Once the dust has settled on another fantasy football draft year, there’s always a few players still sitting on the waiver wire, ripe to contribute for a roster.
Here’s three players who likely aren’t drafted in your league who should get some recognition on the waiver wire.
Jeremy Hill, Cincinnati Bengals, RB
He’s owned in less than 50 percent of leagues on Yahoo right now and that’s likely going to drop heading into this weekend.
The Joe Mixon hype train is stalling Hill’s ownership and I don’t necessarily blame fantasy football owners. Hill has been a major disappointment before, and all signs are pointing to Mixon as eventually starting for the Bengals.
But what happens if Mixon isn’t the white knight we anticipate? We’ve seen this happen before with running backs (Melvin Gordon ring a bell?), so it wouldn’t surprise me if he wasn’t immediately the dynamic running back that we believe he can be.
And if he’s not, then Hill makes sense as at least a Flex option. He will start the year as the starter, giving away third-down touches to Giovani Bernard. He’ll still get some goal line work and some carries.
Having Hill as an option on your bench is a more conservative approach to handcuffing certain backs. Hill will have an opportunity to play and if the rookie isn’t what he’s supposed to be, Hill should have some value.
I’m not screaming from the mountaintops about Hill’s potential performance, but he makes sense as a depth move for fantasy owners.
O.J. Howard, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, TE
It’s tough to own a second tight end, but in this case, it could pay major dividends.
Howard is owned in less than 40 percent of leagues on Yahoo, giving way to the skepticism that he will not make an immediate impact. Cameron Brate is listed as the starter for the Bucs, but eventually, Howard should be the main target.
The Bucs will likely deploy some two tight end sets, and in terms of talent, Howard is the most talented of the duo. He’s still a rookie, so it may take some time, but once he gets his footing, he should be the primary red zone weapon for a Tampa Bay team poised to score more points.
Quarterback Jameis Winston’s completion percentage has been on the rise in the preseason, providing hope that he will be a more accurate passer. If that happens (which I believe it will), there will be plenty of scoring opportunities out of the passing game in this offense.
It’s tough to take a tight end on speculation with only a few bench spots open, but Howard will eventually make his mark, forcing fantasy owners to grab him off the waiver wire.
Robby Anderson, New York Jets, WR
It’s intriguing that nobody is talking about the No. 1 wide receiver on an NFL team for fantasy football.
That’s how bad the New York Jets have become. Anderson is going to line up as the No. 1 on day 1. Is he going to be good? I don’t know, but it’s odd that he’s only owned in 22 percent of leagues on Yahoo.
I know the Jets are bad, but at some point Anderson will have to garner a decent amount of targets. Toward the end of drafts and on the waiver wire, you’re generally basing decisions on speculation. Anderson offers a little more than just speculation since he’ll line up as the top target for the Jets.
The touchdowns may be scarce at times, but Anderson should see more consistent targets than your garden variety waiver wire wide receiver. He’s worth at least a bench spot on your fantasy roster.
