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 7 Review
- Marlon Mack, RB, Indianapolis Colts: Mack carried the ball three times for four yards this past week. He’s a guy that you can feel free to hold through the NFL trade deadline (November 2nd) if you have space, but he’s not a must-roster kind of player.
- Amon-Ra St. Brown, WR, Detroit Lions: Amon-Ra St. Brown was not involved in the Lions’ offense in Week 7. You can feel free to drop him.
- Devonta Freeman, RB, Baltimore Ravens: Devonta Freeman took four carries for 14 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown on the ground and caught three passes for 25 receiving yards through the air this past week. Freeman is now rostered in 32% of Yahoo leagues, which means he is no longer eligible for the ‘Must Stash’.
- Los Angeles Chargers D/ST: The Los Angeles Chargers D/ST was on a BYE week last week, but has graduated from being eligible for ‘The Must Stash’ now that they are rostered in 21% of Yahoo leagues. They have some very nice matchups on paper ahead.
- Quez Watkins, WR, Philadelphia Eagles: Quez Watkins caught two passes on four targets for 37 receiving yards against the Las Vegas Raiders. With only one game with more than 50 receiving yards all year, he’s safe to drop.
The Must Stash
Boston Scott, RB, Philadelphia Eagles (3.1% on ESPN, 11% on Yahoo)
This past week Miles Sanders went down with an ankle injury that led to him being carted off the field. Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni has said that Sanders will be “week-to-week” which means there may be more opportunities for the rest of the Eagles backfield over the next couple of games. Kenneth Gainwell is probably the primary beneficiary with his pass-catching upside and has likely already been picked up in your leagues, but Boston Scott may end up being the primary guy on the ground if this past Sunday was any indication (Scott had seven carries, while Gainwell had five carries). If you are looking for a solid running back lottery ticket this week, Scott is a solid option.
Mo Alie-Cox, TE, Indianapolis Colts (14.3% on ESPN, 16% on Yahoo)
Mo Alie-Cox has frequently made appearances in this article series, but usually, he lands in the ‘Deep Cuts’ section of the article. Given most of the big waiver wire sleepers are already picked up at this point of the season, it’s time to promote a solid contributor in Mo Alie-Cox to the ‘Must Stash’. Over the last four weeks, Mo Alie-Cox has caught 10 passes on 15 targets for 145 receiving yards and four receiving touchdowns. Given his head coach Frank Reich is statistically one of the best offensive play-callers for fantasy tight ends in the entire NFL, Alie-Cox may be worth a shot if you are needing help at tight end.
Brandon Bolden, RB, New England Patriots (8.5% on ESPN, 10% on Yahoo)
Every week on the ‘Must Stash’ it seems we play a game called ‘Which Patriots running back will be on the list this week?” ever since James White went down for the season in Week 3. This week the Patriots running back that will be featured on the ‘Must Stash’ is Brandon Bolden. Since Week 4, Brandon Bolden has emerged as the primary pass-catching back and made 17 receptions (4.25 per game) for 139 receiving yards (34.25 per game) and a receiving touchdown (0.25 per game). If you are playing in any PPR formats, Bolden is looking like a capable BYE week fill-in in his new ‘James White’ role.
Tyrod Taylor, QB, Houston Texans (3.5% on ESPN, 5% on Yahoo)
Tyrod Taylor has made quite a few appearances on the ‘Must Stash’ this year, and makes another one this week now that he’s on the brink of returning to game action. In the one and a half games that Tyrod was healthy this year, he completed 31 of 44 passes (70.5%) for 416 passing yards and three passing touchdowns through the air and carried the ball five times for 55 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown on the ground. Over the course of his career, he’s done a great job of protecting the football throwing only 20 interceptions in the 74 games, which minimizes his downside on a week-to-week basis. After the Rams game this week, the Texans have a pretty favorable schedule with matchups against the Miami Dolphins, Tennessee Titans, and New York Jets. If you are looking for a decent QB lottery ticket at this stage of the season, Tyrod is a solid option to roll the dice on.
Salvon Ahmed, RB, Miami Dolphins (1.9% on ESPN, 2% on Yahoo)
While many have focused on the running back injuries to Miles Sanders and Josh Jacobs this week and the new opportunities in the Eagles and Raiders backfields respectively, there’s another backfield that will have a shake-up in opportunities for the next few weeks – the Miami Dolphins. In the game against the Atlanta Falcons, the Dolphins’ running back Malcolm Brown went down with a quad injury and he’s since been placed on injured reserve. What this means is that there will be roughly five more carries per game available to Myles Gaskin and Salvon Ahmed. Gaskin is already rostered in most leagues, so if you are looking for an end-of-the-bench lottery ticket that could potentially pay off, Ahmed is not a bad choice.
Deep Cuts
(Rostered In Less Than 3% Of Leagues)
Both Websites (ESPN and Yahoo)
Dante Pettis, WR, New York Giants (1.6% on ESPN, 1% on Yahoo): While it’s likely that Dante Pettis’ reign of fantasy relevance is coming to a close with the rest of the Giants wide receiver corps getting healthier, he has performed very well over the past two weeks with 10 receptions on 16 targets for 87 receiving yards and a touchdown.
Tommy Sweeney, TE, Buffalo Bills (1.3% on ESPN, 2% on Yahoo): Tommy Sweeney will be stepping into a bigger role over the next couple of weeks since Dawson Knox fractured his right hand. Sweeney caught a touchdown in Week 6 against the Tennessee Titans, so there could be some potential here in the short term.
Case Keenum, QB, Cleveland Browns (1.6% on ESPN, 3% on Yahoo): Baker Mayfield has been playing with a partially torn labrum in his left shoulder, and he probably won’t fully recover until the offseason. Keenum is one of the better backup quarterbacks in the league and if he continues to start he’ll be in a pretty good situation behind the Browns offensive line.
Jordan Howard, RB, Philadelphia Eagles (0.1% on ESPN, 0% on Yahoo): Jordan Howard could be activated off the Eagles’ practice squad after Miles Sanders went down with an injury. If he’s on the Philadelphia Eagles active roster next week, there’s a good chance he ends up as the goal line back.
Jeremy McNichols, RB, Tennessee Titans (2.o% on ESPN, 3% on Yahoo): We’ve featured Jeremy McNichols on the ‘Must Stash’ in the past, and he’s got a path to fantasy relevance alongside Darrynton Evans if Derrick Henry ever misses time.
Benny Snell Jr., RB, Pittsburgh Steelers (0.6% on ESPN, 1% on Yahoo): Benny Snell took five carries for 20 rushing yards against the Denver Broncos in Week 5. 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.
James Washington, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers (0.8% on ESPN, 1% on Yahoo): James Washington has been a solid receiver over the course of his career and will have an increased role with JuJu Smith-Schuster out for the year.
ESPN/Yahoo Only
Foster Moreau, TE, Las Vegas Raiders (3.8% on ESPN, 2% on Yahoo): Foster Moreau had a pretty strong game against the Philadelphia Eagles with Darren Waller out where he caught six passes on six targets for 60 receiving yards and a receiving touchdown. The Raiders are on a BYE week this week, but if Waller misses any more time in the future, Moreau will be a great streaming option.
The Must Stash – Week 8
Players Rostered In Under 20% Of Leagues That You Should Be Monitoring
Boston Scott
Mo Alie-Cox
Brandon Bolden
Tyrod Taylor
Salvon Ahmed
Marquez Valdes-Scantling
Marlon Mack
Kalif Raymond
Tommy Sweeney
James Washington— Eli G (@3li_handles) October 28, 2021
That’s it for Week 8. Feel free to weigh in and mention any players you believe should be on this list.
Featured Image by Justin Paradis (@JustParaDesigns on Twitter)