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.
It’s fantasy football championship weekend. You’re either fighting for a title, deep in league playoffs or bitterly battling in the consolation bracket. Remember, there’s also still plenty of DFS relevant content below to help you win some of that contest money.
It was a good Sunday for my “Under the Wire” article picks last Tuesday. Breshad Perriman, A.J. Brown, Ryan Tannehill, Adrian Peterson, and the Chiefs defence all smashed their projected fantasy output. Let’s see what week sweet 16 in the NFL has in store for us.
Ahoy Matey!
All aboard the good ship Tampa Bay. If you’re a devastated Mike Evans or Chris Godwin owner, luckily there are a couple of widely available waiver wire options as replacements. Get those remaining FAAB dollars or high waiver priority ready.
Listen below to a Buccaneers stack for league playoffs and a triple dip for DFS.
WR: Breshad Perriman
13 per cent ownership
Draft Kings salary of $6,000
TE: O.J. Howard
41 per cent ownership
Draft Kings $4,000
QB – Jameis Winston (For DFS)
Draft Kings $6,900
WR: Greg Ward Jr., Philadelphia Eagles
Owned in 2 per cent of Yahoo! leagues
Draft Kings salary of $4,200
Talk about winning the war of attrition. Greg Ward was the only wide receiver Carson Wentz threw to against Washington with Alshon Jeffrey and Nelson Agholor gone to injury.
The five-foot-11 rookie caught the winning touchdown pass and seven total catches for a surprising 19.1 fantasy points in PPR. At first glance this performance seemingly came out of nowhere, but this is now back-to-back nine target games.
Wentz trusts him more than J.J. Arcega-Whiteside (9-to-2 target share), so why wouldn’t Ward remain heavily involved in the offence even if Agholor hobbles back into the lineup? A possible division deciding matchup versus Dallas is next, and that growing chemistry should continue to blossom. Especially since the Cowboys defence will surely be focused on neutralizing Philly’s pair of tight ends and Miles Sanders. Ward’s available in 98 per cent of Yahoo! leagues, which makes him a terrific scoop off of waivers for a flex play if you need WR help.
TE: Jonnu Smith, Tennessee Titans
Owned in 13 per cent of Yahoo! leagues
Draft Kings salary of $3,800
Since the secret is out about A.J. Brown, the next best under the radar Tennessee find is Jonnu Smith. The tight end flashed at times under Marcus Mariota, but he had vanished when Ryan Tannehill became the starter — that is until the past two games.
In PPR formats, Smith has racked up consecutive double-digit fantasy point outings for a combined eight-receptions, 79 yards and a touchdown. Certainly not prolific numbers, but how picky can you be at the end of December within the thinnest of fantasy position groups?
The Titans host the Saints who are middle of the pack when defending TEs. This third-year pro presents high floor FPTs potential, and is sitting on your waiver as well as being a steal in DFS contests.
WR: Anthony Miller, Chicago Bears
Owned in 26% of Yahoo! leagues
As the 2019 NFL campaign rolled along, we became accustomed to writing off the Chicago offence as mostly unusable as quarterback Mitchell Trubisky regressed mightily. Quietly, something clicked for Miller, who’s rattled off five straight weeks of double-digit fantasy points. His last three games have delivered a combined two scores, a massive 32 targets, and averaged 100 receiving yards.
It would be foolish to ignore the 2018 second-round draft pick any longer, and he could be a difference-maker in your league playoffs. Kansas City is the Sunday night opponent so the possibility of a forced air battle makes Miller even more intriguing. I’d be rolling with him over the likes of John Brown, Kenny Golladay, Marquise Brown or Sammy Watkins.
QB: Drew Lock, Denver Broncos
Owned in 6 per cent of Yahoo! leagues
Draft Kings salary of $5,600
Hopefully you listened to my advice in this column last Tuesday and parked Drew Lock after people were getting excited following his Week 14 result. The rookie produced a measly 7.62 fantasy points in defeat to the Chiefs, but expect a big rebound versus Detroit.
Lock was playing in one of the NFL’s toughest environments this past weekend and now returns to the cozy confines of Mile High. The Lions are in a total free fall and are allowing the sixth-most fantasy points to QBs.
I’m not saying you start Lock in your fantasy league championship. However, I do love him as a sleeper salary saver in DFS.
Quarterbacks to stay away from
Will Grier, Carolina Panthers – vs. Indianapolis Colts
Baker Mayfield, Cleveland Browns – vs. Baltimore Ravens
Sam Darnold, New York Jets – vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
Top RB Handcuff: Mike Boone, Minnesota Vikings
Owned in 4 per cent of Yahoo! leagues
Minnesota’s Mike Boone is the hottest running back handcuff pickup across fantasy football as Dalvin Cook left the game with that ongoing shoulder injury and Alexander Mattison was out with a bad ankle. The health of each RB ahead of Boone needs to be tracked closely throughout the week.
Here are the fantasy relevant scenarios for the sophomore rusher:
• If both Cook and Mattison suit up, then sit him on the bench
• If only one of the two start then Boone would have limited flex appeal, but much more so if it is Cook that misses action.
• If each of the two backs are gone, then the 24-year old transforms into an instant RB2 candidate.
In any case, grab Boone if you can then wait and see how healthy his teammates are for Monday night against a Packers front-seven allowing the fifth-most fantasy points to running backs.
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