Welcome back to my dynasty-specific waiver advice. Week 5 was characterized by some interesting usage trends, which may make this the best week of fantasy waivers so far this season. Without further ado, here is this week’s waiver breakdown.
Probably Gone, But Double Check
A.J. Barner, TE, Seattle Seahawks
While A.J. Barner has consistently put up high snap shares for the Seahawks, he finally added a big game to his resume with a 7-53-2 line. If this is a sign of Barner earning a bigger role in the offense, he could be on his way to a breakout season as the clearly better blocker between him and rookie Elijah Arroyo.
While the Seahawks have a lot invested in Arroyo, this situation is more ambiguous and fluid than dynasty owners want to believe. It’s worth having a share of this room and letting the chips fall where they may.
Any roster type, regardless of whether the league is TE premium or not, should add Barner.
Gunnar Helm, TE, Tennessee Titans
For the first time this season, Helm outsnapped Chig Okonkwo, with a 66% snap share to Okonkwo’s 63%. He responded with a modest 5-34-0 line.
While that’s not a stat line that turns around fantasy teams, the workload is finally trending in the right direction for Helm, who in my opinion is a more complete player than Okonkwo.
By the end of the year, there’s a good chance Helm becomes the true starter while Okonkwo becomes more of a situational “move” tight end.
Any owner in a TE premium league must prioritize Helm if he’s available.
Priority Adds
Ryan Flournoy, WR, Dallas Cowboys
KaVontae Turpin missed Week 5 with a foot injury, which opened the door for Ryan Flournoy to earn a 57% snap share. Flournoy responded with 6 receptions for 114 yards on 9 targets.
While the snap share wasn’t huge, and Flournoy benefited from Turpin’s presumably short absence, we dynasty owners always have to pay attention when a young player plays well.
Not only is Flournoy a startable option in this high-volume Cowboys passing attack, but for all we know he could start eating into Tolbert and Turpin’s playing time in the long term.
With Pickens and Lamb around, the long-term upside for a big role isn’t really there, but with how sparse dynasty waivers are, any young player who plays well should raise eyebrows.
Rebuilders should target Flournoy, hoping for him to solidify some sort of role by the end of the season. Any team in need of a spot start could add him and see if Turpin misses another week.
Waiver Adds
Kimani Vidal & Hassan Haskins
RB, LA Chargers
Vidal and Haskins are next in line with Omarion Hampton heading to IR after injuring his ankle. Most likely this will not be a great backfield for fantasy, as these two backs split touches pretty much down the middle last week.
However, there is always the chance somebody surprisingly emerges as a lead back ala Michael Carter. Like always, when there is variance in an ambiguous situation, it behooves you to grab a piece of it and cross your fingers.
These players should only be of interest to fantasy owners who are competing and need the depth or maybe an emergency start. Rebuilders can steer clear.
Hunter Long, TE, Jacksonville Jaguars
Brenton Strange left the Jags’ Monday Night Football matchup with the Kansas City Chiefs due to a hip injury.
If he misses significant time, Long is the more interesting option between him and Johnny Mundt. He’s been involved in the red zone and is less likely to be pigeonholed into a pure blocking role.
Owners in TE premium leagues in need of a few spot starts should target Long. Longer-term rebuilders and contenders with depth don’t need to care.
Stashes
Kenny Pickett, QB, Las Vegas Raiders
If you’re in a Superflex league, every starting quarterback needs to be rostered. Meanwhile in Las Vegas, the Raiders have lost four games in a row, a couple in truly ugly fashion, and Geno Smith has been a big problem.
I haven’t heard any open speculation about a potential Smith benching, but it’s about time to stash Kenny Pickett just in case. Pickett is not by any stretch of the imagination an exciting option, but in Superflex you want every starting quarterback you can find, be it for depth or as a trade chip.
Any roster type with an expendable player or two can stash Pickett.
Deep League Options
Bam Knight
While Michael Carter dominated the Cardinals’ backfield in the absence of Trey Benson, Knight might be in line for a role after Emari Demercado’s fumble fiasco.
For those who aren’t aware, Demercado broke a long touchdown run, except he dropped the football in front of the goal line, a crucial mistake in a game the Cardinals would go on to lose. He was then chewed out by head coach Jonathan Gannon.
If Demercado is benched, Knight could step into some sort of role. Any owner could add Knight, but with the understanding that this is a highly speculative move that can be churned off the roster at any time.
Albert Okwuegbunam
Albert O stepped in for the injured Brock Bowers and Michael Mayer, and put up a respectable 6-36-0 line. Although he split reps pretty much down the middle with Ian Thomas, Okwuegbunam is the more interesting spot starter option if Brock Bowers misses another game.