Week 9 Waiver Claims

Quarterback #1: Tua

It was Tua’s first start so I’m going to give him some slack for not lighting the world on fire. He still qualifies as a scrambling QB in my mind (barely, but still) & I believe that sort of rushing upside will make itself known on the stat sheet when the Dolphins are forced to play from behind. I’m not wavering from my optimism until I see him stack a few more underwhelming (fantasy) performances.

Quarterback #2: Nick Mullens

Nick Mullens has thrown 73 passes this season. His 70.4% completion % ranks 5th in the NFL, behind only Brees, Bridgewater, Wilson, & Carr. His 8.7 Yards/Attempt is tied for 2nd, behind only Deshaun Watson (8.8). Those numbers are skewed by some garbage time against Seattle, but Mullens sure hasn’t fallen flat when given an opportunity to sling it. He’s worth a roll of the dice on the chance he plays well enough to wrestle the job away from Jimmy GQ. I’ve included GQ as a stash-add based on his Week 15/16 matchups with DAL & AZ so it wouldn’t be fair not to give Mullens the same treatment.

Quarterback #3: Drew Lock

Lock just threw for 3 TD’s in a plus LAC matchup & now he gets two more plus matchups against ATL (most PPG allowed to QB’s) & LV (8th most). The QB streaming options seem particularly brutal this week so Lock makes sense for teams who find themselves scrapping for wins & in need of a short-term fix.

Running Back #1: Zack Moss

It was very difficult figuring out a hierarchy for the RB adds this week. I honestly feel like I could have replaced these 3 names with 3 names from the “Just Missed The Cut” section & still feel pretty good about it. I’ve decided to place Moss atop the mountain (hill?) because I was a believer in his talent coming into the NFL & I believe he has the best chance at sticking as his team’s lead back. After logging 35 snaps & 10 touches to Devin Singletary’s 40 snaps & 10 touches a week ago, he seemed to (ever-so-slightly) overtake Singletary this past week, with 31 snaps, 14 touches, (& 2TD’s) to Singletary’s 28 snaps & 15 touches. At this point Moss just looks like the better back, & he seems to have near complete dominance of the Buffalo RB’s TD-upside.

Running Back #2: Gus Edwards

My main concern for Gus Edwards was the fact that he hadn’t caught a single pass all season – and that concern hasn’t exactly dissipated – but it’s hard not to be more enthused about his weekly viability after watching him go for 100 yards & a score against a rugged Pittsburgh defense. He & JK Dobbins are giving the Ravens plenty of reasons to just leave Mark Ingram on the sidelines whenever it is that he returns. If this does turn into a 2-man backfield, the Ravens finish the fantasy season against DAL/CLE/JAX/NYG.

Running Back #3: La’Mical Perine

The 70/30 snap-split that La’Mical Perine had established with Frank Gore in Week 7, unfortunately, reverted back towards a 50/50 split in Week 8, with Gore seeing 22 snaps to Perine’s 28. Still, Perine had 10 touches & his 3^rd straight game with 2 receptions.

Wide Receiver #1: Corey Davis

Going into this past week, Corey Davis was one of only 5 WR’s with 5+ targets & double-digit (PPR) fantasy points in 100% of their games played this year. With Robby Anderson & Kenny Golladay falling off the list after this past week, the list is down to 3: Stefon Diggs, Jamison Crowder, & Corey Davis. Davis’s got a tough slate of games coming up (CHI/IND/BAL/IND), but if you can wait it out, he finishes the year with matchups against the Browns, Jaguars, Lions, and Packers after that.

Wide Receiver #2: Jalen Reagor

Reagor pops off the screen (& combine charts) & he has upped his fantasy production in 3 straight games to start his career. He’s got a great chance to keep that trend rolling coming out of the bye with matchups against NYG, CLE, SEA, GB, NOR, AZ, & DAL to close out the year.

Wide Receiver #3: Mecole Hardman

I don’t know what we’re getting out of Hardman on a weekly basis any more than the next guy & I won’t advocate starting him until he can stack more than one game, but Patrick Mahomes is piping hot (again), so why not stash a free piece of this offense & hope for the best?

Tight End #1: Trey Burton

The Indianapolis TE situation is quickly starting to resemble the New England backfield situation, and I don’t like it! Not one bit! But the fact of the matter is Burton is seeing enough snaps (44 this past week) & creative involvement (rushing TD’s in 2 straight games) – not to mention the fact that he hasn’t really let us down (from a fantasy perspective) yet – that it’s worth continuing to plug him into your lineup until he starts to show signs of statistical decline. We’re halfway through the season & the Colts weekly leading fantasy scorer at TE hasn’t scored less than 7.9 (PPR) points in a single game yet. That leading scorer has been Burton the past 3 games (he’s played 4 games) & after this week’s tough BAL matchup, there isn’t a tough matchup again until Week 16 against Pittsburgh.

Tight End #2: Ross Dwelley

Dwelley might be a better add than Trey Burton in the short-term, but we also have to consider the fact that George Kittle is sort of an animal & is probably going to be pushing to return sooner than his projected injury timeline of 6-8 weeks. If you roster Kittle, insuring him with Dwelley > Burton might be the way to go, but if you are looking for a TE who will be there for you down the stretch, I’d opt for the safer long-term bet in Burton.

Tight End #3: Logan Thomas