I’d like to begin this week’s post with a big shout out to the homie Dolphins owner Stephen Ross. Good looks on firing Philbin my man, hopefully the next coach you hire can actually use Lamar Miller. Particularly in 1st-and-goal scenarios, but I know, I’m nitpicking. Now that the hey “how’s your fathers”, and the “did you get that lump looked at” are out of the way, we can move onto talking waiver wire adds and the guys Yahoo and ESPN will tell you to pickup in two weeks. So how was everybody’s Week 4? Mine was good, I want 11-2 across my baker’s dozen of teams. Am I bragging? Maybe a little, but then again this is the first winning week I’ve had all year. Meaning I have three teams above .500. Yes, I’m the guy you go to for waiver wire news, not because I know what the hell I’m doing, but because my teams are so wretched, that I’m constantly shopping on the wire to fill my band of beleaguered flunkies. In other words, I’m not only Razzball’s resident waiver wire President, I’m also a client! Here are your adds for Week 5 of fantasy football.
Quarterbacks
Kirk Cousins (Yahoo 6% – ESPN 5.1%) – For one shining moment, I’ll entertain Cousins as a bye week fill in. Washington’s Week 5 opponent the Atlanta Falcons love a good shootout. They score a lot of points and force other teams to throw to keep up. Jay Gruden isn’t afraid of a dozen krispie kreames and he’s not scared of letting Cousins toss 40-plus attempts. As putrid and irrational a thought that is, it’s bound to happen this week. As I prefaced, this is a one week thing, because Cousins faces a tough Jets secondary in Week 6, and that’s not a matchup I’m even thinking about using. So pump and dump on this one.
Matt Cassel (Yahoo 1% – ESPN .5%) – Sunday morning prior to any games even starting, Adam Schefter was already reporting that Cassel could potentially face the Patriots in Week 5. The only qualifier was “depending” upon “how” Brandon Weeden played. We all know, and could have guessed, how that went. Weeden had lost nine straight starts going into Sunday night. Hello number ten! After the game, Jerry Jones was describing Weeden’s play as “limited”. Hmmmm, interesting… I would say Jerry is acting like we all had “limited” knowledge of this before the game. Jerry, we knew this already. To add insult to injury Jerry also pronounced the “W” sounds in Weeden’s name the way Stewie Griffin says the whip in cool whip. Not a good look, America’s team. The Cowboys have now had a couple of weeks to get Cassel up to speed. As bad as Cassel is, he’s an upgrade from Weeden. Too bad all of the Cowboys skill players are on somebody’s kill list. Cassel might not have anyone left to throw to by the time Week 6 rolls around.
Running Backs
Ronnie Hillman (Yahoo 36%- ESPN 46.7%) – Did any of you watch the Broncos game? Did you notice when Hillman was in the game and when Crunk Juice was? It was easy to differentiate because when Hillman was in, there was a capable looking runner lined up. Kubiack said on Monday that Hillman has earned more touches, and to that I say thank you. In fact, Kubiak was so impressed with Hillman’s performance that he declared him Denver’s offensive player of the game. Then again, that’s not saying much, everyone else on the Broncos offense was miserable. Anywho, hopefully you hand-cuffed Hillman to Anderson weeks ago, but if the Hill-man is still available, make him your top priority. I have a feeling he runs away with the job.
Duke Johnson Jr. (Yahoo 32% – ESPN 49.6%) – Smokey talked about him last week, and he preceded to score 22.10 points in RCL leagues. The Duke saw considerable work in the passing game, hauling in 9-out-of-10 targets. In the running game he saw four less touches than Isaiah Crowell, but got the look on the one-yard line late in the game. Of course he didn’t convert it so there’s that. But either way Johnson is getting touches in a way that demands a pickup.
Roy Helu Jr. (Yahoo 4% – ESPN 5.2%) – Like a creepy sales clerk at a JC Penney, we’re all about the juniors this week. For a few minutes in Saturday’s game we got a glimpse of what it would look like if Latavius Murray was injured. If that in fact happens, run, don’t walk to your wire and add Helu. This is a very speculative suggestion at this point, but handcuffing Murray isn’t the worst idea. Outside of an injury to Murray, Helu has limited value in deep PPR leagues. No different than he was in Washington, seemingly forever.
Christine Michael (Yahoo 9%- ESPN 7.2%) – The time has come for this fantasy writer to discuss Michael’s potential and how you should pick him up. Lance Dunbar got the donzo distinction with an ACL injury on Sunday night, so the mythical creature known as Christine Michael has to be mentioned as a pickup. I mean, hell, this is the second time just this year that I’ve talked about him in this space, and we’re only in Week 5. Temper expectations, but he’s a must cuff if you own Joseph Randle.
Wide Receiver
Kamar Aiken (Yahoo 2% – ESPN .8%) – Real simple, Steve Smith has an injury so he’ll probably miss a week (even if he should miss ten), because Steve Smith is insane and doesn’t live by the codes the rest of us do. Regardless of Steve Smith’s telekinetic regenerative powers, Aiken should be in line for some serious work in his absence. I mean who else do the Ravens have to throw to? Seriously, who else?
Ted Ginn Jr. (Yahoo 33% – ESPN 32.3%) – I want to be clear Ted Ginn hasn’t played well. For starters, he’s caught less than 50% of his targets, going 12/25 so far this season. Additionally he hasn’t had more than four catches in a game, and is yet to break 100-yards in any one contest, but man has he been good for a big play or two each week. You’re only looking at TGJ as a high upside flex play in deeper leagues. Then again, Cam Newton has such a measly arsenal of weapons Ginn’s due to get three things each week, targets, red zone targets, and at least one deep ball target.
Willie Snead (Yahoo 5% – ESPN 1.4%) – How did Willie Snead not play in the 1980’s? Everything about his name screams 1980’s pro athlete. I can already see him with a jheri curl, a gold chain with his number on a pendant, and a serious appetite for the Bolivian marching powder. In reality he’s the number two option in the Saints passing attack. So far this season Snead leads all Saints in receiving yards, and has seen 6-7 targets the past three weeks. With Drew Brees back in the fold, I have every confidence we could be looking at a breakout season for the undrafted rookie.
Tight Ends
Gary Barnidge (Yahoo 11% – ESPN 11.1%) – I really didn’t want to talk about Barnidge. I didn’t want to, but he had two straight good games. So maybe just maybe he’s on the radar in 12-team leagues. The thing is… he’s 30, he’s been in the league for seven years, and this is already his best season. Then again, sometimes a player comes out of nowhere and has a career year, and fades back into obscurity. Maybe Barnidge is this year’s out of nowhere guy.
Owen Daniels (Yahoo 55% – ESPN Â 44.7%) – *Tight end facing the Raiders alert* That means pick him up. He’s really not done much of anything outside the two touchdown catches, but for this week he’s on the TE1 radar. Look back at the tight end performances against the Raiders so far this year. Martellus Bennett 11 catches, 83 yards and a TD in Week 4, the aforementioned Gary Barnridge 6 catches, 105 yards, and a TD in week 3, Crockett Gillmore had 5 catches, 88 yards, and 2 TD’s in week 2, and Tyler Eifert in Week 1 who hauled in 9 catches, 104 yards, and 2 TD’s. It’s pretty much a disappointment if Daniels doesn’t finish with 6 catches for 70 yards and a TD.
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