By Chet Gresham – @ChetGresham
Follow @walterfootball for updates.
Published Dec. 18, 2018.
Below are players I’ll be targeting on the waiver wire this week. As usual, I’m using the 50ish% ownership threshold at Yahoo to determine who is allowed on the list.
Players are listed in the order I would assign waiver priority for each position.
Running Backs
Jamaal Williams, Packers (17 percent) Williams has been derided in comparison to Aaron Jones all season, but with a full complement of snaps and touches in a good matchup against the Jets this week, he is likely to have value, as the Jets allow 4.5 yards per carry in a game and the game should remain close.
Elijah McGuire, Jets (33 percent) McGuire took over for Isaiah Crowell last week and had 21 touches. McGuire didn’t do much with those touches, but did score a touchdown to be a usable fantasy asset. He’ll take on a Packers team that has allowed 100-plus total yards to running backs in every game but one, which was against the Lions in Week 5.
Kalen Ballage, Dolphins (2 percent) Frank Gore is done for the season, and Kenyan Drake appears to be the third-down back at best right now. That should leave Ballage with the bulk of the work. He does get a tough matchup against the Jaguars, but this is the same team that recently gave up 251 yards rushing and four touchdowns to Derrick Henry.
Zach Zenner, Lions (1 percent) Zenner was able to score his second touchdown in as many games last week on 10 carries and four targets. He’ll likely be in the mix again this week, but gets a tough test against Minnesota. He will only have use in deep leagues.
Wendell Smallwood, Eagles (14 percent) Smallwood looked like the Eagles’ best back against the Rams last week, but the running back touches are still pretty thinned out and Houston is tough against running backs. I could see Smallwood being useful in PPR though.
John Kelly, Rams (4 percent) Todd Gurley has some swelling in his knee, which at this point in the season is worrisome, as the Rams do need to win for playoff seeding, but also could use caution with their star running back. Kelly is my choice between him and Justin Davis to have the better chance of putting up numbers if Gurley is rested.
Wide Receivers
Mike Williams, Chargers (51 percent) Williams blew up against Kansas City with Keenan Allen out last week and appears to have finally passed Tyrell Williams. Allen could return this week to play Saturday at home against the Ravens, as the Chargers have a legitimate shot at the No. 1 seed, so Allen could play at led than 100 percent, giving Williams more targets than usual.
Robby Anderson, Jets (27 percent) Sam Darnold has been targeting Anderson as the No. 1 receiver of late, and that has turned out well, as Anderson has caught 11-of-18 targets for 172 yards and two touchdowns in his last two games. Green Bay has a good pass defense, but I expect Anderson to see enough work to break a couple big plays.
Robert Foster, Bills (14 percent) Foster now has four games out of his last five with 94 yards or more and has seen his target share rise over his last two games, when he has caught 11-of-13 passes for 212 yards and a touchdown. The Patriots can be beaten through the air, and the Bills will likely need to throw to have a chance in this game, plus Josh Allen has no qualms with opening up the field deep.
DaeSean Hamilton, Broncos (22 percent) Hamilton has 21 targets since getting the start with Emmanuel Sanders out. It hasn’t led to huge games, but he does have 14 receptions for 93 yards and a touchdown. He’ll get a good chance to push his numbers up this week against a bad Oakland defense, and as long as Hamilton continues to see those target numbers, he’ll be hard to stop from hitting value, especially in PPR.
Jordy Nelson, Raiders (47 percent) Nelson appears to be fully healthy and has become a target hog over his last three games. He hasn’t scored a touchdown in that stretch, but he has caught 22 passes on 26 targets for 233 yards, giving him plenty of PPR appeal. He’ll get to head back to Oakland, where Derek Carr has played his best this year to face a Broncos secondary that is hurting due to injuries.
Tight Ends
Blake Jarwin, Cowboys (0 percent) Jarwin has 14 targets over the last two games and caught 11 for 101 yards. He’ll face a weak Buccaneers defense in Week 16 and has some streamer appeal.
Quarterbacks
Josh Allen, Bills (23 percent) A matchup with the Patriots this week should push Allen to throw more and, in turn, scramble more. It doesn’t always look pretty, but he has been a top-5 fantasy quarterback in three of the last four weeks and there’s no reason to think the Patriots are going to shut him down.
Lamar Jackson, Ravens (46 percent) Jackson is still running and accumulating enough stats to have quality fantasy starts. He gets a tough matchup against the Chargers, but he only needs a good rushing day with a touchdown or two to have value.
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