is a reason he is still owned in 61% of leagues. If Johnson comes back, at worst he'll be an RB2 until he finds a full workload. Owners in the drivers seat towards the playoffs with a roster spot should pick up Johnson if available. There's not better lottery ticket on the wire.

Corey Clement (RB, PHI) - 8% owned

Despite finishing second in half-PPR scoring among running backs last week, Corey Clement only finds himself owned in 8% of leagues. It makes sense: the team had just traded for Jay Ajayi and many see Clements game as a one time thing while Ajayi gets adjusted to his new team. With the Eagles heading into a bye week, it would be a waste to spend a waiver claim on Clement just to realize he isn't a part of the plan when the Eagles return in Week 11.

I'll be the devils advocate here: what if this wasn't a fluke? The team did trade for Ajayi, but they only gave up a fourth round pick to get him. Clement showed some promise in his breakout game on Sunday. Should Ajayi come out like a dud after the bye week, it isn't ridiculous to think that he would wind up in a timeshare with Clement. I'd still bet on Ajayi getting the bulk of the work, but the thought of Clement being involved in the offense moving forward is very intriguing.

Dontrelle Inman (WR, CHI) - 1% owned

Here is what I said about Inman in this column for Week 8 adds:

Inman has proven he can produce in the NFL when he recorded over 800 yards and four touchdowns last season. The Bears were desperate for any receivers that could produce at an NFL level. Its unclear if any receiver will find success in Chicago's abysmal passing game, but Inman has as good a chance as anyone. The Bears wouldn't have traded for him if they didn't want to give him a shot to produce. He could provide the spark the Bears need.

Not much has changed for Inman since, outside of the fact that he has had a few weeks to get adjusted to new quarterback Mitch Trubisky and the Bears offense. I believe in Inman and think he is the best receivers on the Bears depth chart. If this team is going to succeed in throwing the football, they need to get Inman involved. He'll likely have a chance to make an impact this Sunday as the Bears return from their bye.

Chris Godwin (WR, TB) - 0% owned

Tampa fans (at least the only one I know) have been very excited about Chris Godwin since the team drafted him in the third round of the 2017 NFL Draft. Godwin is a really exciting prospect: he has crazy hops, he's fast, and he has decent size for an NFL receiver. With Mike Evans sidelined with a suspension this week, head coach Dirk Koetter said the team plans on getting Godwin involved this week. Koetter is coaching for his job at this point. If Godwin produces at a high level this week, the team will surely keep him involved even with the return of Evans. Godwin has a ton of upside.

Gerald Everett (TE, LAR) - 1% owned

The Rams love Gerald Everett. Despite the fact that he hasn't played in more than 35% of offensive snaps in a single game this season, the team always finds away to get him involved at least once on a key play during the game. Everett was the teams top draft pick this year and has flashed his crazy high potential. He's a breakout game away from the starting job. Head coach Sean McVay has a history of producing great fantasy tight ends, most notably being Jordan Reed. When Everett has a breakout game, he'll be a hot waiver option. The only problem is that he might not have one until next year.

Updates From Last Week

Below are guys who haven't had a change in their situations since I covered them last week, but still deserve a mention:

• Jimmy Garoppolo (QB, SF) - 11% owned
• Paxton Lynch (QB, DEN) - 1% owned
• Corey Coleman (WR, CLE) - 20% owned
• Dede Westbrook (WR, JAX) - 12% owned
• Kenny Golladay (WR, DET) - 7% owned
• Greg Olsen (TE, CAR) - 56% owned

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