As we approach week seven, the football season fantasy lineups are starting to get harder to fill. With injuries coming to certain stars and bye weeks starting to come into play fantasy owners must pay attention to the waiver wire a bit more. If your fantasy team is low in the standings as of right now, pay close attention to these names who could be starting on fantasy rosters in deeper leagues this week. 

Latavius Murray, former Minnesota Viking is now handling most of the carries for the Denver Bronco offense. Russell Wilson and Nathaniel Hacketts experiment so far has been a failure in the Mile High City. They now have a two and four record and need to pile up wins fast. Running back Javonte Williams, too many analysts was a big fantasy sleeper heading into the year and was ruled out for the year due to a knee injury. Denver doesn’t seem to trust Melvin Gordon to be the bell cow of that offense due to fumbling problems and lack of consistency. On Thursday. versus the Chargers, Denver gave Murray 15 carries where he ran for 66 yards. Murray had just recently joined the Broncos on October 3 seeing that they trust him with this workload already is a promising sign. Even though he didn’t find himself in the end zone he was one of the more consistent parts of Denver‘s offense last week.  They have a matchup with the Jets this week who now have one of the best secondaries in football. With the way, Russell Wilson has been playing so far this year expect Denver to rely heavily on the ground game on Sunday. Murray could be a good running back filler for those owners who own running backs with bye weeks or injuries in week seven. 

Colts wide receiver Alec Pierce has made a strong impression so far through six weeks. He and quarterback Matt Ryan have seemed to develop chemistry. The Colts rely on Michael Pittman as their number one weapon especially with Jonathan Taylor missing time so far this season, Pierce remains a vital part of their offense. Even though last week Pierce only caught three passes one was for a huge game-winning touchdown. Plays like that will give Ryan more trust in going to Pierce in big moments and often throughout the year. The Colts are now heading to a match-up with the Tennessee Titans who have been mediocre at best thus far. Pierce was able to catch eight balls for 81 yards against a very good Denver Broncos secondary in week five. Consider him a possible flex play against a weaker secondary in the Titans this Sunday.

After injuring himself in the season opener and missing four games Giants wide receiver Wan’Dale Robinson made his presence last week against the Ravens. Quarterback Daniel Jones has looked good thus far this season but remains without a true weapon to rely on. Robinson was the Giants' second-round pick, he was getting hype during the heat of training camp and many expected him to have an important role on this offense. Even though he only caught three balls on Sunday one of them ended up in the end zone. That red zone threat the Giants need other than Saquon Barkley might just be Robinson. Without Sterling Shepard for the rest of the year and health concerns about former first-round pick Kadarius Toney. There won’t be much competition for Robinson if he remains healthy for the rest of the year. If the Giants continue their surprising success as well that will only boost Robinson’s stock. 

Ravens running back Kenyan Drake had a very nice day on Sunday versus the Giants. Drake ran 10 times for 119 yards scoring a touchdown as well. JK Dobbins, the ravens running back went out earlier in the contest with tightness in his leg. Drake is by no means going to be the Ravens' starter going forward. But, his performance on Sunday should earn him more snaps in the future. For a team like Baltimore who are looking for other playmakers on their offense, it wouldn’t make sense for John Harbaugh to cut Drake from gameplans for their offense especially after his performance last week. Dobbins has had an injury-riddled past as well making his questionable health very up in the air. If Baltimore is going to make a true run in the AFC they are going to need to find more weapons within their roster right now. Which makes Drake a player worth stashing on your bench with a high upside.

Lions wide receiver Josh Reynolds has become an unexpected part of Detroit's passing game. Injuries to Amon-Ra St. Brown and DJ Chark, this has allowed for more opportunities for Reynolds. In Detroit's last three games Reynolds has had over seven targets in each contest. He already has two touchdowns on the year to go along with that. Even though the Lions are getting back, St. Brown, Chark’s health still remains up in the air. The chemistry that quarterback Jared Goff has with Reynolds will keep him in the Detroit lineup. For fantasy owners who are weak on wide receivers, Reynolds would be a quality addition. The one part of Detroit’s start to the season thus far that has not been the problem has been their pass game. A red zone threat like Reynolds that has a history with the quarterback will only get more snaps as the Lions get deeper into their season.

Broadcast Journalism major at Penn State to contact Sam email at sjk6325@psu.edu.

-By: Sam Kirk

As we enter Week 8 of the NFL season the number of injuries only continues to increase. After a 2020 season that took many stars of the game away from us fans, the 2021 season hasn’t been much better. As we approach the midway point in the longest football season ever, some teams have been already blown up by injury.

Here are five players available in most leagues ( stats according to ESPN) with the upside to soon become contributors on their respective teams. Each of these players will receive starter consideration during this fantasy season, you need to get your hands on them before it is too late 

Let’s reveal my top 5 late must-add waiver wire additions this week. 

1. Rashod Bateman WR BAL (14.6% rostered)

Bateman looked good in his NFL debut on Sunday where he played 65% of Baltimore’s snaps. This was a great sign for fantasy owners who drafted the rookie. Besides the one drop that led to a Charger interception, Bateman helped move the chains on several third downs. The upside with the first-round pick is now back and should make him owned in almost all competitive fantasy leagues. Let’s keep in mind he plays for the hottest offense in the NFL.

2. Demetric Felton RB CLE (22% rostered)

Felton was only given snaps on Sunday due to the injury of Kareem Hunt. Cleveland got their doors blown off so it didn’t really give us a good glimpse of what this offense will look like without their two stud running backs. Kevin Stefanski and the Browns have a short week and a matchup with a solid defense in the Denver Broncos. D’Ernest Johnson will also receive a large amount of the snaps but will have less of a role in the passing game, at this point in time and especially in PPR leagues Felton should be valued a bit more than Johnson barring any long term setbacks to either Chubb or Hunt. 

3. Rhamondre Stevenson RB NE (11.5% rostered)

Stevenson was getting more snaps during the fourth quarter of Sunday’s game because of Harris’ injury. The rookie scored and totaled 62 yards. New England’s always loved to use a slew of running backs and Stevenson has seemed to earn a role in their offense already. As Josh McDaniels gets more comfortable with Mac Jones running his system there remains a possibility that Stevenson overtakes Harris as the Pats become more confident throwing the football.

4. Mac Jones QB NE (12% rostered)

There are a group of quarterbacks this season who have either been injured or just have not lived up to expectations. Mac Jones has done everything but that, there has been consistent growth in each game he plays. New England has also gotten unexpectedly great play from tight-end Hunter Henry as well as wide receivers Jakobi Meyers and Kendrick Bourne. This team can play with anyone in the NFL and will be fun to watch for the rest of the season. If you want a consistent quarterback who isn’t going to kill you, look at Jones, who also gets two upcoming matchups with the Jets.

5. Ricky Seals-Jones TE WAS (20% rostered)

A big part of the game plan coming into the season was for Washington to heavily involve tight-end Logan Thomas. Thomas is now on IR and Seals-Jones has been receiving his fair share of targets with 15 in the last two weeks. With such a thin group at tight-end this year with injuries to players like George Kittle, Noah Fant, and Rob Gronkowski, Seals-Jones can give you an effective replacement in the meantime. He also seems to have built up a connection with starter Taylor Heinicke.

Writer

-By: Sam Kirk

With three weeks out of the way, it’s not too late to turn your season around. It’s still early in the and no matter what your record is, there’s always room for improvement. Heading into week 4, here are some players that I believe are worth acquiring and others worth selling.

Buy Low:

Jonathan Taylor, RB, Colts

Despite leading the league with 13 red zone carries, Taylor has yet to find the end zone this season. Although his recent production has been disappointing, he has received double-digit touches in every game. With Marlon Mack seeking a trade from the Colts, Taylor should continue to see enough volume to turn it around in some upcoming favorable matchups starting this week. Facing a Dolphins defense that has allowed 100+ rushing yards and/or at least a touchdown to four running backs and the second-most fantasy points to the position through three games, buy Taylor now before he bounces back in a big way.

Antonio Brown, WR, Buccaneers 

After missing his last game with COVID, Antonio Brown has just one reception for 17 yards in the last two weeks. This is the lowest his value will be all season, and the perfect buy-low opportunity for an all-time receiver, tied to an all-time quarterback (Tom Brady), in one of the league’s best passing offenses. We’ve already seen what this duo is capable of the last time they were in primetime, get Brown now before we see them go off again in a revenge game on Sunday night.

Diontae Johnson, WR, Steelers 

It’s always a risk targeting injured players, but that’s why you’re getting a discount. Diontae Johnson is the clear go-to receiver in his offense and is consistently among the league leaders in target share going back to last season. Even in his absence last week, Johnson’s impact was evident with Steelers running back Najee Harris seeing a team-high 19 targets. Volume is king in fantasy and when Johnson is on the field he should see plenty of it. Buy-low now before he makes his return.

Sell High:

Mike Evans, WR, Buccaneers 

After posting 5-75-2 in week 2, Evans showed out again with 8 receptions for 106 yards. This last effort came in Brown’s absence and with him set to return, it’s hard to rely on Evans’ deep playmaking ability weekly in a loaded Buccaneers offense. Injuries and consistency have been an issue for Evans in the past, coming off back-to-back solid performances, sell him now while he’s healthy.

Adam Thielen, WR, Vikings

Coming off a 12-touchdown season, Thielen is picking up right where he left off, with four through the first three weeks. Although he has scored in every game, he’s finished third or worse in receiving yards on his team with 50 or fewer in his last two appearances. With touchdowns accounting for much of Thielen’s production, It’s hard to rely on him finding the end zone every week. Sell him now before he disappoints.

Antonio Gibson, RB, Football Team

After a rough showing in prime time, Gibson was able to bounce back with 104 scrimmage yards and a score last week. Now is the time to capitalize, had it not been for a 73-yard receiving touchdown, Gibson likely would’ve disappointed once again. This is a player who ended last season with an injury and is already dealing with another. We’ve already seen McKissic take away valuable touches from Gibson in the backfield and with Curtis Samuel activated off IR, it’s only a matter of time before he loses even more. Coming off a big game, sell Gibson now while his value is still high.

Writer

-By: Sunny Choudhury