Go deep for help at receiver
THE MIDPOINT of the fantasy football regular season can be a tough time for many of us. NFL teams are making trades that change the landscape of the league, injuries are mounting, and we’re right in the middle of the bye weeks, creating even more holes in your roster.
To fix the gaps, it is time to go dumpster-diving. The best place to scrape the bottom of the barrel is the wide receiver position. You need to look for players who may be under the radar but have an opportunity to see an increase in targets. You need to look at surrounding injuries, soft matchups and, if possible, a narrative others may have missed.
The narratives can be the most fun. Jets wideout Demaryius Thomas on Monday night faces the Patriots, the team that signed him in the offseason, then promptly traded him away. With the coverage focus leaning so heavily on Jamison Crowder and Robby Anderson, Thomas could exact his revenge with a solid performance worthy of your third wide receiver spot.
Though everyone in your league buys into the Allen Lazard hype, take a look at Ryan Grant, recently signed by Green Bay. The Packers’ top three wideouts are all expected to miss this week’s game, so they gave Grant a tryout and signed him immediately. And wouldn’t you know it, the team the Packers are facing this week is the Raiders, who cut Grant after just two weeks.
The Cowboys are also dealing with a few injuries to their receiving corps, which means Devin Smith should see an increase in snaps and targets. We have seen Dak Prescott connect with Smith for big plays before. And speaking of big-play ability, how about Duke Williams of the Bills facing a super-soft Miami team? Or take a look at the Texans: Keke Coutee may be a fun name to say, but Kenny Stills is likely the one to see those deep targets downfield.
Desperate times call for desperate measures, so there is nothing wrong with doing a little dumpster-diving when it is needed. Play the matchups. Don’t worry about long-term upside. You’re not looking for Mr. Right. You’re looking for Mr. Right-Now.
Howard Bender is the VP of operations and head of content at FantasyAlarm.com. Follow him on Twitter @rotobuzzguy and catch him on the award winning “Fantasy Alarm Radio Show” on the SiriusXM fantasy sports channel weekdays at 4 p.m. Go to FantasyAlarm.com for all your fantasy sports advice, NFL player rankings.