ADD/DROPS

Week 9 working the waiver wire: All the Fells

Joshua Jordan
Oct 29, 2019, 4:44 pm
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.

@JoshJordan975

@Moneyline975

@JerryBoKnowz

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A WEEKLY REVIEW OF CRENNEL'S COACHING

Now my job: Texans feast on Lions

Photo by Getty Images.

Thanksgiving is full of tradition. There's the typical family gathering, large meal, and of course, football. Sometimes, new traditions are added and old ones are retired. I think the Texans did both in their impressive 41-25 win over the Lions in Detroit. Old traditions were carried on (Lions losing on Thanksgiving), some were put to rest (Texans not being able to get turnovers), and new ones were started (multiple passing touchdowns by Deshaun Watson in six straight games).

The fact that this defense got three turnovers in the game was unbelievable! They got all three in the first quarter within the span of eight plays. JJ Watt's pick-six was insane. He went for a batted ball, ended up catching it, and ran it in. They forced Jonathan Williams to fumble on the Lions' very next play from scrimmage and recovered it. On the Lions' next possession, the Texans recovered yet another fumble after the challenge was reversed. Great call by the coaching staff to challenge and win. The defense looked good. Tyrell Adams stood out because he was in on those two fumbles, made 17 total tackles with 14 of them being solo tackles. They also brought pressure that seemed to make Matthew Stafford very inaccurate and resulted in four sacks. I give defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver credit for knowing he needs to blitz to get pressure, but the run defense has to improve.

The offense kept the tempo up in this game as well. The spread and hurry-up were used to keep the Lions already staggered defense off balance. Knowing the Lions were without a couple defensive backs, I thought it would be the perfect marriage of their defense and the Texans' offense. A buddy asked before the game about the line (Texans -3.5) and the over/under (52.5). I told him bet the Texans and the over because neither team can play defense and both have good quarterbacks. Offensive coordinator Tim Kelly put together another good game plan and Watson executed it flawlessly. One route combo I saw later on in the game I particularly enjoyed. Two receivers were tight to the left side. Cooks ran a hook/curl and settled in the middle of the zone while Fuller ran a vertical route. Duke Johnson ran a swing route to that same side. It left Cooks wide open as the attention went to Johnson in the flat, Fuller deep, and the action to the other play side. Route combos are important because it gives the quarterback different reads as he goes through his progressions and lets him pick apart the defense based on what he sees. Combine that with Watson's play and the way Kelly has changed his play calling now that he's liberated from he who shall not be named, we're seeing a beautiful thing.

As good as things were, there's still room for improvement. The defense gives up way too many easy yards, both run and pass. They can't get pressure bringing only four and will often give up big plays if the blitz is picked up. Plus the run defense is still an issue as evidenced by the Lions' first possession of the second half. The Lions ran the ball 10 plays straight for a total of 58 yards on that drive. Utterly ridiculous! Watson was good (17/25 318 yards and four touchdowns), but he missed two more touchdowns with passes slightly off, and continues to hold onto the ball too long at times. The difference between these two issues I've presented here is the fact that Watson has so played well, his "issues" are minor and very correctable, while the defense is terrible and there's no easy fix in sight. But let Romeo Crennel and Anthony Weaver tell it, they're getting the most out of these guys and they're playing disciplined.

The thought that this team may actually creep into the playoff picture may take shape better after next week if they can beat the Colts. I doubt it, but it is getting interesting. Let's see what else happens around them because they need help getting there.

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