BTD Fantasy Football: Waiver-Wire Pickups & More

The first week of the NFL season is in the books. The toughest thing to do in fantasy football is to determine what is a trend/pattern and what is an anomaly or one week fluke. The second toughest thing to do is not completely overreact to the first week of NFL action in regards to your fantasy football team, especially if you lose.

Here’s some ‘hot takes’ from week one that I think are myths:

1. Ryan Fitzpatrick is a must start QB1.
2. The Saints secondary is going to bleed fantasy points and cannot be trusted.
3. Deshaun Watson is a liability for the Texans offense.
4. Matthew Stafford is terrible and defenses know what plays he his calling.

Here’s some trends that I would worry about though:

1. Matt Ryan and the Falcons offense did not play well.
2. Injuries, injuries, injuries... Delaine Walker, Greg Olsen, Doug Baldwin, Leonard Fournette, etc. If you own any of these players you should be active on the waiver-wire.
3. The Bills and Cardinals are bad football teams.

TOP WAIVER-WIRE PICKUPS

Running Backs

1. Phillip Lindsay - Denver Broncos
2. Austin Ekeler - LA Chargers
3. T.J. Yeldon - Jacksonville Jaguars
4. Nyheim Hines - Indianapolis Colts

Phillip Lindsay is an undrafted rookie but burst on the scene with over 100 rushing yards in his debut. It’s bad news for Royce Freeman owners, but I think he’s here to stay. TJ Yeldon is a must-start if Leonard Fournette is out or limited this week. I’m also a big believer in Austin Ekeler, especially if you’re in a PPR league (point-per-reception).

Wide Receivers

1. Ted Ginn Jr. - New Orleans Saints
2. Brandon Marshall - Seattle Seahawks
3. Chris Godwin- Tampa Bay Buccaneers
4. Cole Beasley - Dallas Cowboys

I probably won’t pick up any of these WRs over my current group. DeSean Jackson had a huge week, but he might be out with a concussion. Godwin could be a sneaky good play. Brandon Marshall should get a lot of targets with Doug Baldwin out.

Tight Ends

1. George Kittle - San Francisco 49ers
2. Will Dissly - Seattle Seahawks
3. Eric Ebron - Indianapolis Colts
4. Luke Stocker - Tennessee Titans

Tight ends are always so difficult to predict week-to-week (unless you have Gronk, always start Gronk). Kittle looked very involved in the 49ers offense and should be picked up. Will Dissly had a breakout week and should stay involved in the passing game with Baldwin out. Luke Stocker could be a breakout candidate with Delaine Walker going down for the season.

TOP DEFENSES TO STREAM

1. LA Chargers vs. Buffalo Bills
2. NY Jets vs. Miami Dolphins
3. CHI Bears vs. Seattle Seahawks

If you’re looking for a defense to grab from the waiver wire and plug in your lineup look no farther. I mostly look for defenses that are facing teams with not very good offenses, so if you can grab the Chargers DO IT! The Saints might be a good play against the Browns, but I’m kind of believing the hype in Cleveland.

BTD’s WEEK ONE RECAP:

Standings:

1. Erik Briggs (1-0)
2. Marcus Russell (1-0)
3. Kyle Wilson (1-0)
4. Patrick Moen (1-0)
5. John Severs (1-0)
6. Albert Lee (0-1)
7. Justin Sattelmaier (0-1)
8. Callie Cornilles (0-1)
9. Travis Johannes (0-1)
10. Joe Londergan (0-1)

Come back next week for more tips and analysis after week 2 is in the books. If you have start/sit questions throw them our way.