Waiver Hub – Week 18
Happy fantasy football championship week part 2! The final week of the fantasy playoffs is here for those who are still going strong following the Steelers/Browns MNF game last night. Week 18 begins on Saturday this week since there is no Thursday game or MNF game, just Saturday and Sunday games.
Mike Hubbard Jr here, welcome back to my weekly Waiver HUB. Follow me on Twitter (@FantasyHubbard) and Instagram (@fantasyhubbard) for all things fantasy football throughout the season. Feel free to tweet me or message me on either social media with any comments or questions you might have regarding fantasy football.
Fantasy football playoffs are either over or are ending after this week so now is the last and most pivotal time to make your most strategic moves and prepare for fantasy greatness. If injuries and performance weren’t hard enough to predict and plan for, we can add COVID to the list so now is another chance to hit the waiver wire and get immediate impact players. Another week gone, another opportunity to make your team stronger and win that league trophy that comes with an offseason of bragging rights.
Below are my waiver wire priorities this week. Go get available players to help your chances at winning the championship. Good luck this week!!
TOP PRIORITY OF THE WEEK
Boston Scott – Philadelphia Eagles
Boston Scott was a waiver priority last week and ended up scoring 2 rushing TDs for the Eagles. With Miles Sanders out in week 17, the backfield for Philadelphia looked like a Jordan Howard and Boston Scott committee. Both RBs had double digit carries, but Scott rushed for more yards with 47 and caught all 4 of his targets for 39 receiving yards. Sanders is still not cleared to play, and the Eagles might just keep him out to rest since they have already clinched a playoff spot. That leaves Scott in a decent place for production. Scott takes on the Cowboys in week 18 who might be resting their starters because they already locked up the NFC East and secured a playoff spot. Decent workload against a possible back up defense sounds good to me.
Quarterbacks
Trey Lance – Los Angeles Rams
Trey Lance filled in for Jimmy G this past weekend and got the 49ers a needed win over the Texans and in position to fight for a playoff spot here in week 18. To be clear, Jimmy G is their starter when completely healthy, so make sure Lance is in line to start before committing to only him as your QB. Lance threw for 249 passing yards, threw 2 TDs, and rushed for 31 yards in week 17. The 49ers face the Rams in week 18 which is no walk in the park. Lance and his teammates are going to need to play smart and put many points on the board if they want to beat out the Saints for the final NFC wildcard spot. Lance could be a rookie league winner like Ja’Marr Chase was in week 17, especially if he can rush affectively.
Running Backs
Boston Scott – Philadelphia Eagles
Boston Scott was a waiver priority last week and ended up scoring 2 rushing TDs for the Eagles. With Miles Sanders out in week 17, the backfield for Philadelphia looked like a Jordan Howard and Boston Scott committee. Both RBs had double digit carries, but Scott rushed for more yards with 47 and caught all 4 of his targets for 39 receiving yards. Sanders is still not cleared to play, and the Eagles might just keep him out to rest since they have already clinched a playoff spot. That leaves Scott in a decent place for production. Scott takes on the Cowboys in week 18 who might be resting their starters because they already locked up the NFC East and secured a playoff spot. Decent workload against a possible back up defense sounds good to me.
Rex Burkhead – Houston Texans
Rex Burkhead has been a workhorse for the Texans in the 2nd half of the season. He has 16+ carries in 3 consecutive games and is coming off a game where he had a season high 6 receptions for 32 yards. Burkhead takes on the Titans next which looks lopsided on paper, but the Texans beat the Titans in November. Tyrod Taylor vultured 2 rushing TDs from Burkhead in that game so hopefully Rex will get some goal line success this time around.
Dare Ogunbowale – Jacksonville Jaguars
Ogunbowale is the Jags RB1 since Robinsons season ended. He managed to accumulate 68 total yards and score a receiving TD in a 40-point loss to the Patriots. He will be taking on the Colts run defense this week, which is not the best situation to be in, but he will get opportunities which is beneficial to fantasy owners, especially owners who are relying on RBs that aren’t at the top of their teams RB depth chart.
Wide Receivers
Braxton Berrios – New York Jets
Braxton Berrios is peaking at the perfect time in fantasy football, during the playoffs. He scored a receiving TD in week 17 after catching a season high 8 receptions on 12 targets. Zach Wilson is actually keeping his team competitive and has established some chemistry with Berrios. He takes on a tough Buffalo defense in week 18, but I still believe Wilson will target Berrios when he needs to which could be a lot if they want to shock the Bills. If you are still in a championship and you get points for kick/punt returns, it makes Berrios an even better option.
Zay Jones – Las Vegas Raiders
Jones has become a vital part of Derek Carr’s arsenal. He has 33 receptions on 46 targets in his last 6 games totaling 342 receiving yards. Darren Waller is once again questionable for this week, so him playing might take away opportunity for Jones, but he is worth adding and playing this week. Jones gets the Chargers defense that has given up over 26 points per game this season. This game has a playoff spot on the line for both teams so Jones could see a lot of targets along with Renfrow.
Cyril Grayson – Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Cyril Grayson was a hero for the Bucs in week 17 when he caught the game winning TD pass from Tom Brady in the final minute to ruin the Jets plans of an unlikely upset. Chris Godwin is on IR, and Antonio Brown is no longer a Buc opening up some room for pass catchers in Tampa. Cyril Grayson caught all 3 of his targets in week 16 for 81 receiving yards and followed that up with 6 receptions on 8 targets for 81 receiving yards and a TD this past weekend. The Bucs take on the Panthers in week 18 which is only going to help or hurt their playoff seeding. Grayson has a great chance to continue to shine in the regular season finale and maybe go for his 3rd consecutive 81-yard game.
Tight Ends
CJ Uzomah – Cincinnati Bengals
CJ had a relatively quiet Sunday where he posted 4 receptions for 32 receiving yards on 6 targets. CJ has been targeted 6+ times in 4 of his last 5 and has Burrow at QB. Joe Burrow is on fire and feeding his pass catchers. Uzomah gets the Browns in week 18 who haven’t been great on defense against opposing TEs in fantasy. CJ is boom or bust most of the time but I’m hoping for a boom that comes with a TD this week.
John Bates – Washington Football Team
Bates should be the starting TE for Washington in week 18 when they take on the dismal Giants. Ricky Seals-Jones was carted off the field in week 17 with a concussion, giving Bates all the TE1 reps he can ask for. Any offensive player is a threat to score on the Giants so you can’t dismiss Bates as a viable TE option, even if it’s a punt play. Bates is averaging over 30 receiving yards each game over the last 5 games and scored a TD in week 16.
