Alfred Blue (RB, HOU) - NFL Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 14-Team Leagues as a Lamar Miller handcuff OWNED IN: 9% Fleaflicker ANALYSIS: Lamar Miller didn’t end up missing much time in Week 13, but Alfred Blue still was the one come in when Miller left, and he also got to come in and play on Houston’s final series in the fourth quarter. He […]

Denard Robinson (RB, JAX) - NFL Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 14-Team Leagues as a Jaguars running back handcuff OWNED IN: 7% Fleaflicker ANALYSIS: Denard Robinson tallied an impressive 17 rushes in Week 13’s ugly matchup against the Broncos, which only yielded 53 yards on the ground. He also chipped in an 11-yard catch, but this day wasn’t likely to produce much fruit against […]

Rex Burkhead (RB, CIN) - NFL Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 16- and 18-Team Leagues OWNED IN: 5% Fleaflicker ANALYSIS: Rex Burkhead turned eight rushes into 38 yards and caught four-of-five targets for 28 yards, but also had a fumble lost to take the edge off of his day. It wasn’t anything special, but those in deep PPR leagues may have found his ~8 […]

Aaron Ripkowski (RB, GB) - NFL Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in Very Deep Leagues OWNED IN: 1% Fleaflicker ANALYSIS: You don’t want to rely on a fullback in this era of the NFL, but there’s no doubting that Aaron Ripkowski has the confidence of his head coach and quarterback. Christine Michael may very well end up being the go-to goal-line back as time ticks on, […]

Ladarius Green (TE, PIT) - NFL Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in All Leagues OWNED IN: 36% Fleaflicker ANALYSIS: It appears we may have finally reached the point of no return with Ladarius Green’s usage, as he had shown flashes in previous weeks when he was utilized, but still hadn’t been in on more than 26% of Pittsburgh’s snaps. That changed in Week 13 against the […]

Zack Ertz (TE, PHI) - NFL Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in All Leagues OWNED IN: 74% Fleaflicker ANALYSIS: He’s owned in many Fleaflicker leagues, but may have fallen by the wayside in your league after last week’s middling effort. Zack ZErtz got back to his target-monster ways with nine catches for 79 yards and a TD. With Jordan Matthews (ankle) out, Ertz was pretty much […]

Cameron Brate (TE, TB) - NFL Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 10- and 12-Team Leagues OWNED IN: 52% Fleaflicker ANALYSIS: Cameron Brate set a new season-high mark in receiving yards with 86 in Tampa Bay’s Week 13 victory over the Chargers, as he also returned to the end zone after missing out in the previous two weeks. Brate ran a nice post route that shook the […]

Dennis Pitta (TE, BAL) - NFL Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Stream in 12-Team Leagues OWNED IN: 42% Fleaflicker ANALYSIS: What year is it?! Relax, it’s 2016 and not 2013, despite what Dennis Pitta’s box score reads. He hadn’t scored in nearly three years, but Pitta made things even wilder by scoring twice! His 9-90-2 line came on 11 targets, which came out of left field after […]

C.J. Fiedorowicz (TE, HOU) - NFL Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Stream in 12-Team Leagues OWNED IN: 41% Fleaflicker ANALYSIS: C.J. Fiedorowicz saw a healthy nine targets in Week 13 against Green Bay, but they were Brock Osweiler targets. Not only that, but they were Brock Osweiler targets in a snow-covered Lambeau Field. Osweiler isn’t a new factor with Fiedorowicz, sometimes it’s just fun to beat a dead […]

Jermaine Gresham (TE, ARI) - NFL Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Stream in 12-Team Leagues OWNED IN: 6% Fleaflicker ANALYSIS: Jermaine Gresham continues to stir up some deep-league waters here, as he’s averaged roughly six targets per game over his last five contests, and has seen a real uptick in his red-zone usage. He had scored in Weeks 11 and 12, and was tackled at the one […]

Vernon Davis (TE, WAS) - NFL Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12- and 14-Team Leagues as a Jordan Reed handcuff OWNED IN: 38% Fleaflicker ANALYSIS: Vernon Davis turned in a relatively solid effort against an Arizona defense that is well known for its ability to lock down tight ends, but a 5-47-0 line is still not going to help us win in a vacuum. With Jordan Reed […]

Vance McDonald (TE, SF) - NFL Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Stream in 12-Team Leagues OWNED IN: 31% Fleaflicker ANALYSIS: Vance McDonald didn’t stand a chance of producing any value in Week 13, as the 49ers offense barely turned in more stats in Chicago than you or I did. We’ll chalk this one up to the horrible weather and a scary-ineffective Colin Kaepernick, as McDonald had turned […]

Trey Burton (TE, PHI) - NFL Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in Deep Leagues OWNED IN: 2% Fleaflicker ANALYSIS: Burton has gotten more involved recently thanks to the smattering of injuries to Philadelphia’s offense, as he saw nine targets in Week 13 against the Bengals to the tune of five catches for 53 yards. The Eagles really don’t have much left in the wide-receiver pipeline with Jordan […]

Waiver Wire Express - Week 13 Lightning Round

This column is published early every week, and then updated on a daily basis. Over the course of each week, we also publish more in-depth waiver wire analysis for all positions. But in efforts of bringing you timely information, as fast as possible, consider this the waiver wire lightning round heading into Week 13. Waiver […]

Week 13 Rankings Analysis: Nick Mariano vs. Industry Consensus

Unfortunately the Eagles losing their starting RG to illness and #1 receiver to a right ankle sprain really hurt Carson Wentz and the Eagles, which was most unkind to my rankings. At least Ryan Fitzpatrick proved to be worthy of QB2 status, and slipping Michael Crabtree and Demaryius Thomas down a bit was warranted. While […]

Jared Goff (QB, LA) - NFL Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Stream in Two-Quarterback Leagues OWNED IN: 4% Fleaflicker ANALYSIS: Jared Goff came out of the gate scorching in Week 12 against the Saints, as he threw two touchdowns in the first half and actually had the lead over Drew Brees at one point. That lead, and his pace, quickly went by the wayside. […]

Matt Barkley (QB, CHI) - NFL Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Stream in Two-Quarterback Leagues OWNED IN: 1% Fleaflicker ANALYSIS: In one of the more surprising efforts of Week 12, Matt Barkley picked apart the Tennessee Titans to the tune of 316 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions. He only completed 28-of-54 throws, but his receivers recorded a horrible 10 drops— including what could’ve […]

Cameron Brate (TE, TB) - NFL Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 10-Team Leagues OWNED IN: 46% Fleaflicker ANALYSIS: Cameron Brate couldn’t get back on the touchdown train in Week 12, but did catch four-of-five targets for 49 yards against Seattle’s tough defense. These past two weeks have been rough sailing for the Buccaneers, but we know he scored in three straight games before this and […]

C.J. Fiedorowicz (TE, HOU) - NFL Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 10-Team Leagues OWNED IN: 40% Fleaflicker ANALYSIS: C.J. Fiedorowicz didn’t impress with his four-catch, 42-yard game against the Chargers in Week 12, but it really wasn’t his fault. One can’t separate a receiver’s stock from his QB’s, but Brock Osweiler should’ve hit him on the two targets that didn’t result in catches. Brock is just […]

Jared Cook (TE, GB) - NFL Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 10- and 12-Team Leagues OWNED IN: 39% Fleaflicker ANALYSIS: Nothing's changed from last week. Jared Cook balled out against Washington in Week 11 with six catches for 105 yards and a touchdown. It was clear how advantageous his speed, strength and reliable hands could be for Aaron Rodgers. Monday night won't be easy against Philadelphia's rock-solid […]

Hunter Henry (TE, SD) - NFL Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 10- and 12-Team Leagues as a playoff streamer candidate OWNED IN: 38% Fleaflicker ANALYSIS: Even on a day where San Diego practically forgot about their tight ends, Hunter Henry managed to generate some value by catching a 12-yard TD. He only had two catches on three targets for 20 yards and the score overall, […]

Ladarius Green (TE, PIT) - NFL Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 14- and 16-Team Leagues OWNED IN: 35% Fleaflicker ANALYSIS: Ladarius Green must still be less than 100% in his conditioning, as he only played on 26% of Pittsburgh’s plays on Thursday against the Colts. While he managed not to tank his backers by catching two-of-three targets for 67 yards, this is a very tough situation […]

Vernon Davis (TE, WAS) - NFL Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12- and 14-Team Leagues as a Jordan Reed handcuff OWNED IN: 22% Fleaflicker ANALYSIS: Vernon Davis had a decent game, catching five of his seven targets for 68 yards, but the obvious piece of intel here is that Jordan Reed suffered a Grade 3 AC joint separation in his left shoulder. Somehow Reed returned to the […]

Vance McDonald (TE, SF) - NFL Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12- and 14-Team Leagues OWNED IN: 20% Fleaflicker ANALYSIS: Vance McDonald was able to notch 60 yards on four catches (eight targets) in San Francisco’s Week 12 loss to the Dolphins, and has now topped 50 yards or scored a TD in each of his last four games. With Colin Kaepernick giving this fast-paced Chip […]

Lance Kendricks (TE, LA) - NFL Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Stream in 12- and 14-Team Leagues OWNED IN: 15% Fleaflicker ANALYSIS: Lance Kendricks has now caught four balls on seven targets in back-to-back weeks after that atrocious, trust-breaking Week 10 clunker against the Jets. His 51 yards came with a score in Week 12 against the Saints, and it appears Kendricks may have some life here with […]

Austin Hooper (TE, ATL) - NFL Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12- and 14-Team Leagues as a playoff streamer candidate OWNED IN: 14% Fleaflicker ANALYSIS: Austin Hooper is now one third of the way through an awful slate of matchups for TEs (ARI, KC, LA), but Week 15 against the 49ers and especially Week 16 against the Panthers are desirable ones for the widely-available rookie. Atlanta […]

Jermaine Gresham (TE, ARI) - NFL Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Stream in 10- and 12-Team Leagues OWNED IN: 3% Fleaflicker ANALYSIS: Hopefully you listened last week, as Gresham was the focal point of Arizona’s offense against an Atlanta offense that dies against the tight end. Gresham’s 10 Week 12 targets matched his target total from the first six games of the season combined. Sheesh. That’s not […]

Josh Hill (TE, NO) - NFL Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Stream in 10- and 12-Team Leagues OWNED IN: 2% Fleaflicker ANALYSIS: Josh Hill dominated the snap count when it came to New Orleans’ tight ends, registering 57 snaps to Coby Fleener’s 18. John Phillips played on 30, as he helped out with the blocking. It wasn’t just that Hill played more, but that he actually looked […]

A.J. Derby (TE, DEN) - NFL Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in Very Deep Leagues OWNED IN: 1% Fleaflicker ANALYSIS: As is the case with most <10% pickups, A.J. Derby doesn’t have much of ceiling in this Denver offense, but it’s pretty clear that he has surpassed Virgil Green as the #1 tight end in the Mile High City. He caught four balls for 43 yards, including […]

Wendell Smallwood (RB, PHI) - NFL Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 10- and 12-Team Leagues OWNED IN: 33% Fleaflicker ANALYSIS: Ryan Mathews is officially out for Monday night’s contest against the beleaguered Packers, and Wendell Smallwood is ready to take on a lot of the work here alongside Darren Sproles’ passing-down work. Kenjon Barner may step in for five or six snaps, but Smallwood should […]