It was likely a quiet week on the fantasy football waiver wire for most leagues with few obvious choices, but that doesn’t mean there are no moves to be made. Instead, this is the time to find the deeper sleepers available.
Oftentimes in fantasy football it is the less-obvious names who come through with big games. This means you might have to start looking deeper for players who can help your team either this week or beyond.
Here is a look at some names to target that are available in over 70 percent of Yahoo Sports leagues.
Mark Sanchez, QB, Philadelphia Eagles
For those looking for quarterback help for the rest of the season, Johnny Manziel is the best upside play after winning the starting job with the Cleveland Browns, per Marc Sessler of NFL.com. The former first-round draft pick has a unique talent to pick up yards with his arm or his legs to help raise his fantasy status, and he has a few favorable matchups coming up after his Week 11 bye.
If you need help immediately, though, one high-risk, high-reward play could be Mark Sanchez. Ian Rapoport of NFL Network noted the backup is likely to start for the Philadelphia Eagles this week with Sam Bradford dealing with a concussion:
The reason he hasn’t started is his knack for interceptions, explained why by offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur, per Eagles Insider:
This aggressiveness also leads to a lot of production, at least from a fantasy perspective. Last year in Chip Kelly’s system, Sanchez played nine games and had multiple touchdowns in seven of them (including one rushing score). Only once did he fail to top 200 yards, and he had four 300-yard games.
Against a Tampa Bay Buccaneers pass defense that is allowing a 102.5 quarterback rating to opponents, third-worst in the league, Sanchez could have a sneaky good game.
Jay Ajayi, RB, Miami Dolphins
Dexter McCluster is the safer option if you need help this week. He will get his 5-10 touches on the ground or through the air, and he has a chance to pick up some big yardage—and possibly a touchdown—against a weak Jacksonville Jaguars defense.
However, the bigger upside play going forward is certainly Jay Ajayi, who is forcing the Miami coaching staff to give him playing time.
After rushing for 41 yards on five carries in his first action in Week 9, the former Boise State star totaled 48 rushing yards on six attempts in Week 10. Meanwhile, Lamar Miller struggled with just 87 yards on 28 carries in that same stretch. It’s still early, but the rookie running back might need to get more touches.
Nerdy Football’s Matt Miller was impressed watching Ajayi in action:
According to Pro Football Focus, Ajayi took seven snaps in his first game and 13 in his second, which isn’t much, but it’s trending in the right direction. If Miller gets hurt, the rookie will become an immediate fantasy star, but even without an injury it seems like Ajayi could be relevant with the way he is moving the football.
Keshawn Martin, WR, New England Patriots
With Julian Edelman going down with a foot injury, the obvious assumption is that Danny Amendola will become the next big weapon for the New England Patriots. However, he might not be the one stepping up to replace the top target.
Mark Daniels of the Providence Journal notes the two play different positions:
When asked about replacing Edelman on WEEI Radio, Tom Brady didn’t mention Amendola first.
“Keshawn Martin is obviously still a good player for us,” Brady told WEEI (via ESPN.com’s Mike Reiss). “He’s hopefully coming back here soon [from a hamstring injury]. I have a lot of confidence in Brandon LaFell. Danny [Amendola‘s] role is different than what Julian’s was for us. I think they are a little different type of players.”
Martin has missed time with a hamstring injury, limiting his season total to just six catches for 95 yards and a touchdown. Still, the Patriots offense is so high-powered that anyone with a legitimate role is worthy of fantasy consideration. He won’t directly replace Edelman, but if he can pick up more targets, that could lead to a lot of yards and touchdowns.
Amendola is still the smart addition, but don’t be surprised if head coach Bill Belichick tricks fantasy owners once again and features Martin a lot more going forward.
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