I don't remember the last time a near-elite fantasy QB started the following year as a backup--and if they then got the chance to start. So at the very least, this week Jameis Winston might become a fantasy rarity. Last year's 5th-ranked QB is rostered in virtually zero leagues, yet could be the biggest waiver pickup in one of the year's most critically important weeks.
What makes Winston so intriguing is that New Orleans and Atlanta easily could post 50+ combined points. QB teammate Taysom Hill has run the ball 98 times in his career while attempting only 18 passes. While Hill and Alvin Kamara and even Latavius Murray are threats to score Sunday, if Drew Brees sits, Winston will carry the passing load and is a threat to finish in the top 5 if things break right.
"Breaking right" means Michael Thomas finally plays like Michael Thomas, Emmanuel Sanders or Tre'Quan Smith or Jared Cook steps up, and Alvin Kamara maintains his record reception pace. All are doable against the Falcons' weak defense. The question is whether Sean Payton trusts Winston enough to play Winston-style football. If you don't have a top-8 QB lined up, Winston offers the type of QB upside we almost never expect to find on waivers this late in the year.
Elsewhere around the league, David Moore could be a hot commodity if Tyler Lockett can't go Thursday. If you have bench space and don't have a top-30 WR in one of your starting WR slots, Moore is one of several wideouts worth adding.
Miami's DST could be one of the top waiver adds if your league scoring strongly favors DSTs (i.e. if the best DSTs are on par with the top 20-25 RBs). With Drew Lock's status in doubt, Jeff Driskel or Brett Rypien while showcase their backup QB abilities. Although DST breakouts often are dependent on defensive or special-team touchdowns (and so they aren't very predictable), Miami has a real shot at 18+ points. Considering the league's DST per-game average this year is about five points, the Dolphins could single-handedly carry some managers over the top.
By the way, since Denver's 2015 Super Bowl season (which featured two bottom-barrel fantasy QBs: Peyton Manning and Brock Osweiler), the team's started quarterbacks have been Trevor Siemian, Paxton Lynch, Osweiler, Case Keenum, Joe Flacco, Brandon Allen, Lock, Driskel, and Rypien. Nothing really fantasy related. Just fascinating.
Finally, Matthew Stafford is a major question mark this weekend with a thumb injury. If Kenny Golladay were back, I'd urge folks to snag preseason Hall-of-Famer Chase Daniel, because Golladay can make any quarterback look good, and Daniel is one of the league's better backups. I'll still say Daniel is startable in two-QB leagues, thanks to D'Andre Swift's Theo Riddick-like abilities in the passing game. In other words, Daniel can get enough cheap yards to pull off a 200/2/1 effort in a favorable matchup.