We’re only at the quarter pole and fantasy football owners' frustration and desperation are reaching new highs and lows.
@FOXSportsFowler @NFLonFOX I'm about ready to trade L McCoy for @timcouchtv
— Steven Johnson (@mav31212) September 29, 2014
@FOXSportsFowler @NFLonFOX Chip Kelly football genius!
— DETROiT LiONS Ⓜ️ (@LeonesNFL) September 28, 2014
Man, when TRich can snicker at you... RT "@FOXSportsFowler: LeSean is averaging more than 1 yard per carry #babysteps”
— Zach Baker (@Zachthewriter) September 28, 2014
From the tone of my Week 4 Monday night fantasy football chat, you would think LeSean McCoy cut everybody two dimes for their service. Calvin Johnson is the worst person in the world for playing hurt and acting as the Lions’ decoy in Week 4. How dare he! Eddie Lacy scored a touchdown, but has yet to eclipse 50 yards rushing in a pass-heavy offense. Jerk.
Not happy with your current roster and ready to cut bait and rid yourself of perceived fantasy football headaches? Fair enough, but don’t sell your heavily invested first two picks for 75 cents on the dollar like many of you are considering. Knee-jerk reactions in fantasy football – even four weeks into the season (though six teams have only played 3 games) – is not a wise practice.
The struggles of Septembers may just mean you need a fresh coat of paint come October. Four weeks into the season, the waiver wire remains full of potential if you are willing to roll the dice on the next bottle filled with lightning. Here are my top five fantasy waiver wire picks of the week:
Jerick McKinnon – available in 98 percent of leagues
The loss of Matt Cassel, Adrian Peterson and Kyle Rudolph forced Mike Zimmer to embrace the future in the now. Teddy Bridgewater looked sharp in his first career start and Matt Asiata finished drives behind his three-yards-and-a-cloud-of-dust running style. Zimmer wasn’t about to crown the rookie out of Georgia Southern the second-coming of {insert popular running back name here}, but expect McKinnon to be involved the rest of the season. Not bad for the former option-quarterback who was labeled RB3 on the depth chart a month ago.
His NFL Draft Profile Strengths:
The Vikings strength of schedule gets a little tougher the next month when compared to the Falcons, but 18 carries for 135 in Week 4 is reason enough to invest in a HEALTHY running back with your waiver claim.
Justin Forsett – available in more than 50 percent of leagues
Bernard Piece was healthy enough to be deemed active in Week 4. He received no touches, no targets. Forsett and Lorenzo Taliaferro combined for 124 rushing yards with two touchdowns. However, where Forsett’s fantasy football value remains a tick or three higher than Lorenzo T is in the Raven’ passing game. He caught three passes for 31 yards against the Panthers in Week 4. While I still believe Lorenzo T will be active in the RBBC attack each week, he could turn more finisher than three-down back. Taliaferro's 6-foot, 226-pound stature will be needed to compliment the 5-foot-9 Forsett rest of the season.
Louis Murphy – available
The fantasy football sleeper is dead. There’s too much 24-hour, infinite column inches of analysis for those rare gems to hide on the internet. However, Mr. Murphy’s role within Tampa Bay’s offense is about to flirt with the notion that he is indeed a sleeper about to wake up … again.
He was signed a week ago by the Buccaneers (after playing alongside Mike Glennon and second-team during camp) and then racked up 99 yards on six receptions (11 targets). Antonio Brown saw 11 targets in Week 4. With Mike Evans out a few weeks due to injury, this opens the door for Murphy to expand his role within the offense. In PPR leagues, I like Murphy as an add and stash. Oh, you may want to start him in Week 5 as the Buccaneers face the sieve that is Rob Ryan’s Saints’ secondary.
Andrew Hawkins and Brian Quick – available in 85 percent of leagues
In PPR leagues, this duo is worth of a roster add. Quick’s schedule ahead includes the plug-and-play start Eagles in Week 5, but then SF, SEA, KC, SF, and ARI stretch that I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy.
Hawkins gets TEN, PIT, JAX, OAK, TB, and CIN during that same stretch. Hawkins has the edge overall, but Quick vs. Philly in Week 5 is a nice PPR option if you are missing, say, Mike Wallace.
Travis Kelce – available in 70 percent of leagues
A nice showing by the second-year tight end out of Cincinnati. The nine targets are encouraging after only four the week before. Injuries and tight-ends-by-committee have thinned out the herd of available fantasy starters at the position. The Chiefs passing game will always be secondary to Charles and Davis, but against the Patriots they showed some signs of a life.
