This article and analysis was written by our friends at RosterWatch.
Welcome back, RotoBallers. We are happy to be sharing another article from our friends at RosterWatch. In case you are not familiar, you should be! RosterWatch is one of the industry's leading resources for year-round NFL and fantasy football analysis, led by a group of great people. You can find them on the SiriusXM Fantasy Sports channel throughout the year.
Today, they are here to provide you with sneaky zero-dollar pickups you can add to your roster today that may be of great value down the road. The idea is to identify players that have a plausible path to be the high-priced free agent in the coming weeks. The bottom of your fantasy roster should always be used to cycle through high upside pickups that can easily be cut to speculate on another player. Heading into Week 13 of the fantasy football season we are looking for low-key players who can help us win right now!
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J.D. McKissic (RB, WAS) 59% Rostered
You might be asking yourself how is J.D. McKissic, who has been rostered in any respectable PPR league over the last month on a “Zero Bid “list. The answer is simply that fantasy owners tend to be “what have you done for me lately” players. After Antonio Gibson blew up on Thanksgiving night for over 30 fantasy points, and J.D. McKissic busted with only four fantasy points, there is a good chance fantasy managers will drop him this week.
We acknowledge that McKissic’s targets per game have dropped over the last two weeks, but he has already established himself this season as a viable PPR play and could be a top 20 RB should anything happen to Gibson. If he gets dropped for any of the hot free agents, he is recommended as a zero dollar pickup after the first run of waivers is executed.
Tyler Eifert (TE, JAX) 6% rostered
If you didn’t draft Travis Kelce or Darren Waller, it has been an incredibly frustrating fantasy season for you at tight end. Expecting week to week consistent production from the tight end position has been a hole that many fantasy managers have been trying to solve. Just when you thought you struck gold with players like Jonnu Smith, Noah Fant, and Jimmy Graham; the rug is pulled out from underneath you. Conversely after weeks of frustration from players like Evan Engram, Hayden Hurst, and Mike Gesicki; they start to produce...maybe on someone else's team after you were forced to drop them.
For the fantasy playoffs, it may be best to search for TEs with consistent and projectable floors rather than upside. Tyler Eifert has quietly averaged 4.5 targets a game over the last month. During that span, his two best performances came against HOU and CLE, two solid TE matchups. Eifert scored vs CLE in WK12 with Mike Glennon at the helm. Glennon has already received the nod for WK13, and with MIN and TEN on the horizon this is a sneaky situation to monitor in ultra-competitive leagues. 2020 is the year that getting 4/40/1 from your TE is good enough to get your by. Eifert’s only 6% rostered which means he is most likely available in your league. Pick him up for a zero dollar bid this week.
Collin Johnson (WR, JAX) 0% rostered
Fifth-round rookie WR Collin Johnson is not a player that casual redraft leagues managers will be overly familiar with. If you play in a deep dynasty format, Johnson’s big game did not come as a surprise. With DJ Chark out last week, and veteran QB Mike Glennon under center, it was unclear who would be the preferred target. The answer was Collin Johnson. Johnson’s stat line of 8/4/96/1 should be speculated on during the week 13 waivers. The sample size is small, but the magnitude is significant. Eight targets with a 24 yards per catch average could be a sign of things to come if Mike Glennon continues to make starts in Jacksonville. Johnson makes for an interesting zero dollar bid.
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This column was provided to RotoBaller by RosterWatch, www.rosterwatch.com. The author of this column is Alan Seslowsky (@alanseslowsky).