It never ceases to amaze me how often pivotal players are overlooked on waivers because they don’t have projection for the current week, but I’m happy to scoop them up for free. Three of our four targets this week fit that mold as we look to upside players who are returning from injury and youngsters who figure to get worked in more on the other side of their bye. The theme this week also underscores a shift in the strategy as we get further into the season. Namely, the need for insuring your high-value assets with a handcuff and insulating your team from being derailed by injury.
Shedeur Sanders | QB – Cleveland Browns | 1% Rostered
Arguably the weirdest draft-day saga in recent memory is the oddity of Shedeur Sanders and the Browns’ decision to (eventually) draft him at pick 144. It seems like the coaching staff was begrudgingly forced to accept this decision and responded by laying out a nearly impossible path to playing time for the once heralded signal-caller. Despite those efforts, it appears that the day may be nearing when Sanders gets his opportunity as the Browns continue to circle the drain and look increasingly incompetent on offense with each passing week. The timing makes sense with Cleveland having their bye this week, and should it be Sanders getting the nod in Week 10, he’ll offer moderate upside for those in Superflex and deeper formats. The Browns will likely be in pass-heavy game scripts for the duration of the season, and Sanders has shown an ability to get through his progressions and deliver the ball on time during his days at Colorado. Obviously, a lot has to break in his favor for this add to pay dividends, but the Browns being on bye means you can take a stab for free if you’re desperate at the QB spot.
Cedric Tillman | WR – Cleveland Browns | 11% Rostered
Directly tied to the case made above for Shedeur Sanders is the likely return of the Browns’ most effective pass-catcher, Cedric Tillman. Tillman has been sidelined with a hamstring injury for several weeks and is now expected to return following the Browns’ Week 9 bye. Before that injury, he was clearly the most viable option in the Cleveland passing game, accounting for nearly 40% of their receiving yards and touchdowns through the 3.5 games he played to open the season. Tillman returns to an offense that is averaging 40.2 pass attempts per game, the 2nd-most in the league, where he commands a 23.1% target share in the red zone and is the first read on 90% of his looks. Obviously, we need to account for the efficacy of the quarterback throwing him the ball in this circumstance, but his raw talent and volume floor should more than make up for shaky QB play. If the Browns weren’t on bye this week, I’d expect Tillman to be a priority add, so scoop him now that we’ve flipped to FCFS and save yourself the FAAB.
Tank Bigsby | RB – Philadelphia Eagles | 17% Rostered
Keeping the theme alive, we’ll write up a third player who is heading into his bye week. This time it’s Tank Bigsby of the Philadelphia Eagles. Bigsby has been a perennial “what if one of them got traded” type of player as he split the workload with Travis Etienne Jr. in Jacksonville. Well, he was the one who was dealt, but unfortunately, it was to a fairly crowded backfield that featured one of the league’s best runners, Saquon Barkley. It wasn’t clear if Bigsby would ever be used outside of Special Teams, but that pendulum swung significantly last week. Bigsby took the backup/relief duty role by the reigns with a 9-carry, 104-yard performance against the Giants. You love to see the explosive upside flashed, for sure, but more intriguing is the way that Bigsby seemed to leapfrog the players believed to be ahead of him in the pecking order. Now Bigsby stands alone as the clear handcuff in one of the league’s most valuable backfields. He simply should not be on waivers in more than 80% of leagues, and Barkley managers in particular need to prioritize a spot for Tank.
Keaton Mitchell | RB – Baltimore Ravens | 1% Rostered
Another interesting stash of the handcuff variety is Keaton Mitchell. Fantasy managers love to reminisce about the stretch run of the 2023 season, when Mitchell showed some explosive upside and appeared to be making a case for the starting job in Baltimore. Then he tore his ACL, and the Ravens went off and signed Derrick Henry. It’s been a long road back for Mitchell, but over recent weeks, he’s flashed some of the pop that drew the eye of fantasy managers back in 2023. The likelihood that he would take much workload from King Henry is slim, but it appears that it would be Mitchell, not Justice Hill, to step into the starting role should Henry miss any time. The Ravens remain one of the most run-heavy teams in the NFL, and despite Henry making a compelling case to the contrary, Father Time catches up with everybody. Mitchell is a clear target for anyone who rosters Derrick Henry and makes for an interesting stash for those wanting a lottery ticket on their bench.
Photo by Mark Alberti | Adapted by Parker McDonald (@CarbonFoxGFX on Twitter/X)