After last year ended, I shared a list of players that I liked as throw-ins as part of larger trades. In case you didn’t get a chance to read that article, the premise is simple. Everyone knows the names of big-name players and why you should target them. These are not those guys. These are the other guys. Players who often end up getting cut by one team when making trades so that they don’t exceed the roster limit. These are players that could amount to nothing come 2020 or players that you can stream during bye weeks.
Boston Scott – RB – Philadelphia Eagles: Scott has gone from practice squad player at the beginning of this season to NFC Offensive Player in Week 17. Jordan Howard, who was having a good season up until being injured towards the end of the Eagles win against the Bears in Week 9. During the six games, Howard missed, Miles Sanders established himself as the feature back, and Scott worked his way into a substantial role as well. Scott wasn’t the Eagles’ first option. First, they dug up the corpse of Jay Ajayi, then eventually turned to Scott, when it was clear that Ajayi had nothing left.
As you can see below, courtesy of FantasyData.com, from Week 14 through Week 17, Scott helped save the Eagles season as they reeled off four straight wins to take home the NFC East crown. Scott was targeted at least six times each of those weeks, including a season-high seven times in Week 15.
Except for the game against Dallas, these weren’t just empty targets either. Scott had at least four receptions each week and at least 39 yards receiving in three of four games. His fantasy scoring was boosted in Week 17 due to three rushing touchdowns. His four rushing attempts from within the 10-yard line certainly had something to do with Miles Sanders leaving the game with a sprained ankle in the first half. But that wasn’t the only reason. Scott had seven rushing attempts from within the 10-yard line in the three games prior to Week 17, so it’s evident they like the look he gives the offense there.
As a receiver, Scott has thrived in the screen game. Going back to the days of Brian Westbrook, the screen was a weapon that the Eagles often employed better than most other NFL teams. Until Scott’s emergence, though that facet of the offensive attack had been oddly dormant.
What can we expect from Scott in 2020? The Eagles have dire areas of need that must be addressed long before the running back position. The wide receivers are not good, the cornerbacks are terrible, the offensive and defensive lines are old and thin. Scott’s versatility as an offensive weapon could garner him 8-12 touches a game next year.
Greg Ward – WR – Philadelphia Eagles
Scott wasn’t the only player from the practice squad that rescued the Eagles. Ward spent parts of the past three seasons on the Eagles practice squad. He also had a stint in the AAF before it folded. Ward was promoted from the practice squad in Week 12 as an absolute last resort. DeSean Jackson missed most of the season. Alshon Jeffery missed multiple games before blowing out his Achilles in Week 14 and wasn’t very good in the games he did play. Nelson Agholor was terrible enough that he became an actual national laughingstock.
After signing Jordan Matthews, realizing Jordan Matthews was washed and then cutting Jordan Matthews, the Eagles finally promoted Ward. In four of the final six games, Ward scored at least 10 fantasy points, including each of the final three weeks. He saw at least seven targets in four of those six games. Ward had at least four receptions in five of six games.
While Ward will never be a WR1 or WR2, he can give you low-end WR3 or flex value during streaming weeks. Of course, this assumes that he’s the Eagles starting slot wide receiver next year. Based on his production during the Eagles run to the NFC East title, he’s certainly put himself in position to be the starter in 2020.
DeAndre Washington – RB – Las Vegas Raiders
When I look for players as “throw-in” targets, there’s one factor I weigh more than others. Have they shown that they can produce at the NFL level? DeAndre Washington has shown that he can produce when given a chance to touch the ball. With Josh Jacobs’s shoulder causing him to miss several weeks at the end of the 2019 season, Washington stepped in seamlessly. He saw 21 opportunities (rushing attempts + targets) in Week 15 and then 26 opportunities in both Week 16 and 17. In those three games, Washington averaged 20.47 fantasy points per game, with a low score of 18.6 in those contests.
Washington set a career-high with 36 receptions in 2019. It was the second time in his four seasons he had at least 34 receptions. Considering that he’s only started five of a possible 55 career games his receiving work is impressive. Knowing that Washington will get the necessary volume when forced into starting duty makes him the perfect back of the end roster asset. He is a free agent but regardless of where he lands he’s someone I’ll be looking to acquire.
Chris Conley – WR- Jacksonville Jaguars
Chris Conley was on this list last year and is a player I have long coveted. Given the most starts of his career in 2019, Conley set career highs in targets, receptions, receiving yards and yards per reception. He tied his career-high with five touchdowns and his 8.6 yards per target was the second-highest of his career. Per airyards.com, among receivers with at least 41 targets, his aDOT of 14 yards ranked 17th in the league and he ranked 27th overall in air yards. He ranked second on the Jaguars with a 29% market share of their air yards, which ranked 31st overall.
Conley set a career-high with a 9.8 points per game average. He scored between 11.3 and 21.7 fantasy points on seven occasions. He scored 8.9 and 9.7 in two other weeks, giving you nine weeks with decent to excellent fantasy production. For a spot starter or a bye week streaming option you could do much worse than Conley.
Thanks for reading. Who are some players you are looking to acquire as “throw-ins”?
