đđWeek 4 Waiver Wire Report and Which Player to Play in Your Flex in any Week
Your flex should allow you to keep your options open but many people make the mistake of their flex spot limiting them.
QB
Kirk Cousins | MIN
Iâve held off on adding Kirk Cousins to the list for 2 reasons. 1: The Vikings are a run first team, and that limits Kirk to a fringe QB2 usually. 2: Heâs unvaccinated and like it or not the rules for quarantine apply to him differently as we saw when he had to sit out during camp. At his point if you need a QB, Iâd add him. Heâs proven that both in games with and without Dalvin Cook heâs worthy of a roster spot. Just have a backup on your roster or identify one on waivers each week just incase he finds himself on the COVID list.
RB
Chuba Hubbard | CAR
I didnât list Chuba Hubbard in my preseason RB handcuffs because before the year began the picture wasnât clear as to who would be McCaffreyâs backup and if he would even have one or if it would be by committee. It was clear by both the production on the field and the snap count that Hubbard is a true handcuff to Christian McCaffrey. Heâs a must add in all leagues with space for him, especially by CMC owners who will be without the likely #1 overall pick in most leagues for some time. Keep in mind that the Panthers (for now) are saying they wonât place McCaffrey on the IR which means there is some optimism he could be back sooner than 3 weeks.
WR/TE
Rashod Bateman | WR | BAL
If youâve got space on your roster I highly recommend scooping up Rashod Bateman. Heâs more of a long term play over the next few weeks but Bateman is someone I was high on during the preseason. If he can vault himself to the WR1 role in Baltimore (not the most stout of WR cores and an MVP QB who likes taking shots downfield) he can be a very talented fantasy player. I see a ceiling of last yearâs Justin Jefferson. Bateman could be activated as soon as this week and while he may be on a snap limit this is a long term investment.
Kendrick Bourne | WR | NE
Kendrick Bourne has slowly been getting more and more work through the first 3 weeks of the season. His snap percentage has gone from 44%-53%-76% and his targets from 3-3-8. Leading to a nice week 3 performance with 6 catches, 96 yards and a touchdown. Heâs available in 99.6% of leagues so if youâre in need of a WR whoâs on the rise, Bourne is a nice addition.
Evan Engram | TE | NYG
I know, I know⊠Evan Engram is public enemy #1 amongst Giants fans and a bust. What he also is, is a player who deserves to be on a roster in more than 33% of leagues. He gets volume, over 100 targets last year and 6 targets in his first game back with the Giants, despite only playing 56% of snaps. He also had only one receiving touchdown last season, a number that should go up in 2021 (it doesnât have much room to get any lower). Engram should see steady volume depending on how long Shepherd and Slayton are out. Like him or not, steady volume is hard to come by at the TE spot so that alone is why Engram is worth rostering if you donât have a a steady TE already.
BONUS
*Josh Gordon | KC
*I throw the star in there because I want to address him since heâs usually a popular waiver wire target whenever he gets unsuspended. To be clear I am NOT recommending people go add Josh Gordon unless youâre playing in the DEEPEST of leagues. Iâm talking 14-16 teams, with a large bench. Two main mindsets are behind this. 1: Josh Gordonâs ceiling is unrealistic in my opinion. He has had one single good season in his career, back in 2013 when he had 1,600 yards and 9 TDs in only 14 games. Donât get me wrong, it was an incredible season but it was EIGHT years ago. Is it realistic to think he can be that guy again? No. 2: Do we really think that Josh Gordon can take enough targets from Travis Kelce and Tyreek Hill to have fantasy relevance? Itâs hard to imagine Gordon both getting the volume necessary to match expectations AND do enough with that volume to reach his old self. Oh and I havenât even mentioned that he may get suspended again. Which weâve seen before. So Iâll gladly let someone else burn their FAB or waste a roster spot on Gordon.
The Flex position is to provide you with lineup flexibility. Sounds obvious but many people seem to forget that by who they place in that spot. A common fantasy football mistake people make is starting Thursday night players in their flex spot instead of the WR, RB, or TE spot simply because theyâre the lowest ranked of their 3 RBs/WRs or 2 TEs. Why does this matter? Let me give you an example⊠Letâs say this coming week Iâm playing a third WR in my flex spot. Letâs say Keenan Allen, Chris Godwin, and Marvin Jones Jr are my 3. Many people might make the mistake of putting Marvin Jones Jr in the flex spot, giving them a lineup like this:
WR 1: Keenan Allen | LAC | Mon 7:20
WR 2: Chris Godwin | TB | Sun 7:20
FLEX: Marvin Jones Jr | JAX | Thur 7:20
The issue with this lineup is after Thursday if Godwin or Allen get injured, contract COVID, or are unavailable for ANY reason, you have no choice but to replace them with a WR. If you have a RB or TE on your bench you like, too bad. He canât replace either of those two. The proper way this lineup should look is like this:
WR 1: Marvin Jones Jr | JAX | Thur 7:20
WR 2: Chris Godwin | TB | Sun 7:20
FLEX: Keenan Allen | LAC | Mon 7:20
Now if Chris Godwin or Keenan Allen go down, you have the FLEXibility to replace them with a RB or TE. Youâre already playing Jones Jr come Thursday night anyway. Take the extra second when inserting him into your lineup to flip him and Allen to get the most out of your flex spot. It may not seem like much, but a move like this could save your week.