With byes, injuries, and numerous streamable fantasy football players already playing on Thursday, this week was, to put it lightly, a freaking challenge. Never fear as we plumb the depths of the fantasy football waiver wire to find you the best players available for one week, who might just help you squeak it out against your opponent.
To make this list, a player must be available in at least 50% of Yahoo! Leagues, with one player per position available in at least 90% of leagues. Let’s dive in and see who we can find to patch those holes on our roster this week!
Quarterback
If I put a little note here, you know things are bad. Six quarterbacks qualify for this, and they’ve all kissed pine at some point this season (Drake Maye at Miami, Will Levis at Houston, Cooper Rush at Washington, Tommy DeVito versus Tampa Bay, Gardner Minshew versus Denver, and Bryce Young versus Kansas City). So, that’s not exactly an inspiring list. And, Drake Maye tops the roster rate with a cool 15% rate. So, with that in mind, remember that these aren’t exactly world-breaking options for you.
Drake Maye at Miami (15% rostered)
This is a bet on talent, as Maye is currently the most talented player on this list. He’s also the most accomplished fantasy football asset here, at least for the season. Maye has six starts this season (he finished five of them, and was injured against the Jets), and he’s finished with 17.7 or more points in four of them. This is while playing against neutral to bad matchups for most of these games, as well. He’s doing it with a ton of volume: May has at least 33 pass attempts in four of his five games that he’s started and finished, dropping 40+ passes in two of his last three.
The Dolphins are, on paper, a bad matchup. They allow the third-fewest fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks. However, they are getting a lot of passing volume dropped on their head lately. They’ve given up at least 282 passing yards in four of their last five games, and in the game where they allowed under that number, Josh Allen scored three touchdowns. The Dolphins aren’t giving up efficient passing games (quite the opposite their 6.81 yards per attempt ranks eleventh-lowest over the past four weeks). But, rather, teams are passing the ball at an exceptionally high rate: only the Baltimore Ravens have seen more passes over the last four weeks than the Miami Dolphins. With high volume and the Dolphins not getting any pressure lately (sixth-lowest QB pressure rate over the last four weeks), Maye should be in for a good game against Miami.
Will Levis at Houston (9% rostered)
Don’t look now, but Will Levis isn’t fully chaotic, at least not for the moment. Levis has two straight games of 16.6 fantasy points after making his triumphant return to the lineup following his injury. He took on the Chargers and Vikings in those two matchups, who both rank in the bottom half in fantasy points allowed to quarterbacks. But, a mix of high pass volume last week and high rushing efficiency the week before created a nice floor for Levis, who gets a decent matchup this week with the Houston Texans pass defense.
The Texans are a true middle-of-the-pack matchup, despite allowing the eleventh-most fantasy points to quarterbacks on the season. Cooper Rush put up 17.4 fantasy points on them last week with only one pick, and Jared Goff put up 12.8 against them, with five picks, the week before. They’re truly neither a good nor bad matchup, but one where you can just let ‘em rip.
Tommy DeVito versus Tampa Bay (4% rostered)
[Insert saying “ay! Oh! It’s Tommy Cutlets!” while doing Mama Mia Hands here]
DeVito is back in the lineup, and despite his NFL.com picture looking exactly like my friend David Waks when he was in high school, DeVito is legitimately a starting NFL quarterback. And by “legitimately” I mean that the Giants legitimately starting him to tank the season and to prevent paying out Daniel Jones’ contract next season.
I won’t mince words here: DeVito was mostly bad last season. He averaged 172 passing yards per game, with a 7:1 TD: INT ratio in his five games with 90%+ snaps played. Interestingly enough, though, he flashed some rushing upside, topping 35 rushing yards in three of those five games.
This week, however, he gets the best matchup for quarterbacks, as the Buccaneers allow the most fantasy points per game to the position. They’ve played a gauntlet lately, so it’s easy to discount Lamar Jackson, Kirk Cousins, Patrick Mahomes, and Brock Purdy lighting them up, but Spencer Rattler put up his only game where he looked like a legitimate NFL talent against them. They’re not a defense to worry about.
Wide Receivers
Wan’Dale Robinson versus Tampa Bay (47% rostered)
Don’t let Tommy DeVito deter you, as the Giants’ passing game has had two prongs to it this season: bombs to Malik Nabers, and piddly little dump-offs to Wan’Dale Robinson. Robinson has been a target hog all season and has at least 8 targets in five of his last seven games. People let him go after a few disappointing games before the bye, but he, and his thirteenth-most targets per game on the season, are back, and in a primo matchup.
The Buccaneers can’t stop a paper bag in the passing game, and nine receivers notched at least 8 targets against them this season. The worst a wide receiver has finished against them is Lil’Jordan Humphrey’s 9.7 PPR points. He’s facing guaranteed PPR points this week thanks to his average volume and the terrible Tampa Bay pass defense.
Quinton Johnston versus Baltimore (46% rostered)
Don’t look now, but QJ has three straight games with double-digit fantasy points scored, and he has a touchdown in three straight games. He is WR10 in the last three weeks, mostly on the strength of those touchdowns, and one big game (118 receiving yards at Cleveland). It’s been a rising tide lifting all boats situation in L.A., as Justin Herbert has his four best fantasy games over the last four weeks, making everyone, from QJ to Ladd McConkey to Will Dissly, feast.
This week, he gets the Ravens, who are one of the most porous pass defenses in the NFL while being one of the stingiest run defenses, making them a massive pass funnel defense. They also specialize in giving up massive plays, which is Johnston’s specialty: seven of his 22 catches this season have gone for at least 21 yards.
Kayshon Boutte at Miami (5% rostered)
Boutte, like Maye, doesn’t have the best matchup in the world, but this is also a bet on volume. Boutte has six targets in four straight games this year and has finished with at least 7.3 PPR points in three of those. They’ve all been in bad matchups, which means that Boutte is producing despite his bad matchups. With a lot of volume on the horizon for Drake Maye, Boutte should get at least six targets this week. And maybe, just maybe, he might get a seventh target.
Running Backs
Audric Estimé versus Las Vegas (35% rostered)
People want to act like the Audric Estimé experience is over. I truly don’t believe that it’s over for Estimate, especially since he had the second-most touches of his career last week. Granted, it was only six carries and three catches (on three targets), but at the same time, Javonte Williams had just nine rushes and four targets. The Broncos put the Falcons in the dirt last week and refused to let them come up for air.
This week, they’ll do that again, but this time it will be against the hapless Raiders defense. The Raiders’ defense does a good job of stymying the run (25% of carries against them fail to gain a single yard), but they are physically incapable of stopping production on the goal line, allowing 11 touchdowns to running backs this season. They are also porous in the passing game, as they have allowed 30+ receiving yards to individual backs in three straight games.
Trey Benson at Seattle (26% rostered)
Benson has double-digit fantasy points in two straight games, thanks to 23 touches in those two games combined. Those 23 touches show a shift in philosophy for the Cardinals, as they allowed him only touches in the first eight weeks combined. This week, Benson gets the Seahawks and their eleventh-ranked run defense. The Seahawks are one of the more beatable defenses: 41% of rush attempts against them go for at least five yards, the second-highest rate in the league. If he puts together double-digit touches, Benson should put together a nice fantasy day for you during the bye-week blues.
Ameer Abdullah (2% rostered) or Dylan Laube (0% rostered) versus Denver
There will likely be no Zamir White, and no Alexander Mattison in this one. This is pure, uncut “Someone has to touch the ball.” Abdullah is the clubhouse leader, but Laube is likely to fill in around the edges. Abdullah logged 10.7 PPR points last week, but that was on three catches for sixteen yards, one rush for one yard… and a touchdown. Abdullah likely gets the goal line carries for the Raiders, given that Laube fumbled on his one career touch in the NFL. So, he’s my favorite of the two. But “favorite” against this Denver Broncos run defense is taken extremely lightly.
Tight Ends
Zach Ertz versus Dallas (43% rostered)
Ertz has at least 8 targets in three of his last four games, and he is TE12 in that stretch. The grizzled veteran is simply a PPR machine for the Commanders, as he takes the short area targets for Jayden Daniels’ offense. It’s also worth noting that with the chains needing to move last week, Daniels turned to Ertz . They get a Cowboys team that is circling the drain, and who have allowed 9+ PPR points to six different tight ends in their last six games.
Will Dissly versus Baltimore (42% rostered)
It’s not often that I dive back in when I get something right in the streaming column. But, it’s not often that a player gets multiple primo matchups in a row, and Will Dissly likely graduate from this article this week. He has six targets in two straight games and 6+ in four of his last five. He finally had a big game last week, totaling 4/80/1 line on his six targets. He’s a key part of the Chargers’ offense, and he’s going to get another nice matchup this week against the Ravens.
Baltimore is one of the better streaming matchups, and they do it without giving up a ton of touchdowns. They’ve yielded only two tight end touchdowns this season, yet seven different tight ends (including Dalton Kincaid, Jake Ferguson, Zach Ertz, and Tanner Hudson) notched at least 9 PPR points against them. Dissly is set up very nicely this week, and with four straight opponents ranking inside the top-eleven in fantasy points to tight ends, it’s good times ahead for those who are streaming him.
Ja’Tavion Sanders versus Kansas City (4% rostered)
Sanders has 8.8 or more PPR points in four of his last five games, and he has at least five targets in four of his last six. He’s getting volume and opportunity for the Panthers, and is producing for them; he has at least 49 yards or a touchdown in four of his last five games, making him not only a good fantasy asset but a good real-life weapon for Bryce Young.
This week, he gets the Chiefs, the team that allows the fourth-most fantasy points to tight ends this season. Dawson Knox finished with just 4/40 last week on six targets, but five tight ends topped that score in the previous five games. Sanders is a key part of the Panthers’ passing game now, and he gets a matchup that he can exploit for beaucoup fantasy points.
