Photo via:HoustonTexans/Twitter
Here we go, it's already Week 9 so let's see which free agents are still available. Keep in mind the owner % mentioned is for 10-team standard ESPN PPR leagues. Some of these players below are good for the short-term, while others have more long-term value. You have to make the call on what your team needs. Immediate help to start this week, or a player to stash on your bench and hope he breaks out. Let's get started.
QB
Gardner Minshew: This dude had another big game throwing for 3TDs against the Jets, and he quietly gets his owners some rushing yards every week too. He plays a heavily banged up Texans defense this week, so he should go off again. This is probably your last chance to add him. He's owned in 52% of ESPN standard 10-team leagues.
Jimmy Garoppolo: He more available than you would think. He's only rostered in 32% of leagues, and he has a tasty matchup against the Cardinals this week.
Derek Carr: His defense is awful, so he'll have to throw the ball a ton. Carr had a good game against Houston and having Tyrell Williams certainly helps. Also, he faces the Lions, Chargers, Bengals, and Jets over the next 4 weeks. You can add him in almost 80% of leagues.
RB
Jaylen Samuels: It looks like Samuels is in line for a few starts after James Conner was injured against the Dolphins. Benny Snell was also hurt this week against Miami, so you should be able to start Samuels against Indy this week. Samuels is a good productive player when he gets touches, so his success will be tied to Conner's health or lack there of.
Mark Walton: Kalen Ballage just isn't' very good, and Kenyon Drake is out of the picture. You still have to deal with a bad Miami offense, but there's not a ton of good options at RB on the waiver wire. Walton is owned in less than 20% of leagues.
Derrius Guice: Guice could really help you down the stretch if he's able to return from injury in week 11. Trent Williams is coming back to the Redskins, so that will definitely help the running game. Stash him. He's owned in less than 30% of standard leagues.
Darrell Henderson: He has a bye this week, but he had 13 touches against the Bengals. If you're desperate, he might be able to help you when the fantasy playoffs arrive. He's widely available and Gurley may fall apart down the stretch.
WR
Kenny Stills: He didn't have the big game I was hoping for against Oakland, but he was on the field a ton and should continue to get a lot of opportunities. The Jags are allowing the 8th most yards per game to WR's, so you could do worse this week. He's available in 45% of leagues and that might increase after his underwhelming performance on Sunday.
DeSean Jackson: Jackson will return to practice this week according to reports, but it looks like he's going to just have to manage the pain. The Eagles need some juice in their passing game badly, so if he's on the field, I expect him to get targeted downfield. I can't believe he's still owned in 62% of leagues, but that shows you owners aren't ready to give up on him.
Danny Amendola: We've seen this movie before, Stafford loves throwing to slot WRs. Golden Tate anyone? If the Lions continue to throw this much, Amendola with have low-end flex value in PPR leagues. He's out there in 90% of leagues.
TE
Darren Fells: He's been a huge addition for the Texans, and Watson clearly loves throwing to him. Hell, Watson will even throw him the ball blindly as we saw against the Raiders. Add Fells now if you need a TE. He's the best guy to get this week. He's rostered in less than 12% of leagues.
Jonnu Smith: He recorded 78 yards and a TD against the Bucs, so don't be afraid to use him if Delanie Walker remains sidelined. He's a great guy to pair with Walker if you're getting killed at TE and you have the roster space.
Defense
The Cowboys and Eagles have good matchups this week facing the Giants and Bears respectively. The Cowboys are coming off a bye, so they might have been dropped.
If you have any questions, feel free to hit me up on Twitter. 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.
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Texans HC DeMeco Ryans reveals what he values most at scouting combine
Feb 28, 2025, 3:51 pm
Now that spring training is officially underway, we're able to make some observations about how the Astros 2025 roster is taking shape.
Houston's starting rotation is basically set, but we got to see Hayden Wesneski make his first start in an Astro uniform. Wesneski pitched two innings against the Mets on Tuesday, allowing one run with three strikeouts.
He's working on a curveball that's a new pitch for his repertoire, and he saw some success with it. Hopefully, adding this pitch will help keep batters off balance (especially left-handed hitters) and help elevate his game. Which is nothing new for the Astros, who have a history of helping pitchers get to the next level.
Forrest Whitley also looked good, pitching a clean inning and finishing off his final hitter with a 97 mph fastball. Whitley finally realizing his potential in the big leagues could be a huge deal for the Astros, as they're looking to lighten the workload for Bryan Abreu and Josh Hader this season.
Hader in particular could benefit from this adjustment, as he was much worse when pitching in non-save situations last season. An easy fix with Hader could be trying to limit his workload to mostly save situations. That way, you get the most out of him and achieve the goal of him pitching less innings this year.
The Houston Chronicle's Matt Kawahara wrote about Hader's struggles pitching when games were tied or Houston was trailing.
“Hader converted 34 of 38 save chances but faced more batters in non-save situations (142) than in save situations (136), a sharp pivot from his previous few seasons. Opponents slugged .271 against him in save situations and .411 in non-save situations, while his ERA was more than two runs higher (4.98) in the latter.”
And while it's easy to say “suck it up, you're getting paid a fortune to pitch,” if he's not having success in those situations, and you're looking to back off his workload, this seems like an obvious way to pivot. He's under contract for another four seasons, so the Astros are right to want to be careful with him.
Astros plate discipline
Manager Joe Espada has made it very clear that he would like his offense to see more pitches this season. And we're seeing a stark difference in the approaches from the newly acquired players (Isaac Paredes, Christian Walker) and Houston's returning hitters.
Keep in mind, Paredes was first in pitches per plate appearance last season, and Walker was 10th.
So it shouldn't come as a surprise that Paredes and Walker both worked a full count in their first at-bats on Tuesday, while Mauricio Dubon, Yainer Diaz, and Chas McCormick swung at every pitch in their first at-bats.
Hopefully the new blood in the clubhouse will rub off on the rest of the Astros lineup, which is full of free swingers, especially with Alex Bregman now playing for Boston.
Which is why we're so excited about Cam Smith's early results. While we're super pumped about his two home runs on Tuesday, we're equally impressed that he walked in his first two at-bats this spring. If anyone would naturally be jumping out of their shoes to make a strong first impression, you would think it's the guy that was traded for Kyle Tucker. But Smith was patient, and he was rewarded for it.
What is Dana Brown saying privately?
Just last offseason, Brown was talking about extending Tucker and Bregman while also signing Hader to a shocking 5-year, $95 million deal. Plus, the team signed Jose Altuve to a whopping $150 million extension. Fast-forward one year and Tucker has been traded, Bregman left in free agency, and Ryan Pressly was dealt in a salary dump. Safe to say, his vision for the ball club has changed drastically in one season. Welcome to baseball economics under Jim Crane!
We're just scratching the surface on everything covered in the video above. Be sure to hit play to watch the full conversation!
The countdown to Opening Day is on. Join Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and Charlie Pallilo for the Stone Cold ‘Stros podcast which drops each Monday afternoon, with an additional episode now on Thursday. Click here to catch!
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