After a relatively calm few weeks on the injury front, injuries came back with a vengeance this week. At this point of the season, you’re often left hoping to find players to fill your roster out from the waiver wire. Because of a few key injuries, there could be players you pick up this week that not only win you a week but actually save your season. Fortuitously only two teams are on bye in Week 8, Dallas, and Baltimore (yet there are six teams on bye in Week 10 for some reason). Let’s dig in!
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Matt Moore – QB – Kansas City Chiefs
This is as easy as they come. If you play in Superflex or 2QB leagues, Matt Moore is a must-add. In case you missed it, Patrick Mahomes dislocated his knee cap on Thursday Night Football. Though his MRI returned good news, that’s only based on a relative scale. Instead of being forced to miss the rest of the season, Mahomes is expected to miss at least the next three to six weeks.
The Chiefs probably hold Mahomes out through their Week 12 bye. That means Moore is the starter through the fantasy regular season. Surrounded by Travis Kelce, Sammy Watkins, Mecole Hardman, and Tyreek Hill, that makes Moore a fantasy starter every week. Moore threw his only touchdown on Thursday night to Hill on this beauty below.
The Chiefs receiving options are good enough to turn a backup QB like Moore into a QB1 and he’s worth at least 60% of your remaining FAAB.
Matt Schaub – QB – Atlanta Falcons
If you’re in a 2QB league, or absolutely decimated in a Superflex league, Matt Schaub is worth a look. He’s likely to start for the Falcons next week after Matt Ryan was forced from Sunday’s game with an ankle injury. Ryan left the field with a pronounced limp in the fourth quarter of the Falcons loss to the Rams. Schaub hasn’t started a game since 2015 and is now 38 years old.
I’m only suggesting picking up Schaub in a “break only in case of emergency” type of situation.
Ty Johnson – RB – Detroit Lions
The Lions lost starting running back Kerryon Johnson in the first quarter Sunday to a knee injury. As of this writing, no update has been provided, but the fact Johnson was sporting a knee brace on the sideline doesn’t bode well. Ty Johnson stepped into the starting role with Kerryon down. Though rarely used in the passing attack during his time at Maryland, Ty has shown good ability as a receiver in the NFL. With 4.45 speed, any way you can get the ball into Ty’s hands is a good idea.
While Ty Johnson provided a pedestrian 29 rushing yards on 10 attempts, there were several positive takeaways from the game. Ty Johnson was targeted four times, converting all four for an additional 28 yards. He was also the goal-line back and had three rushing attempts inside the Vikings 10-yard line. Though he didn’t convert any of those attempts, the usage itself is encouraging. Depending on the severity of Kerryon Johnson‘s injury, Ty Johnson could be a league winner.
Olabisi Johnson – WR – Minnesota Vikings
After Adam Thielen had to leave the game after injuring his hamstring on a first-quarter touchdown reception, Olabisi Johnson stepped into the target void left behind. Johnson ended his day with 40 yards on four receptions, including a touchdown. His eight targets tied Stefon Diggs for the team lead against the Lions.
If Thielen can’t go, you couldn’t ask for much more of a better matchup for Johnson. The Vikings play this Thursday against Washington, who are giving up the 13th most passing yards in the league (before Sunday’s games). With a short week and a woeful opponent on the docket, it would behoove the Vikings to allow Thielen to take a week off. Johnson has already been starting in three-wide receiver sets, so it’s not as if the Vikings are throwing a player on the field who’s not ready for the opportunity.
DeAndre Washington – RB – Oakland Raiders
As we near the playoffs, it’s time to make sure we own the handcuffs to our starting running backs. Even if you don’t own the starter, a backup running back is always just one play away from starting and worthy of a roster stash. When Josh Jacobs was forced to miss a series in the first quarter while getting his shoulder checked out, it was DeAndre Washington who took his place on the field. Jacobs was able to come back (and ball out), so Washington’s run as the primary back was short-lived. Washington isn’t the level of talent of Jacobs but he can low-end RB2 upside due to his ability to play all three-downs.
Alex Erickson – WR – Cincinnati Bengals
It’s hard to ignore Erickson after he put up 137 on eight receptions while seeing 14 targets on Sunday. I’m fine with spending a dollar to obtain him. Just be aware that Erickson entered Sunday with a total of 15 targets on the season. Sunday was an anomaly in a so-far non-descript career for Erickson, but if you have a free roster spot, feel free to add him.
Zach Pascal – WR – Indianapolis Colts
For the second time in the last three Colts games, Zach Pascal was targeted seven times. In Week 4 against the Raiders, Pascal turned in four receptions for 72 receiving yards on those targets. This week Pascal turned those seven targets into 106 receiving yards on six receptions, including two touchdowns. As long as Parris Campbell continues to miss time with his mysterious abdominal injury, Pascal is the WR2 on the Colts. So far he’s making the most of his opportunities. The second-year receiver is on pace to easily better his targets, receptions, and receiving yards from his rookie year and is a viable (low-end) flex option if you’re in a pinch.
Thanks for reading. Who are you targeting this week on your waiver wires?
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