It's crunch time
Things are coming down to the wire.
We’ve entered the waning weeks of the fantasy football regular season. Maybe you’ve been lucky and your team has been a wagon all campaign, or maybe you’ve been out of contention for a while. But the lion’s share of owners likely are in the hunt and need to keep winning in order to secure a playoff spot.
So, here are the players you’ll want to eye this week on the waiver wire (based on players available in 65 percent or fewer of Yahoo! leagues).
Quarterback: Cam Newton, New England Patriots (62 percent owned)
Don’t look now, but Newton has been one of the NFL’s most efficient quarterbacks the last three weeks. With so many owners rage-cutting him earlier this season, he might be available in your league.
The bad has been pretty bad for Newton this season. But that came after his bout with COVID-19, which obviously caused him to miss valuable practice time, and the last few weeks he’s started to hit a rhythm.
Newton might not be lighting it up with passing touchdowns, but that’s been made up from a fantasy perspective by the number of times he finds the end zone on the ground.
Wit a matchup against the lowly Houston Texans awaiting him, Newton might be a good grab this week.
Other quarterbacks to target: Matthew Stafford (DET), Teddy Bridgewater (CAR), Tua Tagovailoa (MIA)
Running back: Nyheim Hines, Indianapolis Colts (42 percent owned)
The draw with Hines is that the Colts have found a way to keep him very much involved in both the passing and rushing games.
That was never more apparent than in Week 10, when he found the end zone on the ground and an in the air, catching five of six passing targets for 45 yards while rushing 12 times for 70 yards.
Banking on that performance every week is asking too much, but Hines has been a high-ceiling player often this season.
Other running backs to target: Mark Ingram (BAL), Damien Harris (NE), Rex Burkhead (NE)
Wide receiver: Keelan Cole, Jacksonville Jaguars (23 percent owned)
We’ll say this: There aren’t a whole lot of wideouts on the wire that have four touchdowns catches this season.
But that’s precisely how many Cole has reeled in, including one in Week 10 as he showed some chemistry with quarterback Jake Luton.
The Jaguars’ offense, much like the team as a whole, hasn’t been great this season. But regardless of who is under center and which wideouts are healthy, Cole has been involved. That’s about as good as you’re going to get on the wire at this point in the season.
Other wide receivers to target: Curtis Samuel (CAR), Corey David (TEN), Marquez Valdes-Scantling (GB)
Tight end: Robert Tonyan, Green Bay Packers (51 percent owned)
This space often has been reserved for Jimmy Graham, but we’ll mix it up this week.
That said, it’s tough to be confident about any tight end you’ll find available this time of the year. That’s why we’re going with a guy in Tonyan who has flamed out the last few weeks but had a monster start to the campaign.
Tonyan was a favorite target of Aaron Rodgers early on, catching at least one touchdown in each of his first three games. He’s yet to find the end zone since, but still sees some action in the passing games.
If you’re desperate you can pick up Tonyan, but keep expectations incredibly tempered.
Other tight ends to target: Dalton Schultz (DAL), Tyler Higbee (LAR), Logan Thomas (WAS)