I will get to topical football in a sec. But first, a moderately unimportant (to everyone else) but extremely important (to me) announcement. Long-time (and even shorter-time) readers know what's coming. . . .
There's no football today. Wednesday Night Football should be a thing. Once a year I scream this at the world, hoping to jostle the minds of the NFL brain trust. To no avail. But I'll keep trying. Because some largely meaningless things are worth fighting for.
Below is my revised NFL schedule: 16 WNF games across 15 weeks, and a second bye week per team. Bye weeks would always come right before WNF or TNF, meaning no team would compete on less than five days' rest (Monday-to-Sunday). All WNF and TNF contests would feature intra-divisional matchups, which would simplify scheduling while also ensuring parity (each team receiving the same number of long breaks).
Again, I don't ask for much. But it seems silly the NFL can't figure out a way to (a) stop forcing players to compete on three days' rest, while (b) lining their pockets with all the extra revenue of an 18-week schedule that includes 15 more nights of televised football.
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OK, now that that's done with for another year, here are some thoughts on Wednesday morning waivers:
To reiterate previously expressed thoughts, I'm not high on Wayne Gallman. This is actually a fairly unusual week in which there's no obvious free agent worth bidding on, unless you're in a Chris Polen-like league with only a few bench spots, in which case of course Tony Pollard and Alexander Mattison need to be rostered. And of course if you need a bye-week replacement for Le'Veon Bell or George Kittle, grab the best short-term fix you can find.
But I wouldn't advise going overboard today. In fact, I'd be shocked if Gallman--a popular #1 target--finishes next week's game. He's an entirely adequate RB in the mold of Paul Perkins or Cameron Artis-Payne. He might earn 38 yards on 11 carries and 10 yards on two catches. And by this time next week the Giants buzz will be on another RB--perhaps someone not yet signed.
At QB, Matthew Stafford is available in 62% of ESPN leagues and has an incredible home matchup against the Chiefs. He has strong top-5 potential and needs to be rostered in most leagues in general, but especially this week. At RB, Jamaal Williams is available in 84% of ESPN leagues, offering RB3/4 appeal with the strong possibility Green Pay rings up 30+ points on Philly. At WR, Phillip Dorsett (88%) is an automatic stash at minimum in New England's high-flying offense, while Deebo Samuel (77%) is a savvy bye-week add if you have space, since most of his next seven games are favorable. And TE Will Dissly (72%) seems like a no-risk add if you don't have a TE1, especially with Seattle's poor defense forcing Russell Wilson to throw deeper into games than he's ever had to.
But again, I wouldn't invest too heavily in anyone this week unless you're desperate. Save your FAAB. Preserve your waiver position. Better waiver days are ahead.
There's no football today. Wednesday Night Football should be a thing. Once a year I scream this at the world, hoping to jostle the minds of the NFL brain trust. To no avail. But I'll keep trying. Because some largely meaningless things are worth fighting for.
Below is my revised NFL schedule: 16 WNF games across 15 weeks, and a second bye week per team. Bye weeks would always come right before WNF or TNF, meaning no team would compete on less than five days' rest (Monday-to-Sunday). All WNF and TNF contests would feature intra-divisional matchups, which would simplify scheduling while also ensuring parity (each team receiving the same number of long breaks).
Again, I don't ask for much. But it seems silly the NFL can't figure out a way to (a) stop forcing players to compete on three days' rest, while (b) lining their pockets with all the extra revenue of an 18-week schedule that includes 15 more nights of televised football.
---
OK, now that that's done with for another year, here are some thoughts on Wednesday morning waivers:
To reiterate previously expressed thoughts, I'm not high on Wayne Gallman. This is actually a fairly unusual week in which there's no obvious free agent worth bidding on, unless you're in a Chris Polen-like league with only a few bench spots, in which case of course Tony Pollard and Alexander Mattison need to be rostered. And of course if you need a bye-week replacement for Le'Veon Bell or George Kittle, grab the best short-term fix you can find.
But I wouldn't advise going overboard today. In fact, I'd be shocked if Gallman--a popular #1 target--finishes next week's game. He's an entirely adequate RB in the mold of Paul Perkins or Cameron Artis-Payne. He might earn 38 yards on 11 carries and 10 yards on two catches. And by this time next week the Giants buzz will be on another RB--perhaps someone not yet signed.
At QB, Matthew Stafford is available in 62% of ESPN leagues and has an incredible home matchup against the Chiefs. He has strong top-5 potential and needs to be rostered in most leagues in general, but especially this week. At RB, Jamaal Williams is available in 84% of ESPN leagues, offering RB3/4 appeal with the strong possibility Green Pay rings up 30+ points on Philly. At WR, Phillip Dorsett (88%) is an automatic stash at minimum in New England's high-flying offense, while Deebo Samuel (77%) is a savvy bye-week add if you have space, since most of his next seven games are favorable. And TE Will Dissly (72%) seems like a no-risk add if you don't have a TE1, especially with Seattle's poor defense forcing Russell Wilson to throw deeper into games than he's ever had to.
But again, I wouldn't invest too heavily in anyone this week unless you're desperate. Save your FAAB. Preserve your waiver position. Better waiver days are ahead.
