It's Tuesday, so I have waiver fever. Here's a rank-order of RBs I'd want to target:
(1) Thomas Rawls – Marshawn Lynch’s season is in doubt. Rawls has looked dominant when starting. His playoff schedule rocks. If Seattle is smart, they’ll start Rawls the rest of the way, as he’s been eons better than Lynch this season.
(2) Ahmad Bradshaw – Caught in a permanent timeshare barring and injury to Gore. But he’s one of the 20 most talented running backs in the league and can do a lot with 10-12 touches per game.
(3) Javorius Allen – A weekly RB3/flex starter. Not a bad thing, necessarily, especially against Cleveland next weekend. But temper expectations. I’ve been pushing Allen for months—not because he has top 15 RB potential, but because Forsett was a fairly significant liability. Don’t overreach for Allen; overreach for Rawls or Bradshaw instead.
(4) Ameer Abdullah – I go back and forth on whether I’d rather have Allen or Abdullah. Abdullah is more talented, but is still heavily competing for touches. As most of you know, I’ve never given up on him because of his fantasy playoff potential. A solid RB2/3 if he earns his coaches’ trust and grows expands his role in the coming weeks.
(5) James White – 16 fantasy points on four touches? Great job if you started him last night. But like the Falcons’ Antone Smith last year, relying on a sparsely used RB isn’t a recipe for long-term success. Until/unless he earns more playing time (remember: Brandon Bolden also got four touches), White is just as likely to give you RB2 production as he is RB5.
(6) Spencer Ware – Charcandrick West, whose injury is “day to day,” had compiled more than 400 yards and four TDs in three starts before going down on Sunday. Ware is a nice story, but will hold virtually no value as long as West is healthy.
(7) Tevin Coleman – In Week 1, Coleman rushed 20 times for 80 yards, cementing his role as Atlanta’s lead back. The next week, he netted a touchdown before getting hurt. Today, he’s producing like a poor man’s Javorius Allen. We don’t yet know if Devonta Freeman will return this weekend. What we do know is that with upcoming games against the Vikings, Bucs, and Panthers (twice), even if Coleman continues to start while Freeman recovers, he’ not likely to crack 50 total yards in any fantasy playoff game, making him practically worthless from a fantasy perspective.
And here are two non-RBs I suggest heavily targeting:
Devin Funchess – As you know, I hyped him a couple weeks ago as Carolina’s likely future #1 receiver. Rostered in only 11% of ESPN leagues, the rookie made some fantastic grabs on Sunday and has earned double-digit fantasy production in two out of three starts. Among WRs almost no one’s starting, he remains one of the best.
Crockett Gillmore -- In the three seasons when Matt Schaub started all 16 games in Houston, TEs combined for 1,209 yards and 6 TDs (2009), 989 yards and 6 TDs (2010), and 979 yards and 9 TDs (2012). While rookie TE Maxx Williams should stay involved, Gillmore has mid-level TE1 potential the rest of the season. In fact, outside of Rawls and maybe Bradshaw, there’s no player I’d want more—if not for my lineup, then to block a great TE-needy opponent from landing a high-impact player at a sparse position.
(1) Thomas Rawls – Marshawn Lynch’s season is in doubt. Rawls has looked dominant when starting. His playoff schedule rocks. If Seattle is smart, they’ll start Rawls the rest of the way, as he’s been eons better than Lynch this season.
(2) Ahmad Bradshaw – Caught in a permanent timeshare barring and injury to Gore. But he’s one of the 20 most talented running backs in the league and can do a lot with 10-12 touches per game.
(3) Javorius Allen – A weekly RB3/flex starter. Not a bad thing, necessarily, especially against Cleveland next weekend. But temper expectations. I’ve been pushing Allen for months—not because he has top 15 RB potential, but because Forsett was a fairly significant liability. Don’t overreach for Allen; overreach for Rawls or Bradshaw instead.
(4) Ameer Abdullah – I go back and forth on whether I’d rather have Allen or Abdullah. Abdullah is more talented, but is still heavily competing for touches. As most of you know, I’ve never given up on him because of his fantasy playoff potential. A solid RB2/3 if he earns his coaches’ trust and grows expands his role in the coming weeks.
(5) James White – 16 fantasy points on four touches? Great job if you started him last night. But like the Falcons’ Antone Smith last year, relying on a sparsely used RB isn’t a recipe for long-term success. Until/unless he earns more playing time (remember: Brandon Bolden also got four touches), White is just as likely to give you RB2 production as he is RB5.
(6) Spencer Ware – Charcandrick West, whose injury is “day to day,” had compiled more than 400 yards and four TDs in three starts before going down on Sunday. Ware is a nice story, but will hold virtually no value as long as West is healthy.
(7) Tevin Coleman – In Week 1, Coleman rushed 20 times for 80 yards, cementing his role as Atlanta’s lead back. The next week, he netted a touchdown before getting hurt. Today, he’s producing like a poor man’s Javorius Allen. We don’t yet know if Devonta Freeman will return this weekend. What we do know is that with upcoming games against the Vikings, Bucs, and Panthers (twice), even if Coleman continues to start while Freeman recovers, he’ not likely to crack 50 total yards in any fantasy playoff game, making him practically worthless from a fantasy perspective.
And here are two non-RBs I suggest heavily targeting:
Devin Funchess – As you know, I hyped him a couple weeks ago as Carolina’s likely future #1 receiver. Rostered in only 11% of ESPN leagues, the rookie made some fantastic grabs on Sunday and has earned double-digit fantasy production in two out of three starts. Among WRs almost no one’s starting, he remains one of the best.
Crockett Gillmore -- In the three seasons when Matt Schaub started all 16 games in Houston, TEs combined for 1,209 yards and 6 TDs (2009), 989 yards and 6 TDs (2010), and 979 yards and 9 TDs (2012). While rookie TE Maxx Williams should stay involved, Gillmore has mid-level TE1 potential the rest of the season. In fact, outside of Rawls and maybe Bradshaw, there’s no player I’d want more—if not for my lineup, then to block a great TE-needy opponent from landing a high-impact player at a sparse position.