Dynasty Waiver Wire: Week One

Addison Hayes

I am going to be honest, I am not very good at introductions. I was going to make some cliché “the NFL is back!” statement, but if you are reading this, you have probably already seen that 100 times from other articles. As a matter of fact, I know you probably aren’t even reading this introduction; you are just skipping straight down to where the first name appears are reading off the names for someone of interest. I get it. I know how this goes.

In case you are reading this, there is one bit of information to know before you start reading names. New to this year’s series and the DLF site is player rostership percentages, courtesy of dynasty rosters from SafeLeagues and the great Scott Fish. Using that data, I developed an app to view rostership data from over 400 SafeLeagues dynasty leagues, all using the same format and scoring (2 PPR tight end premium). While this may not be entirely accurate for every individual league, it is very reflective of how managers view who is worthy or not of a roster spot. Now that that is covered, let’s dive into the waiver wire after week one!

Players to double-check availability and immediately add:

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Russell Gage, WR ATL

The Seahawks-Falcons game was one of the best of the week, with over 60 total points scored. Gage was quite active for the Falcons, being targeted on 12 of Matt Ryan’s 54 pass attempts. It’s very possible Gage posted his best fantasy performance of the season, but he is worth a spot on your roster as an upcoming bye week fill-in or, knock on wood, an injury to either Julio Jones or Calvin Ridley. He is rostered in 97% of the SafeLeagues in our data, which means he’s available in at least 13 leagues out there.

Marquez Valdes-Scantling, WR GB

Another wide receiver rostered in 97% of leagues, MVS was tied for second on the Packers with six targets against the Vikings, finishing with four receptions for 96 yards and a score. In fact, Valdes-Scantling could have had an even better day if he hauled in two dropped passes, which would have put him over the 100-yard mark. It remains to be seen who the true WR2 is on this Packers team, but MVS has taken a small lead on Allen Lazard for the time being.

Logan Thomas, TE WAS

Washington might be one of, if not the most barren team of fantasy producers in the league. However, we might have found another bright spot in Thomas after Terry McLaurin and the hopeful Antonio Gibson. Thomas led Washington in targets with a 26% target share and finished with four receptions for 37 yards and a touchdown. He may not have been overly efficient with his targets and was semi-saved by finding the end zone, but if he continues to be heavily targeted on this offense, he will be a decent option at the tight end position. In fact, every tight end with over 80 targets in 2019 finished as inside the top-13 on the season. There are worse tight ends…

Keelan Cole, WR JAC

Remember this guy? After a somewhat breakout rookie season in 2017, Cole got hit with the sophomore slump in 2018 and totaled only 35 targets in 2019. Flash forward to week one in 2020, and Keelan Cole is leading the Jaguars in targets, receptions, yards, and even found paydirt. On another completely barren offense of fantasy producers, Cole could have found a solid connection with Gardner Minshew.

Scott Miller, WR TB

After getting a slightly better Andy Isabella treatment as a rookie last year, Miller finished second on the Buccaneers with six targets against the Saints, finishing with a solid 5-73 line. Mike Evans came into this week injured as a game-time decision, which could have impacted the overall team target share this week, but Miller looked good. Miller received some training camp hype from Bruce Arians and Tom Brady, and if Brady likes him and is willing to target him five to six times a game, I’m in.

CJ Uzomah, TE CIN

In Joe Burrow’s much-anticipated debut, Uzomah was one of four Bengals players to receive five targets behind AJ Green’s nine. While 8.5 PPR fantasy points is not great, remember, we are talking about the tight end position here. If you do not have an elite player at the position, you are looking for bodies with a chance. That’s Uzomah.

Myles Gaskin, RB MIA

It was a rough week for the Dolphins, as they scored the fewest points of any team on the week. Much to probably everyone’s surprise, Gaskin led the Fins in running back touches with 13: nine carries for 40 yards and another four receptions for 26 yards on four targets. Both Jordan Howard and Matt Breida failed to receive a target, so maybe Gaskin has taken over that main third-down role. He is rostered in only 11% of SafeLeagues, so it might be very easy to find Gaskin on your waivers. He is worth an add on the potential he continues to lead a three-headed committee.

Greg Ward, WR PHI

Man, do the Eagles need help on offense… Ward has found himself in nearly the same situation as the end of the 2019 season, finishing second on the team with seven targets. I know, he’s not a sexy name at all. He would probably make me gag clicking the checkbox by his name on MFL to start him, but here we are. As long as the Eagles continue to be depleted by injuries on offense, Ward should continue to see a decent enough target share to warrant a potential flex or bye-week fill in.

Other players to keep an eye on:

Deep stashes:

addison hayes