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By: Mike Johnson (@Mjohnson86)
The theme of this article is, “Work smarter, not harder.” Every week we will give you the top Waiver Adds in our Tuesday article. However, you can make things a lot easier and less stressful by getting ahead of things with some players and situations. Doing so in a smart way can help you save FAAB or preserve high waiver priority in your league.
Every Sunday I will give you a few players who stand out to me as great potential additions that can give you a leg up on your league mates. Look to add these players if you have players you are willing to drop, who get late-week injuries, or who are ruled out of their games and allow you to move them to an IR spot once they are officially inactive on Sunday morning.
Jameis Winston, QB, CLE
Jameis had a massive game on Monday night against the Broncos, but a tough on-paper matchup with a Steelers defense that slowed him down in a blizzard two weeks ago has kept his ownership levels in check, as he is only rostered in 34% of Yahoo leagues currently. However, looking ahead, he has three nice matchups for the fantasy playoffs against the Chiefs, Bengals, and Dolphins. Kansas City’s defense has taken a step back and given up big games to Bryce Young and Aidan O’Connell in recent weeks, so it’s not as imposing as it first looks. Then, Cincinnati and Miami are potential shootouts.
Trey Benson, RB, ARI
Tyler Allgeier, RB, ATL
Jonathon Brooks, RB, CAR
Ray Davis, RB, BUF
All of these guys should be rostered in most/all leagues at this point in the season, but all of them are available in 60% or more of Yahoo and ESPN leagues. We are entering the fantasy playoffs, and after this week the byes are done. Each of these guys is one injury away from a featured role in the playoffs that could make them a league winner and boost you from pretender to contender. We don’t need that TE2 or WR5 who you know isn’t making it into your starting lineup and who you can probably just pick back up later if needed. Get potential difference-makers on your roster before they lock on Sunday when games kick-off.
Juwan Johnson, TE, NO
The Saints are still technically alive to win their division, but their pass-catching corps is wearing thin. Johnson has stepped up and had big games in the past and there’s a good chance his role grows with Taysom Hill’s season over. He’s only rostered in 9% of Yahoo leagues, so I’d recommend adding him for any teams who have back-end TEs starting right now and seeing how this week goes.
Ravens Defense
Baltimore is on bye this week, so a decent number of teams have dropped them. They are over 50% owned, but they play the hapless Giants in Week 15 in what is basically the best possible matchup. For teams that are going to be in the playoffs, but won’t or may not have a bye next week, the Ravens are a must-add if available.
Colts Defense
For those teams looking at a Week 15 bye in the playoffs, the Colts stand out as the top defense to add with a forward-looking approach. Indianapolis hasn’t been a dominant defense by any means, but they’ve had some really nice games, especially against weaker offenses. In Week 16 and 17, they get to face Will Levis and the Titans, followed by the downtrodden Giants with Drew Lock or Tommy DeVito at QB.