You know the old fantasy football saying, “Do not chase points”, right? That saying is one you should almost always consider…ALMOST. At this point in the 2022 fantasy football season, we just need to survive, week by week, both the injuries and byes. What that means is we will probably have to catch lightning in a bottle and that means we need to pay attention to hot hands and possibly chase points from the prior week.
NOTE: Rostered percentages and scoring system is based on Yahoo! PPR league scoring.
Waiver Add of the Week: WR – Rondale Moore (AZ, 46% rostered). Heading into Monday, there are two major reasons Moore should not be atop this list. The first is the conclusion of the DeAndre Hopkins suspension. I can get behind that reason as Hopkins will probably see a lot of targets upon his return. I will go out on a limb in stating that 2022 Hopkins is not 2016 Hopkins and we simply do not know what we will get from the former stud WR as he shakes off the rust. The second is the emergence of Hollywood Brown. The targets and production have Brown within the top ten WR on the season, so Moore looks buried when you look at the stat book. What we must take into account is the late-game injury suffered by Brown and the news the injury may be season-ending. Being the key slot WR, I see Moore continuing to play a significant role in this offense and the Monday trade acquisition of Robbie Anderson does not scare me off one bit. Moore had 10 targets Sunday with Brown playing most of the game. Tell me you would not like 10 targets from a WR, especially during the bye weeks. The hope is Moore’s average depth of target (4.9 yards Sunday) improves. The key is the volume in an offense that simply needs to get better in a division that is not offering a lot of defensive opposition. Add another game with Seattle coming up shortly and Moore is a sure-fire top add this week.
QB: Matt Ryan (IND, 28% rostered) – Week 6’s QB2 threw the ball 58 times! Read that again…58 times. I am sure you knew he was chucking all day, but what you may have missed in the box score is Ryan did so without throwing one interception, fumbling once, or taking one sack. Read THAT again! Is that sustainable? Probably not, but we will take it as a bye-week replacement. The QB position is an absolute mess right now unless you roster Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes or Jalen Hurts. Don’t believe me? Go look at the top ten QBs for Week 6 and you will see names like Bailey Zappe, Matt Ryan, Jimmy Garoppolo, and Marcus Mariota. Not exactly the list you would expect. What this means for you heading into Week 7 byes is that you will be without two of the top QBs (Allen, Hurts) plus Kirk Cousins and Matthew Stafford. I am happy to chase those points if I am down my QB1 for Week 7.
QB: Ryan Tannehill (TEN, 17% rostered) –Sometimes you just need to remember that slow and steady (sometimes) wins the race. Maybe it is time you looked for a steady if unspectacular QB to put up enough points to keep you competitive. There is no season-long Josh Allen-like QB on the wire, so look at Week 7 matchups and do your best to invest wisely in a guy like Tannehill that can get you some rushing yards while providing enough passing to be in the mix. He is not flashy but can get the job done in one week.
Honorable Mention: Jameis Winston (NO, 28% rostered), Daniel Jones (NYG, 30% rostered), Marcus Mariota (ATL, 14% rostered),
RB: Deon Jackson (IND; 43% rostered) – Our dude Deon was a Week 6 winner and was less than 50% owned with the late news Jonathan Taylor would sit out the week after participating in practice during the week leading up to Week 6. 10 targets and 10 catches. Over 120 all-purpose yards with a TD. What more could we ask for? Two issues to consider with Jackson. First, Taylor should be back in Week 7 and second, Jackson departed Week 6 with a quad injury. If the injury is not too limiting leading up to Week 7, Jackson is an excellent addition considering the RBs on bye (Dalvin Cook, Devin Singletary, Miles Sanders and the atrocious options for the Rams). If healthy, I look for Jackson to continue to see reps with Nyheim Hines out and to spell Taylor if, indeed, Taylor is back for Week 7.
RB: Kenyan Drake (BAL; 5% rostered) – I have listed Gus Edwards a couple of times and still like him to take over carries from J.K. Dobbins when he is fully back from PUP. What I neglected to do was notice Drake lingering on the depth chart just waiting for a chance. That chance presented itself on Sunday when Dobbins left with knee tightness. That tightness occurred in the same leg that required him to miss an entire season. Keep an eye on the depth chart and Dobbins’/Edwards’ status heading into Week 7. You may find Drake to be a cheap, sneaky add against the Giants. Sure, the Giants have been tough against the run, but as I mentioned in the opening, you may need to chase points to be competitive at this point.
Honorable Mention: Dontrelle Hilliard (TEN, 12% rostered), Latavius Murray (DEN, 15% rostered), Sony Michel (LAC, 3% rostered)
WR: Darnell Mooney (CHI; 54% rostered) – Two of the last three games, Mooney has put up 13 PPR points. Not what you want from your WR1, but if someone dropped him and you are in need of production, Mooney could be your guy. I am still not sold on Fields as a starting NFL QB, but remember, we are chasing points and swinging for the fences with our waiver names this week.
WR: Donovan Peoples-Jones (CLE; 15% rostered) – Our guy DPJ is averaging double-digits over his last three games. He is not a league winner, but we need consistent points, and 10+ in PPR is a nice average and can probably be viewed as his floor at this point. As the season progresses, we may even see him take a step forward if/when Deshaun Watson usurps Jacoby Brissett as the QB1. Cleveland is a run-first team but must throw to ensure there are not consistently eight in the box against Nick Chubb. Balance is important and the Browns understand that as much as you do when you build your weekly lineup.
Honorable Mentions to STASH: Ben Skowronek (LAR, 2% rostered), Jameson Williams (32% rostered)
TE: Daniel Bellinger (NYG; 3% rostered) – The Giants’ offense does not rival those in Buffalo or Kansas City, but it is what it is in the 2022 fantasy tight end wasteland. Bellinger has found the end zone each of the past two weeks, so he is just as likely as any other streamer to score. Shoot for the moon when looking at TE since there appears to be nothing but disappointment outside of Travis Kelce and Mark Andrews.
Honorable Mention: Robert Tonyan (GB, 42% rostered), Cade Otton (TB, 6% rostered), Juwan Johnson (NO, 1% rostered)
I stress this point again…survive and move on. You need points anywhere you can get them during these dark injury and bye days. Do not be prideful at this point. Just add the names you think have the best path to a certain level of points and hope for the best.
Best of luck heading into Week 4 and may the wire be with you!
