It’s Friday, so that means it’s Free Agent Friday. Which free agents am I eyeballing heading
into Sunday’s and Monday’s games, and who do I wish I’d picked up before Thursday
night’s game?
As some of you know, a few weeks ago I traded Amari Cooper and Kenneth
Dixon for Kelvin Benjamin, Golden Tate, and Derrick Henry. Cooper was my best WR, and I viewed him as
5-10 spots better than Benjamin. The key
to the deal was taking a chance on Tate and Henry. Tate had been awful opening the season, but
possessed top 25 WR potential. Henry’s
upside was sky-high, though a healthy DeMarco Murray rendered him unstartable.
Although the trade’s outcome looked dicey at first, with Tate finally
coming around, Henry’s breakout performance last night was the icing on the cake. Yesterday morning on this site I pushed Henry
as a “must-own RB handcuff,” on par with Devontae Booker’s positioning two
weeks earlier. If Murray gets hurt,
Henry could be a top 10 RB. Even if
Murray is healthy, Henry is an every-week RB3/4 with mop-up-duty upside.
Did you pick up and start Kendall Wright? Few did.
I passed on him in favor of Booker’s backup, Kapri Bibbs. It was a conservative move heading into a
week when I didn’t think I needed Wright to win. As I shared a couple weeks ago, Wright is no
fluke. Three seasons ago he was seventh
in the NFL in receptions while catching 68% of his targets--#2 among the 25
most targeted WRs. I didn’t research
those stats until this morning; had I done it Thursday morning, he’d be on my
roster right now instead of Bibbs.
If Carson Palmer can get it together, either John Brown or J.J. Nelson
will be startable Sunday. The
underperforming Michael Floyd could miss Week 8 with a hamstring injury. His hold on the #2 spot is tenuous. If you’re short on WR3/4s, I’d take a flyer
on one of these guys (preferably Nelson) if Floyd sits. And if he earns a lot more snaps going
forward, as I wrote this summer, Nelson would be a surprising borderline
starter the rest of the way.
Do not sleep on Alfred Morris.
Easily forgettable amidst the rapid impact of Ezekiel Elliott, Morris
remains a top 5 RB handcuff.
Sammy Watkins is one of those players savvy managers should be picking
up immediately. Available in an
astounding 77% of ESPN leagues, he has a dream fantasy playoff schedule: three
home games against the Steelers, Browns, and Dolphins. While he’s no lock to return this season, his
top 10 WR upside and fairly high floor would make him a must-start on almost
any fantasy roster.