Fantasy Football: Brandon Bolden, Jace Amaro Among Week 7 Waiver Wire Adds
Don’t think scanning the waiver wire pays off? Let’s take a quick look at Week 6.
Who threw the most touchdown passes in the NFL on Sunday? That’d be Joe Flacco, owned in less than 40 percent of ESPN standard leagues. As for the running backs? Three of the league’s six 100-yard rushers in Week 6 — Branden Oliver, Justin Forsett and Ronnie Hillman — went undrafted in virtually all fantasy leagues.
OK, we’ll stop rubbing it in. But you get the point. Obviously there’s no way to predict a performance like Flacco’s, but Oliver, Forsett and Hillman all were popular recent waiver wire additions who have validated the hype by producing big dividends.
With the rash of injuries that seems to hit the league every week, new opportunities are always popping up. Week 6 certainly was no exception, as a fresh batch of backups could be set for increased production over the next few weeks.
Let’s take a look at the latest prospects.
Quarterback: Carson Palmer, Arizona Cardinals
The great Carson Palmer is back, everybody! OK, so Palmer’s performance against the Washington Redskins wasn’t exactly Hall-of-Fame worthy, but it was serviceable at the very least. The Cardinals have some particularly juicy matchups coming up — at Oakland, vs. Philadelphia, at Dallas, vs. St. Louis — so if you’re hurting at the QB position, Palmer should be a solid source of production over the next month if he can stay healthy.
Other quarterbacks to watch: Joe Flacco, Ryan Tannehill, Brian Hoyer, Derek Carr, Jake Locker
Running Back: Brandon Bolden, New England Patriots
The Patriots’ big win over the Buffalo Bills on Sunday was tempered by the loss of bell-cow back Stevan Ridley, who could miss the rest of the season after possibly tearing his ACL. The Patriots’ backfield always is a dicey venture, but someone has to fill Ridley’s void, and Shane Vereen has just one rushing touchdown on the season. New England faces a tough matchup against the New York Jets on a short week, but look for the team to turn to Bolden as its goal-line option for the considerable future.
Other running backs to watch: Jonathan Stewart, Antone Smith, Jerick McKinnon, Storm Johnson, Isaiah Crowell
Wide Receiver: Andre Holmes, Oakland Raiders
Oakland usually is a Black Hole when it comes to fantasy, but we might have something here with Holmes. The former practice squad player broke out for 121 yards and two touchdowns Sunday and now has three touchdowns in his last two games. He’s clearly Derek Carr’s favorite option, and the Raiders face a Cardinals defense in Week 7 that’s been surprisingly friendly to wide receivers this season. At the very least, he’s worth stashing on your bench as a plug-and-play option.
Other wide receivers to watch: Odell Beckham Jr., Cecil Shorts, Brandon LaFell, Mohamed Sanu, Davante Adams
Tight End: Jace Amaro, New York Jets
After a slow start to his NFL career, Amaro busted out in a big way with 10 receptions for 68 yards and a touchdown Sunday. Geno Smith and the Jets offense are desperately lacking weapons, so the opportunity certainly is there for Amaro to emerge as Smith’s new favorite target. The Jets play a Patriots team that’s without linebacker Jerod Mayo and has been susceptible to big games from tight ends this season, allowing two double-digit performances in the last three weeks.
Other tight ends to watch: Scott Chandler, Jordan Reed, Clay Harbor, Jared Cook
Photo via Stew Milne/USA TODAY Sports Images
