NFL Fantasy: Five Waiver Wire Pickups and Five Must Drops

We now have seen enough football to know which players are performing well and which players don’t appear to be able to get anything going. This leads me to give you the top five guys that you must pick up if they’re still available, and the top five guys that you may have wasted a fairly good draft pick on, but you need to drop.

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Top Five Waiver Wire Pick Ups

Here’s the five guys that you must pick up if they’re still available in your fantasy football league. The waiver wire seems to be very thin this year, so jumping on them now may have huge implications moving forward.

1.) Peyton Hillis (69%) - If Hillis is still available in your league, make picking him up your top priority. He’s had at least 10 points and a TD in each of his first three games. In Week 3, Hillis got 22 carries for 144 yards and a score. Moving forward, he will get the heavier share of the workload, whether Jerome Harrison is healthy or not.

2.) Louis Murphy (52%) - Murphy has excellent chemistry with Bruce Gradkowski. In two games with Gradkowski at quarterback, Murphy has 11 catches for 210 yards and a touchdown. Now that Darren McFadden has finally shown up, teams can’t disrespect the Raiders running game, therefore opening up the pass game more. Look for Murphy to continue to produce moving forward.


3.) Mark Sanchez (34%) - If you’re thin at quarterback, pick up Sanchez. He got all the kinks out in Week 1 and the Jets are finally letting him use his arm. He seems confident and relaxed in the pocket and that’s doing wonders for his production. In his last two games, Sanchez has thrown for 476 yards and six touchdowns. Not to mention he still hasn’t thrown an interception this year. He’s still young, so there will be mistakes, but he is a prime bye week fill-in or low-end No. 1 QB at the moment.

4.) Aaron Hernandez (18%) - I look for Hernandez to be owned in over 50% of leagues by Sunday’s game. Hernandez is currently the ninth-ranked tight end in fantasy football. The best thing about that is all of his production came in Weeks 2 and 3. Tom Brady has hit him 12 times for 166 yards in those two games. He hasn’t made his way into the end zone yet, but it’s only a matter of time. If you’re thin at tight end, pick up Hernandez while you can.

5.) Brandon Lloyd (13%)  - Lloyd has a really good rapport with Kyle Orton. He is currently averaging 113 yards per game and he has one touchdown. The only downside to Lloyd is that there are so many Broncos receivers that are producing and Orton isn’t going to throw for 400+ yards every week. He’s not going to be an every week start, but he will be a nice bye week fill-in/flex play when he is needed.


Other Notables: Roy Williams (5%), Tony Moeaki (2%), Mike Williams (51%)

Top Five Must Drop Players

This is hard to do sometimes, but you have to know when to let go. You may have wasted a fairly decent pick on these players, but it’s time to get rid of them in hopes of adding a better player.

1.) Cadillac Williams (94%) – I’m having trouble saying you should drop any running back, because it is the thinnest position in fantasy football this season. However, the Buccaneers gave Williams a ton of opportunity in Weeks 1 and 2. He had 49 carries for just 126 yards. In Week 3, they handed him the ball only four times. Moving forward, LeGarrette Blount will see some of the work and Earnest Graham is also there vulturing some carries. Barring injury, I don’t see Williams having more than five carries a game and maybe a couple targets in the passing game.

2.) Brandon Jacobs (89%) - Jacobs has been a complete mess this year, accumulating just seven total fantasy points in three games. Again, if you’re thin at running back, you may want to keep him on your bench, because besides Hillis there aren’t too many strong replacements. But if you're lucky enough to have some depth there, you may want to pick up one of the above guys. I just don’t see Jacobs being of any fantasy relevance this season.


3.) Bernard Berrian (87%) - Sidney Rice is out and Percy Harvin has had a tough go of it with injuries and headaches, so Berrian should be catching a lot of balls, right? Well, that hasn’t been the case, and with Harvin feeling better and Rice returning before too long, Berrian has no relevance at all. It’s time for you to let him go!

4.) Lee Evans (85%) - I, for one, had hoped Evans could still produce besides the big hole at quarterback for the Buffalo Bills. Evans is a good receiver, but there is no one to get him the ball, and he’s the only threat that opposing teams have to worry about. They can double cover him and the Bills are done, along with Evans’ fantasy relevance.

5.) Steve Slaton – Let him go. He’s not going to do anything this season. With the emergence of Arian Foster, Slaton’s stock has dropped significantly. Houston wants to pass first, but when they do hand it off, it’s going to Foster. If Slaton can muster five fantasy points in a game, it would be a good game. This is one running back that I would not be afraid to let go for a receiver, tight end, or quarterback.

Other Notables: Shonn Green (100%), Jerome Harrison (88%)