Every week I will list some players who I think if things go their way, will wind up in those waiver articles the following Tuesday. You don’t have to stash all of them – it depends on who you have on your roster, the depth of your benches, the scoring system of your league, etc. But these are guys that should at least be on your radar.
Stashing players is only something that can occur in deeper leagues with large benches, so to make this information worthwhile, I will only be recommending guys that are rostered in under 20% of leagues on both Yahoo and ESPN, and in many cases, you’ll see percentages in the single digits. If you’re in a league where guys like D’Ernest Johnson (69.9% on ESPN), Kadarius Toney (51.7% on ESPN), and Elijah Mitchell (79.6% on ESPN) are on the waiver wire, you’re either in a league too shallow for stashing, or you should go pick those guys up right away.
In addition, for those of you in really deep leagues (16+ teams), we will also include some deep cut players that are rostered in less than 3% of leagues on both Yahoo and ESPN in a section at the end to try and give you the best chance of winning your fantasy league. Without further ado, let’s dive in!
Week 9 Review
- Jordan Love, QB, Green Bay Packers: Jordan Love completed 19 passes on 34 attempts for 190 passing yards and a passing touchdown through the air and carried the ball five times for 23 rushing yards on the ground. He also threw one interception. With a subpar performance and news that Aaron Rodgers will not be suspended, Love is a safe drop.
- Tajae Sharpe, WR, Atlanta Falcons: Tajae Sharpe caught one pass on one target for 12 yards against the New Orleans Saints. While he did play 80% of the offensive snaps, his production is likely going to be sporadic this year so if you need a spot feel free to drop him.
- Jamal Agnew, WR, Jacksonville Jaguars: Jamal Agnew caught three passes on five targets for 27 receiving yards through the air and carried the ball once for 11 rushing yards against the Buffalo Bills. He’s been involved in this offense a lot in recent weeks, so he may be worth a hold if you have room.
- Dan Arnold, TE, Jacksonville Jaguars: Dan Arnold had another strong day where he caught four passes on seven targets for 60 receiving yards.
- Trey Lance, QB, San Francisco 49ers: Trey Lance did not play against the Arizona Cardinals. He’s still the same upside QB stash option he has been the last few weeks.
- From the ‘Deep Cuts’ section, Donovan Peoples-Jones (WR, Cleveland Browns) and Olamide Zaccheaus (WR, Atlanta Falcons) were the big successes. Donovan Peoples-Jones caught two passes on three targets for 86 receiving yards and a receiving touchdown and is now rostered in over 20% of Yahoo leagues so he’s not eligible for the ‘Must Stash’. Olamide Zaccheaus caught three passes on three targets for 58 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns.
The Must Stash
Ty Johnson, RB, New York Jets (19.6% on ESPN, 16% on Yahoo)
Last week we were planning on including Ty Johnson on the ‘Must Stash’ but couldn’t because of the Thursday Night game (which is why we went with Trey Lance for the last spot), so this week he gets his chance on the list for the first time since Week 1. In the three games since the Jets BYE week in Week 6, Ty Johnson has totaled 13 carries, 42 rushing yards, 13 receptions, 16 targets, 176 receiving yards, and two receiving touchdowns…on a per-game basis, this is 4.33 carries, 14 rushing yards, 4.33 receptions, 5.33 targets, 58.67 receiving yards, and 0.67 receiving touchdowns. While he’s not going to take away the lead-back role from Michael Carter this season with the way Carter has played, Johnson has emerged as a fine pass-catching back who could have some standalone value in PPR formats. If you are playing in a deeper league and need a running back that gets some touches on a consistent basis, Johnson is a solid option for the end of your bench.
Rhamondre Stevenson, RB, New England Patriots (7.9% on ESPN, 10% on Yahoo)
This week we are back with our favorite game show, ‘Which Patriots running back lands on the Must Stash this week!’ Our star contestant this week…rookie running back Rhamondre Stevenson! Stevenson has been on the ‘Must Stash’ a few times before – most notably after the James White injury – but has seen inconsistent usage which led to him being left off the list in recent weeks. But after Stevenson had 10 carries, 62 rushing yards, two receptions, two targets, and 44 receiving yards against the Carolina Panthers this past week, it felt like a good idea to include him once again this week. While his workload is capped as long as Damien Harris is healthy, he’s emerged as one of the highest upside handcuff options still available on most waiver wires. If you are looking for a nice running back stash, take a shot on Stevenson.
Taysom Hill, QB, New Orleans Saints (6.9% on ESPN, 14% on Yahoo)
Trevor Siemian drew the start last week for the New Orleans Saints against the Atlanta Falcons and despite him putting together a decent stat line of 25 completions (41 passing attempts), 249 passing yards, and two passing touchdowns, the Saints lost the game 27-25. While that performance should afford Siemian at least another week of being the team’s starter if the Saints continue to lose they may look at switching to Taysom Hill who went 3-1 as a starter just a year ago. If the Saints decide to switch to Taysom Hill, he will immediately make a case for being a low-end QB1/high-end RB2 for the rest of the season because of his rushing upside. This is a guy that averaged 21.6 fantasy points per game in his four starts last year (the QB6 between Weeks 11-14), and now that he’s on the cusp of starting again he needs to at the very least be on your watch list in all leagues with more than 10 teams. Keep an eye on this situation in New Orleans.
Le’Veon Bell, RB, Baltimore Ravens (5.6% on ESPN, 9% on Yahoo)
It feels weird to include Le’Veon Bell on this list given he’s almost 30 years old and averaging just 2.9 YPC this season, but the waiver wire is thin at this point of the year and he’s gotten enough work in recent weeks to justify one of the final spots on this list. Against the Minnesota Vikings this past week, Le’Veon Bell carried the ball a season-high 11 times for 48 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown. In addition, in each of his last three games, he’s seen at least five carries, and he’s currently got the third-most red zone rushing attempts on the team (5), behind quarterback Lamar Jackson (13) and fellow running back Latavius Murray (12), despite only appearing in four games thus far. He might not have the league-winning potential he once had at this point of his career, but Bell is beginning to look like a potential FLEX option in deeper leagues. Keep an eye on him.
Rashaad Penny, RB, Seattle Seahawks (3.4% on ESPN, 9% on Yahoo)
While Chris Carson should be making his return on gameday any day now after he was designated for return, for the last spot this week the ‘Must Stash’ will highlight previous candidate, running back Rashaad Penny. Penny is a former 1st round pick who saw 13 carries in the two weeks before Seattle’s Week 9 BYE week. While it would certainly be nice to see him be more efficient (had just 16 rushing yards on those 13 carries), that should come with time as he continues to shake off the rust. The bottom line is the Seattle Seahawks backfield is going to be one to monitor for the rest of this season with Carson’s chronic long-term neck condition, and if you cannot get Alex Collins it isn’t the worst idea to roll the dice on Penny if you have room on your bench.
Deep Cuts
(Rostered In Less Than 3% Of Leagues)
Both Websites (ESPN and Yahoo)
O.J. Howard, TE, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2.5% on ESPN, 2% on Yahoo): On the season O.J. Howard has totaled 13 receptions on 19 targets for 125 receiving yards and a receiving touchdown. Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians has cast some doubt that Rob Gronkowski returns this week, so it looks like another week where Cameron Brate and O.J. Howard get the bulk of the work at the tight end position.
P.J. Walker, QB, Carolina Panthers (0.6% on ESPN, 2% on Yahoo): Sam Darnold is dealing with a partially fractured scapula, so P.J. Walker should be the Carolina Panthers starting quarterback for the foreseeable future.
Olamide Zaccheaus, WR, Atlanta Falcons (0.6% on ESPN, 1% on Yahoo): We featured Zaccheaus last week in the ‘Deep Cuts’ section after Calvin Ridley stepped away from football indefinitely to focus on his mental well-being, and then he followed it up with an impressive three reception, 58 receiving yard, and two receiving touchdown day against the New Orleans Saints in Week 9.
Mack Hollins, WR, Miami Dolphins (0.3% on ESPN, 0% on Yahoo): Hollins had three receptions on six targets for 22 receiving yards and a receiving touchdown against the Houston Texans. With DeVante Parker on injured reserve, he has an opportunity to maintain his fantasy relevance.
Geoff Swaim, TE, Tennessee Titans (0.2% on ESPN, 0% on Yahoo): Geoff Swaim has caught at least four passes and a touchdown in each of the last two weeks.
Benny Snell Jr., RB, Pittsburgh Steelers (0.5% on ESPN, 1% on Yahoo): If Najee Harris ends up missing time at any point this year, it’s likely Snell would step into the role as the lead back.
ESPN/Yahoo Only
Eno Benjamin, RB, Arizona Cardinals (2.2% on ESPN, 10% on Yahoo): Chase Edmonds went down with a high ankle sprain against the San Francisco 49ers and may be out for a while. This likely results in an increase in touches for Eno Benjamin – especially after he carried the ball nine times for 39 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown against the San Francisco 49ers last week.
Marlon Mack, RB, Indianapolis Colts (2.6% on ESPN, 5% on Yahoo): Marlon Mack was a healthy scratch against the New York Jets, but in the event that Jonathan Taylor misses time, he would likely receive a majority of the work on the ground.
Cameron Brate, TE, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1.5% on ESPN, 4% on Yahoo): On the season Cameron Brate has totaled 13 receptions on 25 targets for 125 receiving yards. Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians has cast some doubt that Rob Gronkowski returns this week, so it looks like another week where Cameron Brate and O.J. Howard take on the bulk of the work at the tight end position.
The Must Stash – Week 10
Players Rostered In Under 20% Of Leagues That You Should Be Monitoring
Ty Johnson
Rhamondre Stevenson
Taysom Hill
Rashaad Penny
Le'Veon Bell
Eno Benjamin
Tajae Sharpe
Jamal Agnew
Trey Lance
Marlon Mack— Eli G (@3li_handles) November 11, 2021
That’s it for Week 10. Feel free to weigh in and mention any players you believe should be on this list.
Featured Image by Justin Paradis (@JustParaDesigns on Twitter)