It’s been a rough two weeks. In what I would call my “main league” I’ve watched what I felt was a playoff contender fall apart in the last three weeks, and those losses are going to cost me a chance to compete in the playoffs this year. It’s really more painful to be so close…and yet so far.
Needless to say, my list of players I won’t draft again may be growing after this season. I took some chances with this team on the board, and it definitely hurt me. But that said, I also held onto my drafted players too long. I had WR3s who weren’t performing like WR3s for far too long sitting on my bench and preventing me from stashing some of the waiver wire gems that turned into greats.
So hopefully, if you’re reading this right now, you’ve got a shot and a few of these guys are already on your bench. We know the names by now, but these final weeks will be critical to make sure you stash good plays for not just the current week but the playoff weeks ahead.
Rather than give you a list, I’m going to link around this week. The collective analysis of all the experts is as good as anything I’ve previously said about these guys.
Bobby Rainey is the hottest name on any list after he set the stat sheet on fire against the Falcons in Week 11, but keep in mind that his upcoming schedule is not so kind. Donald Brown showed us that he’s the back you want to own in Indianapolis this year, if we didn’t know that already. And Michael Crabtree is still a potential stash as he works his way back.
If you’re not sure who to claim and the top guys are all taken, decide whether your benched players are worth more to you in the upcoming weeks than potential contributors like Santonio Holmes, Nate Burleson, Garrett Graham, or Montee Ball. I don’t love taking the backup running back into the playoffs, but Ball seems like he’s going to remain a part of this Broncos offense the rest of the way.
Now let’s talk links…
Get your waiver wire claims going by reading at Rotoworld, FantasyPros, ESPN, and the collection at Fantasy Football Librarian.
Keepers put out a special early edition for waiver wire grabs, and I appreciate the frustration expressed over the cruel mistress that is fantasy.
Get your defensive streamers via the Rotoworld picks or The Fake Football’s Dreaming of Streaming.
I can’t justify grabbing him because most of my leagues just aren’t deep enough, but I really like Marquise Goodwin‘s chances to be a fantasy football playoff surprise. If you are just stumped for how to fill a spot, and you don’t need a second defense to carry you to the promised land, maybe you look at Goodwin as that fill. I can’t promise anything, but I like how the Bills have used him thus far.
And remember this is the last week to pull off trades if there are any “sell highs” on your roster or “buy lows” on the market. CBS does a great job with their trade value guide every week, so that’s the place to start.
