Welcome back to another weekly edition of “The Wire”. In this series, I review three players each week that you should target on the waiver wire for your Dynasty teams. To keep the information in this series consistent, I will only refer to players with an ownership percentage of less than 50%, according to Sleeper Dynasty leagues. I’ll do my best to provide you with players that have a more long-term upside rather than a one-week ceiling, seeing that this is a Dynasty series and not Redraft. So, sit back, relax, and let me find you some diamonds in the rough!
Ronnie Rivers | RB | Los Angeles Rams
28% Rostered
Rivers’ ownership has increased 25% this past week since the news of Akers being traded came out. Rivers has now found himself in the handcuff role behind Kyren Williams, who has been a big surprise in fantasy this year, but I’m not entirely sold on. Williams has an unfortunate combination of being slow, small, and unathletic, but he’s a good pass catcher and pass blocker, so he should continue to get opportunities.
The Rams take on the Cincinnati Bengals tonight, so we’ll see what kind of usage Ronnie gets in this backfield in Week 3. Through two weeks, he’s seen the field on just four snaps, with one reception for four yards. Like Kyren, Ronnie is also slow, small, and unathletic but has that receiving upside, as proven by his 5-year career at Fresno State, totaling 150 receptions.
I see little-to-no standalone fantasy value for Rivers, but his contingent value is certainly there. Ronnie’s build and skill set are very similar to Kyren’s, so I could see him coming in with little drop-off in production if Kyren happened to go down due to injury. Rookie Zach Evans was a healthy scratch the first two weeks, implying Ronnie is the preferred option in LA at this time. HC Sean McVay said they have not decided whether Freeman or Evans will be the RB3 for Week 3.
Donald Parham Jr. | TE | Los Angeles Chargers
23% Rostered
This one is more of a waiver target for deep Dynasty leagues. Let me be clear: Parham is still the backup TE in Los Angeles, and one multi-touchdown game on limited action does not magically make him a good football player. Still, I think this guy has some sneaky upside in both 2TE and Best Ball Dynasty formats.
As mentioned, Parham’s big Week 3 performance was pretty misleading, as his only two targets happened to turn into touchdowns. But at the same time, this kind of hyper-production is not something unusual for the Year 4 tight end. Parham has collected ten touchdowns on just 66 total targets throughout his career, for a touchdown rate of 15.2%. Typically, this type of production is not sustainable over a large sample of games, but in Parham’s case, he’s been doing this for 3+ years. It’s clear the 6’8″, 237 lb. TE is a primary target for this Chargers offense in goal line situations. I don’t see that changing anytime soon. In Best Ball formats, he has the potential to hit your starting lineup a few times per year, and you don’t have to try and guess right on the breakout week.
Another thing to note: Parham is seeing the field about as often as Gerald Everett this year. Everett’s snap percentage is sitting at 56% through three games, while Parham is at 48%. And Parham actually out-snapped Everett in Week 2. Parham is now up to 48 routes run on the year, so he sees enough action to justify the waiver pickup, especially considering that most are high-value routes.
Jameis Winston | QB | New Orleans Saints
29% Rostered
Jameis will undoubtedly see his fantasy ownership skyrocket after Derek Carr‘s injury in Week 3. Reports are that Derek Carr has an AC sprain and avoided a significant injury but could still be out for several weeks.
While Winston certainly has some red flags to his game in real life, he’s a very fantasy-friendly quarterback. We know Jameis has no qualms about letting it fly, and he has plenty of weapons to throw to in New Orleans. Assuming Carr will be out at least for Week 4, Winston is filling in at a great time, as Alvin Kamara will be back from suspension and is expected to suit up against Tampa Bay this coming Sunday. He should be valued as a mid-QB2 if named the starter this week, and you can start him without hesitation in Superflex leagues. If Winston makes the most of this opportunity, we may see a revival of his career and see him land a starting job elsewhere (maybe NYJ?). If Jameis is sitting on waivers in your Dynasty Superflex league, don’t be shy with your FAAB bid. He has tons of short-term value and an outside shot at having some real Dynasty value.
Thank you for taking the time to read this article, and I hope you got some valuable information you can use for your fantasy team! If you’d like additional insight into Dynasty Football news and analysis, please follow me on Twitter at @jim_DFF. Until next time, keep grinding out there, DFF family! #DFFArmy #AlwaysBeBuilding
