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Bye weeks are now in full effect with the Colts, Raiders, Bills, and Bears all enjoying some rest and relaxation. So this week you may need to pillage the waiver wire in order to fill your starting lineup. Hopefully, you've been paying attention to this article in previous weeks and have been picking some of these guys up as speculative adds. If not, there are still some sparsely-owned players that can give you some value for this week and beyond.
The following players are owned in approximately 10% or fewer of Yahoo leagues, so they won't be the flashiest names on the market. But if you're looking for a good spot start or just need some high-upside lottery tickets, these are your guys.
Let's look at some potential waiver wire adds in deep leagues.
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Free Agent Quarterbacks
Dwayne Haskins / Colt McCoy, Washington Redskins - 2% owned
I listed Haskins as a pickup in this space last week, not because you should have played him against New England if he was listed as the starter, but because he hypothetically had the matchup of all matchups this week against Miami. But he may not get the nod this Sunday.
Colt McCoy didn't work out so well commanding the ship in Washington, throwing for just 119 yards, one interception and zero touchdowns against New England. Head coach Jay Gruden was fired after letting his team fall to 0-5 on the season, leaving offensive line coach Bill Callahan to run the show while they look for a permanent replacement. Callahan said Haskins is "not a candidate to start right now" versus Miami, though that could all change by Friday. Pick up both options and insert whoever plays into your lineup.
Josh Rosen, Miami Dolphins - 2% owned
Rosen has been awful. There's no getting around that. Miami as a whole has looked like a performance art piece using football as an allegory about the effects of clinical depression. But let this matchup be a shining example that really bad teams can occasionally offer good-to-great fantasy production. Washington has given up the 8th-most yards through the air and the 2nd-most passing touchdowns to opposing offenses. This should be a very ugly real-life football game that looks like the Mona Lisa from a fantasy perspective when all is said and done.
Free Agent Running Backs
Chase Edmonds, Arizona Cardinals - 3% owned
If you needed more assurance that Edmonds is a valuable handcuff, Sunday's solid stat line probably helped. Edmonds was sprinkled in behind David Johnson as the Cardinals held a lead over the Bengals for the majority of the game, putting up 68 yards and a touchdown on eight carries. He was also targeted four times for 18 yards. Edmonds won't have the benefit of such easy matchups going forward but remains one of the most explosive and underrated handcuffs in fantasy football.
Tra Carson, Green Bay Packers - 0% owned
As it turns out, the Packers coaching staff didn't trust Dexter Williams knew the offense well enough to step in as a temporary replacement for Jamaal Williams. That's quite frankly an odd thing to say about a running back. Still, Carson was activated from the practice squad to get the first touches of his career. He played on 24 of 74 offensive snaps and handled the ball 10 times for a modest 32 total yards. On Aaron Jones' monster day, Carson was obviously a complementary piece but surely did enough to gain some confidence from the coaches and his quarterback. If Williams sits again this week against Detroit, Carson could be in line for some more work to help keep Jones fresh.
Free Agent Wide Receivers
Devante Parker / Preston Williams, Miami Dolphins - 9% owned
Parker's name now comes with so much trauma attached that it's no surprise he's owned in fewer than 10% of leagues, especially coming off a bye week. Parker has underwhelmed once again to this point and is currently sitting at WR64 in PPR leagues. But there is hope for this week. Because he gets to face the Redskins in a battle of Who's Worse and is all but assured to have a respectable fantasy day.
The same goes for Preston Williams, who leads the Dolphins in targets with 30 for 201 yards through the team's first four games. Parker is the big play, high upside option while Williams has his highest floor of the season thus far. So long as Albert Wilson remains sidelined, both are solid flex options.
N'Keal Harry, New England Patriots - 6% owned
Now is the time to start considering stashing players that could help you later in the season. If you have a winning record, an empty IR spot, or a roster spot currently clogged up with low ceiling player, you should be adding the Patriots rookie wide receiver. Harry is eligible to return to action in Week 9, and could immediately become a top tier fantasy option. New England doesn't need him to get through their soft opening schedule but could utilize him plenty when he's back.
Free Agent Tight Ends
Darren Fells, Houston Texans - 0% owned
It seems the Texans truly do want to spread the ball around and feature their tight ends more in the passing game this year. What looked to be a mirage the first couple of games has proven to be legitimate. Fells was the preferred red zone threat against Atlanta, grabbing both of his targets for touchdowns. He's out-snapped Jordin Akins four weeks in a row and will be presented with a great matchup in Week 6 against Kansas City, who have allowed the 6th-most fantasy points to tight ends. Vegas has given this game the highest point total of the year so far, so look for Fells to find the end zone again in this full-fledged shootout.
More Waiver Wire Pickups and Advice
