Every Tuesday, Sportsnet fantasy analyst Andy McNamara will highlight the best sleeper and waiver wire picks of the week. And if you’re looking for more fantasy football advice, message him on Twitter using #AskAndy.
Lucky Week 13 in the NFL brings an end to the dreaded byes, yay! Don’t get comfortable though. The fantasy playoffs are nearly upon us and it is vital to carefully monitor your roster with the three American Thanksgiving games on Thursday.
Hopefully you listened to some of my sleeper advice from the last couple of weeks that included hitting on Sam Darnold, Deebo Samuel, Ryan Tannehill and Ryan Griffin. Either way, grab a turkey drumstick and let’s dive into some waiver wire pickups and DFS plays.
Here is some reasoning behind strongly considering utilizing one these under-the-radar QBs:
Quarterbacks to stream
Ryan Tannehill, Tennessee Titans (Owned in 26 per cent of Yahoo! and $5,700 Draft Kings salary)
● Stack with A.J. Brown
Sam Darnold, New York Jets Jets (Owned in 40 per cent of Yahoo! and $6,100 Draft Kings salary)
● Stack with Jamison Crowder or Ryan Griffin
Andy Dalton, Cincinnati Bengals (Owned in 6 per cent of Yahoo! and $4,700 Draft Kings salary)
● Stack with Auden Tate
Nick Foles, Jacksonville Jaguars (Owned in 33 per cent of Yahoo! and $5,700 Draft Kings salary)
● Stack with D.J. Chark
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RB: Rashad Penny, Seattle Seahawks
Owned in 21 per cent of Yahoo! leagues
I’m a fan of stashing running backs whenever possible. Whether it be handcuffs or trending upward backups, because of the position’s unreliability I grab them when possible and see what happens. So while I advocate to go get Rashad Penny, it doesn’t mean I love playing him Monday night against the Vikings.
It seems like Seattle head coach Pete Carroll is at his wit’s end with starter Chris Carson as the fumble issues just won’t stop. Penny’s snap count elevated to a season-high 49 per cent on the weekend where he exploded for 129-rushing yards and a touchdown. This of course screams RB committee between Carson and the 2018 first-round pick.
However, Penny can still be a smart flex play, especially if he can get hot early opposite a stingy Minnesota run defence.
WR: Zay Jones, Oakland Raiders
Owned in 2 per cent of Yahoo! leagues
Draft Kings salary of $3,600
Rookie slot receiver Hunter Renfrow being sidelined from multiple injuries might not seem like notable fantasy news on the ho-hum Raiders aerial offense, but there’s a deep sleeper who could emerge. Dust off Zay Jones from the scrap heap as the most likely option to benefit from Renfrow’s weekly target share.
Since being traded to Oakland from Buffalo at the start of October, Jones has worked his way into the offense as a consistent low volume contributor. The third year Texas native flashed at times as a member of the Bills and is versatile enough to line up in the slot or outside.
In a potential shootout versus Kansas City, Jones does have some appeal as a flyer in deep leagues or as a contrarian play in DFS contests.
TE: Jack Doyle, Indianapolis Colts
Owned in 33 per cent of Yahoo! leagues
Draft Kings salary of $3,300
Eric Ebron’s trip to the IR leaves Jack Doyle as the last man standing at tight end for Indianapolis. It’s not like Ebron was lighting up the scoresheet, but it does free up his four-plus targets per game to go Doyle’s way.
The six-foot-six Western Kentucky alum produced a nice streak of three double-digit fantasy point outings in-a-row between Weeks 8-10 that included a pair of touchdowns. Over the past four seasons Doyle’s proven that he can be a high floor TE2, and is worth slotting into your lineup when the Colts host Tennessee’s 22nd ranked fantasy tight end defence.
WR: Randall Cobb, Dallas Cowboys
Owned in 30 per cent of Yahoo! leagues
Draft Kings salary of $5,000
We’ve become trained to view Randall Cobb as a wide receiver with a lot of sizzle and little steak as a fantasy weapon since 2016. However, averaging 18.9-FPTs over his last three games and two scores during that stretch makes him a legit option in any format.
I’m especially digging Cobb when Buffalo rolls into Dallas. The Bills’ pass-defence is strong, but the top coverage men will be focused on Amari Cooper, Michael Gallup and Ezekiel Elliott. Expect the veteran WR to continue to see his typical seven or more passes in a Thanksgiving Day showdown.
RB: Bo Scarborough, Detroit Lions
Owned in 43 per cent of Yahoo! leagues
Draft Kings salary of $4,700
Since Kerryon Johnson’s injury the Lions backfield’s become a fantasy disaster. While Bo Scarborough isn’t going to win a rushing title anytime soon (11.5 and 7.8 FPTs) at least he’s emerged as the predominant ball carrier over the past two weeks.
If Detroit can keep Thursday’s battle close against an anemic Bears offence, then Scarborough’s workload shouldn’t suffer due to game script. Consider the rookie a TD dependant flex start.
Not one, not two, but three defences
1. Philadelphia Eagles (Owned in 42 per cent of Yahoo! and $3,600 Draft Kings salary)
2. Carolina Panthers (Owned in 35 per cent of Yahoo! and $3,800 Draft Kings salary)
3. New York Jets (Owned in 26 per cent of Yahoo! and $3,700 Draft Kings salary)
These three defences are the most added waiver wire pickups in Yahoo! Leagues… not DSTs, but more than any player. That’s why if you’re a fantasy owner that streams defences put in your waiver claims in the above order for Week 13.
Admittedly, the Jets upside does get dinged with the return of Andy Dalton as “The Red Rifle” can at least rack up garbage time stats. However, the Eagles and Panthers defenders should be in pure feast mode.
Philadelphia takes on a tanking band of Dolphins misfits that’s allowed the most FPTs to opponents. The Philly ‘D’ has proven effective in spurts, delivering 11-fantasy points versus Russel Wilson’s Seahawks last weekend, and spanked the Jets earlier in the year to the tune of 35-FPTs. Ryan Fitzpatrick is always a threat for throwing up meaningless passing yards, but this is definitely the tastiest matchup on the Sunday docket.
The Panthers 2019 campaign’s been focused on missing Cam Newton and the continued dominance of Christian McCaffrey. Don’t overlook them as your DST choice as they tangle with a grossly ineffective Washington offence. The Redskins passing “attack” has eclipsed 200-yards just once since Oct. 24 and the run game is inconsistent at best. Remember that Carolina’s DST rattled off double digit fantasy points in five out of six games not that long ago, and should easily produce another one at home.
