If you thought the waiver wire was bare earlier this year, then you might not want to look right now. It's about as empty as it gets - and we're still a few weeks away from the postseason runs. Here's a look at who's available in the AJFFL:
QUARTERBACKS
Tyson Bagent Chicago Bears vs Carolina Bagent is slated to be QB1 again for the Bears against the Panthers, and I don't mind the play here. His growing pains have been fairly obvious, but that's all they are - he's adjusting to the NFL pace. He's gotten better each week, and he already has a W under his belt. Don't be surprised if his outing against the Panthers is his best yet.
Mac Jones New England Patriots vs Indianapolis We are still talking about Mac Jones and the Patriots because there aren't many other names to hit on this dart board. He tossed the pigskin 44 times last week, but only completed 24 of those. He's not taking many chances, but he's also doing a decent job staying upright - only 16 sacks in 9 games. That's on the bottom quarter of the league (Sam Howell has been dropped 44 times, for reference). That's about all the positives I have about Mac, though.
RUNNINGBACKS
Ezekiel Elliot New England Patriots vs Indianapolis This guy used to be highly sought - and now he's on the waiver wire. Rhamondre Stevenson has taken a stranglehold on the backfield in NE, and no one else is getting relevant touches. Elliot is extremely TD dependent - and the Patriots aren't scoring a lot. That being said... he's getting double-digit touches. 5 targets and 6 carries last week, 11 carries two weeks ago, 8 carries and 4 targets in early October... they're finding ways to get him the ball. He won't be a game breaker, but he could be a low-end Flex play for a depleted lineup.
Rico Dowdle Dallas Cowboys vs New York (N) Dallas continues to bully their opponents - and Dowdle is mostly getting garbage time touches. He's still the clear RB2, so worth a stash if you're worried about Pollard going down. You could say the same thing about Elijah Mitchell in SF... good to have, but not for starting unless the guy ahead of them goes down.
WIDE RECEIVERS
Noah Brown Houston Texans vs Cincinnati A Texan, on the wire? You might be convinced this is a joke... Brown has 20 targets in his last four weeks for 14 catches, 267yds and a TD. His big game came last week against Tampa - as CJ Stroud played his best football of the season for a 39-37 come-from behind win. Brown has been leaned on in the past (Dallas as WR3 2021-22), so this isn't a new role for him. I'd expect to see his name popping up on the stat sheet more often as Stroud continues to find his groove.
Nick Westbrook-Ikhine Tennessee Titans vs Tampa Bay Treylon Burks suffered a pretty jarring concussion on Thursday Night last week, which unceremoniously thrusted Westbrook-Ikhine back into the WR2 role. If Levis is going to find success, he's going to need to spread the ball around. Levis threw the ball to DHop 11 times last week, while the rest of his WR group only saw a combined 11 targets. Can't be so predictable, Will... Burks has yet to clear concussion protocol, and Kyle Phillips has 8 catches for 98 yds on the season - 4 catches and 68yds came last week vs Pittsburgh. If there was a time for Westbrook-Ikhine to jump into relevance, this would be the time.
TIGHT ENDS
Tyler Conklin New York Jets vs Las Vegas Conklin keeps getting targets on the Jets offense. Could that be because Zach Wilson doesn't want to throw the ball downfield? Or that he just loves his check-downs? Regardless, Conklin should be on someone's bench as a TE2. 17 catches on 23 targets in his last 5 for 215yds. No, he's not scoring TD's... but 30pts in the last five games could have flipped a few wins to losses in the AJFFL.
Juwan Johnson New Orleans Saints vs Minnesota Johnson has been getting some additional playing time as Taysom Hill is moving around the formation once again. In his last five, Johnson has 10 catches for 59yds and a TD. This isn't a burning "MUST STASH" player, it would be more targeted at a Bye Replacement. That won't be the trend much longer, as most teams have passed their Bye Weeks and we turn our attention to the AJFFL Trade Deadline.
DEFENSE/SPECIAL TEAMS
Indianapolis Colts vs New England Wow, we only have eight D/ST's on the wire This ain't good for those of you who don't have a desirable defense... but the Patriots are also bad at playing football, so that's the silver lining here. Colts aren't going to be anything special in a play this week, but it would replace your bye week.
Green Bay Packers vs Pittsburgh The NFC North is in shambles, and the Lions are leading the charge. The Packers have been horrid this year - but last week they shut down the Rams offense to just 187yds. The only team on the wire who kept their opponents under 300yds last week... So yeah, this would be the best play out of everyone. Keep in mind that the Steelers put up 300+yds on a decent Titans Defense (139yds on the ground)... so it might not be a great matchup for the Green and Gold, but it would be better than what else is out there.
KICKERS
Chase McLaughlin Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs Tennessee Bye-back! The Buccs have already passed their week off, and are in the running for a divisional seed in the postseason. Looking at the stretch of games heading into our Fantasy Playoffs, the Buccanneers have several great matchups that could end in high-scoring affairs - which would green-light the use of Chase. Two games of concern: Week 11 vs San Fran, and Week 16 vs Jacksonville. The rest of the season should see lots of deployments (Week 12 @ IND, Week 13 vs CAR, Week 14 @ ATL, Week 15 @ GB, Week 17 vs NO).
Matt Gay Indianapolis Colts vs New England The Colts have a bye Week 11, but Gay has only missed two kicks all year (and the Colts have the coveted Home-Dome for Kickers). Four of his final six fantasy matchups will come in a dome - consistency makes kicking easier. The Colts are two games out of 1st in the AFC South, and are 1.5games out of a Wild Card spot - all while missing their QB of the future. Don't expect waves from Gay, but you could see some increased deployments to keep the games close.
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