WEEK 4: 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 refers to 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.
Emmanuel Sanders- Wide Receiver, BUF
ESPN Roster Percentage-14%
Emmanuel Sanders has quietly been producing for the Buffalo Bills through their first 3 games. Yes, the breakout game came in Week 3 against the Washington Football Team and prior to that he had yet to score more than 8 fantasy points in a game, but the thing to always look for in players is consistent snap counts. Emmanuel Sanders has an 84% snap percentage through 3 weeks, which tells me that he is a big part of the Bills passing game, even if he hasn’t seen a large number or targets yet. He has a 16.5% target share, but currently has accounted for 31.5% of his team’s wide receiver fantasy points, more than any other Bills receiver. He won't give you the week-to-week consistency of a Cole Beasley or the high-end floor that Stefon Diggs provides, but he will have his boom weeks that make him a great flex option in the right matchup. He is worth a low budget FAB bid and is someone that I would be willing to use a mid-level waiver wire priority bid on.
Chuba Hubbard- Running Back, CAR
ESPN Roster Percentage- 11.3%
This is going to be the waiver wire addition that every single fantasy football analyst will write, talk and tweet about this week. While he is going to be a useful addition to your fantasy roster, he isn’t worth what he’s going to cost in terms of FAB. I know that fantasy managers are worried that we’re seeing a repeat of Christian McCaffrey’s season from last year, where he only played in 3 games, but I don’t think this is the case. The early reports are that McCaffrey won't go on the IR, which means the Panthers are confident he will be able to return within 3 weeks. Hubbard will have his shot throughout those 3 weeks to prove himself as a confident backup for when McCaffrey returns, but Hubbard won't have the season long value if McCaffrey returns and stays healthy. Hubbard is injury assurance and isn’t someone I would be willing to spend a high waiver wire priority on.
Tim Patrick- Wide Receiver, DEN
ESPN Roster Percentage- 14%
The Denver Broncos are dealing with quite a bit of injury issues at the moment, especially at the wide receiver position. Jerry Jeudy is still likely to be out another 2-4 weeks with his ankle injury and now K.J. Hamler is out for the remainder of the year with an ACL tear. Patrick was already involved at a high level, seeing a 73% snap count and he will likely see that number rise in the coming weeks. He has scored 10+ fantasy points in every game so far, and he will assume the WR 2 due to the previously mentioned injuries. He is worth a low money FAB bid and a low level waiver wire priority.
