We’re halfway through Byepocalypse, and the extremely tenuous spot starters and emergency depth players are still the priority on dynasty waivers. This week, there are a couple of young wide receivers who fit a very loose definition of “interesting”.
As usual, I’ll also walk everybody through the best way to handle some notable injuries across the league. One note, I won’t recommend adding any Browns running backs on the heels of the Quinshon Judkins injury. He has the bye to recover, and head coach Kevin Stefanski has already said he is expected not to miss any games.
Waiver Adds
Roman Wilson, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers
After a snake-bitten rookie season, Roman Wilson finally made an impact in an NFL game. Wilson brought in 4 catches for 74 yards and one touchdown in easily a career-best performance. On the heels of this performance, Wilson could challenge Calvin Austin for more playing time.
After getting third-round draft capital last year, Wilson could finally be making good on the Steelers’ hopes for him. It’s worth noting that Wilson’s snap share has a lot of room to increase, with him hovering around 50% the last two weeks. But to do that, he’ll need to work his way into two-receiver sets in the TE-happy Arthur Smith offense.
All owner types should be interested in Roman Wilson.
Tyler Johnson, WR, New York Jets
This is a much less interesting option than Wilson. We know what Johnson is at this point, but with the Jets’ receiver room wide open, particularly with Garrett Wilson working his way back from injury, Johnson remains one of the more viable spot starters in dynasty. Only competing teams in need of spot starts should be interested.
Xavier Hutchinson, WR, Houston Texans
Everything I said about Tyler Johnson can be copy-pasted into this section. He’s one of the more interesting spot starters in dynasty with a wide-open WR2 role in Houston and Nico Collins dealing with a hopefully minor injury.
Devin Singletary, RB, New York Giants
The Giants were dealt a tough blow with rookie running back Cam Skattebo going down with a serious ankle injury. Skattebo is out for the season, which makes Singletary the handcuff to Tyrone Tracy.
While I fully expect Tracy to work in as the team’s RB1, he might be on a shorter leash than most lead backs, considering we saw him deal with some soft benchings after fumbling last year. For this reason, Singletary’s backfield may be more ambiguous than people realize.
Only competing owners should care about Singletary.
Max Brosmer, QB, Minnesota Vikings
Carson Wentz is out for the season with a shoulder injury, which makes Brosmer the QB2 in Minnesota. Let me say in no uncertain terms, Kevin O’Connell’s QB2 must be owned in dynasty leagues. We’ve seen fantasy explosions out of the likes of Josh Dobbs and Nick Mullens in this offense.
While Brosmer is a pure handcuff at this point, the Vikings have already shown they’re willing to take a long-term approach with starter J.J. McCarthy. If he gets banged up again, the Vikings might err on the side of caution and give Brosmer a couple of starts.
All competing owners in Superflex leagues should be interested in Brosmer.
Deep League Stashes
Jackson Hawes, TE, Buffalo Bills
While Hawes is primarily a blocking tight end, he led the Bills’ tight end room in snaps last week, as he was involved in 56% of the offensive plays. He brought in a modest two catches for 15 yards.
Hawes is a pure long-term stash on a taxi squad or deep roster in TE-premium leagues, particularly with Dawson Knox’s contract being potentially cuttable this offseason.
Jordan Watkins, WR, San Francisco 49ers
Honestly, Watkins hasn’t done much of anything yet, but he finally saw the field for the first time in Week 8. The 49ers surprised many by investing a fourth-round draft pick in the explosive Watkins, who could develop into a big-play threat if things break right.
Jarret Patterson, RB, Los Angeles Chargers
If Hassan Haskins' injury lingers, Patterson is the new RB2 and handcuff until Omarion Hampton returns. Competing teams in very deep leagues only.
Isaiah Williams, WR, New York Jets
Williams is a second-year player who will be involved in the Jets’ wide-open receiver room. I don’t expect him to do much of anything, but he’s getting snaps, and there is opportunity in the room.
In week 8, Williams caught three passes for 31 yards and played 42% of the snaps.