FANTASY FOOTBALL ADD/DROPS
Week 16 working the waiver wire: Chase that championship
Dec 17, 2019, 4:43 pm
Mike Nowak/Chargers team site
Congratulations, if you're reading this article you've had a good fantasy season. Adding free agents should be easier with many teams already done for the season. Also, be aware that other owners that are in the playoffs will be looking to block you from picking up any players that can help you, so go all-in if you need a certain player this week. Owners in the consolation game might be looking to add players this week too, so don't just assume your opponent in the championship game is your only competition on the waiver wire.
Keep in mind the owner % mentioned is for 10-team standard ESPN PPR leagues. Good luck!
QB
Ryan Tannehill: He's still only 63% owned, and he continues to come through for fantasy owners. He plays the Saints this week, and they're a middle of the road matchup for QBs over the last 4 games.
Philip Rivers: He's only rostered on 43% of leagues and should have a great game since the Raiders are the 3rd best matchup a QB can face over their last 4 games.
Desperation play:
Ryan Fitzpatrick: You can use him against the Bengals if you're desperate. The matchup isn't as good as you might think. Don't look now, but the Bengals are the 5th worse matchup for QBs over their last 4 games.
RB
Adrian Peterson: Peterson was my top player to add last week, and he didn't disappoint. You have to love the volume he's getting and a home matchup against the Giants isn't scary. He's still only rostered in 55% of leagues.
Mike Boone: This is a tough week for RBs on the waiver wire. Hopefully, you're playing in your fantasy Super Bowl because you have good RBs. Boone could be a league winner if Dalvin Cook and Alexander Mattison sit this week, but there's no way of knowing that this early in the week. The matchup against the Packers is tasty, so keep your eye on the Vikings' practice reports. This will be tricky because the game is on Monday night, so add Boone and play him if he's the starter.
Kerryon Johnson: He could be back this week, but who knows how much work he gets. If you're in a keeper league, and he's out there, he might be worth picking up for next year.
WR
Breshard Perriman: You have to love his upside playing with Jameis Winston who will face a Texans secondary that can be exploited. He's only rostered in 9% of leagues. He has 3 straight games with 70 yards receiving or more, so he's worth a shot for sure. You can't expect another 113 yard performance with 3 TDs, but he should good again.
Darius Slayton: He didn't put up big numbers, but he did score again. His matchup against the Redskins isn't great, and we'll see if Eli Manning plays again this week. Slayton comes with some risk this week, keep that in mind. He's rostered in 65% of leagues.
Anthony Miller: I've been one of the last people to back Miller this year, but you can't ignore how good he's been lately. He's produced in fantasy for 4 straight weeks, but his matchup couldn't be worse this week, so be aware. The Chiefs have given up the least amount of points to WRs over their last 4 games. He's rostered in 25% of leagues.
Greg Ward: He's getting a lot of targets because Carson Wentz doesn't really have many other options. Ward faces the Cowboys defense this week, and they're a Top 10 matchup for WRs over their last 4 games. He's available in 97% of leagues.
TE
Tyler Higbee: He's only rostered in 39% of leagues, and he has 3 straight games with over 100 receiving yards. PICK HIM UP. Even if Gerald Everett returns, you have to love Higbee.
O.J. Howard: His matchup against the Texans is beautiful, and Jameis should target him heavily. He's rostered in 52% of leagues and should be owned.
DEF
If you need a defense this week, the Chiefs look like a good option against the Bears. Kansas City is playing a lot better on defense as of late, and they're only rostered in 34% of leagues.
Okay, that will do it. Be sure to check out my show MoneyLine with Jerry Bo on ESPN 97.5FM. We're on every Sunday morning from 10-noon, and we'll talk a lot of fantasy football and NFL gambling getting you ready for kickoff every Sunday. Good luck this week!
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With the Astros now officially ten games under .500 for the season, manager Joe Espada is taking a lot of heat from the fanbase for the team's struggles.
While we don't agree with the sentiment, we even hear fans clamoring for the return of Dusty Baker and Martin Maldonado, thinking the Astros wouldn't be in this mess if they were still here.
Which is ridiculous. First of all, Maldonado has been awful for the White Sox, hitting .048 (even worse than Jose Abreu's .065). And for those of you that think his work with the pitching staff justifies his pathetic offense. Let me say this: Where was Maldy's game calling genius for Hunter Brown, Cristian Javier, and Framber Valdez last year? All of them regressed significantly.
And as far as Baker is concerned, we have no idea how much a difference he would make, we can only speculate. Baker would also be dealing with a pitching staff ravaged with injuries. And let's not forget, Baker was the guy that refused to move Jose Abreu down in the batting order, even though he would finish the regular season with the ninth-worst OPS in baseball.
The reality of the situation is managers can only do so much in baseball. Which leads us to something else that needs to be considered. Is Espada being handcuffed by the front office? Espada and GM Dana Brown both said recently that Jon Singleton was going to get more at-bats while they give Abreu time off to try to figure things out. Yet, there Abreu was in the lineup again in the opening game of the Cubs series.
It makes us wonder how much power does Espada truly have? The Astros have some other options at first base. Yainer Diaz may only have eight games played at the position, but how much worse could he be than Abreu defensively? Abreu already has four errors, and Diaz is obviously a way better hitter. Victor Caratini isn't considered a plus offensive player, but his .276 batting average makes him look like Babe Ruth compared to Abreu. Let him catch more often and play Diaz at first. Starting Diaz at first more often could also lengthen his career long-term.
Maybe that's too wild of a move. Okay, fine. How about playing Mauricio Dubon at first base? I understand he doesn't have much experience at that position, but what's the downside of trying him there? If he can play shortstop, he can play first base. He's driving in runs at a higher rate (11 RBIs) than everyone on the team outside of Kyle Tucker and Yordan Alvarez. And he's producing like that as part-time player right now.
The other criticism we see of Espada is his use of Jon Singleton to pinch hit late in games. Let's be real, though, who else does Espada have on the roster to go to? Batting Abreu late in games in which you're trailing should be considered malpractice. Espada can only use who he has to work with. This all really stems from the Astros poor farm system.
They don't have anyone else to turn to. The draft picks the club lost from the sign-stealing scandal are really hurting them right now. First and second rounders from 2020 and 2021 should be helping you in 2024 at the big league level.
Maybe they go to Astros prospect Joey Loperfido soon, but after a hot start he has only two hits in his last six games.
Finally, we have to talk about what seems like a committee making baseball decisions. Lost in a committee is accountability. Who gets the blame for making poor decisions?
As time continues to pass it looks like moving on from former GM James Click was a massive mistake. He's the guy that didn't sign Abreu, but did trade Myles Straw (recently DFA'd) for Yainer Diaz and Phil Maton. He also built an elite bullpen without breaking the bank, and helped the club win a World Series in 2022.
The reality of the situation is Dusty Baker and James Click are not walking back through that door. And all good runs come to an end at some point. Is this what we're witnessing?
Don't miss the video above as we hit on all the points discussed and much more!
Catch Stone Cold 'Stros (an Astros podcast) with Charlie Pallilo, Brandon Strange, and Josh Jordan. We drop two episodes every week on SportsMapHouston's YouTube channel. You can also listen on Apple Podcast, Spotifyor wherever you get your podcasts.