Today's as good a day as any to highlight some of this weekend's most undervalued WRs and TEs.
Mike Wallace (available in 57% of ESPN leagues) could help some of you win a title. He's a proven talent, has led Baltimore in receiving yards in each of the past five games, and is facing the NFL's third-worst pass defense (the Colts). Since a shaky (politely speaking) first half of the season, Wallace has averaged 13.2 PPR points per game. For perspective, that's the same as Doug Baldwin. Assuming Jeremy Maclin sits, Wallace has better-than-50/50 WR1 potential. He's a must-start in all leagues despite being experts' consensus 26th ranked Week 16 wideout.
Kendall Wright (93% available) gets no love. Among the 74 experts compiled by Fantasy Pros, more rank him outside the top 50 (five) this week than inside the top 30 (four). His average ranking is 41. Look, Wright has had an up-and-down career. Who knows when the "down" is coming next. But is he really a WR4 at home against the Browns, whose opposing quarterbacks lead the league in QB rating (102.7)? C'mon. Wright has 17 catches for 188 yards the past two games while being fourth in targets league-wide. As long as he keeps getting fed, he's an absolute bargain this week and a locked-in top 28 WR.
Who else? How about Adam Humphries (99% available)? O.J. Howard is out. If DeSean Jackson also sits, Humphries should become Jameis Winston's #2 target (yes, over Cameron Brate, who's still not guaranteed to play). If you're in a deep league and debating which WR4 might step up, give Humphries a try. Ranked 63rd among experts, he's a sure-fire top 40 WR if starting.
Finally, don't sleep on Jordy Nelson, this week's 43rd ranked WR. With Davante Adams out, Brett Hundley needs to find a new #1. While it's reasonable to expect Minnesota's stout pass D (and particularly Xavier Rhodes) to shut down Jordy, do not abandon the former perennial WR1 just yet. I'm anticipating 10+ targets for Nelson this weekend and, at minimum, seven catches for 70+ yards. That's enough to make him startable in most leagues.
Did someone just ask me about bargain tight ends? I thought so. Much of the TE landscape is filled with questionable tags. But the 16th ranked Benjamin Watson, 18th ranked Antonio Gates, the 23rd ranked Austin Seferian-Jenkins, and the 26th ranked Adam Shaheen (if healthy) offer higher-than-normal TD potential given their higher-than-normal red-zone usage. Among these, only Watson has realistic 50+ yard potential, meaning he doesn't have to score to be a TE1. And among these, Watson surely is my favorite. But the other three can plug a boom-bust hole if you don't have a top 10 option in your arsenal.
Mike Wallace (available in 57% of ESPN leagues) could help some of you win a title. He's a proven talent, has led Baltimore in receiving yards in each of the past five games, and is facing the NFL's third-worst pass defense (the Colts). Since a shaky (politely speaking) first half of the season, Wallace has averaged 13.2 PPR points per game. For perspective, that's the same as Doug Baldwin. Assuming Jeremy Maclin sits, Wallace has better-than-50/50 WR1 potential. He's a must-start in all leagues despite being experts' consensus 26th ranked Week 16 wideout.
Kendall Wright (93% available) gets no love. Among the 74 experts compiled by Fantasy Pros, more rank him outside the top 50 (five) this week than inside the top 30 (four). His average ranking is 41. Look, Wright has had an up-and-down career. Who knows when the "down" is coming next. But is he really a WR4 at home against the Browns, whose opposing quarterbacks lead the league in QB rating (102.7)? C'mon. Wright has 17 catches for 188 yards the past two games while being fourth in targets league-wide. As long as he keeps getting fed, he's an absolute bargain this week and a locked-in top 28 WR.
Who else? How about Adam Humphries (99% available)? O.J. Howard is out. If DeSean Jackson also sits, Humphries should become Jameis Winston's #2 target (yes, over Cameron Brate, who's still not guaranteed to play). If you're in a deep league and debating which WR4 might step up, give Humphries a try. Ranked 63rd among experts, he's a sure-fire top 40 WR if starting.
Finally, don't sleep on Jordy Nelson, this week's 43rd ranked WR. With Davante Adams out, Brett Hundley needs to find a new #1. While it's reasonable to expect Minnesota's stout pass D (and particularly Xavier Rhodes) to shut down Jordy, do not abandon the former perennial WR1 just yet. I'm anticipating 10+ targets for Nelson this weekend and, at minimum, seven catches for 70+ yards. That's enough to make him startable in most leagues.
Did someone just ask me about bargain tight ends? I thought so. Much of the TE landscape is filled with questionable tags. But the 16th ranked Benjamin Watson, 18th ranked Antonio Gates, the 23rd ranked Austin Seferian-Jenkins, and the 26th ranked Adam Shaheen (if healthy) offer higher-than-normal TD potential given their higher-than-normal red-zone usage. Among these, only Watson has realistic 50+ yard potential, meaning he doesn't have to score to be a TE1. And among these, Watson surely is my favorite. But the other three can plug a boom-bust hole if you don't have a top 10 option in your arsenal.