Dynasty Stock Market: Waiver Wire Shopping

Ryan McDowell

wilsonTwo weeks ago, I wrote the latest version of Roster Cloggers, discussing some players that are serving no other purpose than simply taking up space on your dynasty roster. As you might guess, my advice regarding these players is to rid your team of them by any means necessary. Usually these players have little or no trade value, so don’t be afraid to outright drop them just because of their perceived name value.

Letting these players go comes at the best time for your dynasty team. Not only will it be a relief to have these players off your roster, but you will now have some open roster spots to use when you go waiver wire shopping. In most dynasty leagues, the playoffs will begin sometime in the next three weeks and in many of those leagues, waivers are processed for the final time until next season. While I disagree with waivers being shut down during the off-season, it’s the reality of many leagues. Whether this is true of your league or not, now is an ideal time to search your waiver wire for some gems who could prove valuable in the coming months and years. In many of my leagues, once a team is eliminated from the playoffs and their off-season has officially begun, they will drop any players who lack long-term value. This usually includes a defense and a kicker, along with players who may have helped win a game or two this season, but due to age or situation, lack future upside. Of course, these owners are searching for the next Colin Kaepernick, Jordan Cameron or Pierre Garcon– a player who is sitting on the waiver wire following their rookie season, but may have a chance to become a valuable commodity down the road. By being aggressive in your waiver wire shopping, you will likely beat these owners to the punch and grab that high upside player before other teams are even thinking about next season.

Here are some players I will be scouring for on my leagues’ waiver wires. These players were chosen based on roster sizes of between twenty-two and twenty-six. Clearly, if your league uses smaller rosters, you may have better options, while larger rosters will you leave you reaching even further for those future stars. Each of the listed players are rostered in less than five percent of MyFantasyLeague.com league, though this does include all league types.

Matt McGloin, QB OAK

Oakland Raiders quarterback Matt McGloin, an undrafted free agent from Penn State, where he began as a walk-on got his first crack at significant playing time just last week as he started in place of Terrelle Pryor. Despite some flashy play at time this season, Pryor is failing to do two things that are crucial for any starting quarterback- throwing for a lot of passing yards and winning games. The Raiders, only 4-6 with one of those wins came this past week under McGloin, are likely headed for their eleventh consecutive year without a winning record. There are many Pryor believers out there, but the Raiders flirtation with Josh Freeman weeks ago and the reports that McGloin could win the job with a strong performance are two indicators that the Oakland brass is not quite sold on the former Buckeye. McGloin threw for nearly 200 yards and collected three passing touchdowns, something Pryor has yet to do in any game of his professional career. Expecting McGloin to retain the starting role the rest of this season and into next season is still somewhat of a long shot, but he’s clearly worth stashing while we see how the next two months play out.

Brian Hoyer, QB CLE

Veteran quarterback Brian Hoyer has bounced around the league during his five year career. Once thought to be the heir apparent to Tom Brady in New England, Hoyer has since played for Arizona and Cleveland and spent some time with the Pittsburgh Steelers, though he never saw game action. Until this season, Hoyer’s play had been average and forgettable. So average in fact that when Cleveland Browns head coach Rob Chudzinski announced that Hoyer would be his starting quarterback after starter Brandon Weeden was injured, many were shocked. Hoyer leapt veteran Jason Campbell on the depth chart and most fans expected Cleveland to cruise to a top five draft pick, racking up blowout losses along the way. Instead, Hoyer’s season began the same week as wide receiver’s Josh Gordon and the pair quickly worked well together, and Hoyer looked often to tight end Jordan Cameron as well. Hoyer posted two stellar games in a row, leading the Browns to victories in both and causing Gordon and Cameron fantasy owners to drool in anticipation of the rest of the season. Then, in week five, Hoyer suffered a torn ACL early in a game against the Buffalo Bills and his season was over.

In the five games since, the Browns have alternated between Weeden and Campbell and have only come out victorious once.  The Browns have been rumored as a candidate to select a quarterback in May’s NFL draft and while I expect them to do just that, it makes sense for the team to stick with Hoyer for the 2014 season, while their likely new addition learns the ropes of the NFL. Considering the success he enjoyed with Gordon and Cameron and the fast paced offense of Chudzinski and offensive coordinator Norv Turner, Hoyer is the perfect stash.

Brice Butler, WR OAK

We all know how the Raiders like to incorporate speedy players into their offense and they’ve found another in rookie wide receiver Brice Butler. Butler has had a quiet rookie season and has even struggled at times with dropping catchable balls, but neither of those is surprising for a rookie. Butler has nine receptions for just over one hundred yards on the season, but the Raiders top receiver, Denarius Moore, is a free agent following the season and no one could blame him for choosing to leave the team. If things do play out that way, the wide receiver cupboard would be bare, with Rod Streater, Jacoby Ford, Juron Criner and Butler vying for snaps. Expect the Raiders to feature an improved passing offense next season and if things go his way, Butler could be one of the players to benefit from that.

Luke Willson, TE SEA

Seattle tight end Luke Willson is another rookie who is off to a slow start to his career, but again, that is to be expected. We have been spoiled by the recent success of incoming rookies and now expect instant fantasy relevance, or else. Patience though, can lead to some excellent waiver wire picks ups and Willson could turn into another example of this. The Seahawks still have starting tight end Zach Miller signed for another two years at a reasonable cost, so I’d be surprised if they released him, but that doesn’t mean he will get in the way if Willson, a big 6’6” target begins to show promise. For some reason, the Seahawks have never gotten Miller involved in the offense like he was in Oakland. Hopefully that is not a sign of the offensive scheme, which would clearly be a bad sign for Willson, who went under the radar during the draft process after playing alongside and often behind fellow rookie tight end Vance McDonald, who landed with the rival 49ers.

Brandon Bostick, TE GB

Of all the players mentioned in this column, the one I’m looking for first is Green Bay Packers tight end Brandon Bostick. Bostick just recently saw his first playing time with starter Jermichael Finley landing on the injured reserve list with a serious spinal injury. Sadly, Finley’s future is in doubt due to the injury, though there’s a good chance this season would have been his last in a Packers’ uniform regardless. Not only is Finley likely done in Green Bay, but veteran receiver James Jones is a free agent and could also opt to sign with a new team. Obviously, we can expect receivers Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb to be the main options for Aaron Rodgers in the passing game, but the tight end has been a much used weapon in this offense the past few years and it appears the job could be available. Currently, with Finley done for the year, Andrew Quarless has been given chances and done little with them, failing to make an impression over the past few weeks as the starter. While there is a realistic chance the Packers fill their gap at the tight end position through the draft, if they don’t, I think the job is Bostick’s to lose.

Mychal Rivera, TE OAK

Yet another Raider on this list. I am beginning to think the Raiders could be a fun team to watch if they right the passing game and avoid the rough patch of injuries that always seems to affect them. Anyway, as an avid watcher of Southeastern Conference football, Mychal Rivera, formerly of the University of Tennessee, was a player that always impressed me. He wasn’t flashy like many of today’s top tight ends, but he made tough catches in big spots and was a solid red zone option, as we’ve seen in his rookie season as well. Rivera has twenty-three receptions for 250 yards and two scores so far this season. He’s on pace for thirty-seven receptions and 400 yards and has been a pleasant surprise in the Oakland offense. As I’ve already mentioned, I expect the Raiders to upgrade at the quarterback position, whether that means McGloin earning the job, or the team upgrading through the draft. Either way, the fantasy value of all of the pass catchers will be improved.

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