Start/Sit Advice, Waiver Wire Pickups and Sleepers

Unless and until we see Ryan perform at a higher level, he should be deemed a high-end QB2. Williams was the obvious pick up off of waviers last week when Le’Veon Bell went down for the rest of the year. Whether Lacy suits up or not, Starks is a quality play in a plus matchup as a QB2/FLEX.

Though he may be tempting to pluck from the waiver wire, five-time Pro Bowler Wes Welker hasn’t played a single game all season and has a deep history of concussion complications. That’s horrific. We certainly wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt.

Ben Roethlisberger has a foot sprain and is expected to be out for a couple weeks. Assuming he will, at the very least, miss a few weeks, LeGarrette Blount’s value spikes up once again. With back to back losses, the Packers need a win.

And the third headline was super wide receiver Antonio Brown’s monster game. He’s already outplaying Lacy as it is, but if Starks is set to receive the bulk of the carries, he could be in for a great game. With Big Ben out next week against the Browns, I am looking for the Steelers to give Williams another heavy workload.

World Health Organization? Yup, I said it, pick up Nate Washington. You can get a nice, elite piece in return for Brown right now, and if you’re in the win right now mindset, Brown would be a good piece to move since he isn’t as successful when his starting quarterback isn’t available.

He was below average against the tier two defenses in the National Football League, and had a lot of people including myself yelling “bust”.

Kamar Aiken, Ravens (40% Owned): Aiken is not a great receiver, but he’s good enough, and he’s the Ravens WR1. If he can do it against the Broncos, he can do it against anyone. The fantasy football trade deadline is fast approaching, so make sure you try to make a splash of your own! The Timberwolves have 5 games this week and Dieng is now available in just over 50 percent of Major Fantasy Basketball leagues. Against the Panthers, I see him continuing along that trend, as their defense has been outstanding against the pass (12 interceptions, best in the NFL).

Winston is making real progress after a rough start to his rookie year. I would stay away from Donte Moncrief, Dwayne Allen, and Fleener. It’s hard to tell which receiver will thrive as the complement to DeAndre Hopkins, but the most likely scenario is that each will cannibalize the other’s targets with inconsistent touchdown production between the two. Plus, with a big question mark at running back – since Reggie Bush is also hurt (an evergreen statement if there ever was one) – San Francisco will find itself without any sort of offensive identity. Draughn received 16 rushes, while Thomas and Gaskins combined for only 11 rushes. That alone makes him relevant in all fantasy formats.

It’s tough to figure out exactly who will step in for the injured Dion Lewis in New England, but James White seems to be the best option to replace him as a pass catching back. I know Bolden saw all the touches Sunday, but that’s because he’s the better special teams player and White was inactive. If he misses any time, Reece looks like the next back in line for a majority of the work in the Raiders backfield. If you have Murray, I’m a firm believer in handcuffing your studs. I wouldn’t worry about picking up Beasley unless you are in the deepest of leagues. Thornton won’t keep providing top 25 value like he has this past week, but owners in need of short-term help in three-pointers should scoop him up regardless.

Funchess, whom the Panthers selected early in the second round, has it in him to be a consistent, unsafe second weapon behind Olsen. Many Fantasy owners, especially those that didn’t have another late game option, took Hilton out of their starting lineups. Funchess finally showed up in Week 8, setting career highs in catches and yards.

In case you were still counting on Green Bay’s defense to boost your quest for a fantasy league title, Week 9 surely confirmed that won’t be the case. The Jets are a banged up team, as Brandon Marshall (knee, ankle) and Chris Ivory (hamstring) are also nursing injuries that are slowing their play down. Bortles on the season has put up QB1 numbers more often than not and is ranked 9th among QBs this season in terms of total fantasy points according to Yahoo! He sees double-digit targets on a regular basis, and is the No. 2 option in the passing game behind Julio Jones.