National Football League

Fantasy Football: Sleeper Waiver Wire Adds

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 4:29 p.m. ET

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Sep 1, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders running back Jalen Richard (46) carries the ball against the Seattle Seahawks during the second quarter at Oakland Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

There are always players you can add each week off the fantasy football waiver wire. Some guys are more well known than others.

All of these players showed something this summer and Week 1 to boost their fantasy football value. These options are more than one week fill-ins or guys with recognizable names to your average fan. All of these players are guys that could have long-term value that will help you win not just Week 2, but perhaps all the way through the season.

Be sure not to overlook these players. Each option has value for different reasons. Odds are you won’t be able to get more than one or two of them on the waiver wire, so make a decision on who holds the most value based on the player themselves and your team need. Let’s jump right into the five sleeper pickups.

Jalen Richard, RB — Oakland Raiders

There are two groups of fantasy football owners when it comes to the Raiders backfield. We have the believers in Latavius Murray and the other camp that thinks he is overrated and believes in rookie running back DeAndre Washington. Now a third-party candidate has emerged from this backfield.

In Week 1, Jalen Richard looked explosive and far outperformed fellow rookie Washington. Both played the same amount of snaps and Washington managed just 24 yards on five carries and a catch. Richard on the other hand managed 95 yards on just five touches. It is not out of the question Richard could steal this backup job.

With all this said, I know this is a snap reaction to one game and Washington could very well be the real deal. However, Washington isn’t on the waiver wire in nearly as many leagues as Richard. I don’t expect him to at any point see a ton of touches without injuries hitting the Raiders RB corps. We’ve seen players do a lot with a little before though. Guys like former Atlanta Falcons back Antoine Smith comes to mind. Those instances are few and far between, but Richard may be worth rolling the dice on after a very impressive NFL debut.

Quincy Enunwa, WR — New York Jets

I wrote this prior to Thursday Night Football and was so impressed with Enunwa that I went back and rewrote this whole slide. Enunwa is more than just a dart throw at this point, he’s developing into a significant part of the Jets offense. Threw two games he has seen 14 total targets. He’s caught 13 of those 14 targets for 146 yards and a touchdown. In both games he’s caught a pass of more than 20 yards and is averaging 11.2 yards per reception. What makes this more impressive is that he’s considered more of a chain mover and a go-to guy on third down.

Enunwa was a guy I really liked as a late-round flier heading into the season and he seems to be developing into a legitimate WR3 or bye week fill-in. His value will sky rocket if either Brandon Marshall or Eric Decker were to suffer an injury at any point and miss any time. Enunwa is the real deal and deserves a look in most leagues. He’s a great guy to put on your bench and monitor moving forward. You can do a lot worse in an emergency situation.

Jeremy Kerley, WR — San Francisco 49ers

Kerley clearly looked like the 49ers top option in the passing game on Monday Night Football and I believe this is more of a sign of things to come than an aberration. The slot wideout saw a team high 11 targets and was clearly Blaine Gabbert’s favorite target. He finished the game with seven receptions and 61 yards. You can expect similar production all season long. This was no fluke.

There are two major reasons why Kerley will thrive in San Fran. First off he’s just better than the other 49ers receivers. Torrey Smith and Quinton Patton have glaring deficiencies in their games. Smith has horrendous hands and is open dimensional, while Patton has consistently disappointed throughout his career after shining in the summer. Also, Kerley is a perfect fit for head coach Chip Kelly’s offense. This is the role Bruce Ellington was supposed to fill. Kerely is what Philadelphia Eagles fans hoped they were getting in Nelson Agholor in the draft. Unfortunately, Agholor isn’t and was never close to having Round 1 value. I really like Kerley as a bye week fill-in in PPR leagues.

He’s always had talent. We’ve seen him top 800 yards in the past and top 500 yards in just 12 games. His numbers will not blow you away this year. As a matter of fact, no one in San Francisco’s numbers will blow you away this year. With that said, he will consistently catch passes and see targets each and every week. He will be the best fantasy wide receiver on the 49ers in 2016.

Next: Next Man Up

Tyrell Williams, WR — San Diego Chargers

Williams saw his fantasy value hit a new level Sunday and it’s been climbing all offseason. Per usual, the Chargers WRs corps has been devastated and torn apart. On top of losing Keenan Allen for the season Week 1 with a torn ACL, they’ve also seen Stevie Johnson and Javontee Herndon placed on IR and Malcolm Floyd retired following the 2015 season. All of a sudden Williams is forced into a significant role.

The physical upside is there. He’s a 6-foot-4, 205 pound WR who runs a 4.42 40-yard dash. He’s the fantasy favorite to take over the WR2 job ahead of Dontrelle Inman. Week 1 he caught two of five targets for 71 yards. Assuming Travis Benjamin has been drafted, Williams is your best bet in San Diego to fill the void left Allen on your roster. Or you can only just pick him up for the upside even if you didn’t own Allen.

The Chargers passing attack is definitely worth monitoring moving forward. Benjamin, Antonio Gates and Danny Woodhead are the top guys. Williams, Inman and rookie tight end Hunter Henry all have a chance to emerge as breakout players. At least one of them should put up solid numbers considering how much Philip Rivers throws and as of now Williams is your best bet with the most upside.

Dennis Pitta, TE — Baltimore Ravens

There was a ton of talk about the Ravens tight end depth chart this offseason. Who was going to emerge? Would it be Ben Watson, Maxx Williams or Crockett Gillmore? In a surprise turn of events, Dennis Pitta opened up the season as the top dog. Coming off back-toback major hip surgeries he played nearly all the snaps Week 1.

Gillmore served as the TE2 playing 30 snaps with Williams an afterthought lining up for just nine snaps. Of course we all know Watson is out for the season with a torn Achilles. Pitta played 56-of-68 snaps. He suddenly becomes a very interesting option on the waiver wire and in DFS lineups. Last week Pitta caught 3-of-4 targets for 39 yards after missing nearly two full years. He’s only played in seven games since 2012.

Joe Flacco and Pitta had great chemistry prior to his injury woes and he was projected to be a breakout TE in 2013. If he can stay healthy this season, there’s a chance he can be an absolute steal. Pitta is a nice pickup if you are looking for TE depth or streaming TEs.