WEEK 3: WAIVER WIRE
Every Tuesday, I will be bringing to light the best potential waiver wire additions across fantasy football. Let’s begin with some basic principles for each article and some of the qualifiers that will be used each week. First off, the minimum rostered percentage threshold that I will be using is 33.3%, so any player that is rostered in ESPN leagues above that percentage will not be written about (until near the end of the season when it gets harder to wade through the constantly thinning waiver wire.) Second, not all waiver wire additions are created equal and all are dependent on the roster you have. Each week I will be writing about players and the potential they bring to your fantasy roster, but I obviously don’t know who is on your team or what you may need in terms of roster construction. If I say a quarterback is the top waiver wire addition for the week, and you have Patrick Mahomes, that doesn’t mean you need to add that player to your team while dropping a potentially valuable player in order to do so. Third, I will frequently be using the abbreviation FAB, which refers to Free Agent Budget. This is the potential amount you might spend to acquire someone off the waiver wire if your league has that as a part of their system. Now, with all the rules and jargon out of the way, let’s get to it.
Rondale Moore-Wide Receiver, ARI
ESPN Roster Percentage- 19.2%
Rondale Moore has been impressive this far into his rookie season and it shows in the fantasy box scores. Now, while it is a small sample size and we have to take things like game flow and play-calling into account, Rondale Moore is currently the Cardinals leader in targets, receptions and yards. That isn’t something that I expect to continue going forward, but it shows he has earned the trust of quarterback Kyler Murray. It also indicates the coaching staff has enough faith to scheme plays specifically for him. The worry for Moore is that he still sits lower on the depth chart and isn’t on the field as much as you would like for a potential fantasy relevant player, even though he’s making the most out of the touches he gets. He has shown explosiveness in the plays he’s involved in and brings another element to this offense that they have been missing in the past. He’s worth a decent FAB bid and I would be willing to use a high priority waiver bid to add him to my roster in order to have him as a FLEX option going forward.
Quintez Cephus- Wide Receiver, DET
ESPN Roster Percentage- 0.7%
This is another one of those hide the team’s name and close your eyes when you add him to your waiver wire list kind of guys. Quintez Cephus has been the best wide receiver for the Lions, and he will continue to see targets. The Lions have shown more fight than expected, but they will continue to be behind in games. This means they will have to throw the ball to catch up, leaving the majority of targets to T.J. Hockenson and Quintez Cephus. It’s not a sexy add and he definitely isn’t someone I'm looking to start every week. Despite that, he’s worth a small FAB bid and someone I would wait to see if I could get after the initial waivers clear.
Las Vegas Raiders- D/ST
ESPN Roster Percentage- 1.0%
This is purely a matchup driven add and it has a few qualifiers. Raiders starting quarterback Derek Carr is currently questionable for Week 3, but head coach Jon Gruden expects Carr to be ready to go for game time. If Carr is on the field, I would be slamming the waivers to add the Raiders D/ST for the week. The other factor is the Dolphins starting quarterback, Tua Tagovailoa, who was injured during their Week 2 contest against the Bills. Tagovailoa’s injury is likely going to come down to pain tolerance and his mobility, as he’s dealing with a rib injury, so I really don’t expect him to play. If he were to miss the game, the Raiders would be a no doubt start in Week 3. They aren’t worth a FAB bid or even a first night waiver wire addition, but they are a team to look out for later in the week if we get more injury clarification on both quarterbacks.
