WEEK 6: 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.
It’s officially my least favorite part of the NFL regular season; bye weeks are now coming into play. The standards for what a starter looks like on a week-to-week basis starts to get weaker and fantasy managers have to adapt to that. With that caveat out of the way, let’s get to it.
Darrel Williams- Running Back, KC
ESPN Roster Percentage- 7.6%
I know I sound like a broken record at this point, but another week of injuries leads directly into my top waiver wire candidates. Chiefs starting running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire suffered a MCL sprain and is likely to miss multiple weeks. The next man up for the Chiefs is veteran Darrel Williams, who looks to cash in on the lost workload from CEH missing games. He isn’t an explosive runner or one of the better receiving backs, but he is just good enough to produce for a team that is begging for running back production. Williams isn’t a guaranteed starter with the CEH injury, but he is definitely a flex candidate with the slew of injuries across the NFL as well with teams being on bye this week. He is worth a decent FAB bid, possibly a mid-level waiver bid, but not enough to lose sleep over if you don’t get him.
Devontae Booker- Running Back, NYG
ESPN Roster Percentage- 3.8%
Again, the main reasoning for this waiver wire add is an injury. Giants running back Saquon Barkley suffered a low-ankle sprain in their game against the Cowboys, which will likely sideline him for a couple weeks. Booker came into the game and was immediately the workhorse back; he was also quite productive with his touches, scoring two TDs. He will jump in as an immediate flex candidate, and depending on the health of the other injured Giants, he may benefit from an increased amount of touches. I wouldn’t spend a large amount of FAB on Booker, but he is worth a small investment. I would use a higher priority waiver bid to give me the best odds of having him in my lineup for Week 6.
