This week was by far the busiest yet as the XN writers hit the waiver wire to snag up breakout players, replace injured ones, and stream kickers and defenses. If you want to know what your favorite fantasy analysts to in their own league, check out all of this week’s waiver wire pickups (and one trade) in the XN Sports League of Champions.
4th and Goal (Neil Parker) added Willis McGahee, dropped Ryan Broyles
When Nate Burleson went down, Broyles didn’t see more touches. When Calvin Johnson went down, Broyles still didn’t see more touches. Willis McGahee, on the other hand, figures to be a much bigger part of the offense with Brian Hoyer out. Although he put up just 2.8 YPC, McGahee saw 26 touches, 72 yards, and a touchdown and should continue to benefit from volume alone.
The Winter Classics (Chris Blanchard) added Garrett Graham, dropped Nick Novak
With Owen Daniels out, Garrett Graham could quickly become a top-10 tight end in the Texans’ offense. Even before Daniels went down, Graham was one of Schaub’s favorite red zone targets as he collected three touchdowns over the first five weeks.
Coconut Pete (Tom Fitzgerald) added Kyle Rudolph, dropped Eddie Royal
Since putting up five touchdowns in his first two games, Eddie Royal has seven total receptions, less than 100 yards, and no touchdowns over his last three games. With Danny Woodhead and Keenan Allen seeing bigger roles, Royal is very droppable. Rudolph has been underwhelming, to say the least, with just 12 receptions for 103 yards and a touchdown over four weeks. Rudolph didn’t pile up a lot of yards last season either but did score nine TDs so Tom is banking on Matt Cassel actually getting to the red zone.
Studfeldsville (Salvatore Stefanile) added Brandon Weeden, dropped Stephen Hill
Brian Hoyer is out, Brandon Weeden is in. Every starting quarterback is owned in 2QB leagues, except Thad Lewis. Stephen Hill didn’t play much on Monday as he spent the week recovering from a concussion but figures to be a big part of the Jets offense moving forward so he’s a tough drop.
Derwood #Degenerates (C.D. Carter) added Jets D/ST, dropped Rams D/ST
Denny continues to stream his defenses, opting for the Jets against the Steelers this week. The only defense the Steelers haven’t given double-digit points to is the Vikings and the Jets sport one of the league’s best.
Fifty Shades of Cats (Felipe Melecio) added Cowboys D/ST, dropped Brian Hartline
It’s rare that someone adds a defense that just gave up 51 points but the ‘Boys have a decent looking matchup against the Redskins on tap. Hartline has been underwhelming since his big game in Week 1 against the Browns.
My Buddy and Me (Dave Major) added Harry Douglas, dropped Johnathan Franklin
With Julio Jones hitting the IR, Harry Douglas is in line for a huge bump in opportunities. Meanwhile, the Packers clearly still don’t like Franklin as he got just three touches to Eddie Lacy’s 23 on Sunday against the Lions.
Make It Wayne (Igor Derysh) added Terrance Williams, dropped Rashad Jennings
After missing out on Weeden and Graham, I got my third waiver claim in Williams. He’s got great looking matchups against the Redskins and Eagles over the next two weeks. Of course, shortly thereafter, Miles Austin was declared probable for Sunday so Williams’ value took a hit as soon as I got him.
Fantasy Foundation (Rich Hribar) added Lions D/ST, dropped Browns D/ST
With Brandon Weeden back at the helm, Rich will opt for the Lions defense against the Browns as opposed to the other way around.
Derwood #Degenerates (C.D. Carter) added Billy Cundiff, dropped Sebastian Janikowski
Cundiff is coming off a 13-point day against the Bills and the Browns offense isn’t the kind the finishes drives in the end zone often.
My Buddy and Me (Dave Major) added Brandon Jacobs, dropped Daryl Richardson
Daryl Richardson is now behind Zac Stacy and has produced next to nothing per carry this season. With David Wilson out for several weeks, Jacobs figures to be the starter for the Giants every week. Too bad Dave was too hesitant to start him on Thursday and Jacobs piled up a huge 22.5 FPS day on his bench.
My Buddy and Me (Dave Major) added T.J. Yates, dropped Robert Turbin
With Matt Schaub putting up a ton of points – for the other team – Dave is going to take a shot that Yates could take over the Texans offense soon. On the other hand Robert Turbin isn’t taking anything over.
Keepin Heads Ringing (Michael Clifford) added Saints D/ST, dropped Falcons D/ST
The Saints D has been very impressive this season while the Falcons, well, not so much.
4th and Goal (Neil Parker) added Bryce Brown, dropped Ahmad Bradshaw
With Ahmad Bradshaw hitting the IR, Neil is going to take a stab that Bryce Brown gets some added touches with Michael Vick out or if LeSean McCoy gets hurt.
Fifty Shades of Cats (Felipe Melecio) added Ryan Succop, dropped Garrett Hartley
Both kickers are coming off of four field goal days but Felipe clearly favors the Chiefs’ place kicker.
Studfeldsville (Salvatore Stefanile) added Leonard Hankerson, dropped Julio Jones
Dropping Julio Jones can’t feel good and doing it for a guy who hasn’t surpassed 50 yards since Week 1 has to make it worse.
Studfeldsville (Salvatore Stefanile) traded Alex Smith to Fifty Shades of Cats (Felipe Melecio) for DeSean Jackson
Of course, Sal couldn’t just accept the Julio injury lying down. Currently in first place and the only person with more than three wins, Sal sent Alex Smith to Fifty Shades of Cats in return for DeSean Jackson. Obviously, this would never happen in a 1-QB league but 2-QB leagues can quickly make a fantasy owner like Felipe, who has Matt Ryan on a bye and no backup, very desperate for any QB with a pulse. Timing is everything and, while losing Jones hurt, Sal was able to get a DeSean Jackson for an Alex Smith. Of course, this ends the Alex Smith Experiment and begins Brandon Weeden/Mike Glennon experiment.
