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This article and analysis was written by our friends at RosterWatch.
Welcome back, RotoBallers. Today, we are happy to be sharing another article from our friends at RosterWatch. In case you are not familiar, you should be! RosterWatch is one of the industry's leading resources for year-round NFL and fantasy football analysis, and led by a group of great people. You can find them on the SiriusXM Fantasy Sports channel throughout the year.
Today they are here to provide you with sneaky zero dollar pickups you can add to your roster today, that may be of great value down the road. The idea is to identify players that have a plausible path to be the high-priced free agent in the coming weeks. The bottom of your fantasy roster should always be used to cycle through high upside pickups that can easily be cut to speculate on another player.
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Sneaky Waiver Wire Stashes
Each week this column will provide you with sneaky zero dollar pickups you can add to your roster today, that may be of great value down the road. The idea is to identify players that have a plausible path to be the high-priced free agent in the coming weeks. The bottom of your fantasy roster should always be used to cycle through high upside pickups that can easily be cut to speculate on another player.
Over the past few weeks, this column encouraged you to pick up Jordan Wilkins, Gus Edwards, Mecole Hardman, and Curtis Samuel when they were free on your waiver wire. All of those players are now the high priced free agents heading into week 9. Below are three players that should be considered for a zero dollar bid.
Benny Snell Jr., Pittsburgh Steelers
7% Rostered
The easiest way to identify the best zero dollar bid players is to ask the question; “Which RBs are one injury away from a top 15 RB ranking next week?” Benny Snell falls squarely into this category. What makes him available for a zero bid over other players that fit the “one injury away” label is that Snell did not have a significant fantasy day this past week.
Snell did convert a goal-line carry after starter James Conner failed to get in the endzone. Conner is still rolling as an every week workhorse, but he has a history of not being able to stay healthy. This is the week to pick up Snell, as it is clear and obvious he would be fantasy relevant with a Conner injury on an undefeated Steelers team.
Brian Hill, Atlanta Falcons
11% Rostered
Brian Hill fits the same description as Benny Snell. He profiles as the clear backup to Todd Gurley. In week 8 Hill looked better than Gurley; nearly doubling Todd Gurley’s yards per carry output. Hill has been a player that the fantasy community has been disappointed by in the past, so he is likely going to be available for a zero bid this week.
Though Gurley has stayed healthy in 2020, we know that Gurley has a significant injury history. Atlanta has taken a stance that they are unwilling to trade the key pieces of their team, mainly Julio Jones and Matt Ryan, so the Falcon’s offense is likely to stay significant for fantasy production. Brian Hill makes a ton of sense to pick up as a zero dollar bid this week; as a bet against Gurley’s health.
Allen Lazard, Green Bay Packers
35% Rostered
Normally we try to identify players that are under 20% rostered for “Zero Bidding” targets. When a player in sub 20% rostered is a signal that they are likely available in deeper leagues too. Lazard is 35% rostered, but that likely accounts for leagues that have an “injured reserve” spot. In leagues where there is no IR spot, I am making the presumption Lazard is available.
Lazard was firmly in Aaron Rodgers’ “circle of trust,” an exclusive club that is key to fantasy production on the Packers. Lazard displayed his monster upside in week three with an 8/6/146/1 stat line. That translated to approximately 25 fantasy points in PPR leagues. Allen Lazard was put on IR after that game but was reportedly close to coming back last week.
It has been over a month since his injury, so there is a good chance he is off your league’s radar. Let everyone else spend their free agent budget on the risky WRs this week, while you scoop up Lazard for a zero dollar bid. When Lazard comes back, he will be presumably healthy and should be a top 24 option for the rest of the season.
More From RosterWatch
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This column was provided to RotoBaller by RosterWatch, www.rosterwatch.com. The author of this column is Alan Seslowsky (@alanseslowsky).
