Week 1’s in the books, and already, things are getting crazy. Key injuries (Dez) and busts (CJ Anderson) may already be affecting your team. Time to throw in the towel? Ginger, please! Fantasy championships are won by savvy waiver wire pickups. And, depending on how hung over we are, we’ll hook you up with weekly waiver wire grabs. Now, on to the show.
Tyrod Taylor, QB, Buffalo (% owned in Yahoo! league, 13%)
If he beats the Pats today, they will build a statute for him and he’ll become Mayor of Buffalo
This weird thing happens every year in Buffalo. Stop me if you’ve heard this before. Bills start out hot (“this is our Year!” mutters a drunk Buffalonian from beneath a pile of wings). Last year’s failures are forgotten. Bills have a big statement win (in September). Chris Berman trots out his “Nobody circles the wagons” shtick. The whole City gets filled with excitement…and then [note: Bills fans stop reading] the Bills go 2-6 down the stretch and New England wins the AFC East. Seriously, this happens every year.
BUT, according to Roid Rage, this year it’s different. This year really is THE YEAR. He has the excitement and innocence of a puppy…I just don’t have the heart to break his spirit (and I’m certainly not going to stand in the way of his Rex Ryan back tat).
Having said that, we like what we’ve seen from Tyrod. He was solid last week against the Colts, throwing for nearly 200 yards with a touchdown and 0 ints. He also added 41 rushing yards. You know Rex will be fired up to play the Pats at home. That means plenty of gimmick plays for Tyrod (yes, the read option is a gimmick). There are points to be had against the Pats secondary…who gave up over 350 yards to Big Ben last week. We like Tyrod to lead the team in rushing, and lead the Bills to the Super Bowl (edited by Roid Rage). If anything, he’s worth a spot on your bench ahead of guys like Joe Flacco and Andy Dalton.
Lance Dunbar, RB, Dallas (17%)
Forget Terrance, Lance will be the main benefactor with Dez out.
Yes, yes, yes, we know, Terrance Williams was the biggest pick up of the week, with Dez out for 4-6 weeks. But don’t overlook Lance. In fact, you should pick him up right now, because that 17% is going to change quickly. Care to guess who led the Cowboys in receptions and yards last week, even with Dez in the game? Lance, who was targeted 8 times, caught all 8 balls for 70. A no brainer pickup, especially in a PPR league.
David Johnson, RB, Arizona (32%)
You’re up, rookie!
The pride of Northern Iowa, rookie running back David Johnson is in a prime position to see plenty of action. With oft-injured Andre Ellington injured again, Johnson will slide right in to split carries with Chris Johnson, who is days away from being on the wrong side of 30. David only caught one ball last week, but he made the most of it, taking it to the house for a 55 yard touchdown. He’ll get more chances to shine in the upcoming weeks. Low risk, high reward pickup, especially in PPR leagues.
Larry Donnell, TE, NYG (39%)
Safe. Boring. Money.
Larry’s problem (for now) is that he’s splitting time with Daniel Fells. He will win that battle, and become Eli’s main safety valve. Larry burst onto the scene last year with 63 receptions, good for a tie for 9th place among TE. We like him to finish in the Top 10 again in this year, not bad for only being owned in 39% of leagues.
Go Bills!
