WEEK 8: 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.
Ladies and gentlemen, we did it. We have made it through the bye-pocalypse with some varying degrees of success. Some made it through without any issues, some just barely survived, and some are clinging to life, begging for the week to be over. This was the monster of all monster bye weeks and thankfully there will be no other week like this for the remainder of the NFL season. Regardless of your outcome this week, we are all better fantasy football managers for navigating through it. Now onto the other side!
Christian Kirk- Wide Receiver, ARI
ESPN Roster Percentage- 31.2%
Christian Kirk has quietly had himself a solid season, heading into Monday night’s game as WR #21 on the year. Yes, I know that puts him ahead of a few players that have already had their bye, but he has shown the top end talent that is expected from the #2 receiving option on the Cardinals. He has had some consistency issues, with four top-20 games and three outside the top 45, but that’s what comes with the wide receiver position. The Cardinals have the best record in football and may be the best offense as well, giving Kirk better opportunities to put up efficient fantasy days, even if the volume isn’t there. He is my top waiver wire add after a relatively healthy week of football, and is worth a mid-level waiver wire priority and a small FAB bid.
Carson Wentz- Quarterback, IND
ESPN Roster Percentage- 22.1%
I am the farthest thing from a Carson Wentz truther, but he has played well over his last 3 weeks. He has been a top-14 quarterback during that stretch and had an impressive game in the monsoon-like weather Sunday night against the 49ers. More than anything, Wentz is a streaming option and potential bye week fill in for the Lamar Jackson and Derek Carr managers. I wouldn’t pick up Wentz with any hope of him being a reliable, no doubt starter, but you could do worse in a pinch. Wentz is nothing more than a late waiver priority add, or maybe even a post waiver pick up.
