2020. Week 12. Sunday night.
I started thinking about this week's column and what mundane stuck-in-the house moments I could somehow weave into vague waiver wire-themed coherence. I was recently told that the SEO gods might smile favorably on this piece of content if I worked in the words "waiver wire" more often.
The Great Fantasy Eligibility Wars of 2020 ended after last week, but Saints quarterback/fix-it-man Taysom Hill might still be available on your waiver wire. He provided the expected rushing upside but made some nice throws as well. Until Drew Brees has a full healthy rack of ribs, Hill should be on rosters.
(It dawned on me that I probably don't write waiver wire in the waiver wire column a lot. But probably because by getting here, you already realized it was a waiver wire column. Alas, if writing waiver wire a few extra times somehow helped you find your way to this space, then … huzzah!)
The Ravens' Gus Edwards should be the lead running back this week after teammates Mark Ingram and J.K. Dobbins tested positive for COVID-19. The matchup against Pittsburgh isn't optimal but plenty of touches should be available.
I don't know how the SEO gods feel about Raiders receiver Nelson Agholor, though I'm sure the search traffic for that gif – you know the one – has spiked five times the past six weeks when he's scored a touchdown. With favorable matchups the next two weeks, he could stay productive. Also, we need a new meme for Agholor. Let's work on that.
Monday morning.
I've never watched an unboxing video. It never dawned on me to watch someone open a box. Now that nearly everything gets delivered, every day is like my own personal unboxing video. Yay, beef jerky! Hmm. Maybe I get it now.
I also get that the Colts passing game isn't super exciting but Michael Pittman has added a spark. A favorable end-of-season schedule had my curiosity. Three straight weeks leading the team in receiving yards with a team-high target share had my attention.
Patriots receiver Damiere Byrd flitted in and out of fantasy relevance this season. New England's passing game has trended more toward ennui than enthusiasm. But since Week 6, the targets have mostly funneled to Byrd, Jakobi Meyers, and James White. Week 12 against the Cardinals could be the best chance to fit him in a lineup. After that, the matchups aren't pretty.
Just in time for Thanksgiving, the byes decided to take some time off (Heads up, they're back to work in Week 13 with the Bucs and Panthers). That makes it unlikely that many fantasy managers will need a quarterback. But if you're just the streamin' type, Raiders signal-caller Derek Carr and Colts sidearm slinger Philip Rivers have quality matchups against the Falcons and Texans, respectively.
There was never an NFL before Frank Gore. There will be no NFL after Frank Gore. He has been and always will be. Frank Gore is inevitable. At least until La'Mical Perine returns from an ankle injury, that is.
Monday night.
I think about re-watching a game before I go to bed mostly because I can use that excuse to justify having another late-night brownie. That reminds me that the Browns DST is coming off a stifling of the Eagles offense and has a few nice matchups remaining, including the Jaguars (Week 12), the Giants (Week 15) and the Jets (Week 16).
Speaking of stifling the Eagles, the Seahawks DST gets their shot at it on Monday night. With Carson Wentz struggling and Seattle playing better the past few weeks, this has attractive streaming appeal. Same for the Giants DST, which gets the first shot at the Joe Burrow-less Bengals.
Now if you'll excuse me, I have a brownie to eat.
Marcas Grant is a fantasy analyst for NFL.com and a man who hopes you enjoyed reading this week's waiver wire column. Send your fantasy football waiver wire questions on Twitter @MarcasG or Instagram at MarcasG.
