This week’s waiver wire list has a couple of interesting players you should really take a hard look at not only for a significant plug and play opportunity, but also for those of you in Dynasty leagues and the few who are tracking players for next year.
Whether it is through injury, or just situations where teams are giving other guys the nod to see what they’re made of, some of these players have already solidified themselves as legitimate pickups which could go a long way for those of you in your last week of regular competition.
Get your notebooks ready.
Introducing the Offense:
Louis Murphy – WR – OAK: Murphy has been relatively quiet all year long, but at the same respect he hasn’t been all that bad. Last week’s breakout game against an otherwise very good Steeler defense—4 catches for 128 yards and 2 TDs—was a glimpse of what the Raiders thought Murphy was capable of.
This week he has a tough game vs. the Redskins, but going forward this guy should be picked up and watched intently. He has an average ownership of 2.3 in ESPN leagues and averages 16.3 yards a catch on the season thus far.
Devin Thomas – WR – WAS: Thomas has been non-existent up until three weeks ago, and it makes perfect sense. The Redskins have been anemic all year offensively, Moss was still considered a number one receiver—don’t know why—and there just wasn’t many targets going his way.
In the past three weeks, however, Thomas has not only put on a good show—14 catches for 179 yards and 2 TDs—he has also been returning kicks, and apparently he’s pretty good at it accumulating over 300 yards which significantly increases his value.
Since Washington has nothing to play for other than player evaluation, Thomas should be seeing more and more targets come his way and more time returning kicks making him an interesting waiver pick who is virtually un-owned across the board.
Evan Moore – TE – CLE: This guy gets activated from the practice squad, gets praise from his teammates and coaches and then goes out and showers the Chargers for 80 yards on 6 grabs in his debut. This guy is legit!
At 6’6” 247 Moore is a huge target and considering the Browns are another team in evaluation mode—and the fact that Royal was a bust—Moore makes for a solid pickup in Dynasty and keeper leagues and could just help your team out in a pinch considering the competition up ahead.
Leonard Weaver – RB/FB – PHI: Weaver is a guy that should be owned by anyone looking for a significant addition to their RB roster. The guy plays every week, the guy produces every week, and the Eagles WILL NOT run with McCoy alone.
Weaver can run, he can catch, he can score and he still has a paltry 0.7% ownership in most leagues. Get him now no matter what league you’re in.
Introducing the Defense:
Jonathan Fanene – DL – CIN: Since the start of the season—not to mention the injury to Odom—Fanene has recorded 25 TT – 5 sacks for 28 yards – 2 pass deflections – and 1 INT that he took to the bank, and this guy is still running a 0.0 ownership despite a player rank of 30.
Wow! Grab him now and you’ll reap the benefits, I promise.
Joselio Hanson – DB – PHI: Hanson has finished serving his suspension and has been activated from the reserved list making him a solid pickup off of the waiver wire. The Eagles are lacking a bit when it comes to coverage and Hanson will be a huge upgrade.
In addition to his usage in nickel packages and overall coverage, Hanson is also used on special teams. Hanson has a 7% ownership average, and considering the plethora of points that can come from DBs, Hanson can be a huge upgrade if he is available in your league.
Jasper Brinkley – MLB – MIN: E. J. Henderson is done for the year, and the job of MLB now belongs to Jasper Brinkley. The 6’2” 245 pounder from South Carolina is known for his hard hitting and outside speed, so the Vikings don’t think they will suffer too much and view Brinkley as a solid fill in.
This means he is a solid waiver wire pickup and a must add in IDP.
The Vikings’ next two games; the Bengals and Panthers, will give Brinkley a lot of work since both teams are run heavy offenses so Brinkley should have an immediate impact. If you are looking for a LB that is worth a shot in a system that is designed around LB action, Brinkley is you man.
Tramon Williams – DB – GB: Amazingly, Williams is still residing at a low 3% ownership despite being a starter now in the number one ranked defense for Green Bay. The knock on Williams is he is a dirty player at times because he can be beat by speedy receivers, which is true…trust me, I’m a Packers fan.
But what isn’t mentioned is Williams’ ability to simply forget the error of his ways, and his uncanny ability to be in the right place at the right time for INTs.
The Packers are getting better each week on both sides of the ball, and a lot of teams are playing from behind which means a lot of work for those corners—the more throws, the more chance for a turnover. Grab him now before it’s too late.
Waiver Wire Player Highlight: Stefan Logan-Steelers.
The Steelers have a nice little gem for Fantasy owners looking to supplement their team’s production each week, and his name is Stefan Logan. Logan is 5’7” 185 pounds and is listed as a WR but can also play at RB.
Logan is strictly used as a return man both on kickoffs and on punt returns and he is very good at what he does. His season totals thus far are 1,175 kickoff yards which is roughly an average of 100 yards a game, but in addition to that, he also has 461 punt return yards—an average of 46 yards a game.
If you are in a league that awards points for punt and K.O returns this guy is a huge sleeper with incredible value. He was the sole reason why I lost a huge matchup last week by a point and a half, and in his last four games he has averaged 13.5 points while holding a respectable 11.0 average on the season in ESPN leagues.
Logan is literally unknown in most leagues, and should be on your roster if you are looking for a good steady source of points for the remainder of the season. Going forward, he should also be on the radar of Dynasty and keeper leaguers too.
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