It’s American Thanksgiving and that means a three-game slate on Thursday to kickoff Week 12 in the NFL. There’s been a slew of players landing on the COVID-19/Reserve list as well as the injury report so track your fantasy roster closely.
Here are my top five waiver wire pickups owned in less than 50 per cent of most leagues. As always, ask me any fantasy football questions on Twitter @AndyMc81 using #AskAndy
Gus Edwards – RB – Ravens
Yahoo! League Ownership – 29%
To quote the great Homer Simpson, “DE-FAULT! Woohoo! The two sweetest words in the English language.” That’s what Gus Edwards can chant as his backfield mates Mark Ingram and J.K. Dobbins have both been placed on the COVID-19/Reserve list ahead of Baltimore’s Thursday tilt in Pittsburgh.
The Ravens’ running back carousel’s usage is unpredictable, but now Edwards will become the undisputed starter. How much value that holds with Justice Hill being elevated to backup and Lamar Jackson’s run-first mentality remains to be seen. He’ll also be up against a Steelers defence that’s allowed the seventh-fewest total rushing yards in 2020. Nevertheless, with few options in a rush heavy offence “Gus the Bus” is a must-add and should be considered as a low-end RB-2.
New York Giants – Defence
Yahoo! League Ownership – 17%
The unfortunate news of Bengals rookie quarterback Joe Burrow suffering a season-ending knee injury will make the Giants the hottest waiver wire DST pickup. Ryan Finley doesn’t exactly instill fear into the hearts of opponents, which makes for a potential smash spot for the New York defence. Finley produced a terrible 47.1-completion percentage, a TD-to-INT ratio of 2:2, and was winless in three starts for Cincinnati last season. Coming off their bye, The “G-Men” defence has recorded two or more sacks in every outing this year as well as eight total interceptions and seven fumble recoveries.
More good news for the Giants is that they are getting healthier as safety Xavier McKinney and pass-rusher Oshane Ximines are designated to return from the IR.
Dalton Schultz – TE – Cowboys
Yahoo! League Ownership – 21%
Andy Dalton’s return under center for the Cowboys proved to elevate fantasy values across the team. The stars shone, and Dalton Schultz slid back into the TE-1 conversation. Schultz hauled in the winning touchdown for his first score since Week 4 and has retained a healthy target share since the beginning of the month.
The Stanford alum’s stock continues to rise Thanksgiving Day in a showdown with a Washington club that’s giving up the 11th most FPTs to tight ends.
Daniel Jones – QB – Giants
Yahoo! League Ownership – 28%
Don’t look now but the Giants sophomore QB is quietly getting better in real life and fantasy football. Averaging 20.69-FPTs in three of his last four contests, Daniel Jones is showing signs of getting more comfortable with the new playbook. His legs are a major bonus for managers as Jones leads his team in rushing yards and should be able to gash this Bengals defence on the ground or through the air.
Jones is far from a finished product, but he makes for a nice streaming option versus this 26th ranked Cincinnati unit.
Keke Coutee – WR – Texans
Yahoo! League Ownership – 0%
There’s an opportunity to strike on a wide receiver available in 100% of Yahoo!/ESPN leagues for the three-pack of Thursday matchups. Deshaun Watson’s aerial options are dwindling on a short week as Randall Cobb and Kenny Stills left Sunday’s action ailing.
Enter Keke Coutee who can soak up Cobb’s targets out of the slot and will carry PPR upside. After he left with a toe injury, Coutee caught a TD and ran 26-passing routes. He’ll face a Lions squad that’s given up the 10th most yards per pass attempt and 17-scores through the air. It’s a good opportunity to slot in Coutee as a WR-3, Flex, or bargain DFS salary.
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