With injuries piling up and delays to some players who were expected to return by now, fantasy football managers are forced to the waiver wire to find some deeper cuts to help them through the remaining bye weeks — many while fighting for playoff position.
If you were reading these same pages last week, you were alerted to the personnel changes in Arizona when Marvin Harrison Jr. underwent an appendectomy and was replaced in the lineup by Michael Wilson.
The third-year wideout delivered in style, catching 15 of 18 targets for 185 yards and saved numerous fantasy managers looking for a last-minute replacement.
With Harrison ruled out for Week 12, Wilson should be an immediate pickup if he is still somehow available.
A matchup against a defensively challenged Jaguars secondary could be your ticket to success.
Chances are, though, he got snagged already.
So now you are looking for this week’s Michael Wilson.
Your first stop should be Cincinnati, where the Bengals are in need of a replacement for the spit-tacular and recently suspended Ja’Marr Chase.
Tee Higgins is typically the receiver to see the largest increase, but this matchup against the Patriots puts him opposite top corner Christian Gonzalez.
That means Andrei Iosivas is the player you want to add.
Iosivas serves as the third receiver on the field and has had strong games when one of the Bengals top two weapons are off the field.
Whether it’s Joe Burrow or Joe Flacco under center, Iosivas could see close to double-digit targets this weekend.
Another player on the rise, and someone you’ve read about in this column before, is Bears wideout Luther Burden III.
The rookie has spent the entire season working behind Olamide Zaccheaus, but last week saw an uptick in both snaps and targets that shouldn’t be ignored.
Zaccheaus has been struggling with drops recently — six over two games between Weeks 9 and 10 — and head coach Ben Johnson made the move to give Burden a heavier workload.
He played 44 percent of snaps and saw a season-high five targets.
Should this trend continue, Burden has a fantastic matchup against a Pittsburgh secondary that ranks 11th in DVOA but just 25th against the opposing WR3, allowing an average of five catches for 51.5 receiving yards per game.
We could be on the verge of Burden’s big breakout.
Betting on the NFL?
Digging deep for wide receiver help on your waiver wire can be a risky proposition.
You are looking for players who have a high ceiling and strong upside for the week, but you also need to accept that the floor for these players could be fairly low.
Fortunately, Wilson, Iosivas and Burden have already proven to be reliable assets when presented with an opportunity, so this week seems more like we’re reaching for the ceiling without the floor being lava.
Howard Bender is the head of content at FantasyAlarm.com: Follow him on X @rotobuzzguy and catch him on the award-winning “Fantasy Alarm Radio Show” on the SiriusXM fantasy sports channel weekdays from 6-8 p.m. Go to FantasyAlarm.com for all your fantasy football news and advice.
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