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We're certainly taking our injury lumps this season as we push through the fantasy season's halfway mark! This writer sure hopes you're thriving in the face of adversity, though we have reinforcement options to explore. As always, joining our famous waiver wire pickups list and our weekly fantasy football waiver wire columns by position, this column focuses on suggested waiver wire bidding percentages in fantasy football leagues using a Free Agent Acquisition Budget (FAAB).
As a caveat, these prices do not indicate how much these free-agent players will go for, especially as some leagues have seen teams use all of their FAAB already, and percentages are based on your starting budget. Each league values players differently, so context is king. These values provide a baseline or priority order to understand roughly how much you should be looking to spend on a particular player, with different categories of bids reflecting potential team-need situations.
Some teams may be out of FAAB already while others haven't put a bid in for weeks, so be sure you're aware of how many true bidding competitors you have. And never lose sight of who is getting dropped amidst the chaos! Let's jump into my median FAAB bid ranges and adds going into Week 8 with no teams on bye.
- Quarterback fantasy football rankings
- Running back fantasy football rankings
- Wide receiver fantasy football rankings
- Tight end fantasy football rankings
- Kicker fantasy football rankings
- FLEX fantasy football rankings
- Defense (D/ST) fantasy football rankings
- Superflex fantasy football rankings
- IDP fantasy football rankings
- Dynasty fantasy football rankings
FAAB Waiver Wire Pickups - Quarterbacks
Bo Nix (QB, DEN) - 13% rostered
FAAB Bid: 1-2%
Aggressive Bid: 2-3%
Nix only threw for 164 yards on 16-of-26 passing but Denver didn’t need to floor it against a hapless New Orleans squad that they dismantled 33-10 on Thursday. And this buries the fantasy lede, as Nix rushed for a season-best 75 yards on 10 rushes.
The rookie has only thrown one interception in his last five games and has a rushing TD or over 60 rush yards in five of his seven games. Oh, and now he gets Carolina’s rollover defense.
🔹Patrick Mahomes: QB22
last 20+ fantasy point game was Week 12 (2023)🔹Bo Nix: QB13
two 20+ fantasy point games in the last three games pic.twitter.com/wvQt8rcRzG— Kevin Tompkins (@ktompkinsii) October 21, 2024
Jameis Winston (QB, CLE) - 0% rostered
FAAB Bid: 1-2%
Aggressive Bid: 2-3%
We saw Winston following Deshaun Watson’s season-ending Achilles injury, despite Cleveland moving Winston to the No. 3 QB role behind Dorian Thompson-Robinson before Week 7. Tin-foil hats said that the Browns swapped DTR and Jameis to avoid benching boos for Watson, but fate had other plans.
After Watson’s injury, DTR entered and played 33 snaps before exiting due to his own finger injury. X-rays would come back negative but they’re not expecting him back for Week 8. Winston connected for 67 yards, a touchdown, and a two-point conversion late in the fourth quarter. If Winston was the No. 2 would Cleveland have pulled off the comeback?
The Browns have traditionally built around Nick Chubb, who just returned and looked solid but won’t suddenly have a full workload, and a stout defense. But they've been one of eight teams with a positive passing rate over expectation (1.2%) in 2024 per NFELO with Chubb out to open the year. Will Kevin Stefanski be willing to get vertical with Chubb in the fold? The scripts won’t typically lean towards Winston being a gunslinger, but he always has that ceiling. And Week 8 against Baltimore should bring that out.
Marcus Mariota (QB, WAS) - 0% rostered
FAAB Bid: 0-1%
Aggressive Bid: 1-2%
Mariota entered after Washington’s first offensive drive, which saw Daniels eat a shot to the ribs while the team was deep in the red zone. It wasn’t a close game, with the Commanders dominating the Panthers 40-7, but Mariota still looked capable in the favorable matchup.
He connected on 18 of his 23 passes for 205 yards and a pair of touchdowns, with 11 rushes for 34 yards on the ground. It won’t be so easy against a rested Bears defense in Week 8 if Daniels cannot go, though the rookie phenom did come back to the sideline in good spirits with reports that he avoided anything serious. But he currently has the dreaded "week-to-week" tag so have Mariota nearby.
FAAB Waiver Wire Pickups - Running Backs
Tyrone Tracy Jr. and Alexander Mattison are key adds but above the threshold. It's a light RB week otherwise.
Ray Davis (RB, BUF) - 26% rostered
FAAB Bid: 5-10%
Aggressive Bid: 10-15%
Desperation Bid: 15-20%
Davis followed up his Week 6 breakout with 41 yards and a touchdown on five rushes in Buffalo’s 34-10 trouncing of Tennessee. James Cook had earlier work and only had 32 yards on 12 carries, but did find the end zone. Ty Johnson only had one touch but it was a four-yard TD.
Davis looked the most effective and could carve out more volume at Cook’s expense on a run-heavy Bills offense. And we know that Davis is the man when Cook misses time, which is more than you can say for several other handcuffs around the league.
All-22 of Ray Davis' Carries and Catches against the New York Jets.
This is what Ray Davis can do with an 85.2% opportunity share. He averaged 3.5 yards after contact per attempt with 71.1% of his yards being after contact.
He ran 14 routes leading to a 46.7% route… pic.twitter.com/H4E23QaMUB
— Bruce Matson (@MetricScout) October 17, 2024
Tyler Goodson (RB, IND) - 14% rostered
FAAB Bid: 3-6%
Aggressive Bid: 6-10%
Desperation Bid: 10-15%
Goodson outproduced Trey Sermon for a second straight game, with the latter now averaging a mere 2.8 yards per carry. Sermon has also only caught one ball in the last two games after six catches in Week 5.
Meanwhile, Goodson has exactly 51 rushing yards in back-to-back games with Jonathan Taylor nursing an ankle injury. This is the same ankle that required surgery back in ‘22 and whoever the lead rusher is with Anthony Richardson is a fantasy option. JT is supposed to return to practice this week but recovery isn’t that simple.
D'Ernest Johnson (RB, JAC) - 7% rostered
FAAB Bid: 0-1%
Aggressive Bid: 1-2%
Desperation Bid: 2-3%
Tank Bigsby had one hell of a Week 7 with 26-118-2 rushing but was a zero in the passing game. That’s where Johnson continues to step in, catching three balls on four targets for 32 yards. He added 38 rushing yards on nine carries with Travis Etienne Jr. missing the London game with a hamstring injury. Johnson is a deep option if Etienne doesn’t return for Week 8 against a Packers team that should put Jacksonville into passing mode.
*The dollar bin stashes here are Kendre Miller, Kimani Vidal, Sean Tucker, Jaylen Wright, Audric Estime, Trey Benson, Dameon Pierce, Jeremy McNichols, and Keaton Mitchell.
FAAB Waiver Wire Pickups - Wide Receivers
Jauan Jennings (WR, SF) - 30% rostered
Ricky Pearsall (WR, SF) - 1% rostered
FAAB Bid: 30-40% / 10-15%
Aggressive Bid: 40-50% / 15-20%
Desperation Bid: 50-60% / 20-30%
Brandon Aiyuk's season is over due to a torn ACL and MCL following a massive hit on Sunday that sent his knee inwards. This was a horrible sight made worse by Deebo Samuel Sr.’s unavailability after an illness reared its head after a few snaps on top of Jennings being out with a hip injury. (Samuel is now hospitalized due to pneumonia, sheesh.)
This left Pearsall to lead the team in routes run (30) in his first game back, per Fantasy Points Data Suite. He only had three catches for 21 yards on five targets with Brock Purdy trying to make the most of his depleted, raw pass-catching group. FPDS charted him with four first-read targets.
Jacob Cowing (0%) and Ronnie Bell (0%) are also options I’d consider ahead of the Chris Conley depths (who is also dinged up anyway because San Francisco), with Cowing holding more interest. All three of his targets were first-read looks despite only eight routes run, with two catches for 50 yards standing out against the relative slop.
Samuel may be healthy for next week so monitor Jennings’ practice reports to see how to value Pearsall (and Cowing) going into a juicy Week 8 date at home against Dallas’ reeling defense. George Kittle is also day-to-day with a foot sprain. The hits keep coming. Perhaps SF eventually makes a move for, say, Diontae Johnson?
Shanahan said he's "not sure if we'll get (Samuel) back this week or not." He said rookies Ricky Pearsall and Jacob Cowing are bound to have big roles Sunday against the Cowboys. https://t.co/lnOMv5mgKb
— Matt Barrows (@mattbarrows) October 21, 2024
Jalen McMillan (WR, TB) - 2% rostered
FAAB Bid: 10-15%
Aggressive Bid: 15-20%
Desperation Bid: 20-25%
McMillan stepped into Mike Evans’ perimeter/deep role after the latter tweaked the hamstring that limited him in practice. The Bucs got thumped by Baltimore with no receiver succeeding, but Baker Mayfield has still been great throughout the year.
And McMillan was drafted as a Plan B for both Evans and Chris Godwin given his experience in the slot and outside, with most coming in the slot. Unfortunately for TB, he’s now needed for both after a late assumed dislocated ankle for Godwin likely ends his season. The slot is more valuable here so we’ll see how the Bucs deploy McMillan, Sterling Shepard, and Trey Palmer.
Morale on the pirate ship is not good. But please note that Tampa’s schedule opens up after their Week 11 bye. They’ll close the fantasy season against the Giants, Panthers, Raiders, Chargers, Cowboys, and then the Panthers again.
Jalen Tolbert (WR, DAL) - 20% rostered
FAAB Bid: 4-7%
Aggressive Bid: 7-10%
Desperation Bid: 10-15%
Tolbert played the hero with a game-winning touchdown in Week 5 but followed that up with a lackluster 4-43-0 line before the bye. But all of Dallas stunk in Week 6 against Detroit and the bye-week crunch meant desperate folks had him on the chopping block.
Their loss can be your gain with the Cowboys ineffective on the ground and facing a 49ers team that may still push Dallas despite their own injuries.
Cedric Tillman (WR, CLE) - 0% rostered
FAAB Bid: 4-7%
Aggressive Bid: 7-10%
Desperation Bid: 10-15%
Once thought to have an inside track on the No. 3 WR job, Tillman has largely been invisible with three catches through Cleveland’s first six games. Kevin Stefanski noted in his post-game presser that Elijah Moore was held out of the first quarter for a reason they’re keeping in-house, which gave Tillman a leg up on the day behind Jerry Jeudy.
You can grab Moore as well and David Njoku should be the big dog here, but the 6-foot-3 Tillman has the profile to hit it big with Jameis Winston at quarterback.
Rashod Bateman (WR, BAL) - 17% rostered
FAAB Bid: 3-6%
Aggressive Bid: 6-8%
Desperation Bid: 8-12%
Bateman brought in all four targets for a season-high 121 yards and his third TD of the year as the Ravens hung 41 points on Tampa Bay. After a slow September, Bateman has now posted lines of 4-58-1, 4-71-0, and 4-121-1. Target volume is unlikely to swell without an injury around him but Lamar Jackson and Todd Monken aren’t afraid to push the ball toward the deep threat.
Tutu Atwell (WR, LAR) - 10% rostered
FAAB Bid: 3-5%
Aggressive Bid: 5-7%
Desperation Bid: 7-10%
Atwell paced the Rams’ wideouts with six catches for 51 yards on nine targets, though Cooper Kupp is slated to return in Week 8 and will command the room. Jordan Whittington was “active” in Week 7 but didn’t run a route on nine snaps, per PFF. Atwell has eclipsed 50 yards in four straight and the Rams will need big plays against Minnesota’s blitz-happy ways. Kupp is also quite the reinjury risk, obviously.
Mecole Hardman (WR, KC) - 0% rostered
FAAB Bid: 2-4%
Aggressive Bid: 4-6%
Desperation Bid: 6-8%
JuJu Smith-Schuster exited Week 7 early with a re-aggravation of his hamstring and is already ruled out for Week 8. The Chiefs did not ask much of its passing game in a gritty win over San Francisco but we can still dig through it.
While Justin Watson was the one who ran the most routes (21) next to Xavier Worthy (24), he only had one target with four air yards. He went without a catch in their previous game and looks like a non-factor.
Meanwhile, Hardman had two designed rushes for 38 yards and a touchdown alongside a 17-yard catch. KC will get creative with Worthy/Hardman, but the truth is they likely won’t need to force much action in Week 8 against the Raiders with how KC’s defense is playing.
First-read target rates in KC's first game out of the bye:
35% - Xavier Worthy
18% - Travis Kelce
18% - Noah Gray
12% - Mecole Hardman https://t.co/RcAIkOyqfH— Jacob Gibbs (@jagibbs_23) October 21, 2024
Kalif Raymond (WR, DET) - 0% rostered
Tim Patrick (WR, DET) - 1% rostered
FAAB Bid: 2-3% / 1-2%
Aggressive Bid: 3-4% / 2-3%
Desperation Bid: 4-6% / 3-4%
Jameson Williams will be suspended for two games due to violating the performance-enhancing substances policy. This comes after he only logged one catch for minus four yards, but he’d topped 75 yards in four of Detroit’s first five contests. It’s a top-tier offense with several mouths to feed but this opens up snaps for Raymond and Patrick.
Patrick had the advantage before Detroit’s Week 5 bye but Raymond has seen more dedicated work in two games since, logging eight first-read targets to Patrick's two. Amon-Ra St. Brown leads the team in that window with nine, for the record. It could easily shift but Raymond has the momentum.
Troy Franklin (WR, DEN) - 1% rostered
FAAB Bid: 1-2%
Aggressive Bid: 2-3%
Desperation Bid: 3-4%
Franklin was Denver’s leading receiver on Thursday with five catches for 50 yards as they leaned on Javonte Williams and the defense to dispense with New Orleans. It was a strange game for the passing offense as Courtland Sutton went without a target, but Franklin’s increased usage on the heels of a 2-31-1 line in Week 6 is notable.
His fantasy ceiling is higher than Devaughn Vele and Lil'Jordan Humphrey so let’s see where this goes between Franklin and college teammate Bo Nix against Carolina’s leaky defense. If he gains a foothold here then perhaps he retains value even when Josh Reynolds (finger) returns from the injured reserve.
FAAB Waiver Wire Pickups - Tight Ends
Hunter Henry (TE, NE) - 31% rostered
FAAB Bid: 3-5%
Aggressive Bid: 5-7%
Desperation Bid: 7-10%
Henry hauled in eight of his nine targets for 92 yards, giving him over 13 PPR points in his two starts with Drake Maye. It’s not shocking to see him succeed against Jacksonville’s poor defense and things will get tougher with the Jets, Titans, and Bears on tap. But Henry looks poised to be a key receiver after showing early chemistry with Maye while the WR corps looks inconsistent at best.
Cade Otton (TE, TB) - 39% rostered
FAAB Bid: 2-4%
Aggressive Bid: 4-6%
Desperation Bid: 6-8%
Otton caught eight balls for 100 yards, some of which came with heavy hits on the other side of them, for his best game of the year. The injuries to both Mike Evans and Chris Godwin move Otton up the trust tree. He has 37 targets over Tampa’s last five games and they should need him with Atlanta, Kansas City, and San Francisco on tap before the Week 11 bye.
Cade Otton went 8-100 on 10 targets tonight. 8+ targets in 3 of last 5 games. Going to be of much more importance now with the WRs banged up
Also - start tight ends against Baltimore
— Michael F. Florio (@MichaelFFlorio) October 22, 2024
Noah Fant (TE, SEA) - 30% rostered
FAAB Bid: 2-4%
Aggressive Bid: 4-6%
Desperation Bid: 6-8%
Fant put up his second consecutive week with over 60 yards (his third in five games) with 65 on four catches on Sunday. He hasn’t scored a touchdown since Week 16 of 2022 but perhaps the 26-game streak can end with DK Metcalf’s week-to-week MCL sprain removing a key red-zone piece out of the equation with Buffalo coming to town next.
Jonnu Smith (TE, MIA) - 4% rostered
FAAB Bid: 1-3%
Aggressive Bid: 3-5%
Desperation Bid: 5-7%
Smith had a rough start to 2024 but has come alive with 12 catches for 158 yards and a touchdown on 15 targets over Miami’s last two games. It’s difficult to read into the last couple of weeks with the Dolphins trying to make do with Tyler Huntley versus next week and beyond, with Tua Tagovailoa projected to return.
Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle have been non-factors without Tua so Jonnu could go back to being a tertiary option, but 15 targets in two games at TE in 2024 demands attention.
FAAB Waiver Wire Pickups - Defense/Special Teams
Detroit Lions Defense (vs. TEN) - 19% rostered
FAAB Bid: 1-3%
Aggressive Bid: 3-4%
Desperation Bid: 4-5%
The Lions generated four sacks against Minnesota in their first game without Aidan Hutchinson, holding the Vikings to 23 offensive points in the 31-29 win. They still have plenty of pieces to create pressure with studs like Brian Branch in the secondary.
And now they’ll face Mason Rudolph’s Titans, who had two turnovers, three sacks allowed, and 10 points against Buffalo on Sunday. The hope is that Detroit’s offense can tilt the field so heavily that the Titans are forced into risk-taking behavior early.
Los Angeles Chargers Defense (vs. NO) - 40% rostered
FAAB Bid: 1-3%
Aggressive Bid: 3-4%
Desperation Bid: 4-5%
The Chargers have allowed an average of around 14 points per game with multiple sacks and at least one turnover going into Monday night’s tilt with Arizona. (They lost but only yielded 17 points.)
More importantly, the Chargers are about to face the Saints, Browns, and Titans over the next three weeks. The Saints have surrendered five or more sacks with multiple turnovers and a DST touchdown in back-to-back weeks.
Miami Dolphins Defense (vs. ARI) - 29% rostered
FAAB Bid: 0-1%
Aggressive Bid: 1-2%
Assuming the Dolphins get Tua Tagovailoa back to stabilize the offense then perhaps the defense has a chance at fantasy value. They face the Cardinals, who played on Monday and have one fewer day of prep/recovery. The Cards have also failed to score more than 17 points in four of their last five contests.
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