Week Five Waiver Wire: A Closer Look at Two Potential Adds

Brian Malone Posted On October 5, 2016

Ryan McDowell says that his biggest advantage in dynasty is being more attentive than his league mates, especially on the waiver wire. Drafting is exciting. Trading is fun. Lineups decisions will make you pull your hair out. But waivers are a bit tedious, which is why you can win them. If you’re good at the thing no one else likes, you give yourself a big advantage.

This article is one step toward winning the waiver wire. Each week, I’ll talk about two players to add — one for shallower leagues (225-250 offensive players rostered) and one for deeper leagues (275-325 offensive players rostered). In some weeks, both players I discuss will be rostered in your leagues. I get that, and I welcome feedback about whether I should be digging deeper or shallower.

It’s another WR week, but enough of those bye-week fill-ins. This time we’re looking for upside!

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Shallow Leagues — Brice Butler, WR DAL

Bruce Matson profiled Butler in August as the Cowboys’ Summer Sleeper and noted that Butler is a physical freak a la Chris Conley.

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Or you think of him as a more explosive Jordan Matthews:

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Either way, his physical profile should have you salivating. Alas, his collegiate career was a black mark on his draft profile. He never topped 300 yards receiving in three seasons at Southern California. After transferring to San Diego State for his senior season, he posted only 347 yards and four touchdowns for the Aztecs.

That lack of production carried over into the NFL. The Raiders drafted Butler in the seventh round in 2013, but his best game with Oakland was a 3-catch, 64-yard, 1-touchdown outing in 2014. The Raiders traded Butler to Dallas for a late-round pick swap before the 2015 season, and Butler showed flashes in Bryant’s absence. In weeks 15 and 16, Butler tied Terrance Williams for the team lead in targets (19), and he managed eight receptions for 134 yards.

Heading into 2016, Butler was again an afterthought. But with Dez Bryant out in week four due to a bone bruise in his knee, Butler stepped in as the Cowboys’ X receiver. Butler made good on his opportunity, catching five of nine targets for 41 yards and a touchdown. Bryant’s injury apparently isn’t as serious as many first thought, but we won’t know for sure until he’s back on the field.

Butler isn’t a must add, and I wouldn’t spend more than a dollar or two on him in blind bidding. But in a week without many exciting waiver options, he’s a decent chance to take if you have room.

Deeper Leagues — Robby Anderson, WR NYJ

First, I have to throw some love to “Waz” over at FFCouchCoach for flagging Anderson before the season. Anderson wasn’t just undrafted. He wasn’t invited to the combine, and he was on almost no one’s dynasty draft radar. But Waz spotted the 2016 rookie as a player to watch, and that prompted me to grab him before week one in the DLF Hall of Famers League (a 16-team, 25-player, offense-only league).

Physically, think Justin Hunter:

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Anderson is a touch smaller, faster, more agile, and less explosive. But he has the same rail-thin build and long speed.

As a converted cornerback, Anderson was fairly productive in college. In his age-20 season (his first at WR), Anderson led Temple with 791 receiving yards and nine touchdowns. He accounted for 26.4 percent of the team’s receiving yards, despite playing in just ten of 12 games.

Anderson was suspended for academic reasons in 2014, but he returned in 2015 and again led the Owls in receiving at age 22. This time, he posted 939 yards and seven touchdowns, accounting for 30.9 percent of the team’s receiving yards.

Anderson is the Jets’ fourth WR — not an ideal spot in an offense with a top-heavy target distribution. But with Eric Decker out in week four, Anderson stepped into the WR3 role and played on 87 percent of the team’s snaps. He captured six targets, behind Brandon Marshall, Bilal Powell, and Quincy Enunwa. He caught only two passes for 12 yards, but the real story is in the incomplete passes. Ryan Fitzpatrick targeted Anderson deep (as you would expect). Anderson’s four incomplete targets traveled an average of 24 yards downfield.

Decker is out with a partially torn rotator cuff, which means Anderson should get another week or two to connect on one of those deep passes. If he does, he’ll be cemented on the end of someone’s roster. May as well be yours.

Hat tip to Josh Hermsmeyer for the air yards data.

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