Fantasy Football: 4 Post-Draft Pick Ups
Every week, during the fantasy football season, we all work the waiver wire to try and pick up the players that were either cut or undrafted. At that point, you are potentially missing out on a player that no one paid much attention to in the draft but now everyone wants them, driving up the cost.
This article will give you some players that very few have drafted (under 10% ownership), which means this is your time to grab them before they flash in the early weeks of the season. These are depth pieces that will cost you little to nothing and could pay off in a big way.
Vernon Davis, Washington Redskins – TE
Ownership: 9%
I wouldn’t normally suggest stashing a second TE but if you drafted Jordan Reed or went “late-round TE”, Vernon Davis could end up on the majority of rosters early this season. Jordan Reed has averaged just 5.4 starts per season since entering the NFL in 2013. He is not someone you can trust on your fantasy teams so why deal with the headache? As soon as Reed is off the field, Davis will be a great option at the position. He had 648 receiving yards last season and started ALL 16 games. He will now have a QB that loves to target the TE position in Alex Smith for the 2018 season. Davis is 34 years old, but we’ve seen it time and time again, this tight end position demonstrates some “old man” power all too often. Let’s be clear. You should not be adding Davis to immediately place in your lineups. He is someone that you will want to get ahead of before the rest of the world wants him.
Cole Beasley, Dallas Cowboys – WR
Ownership: 9%
The Dallas Cowboys have seen plenty of changes to their receiving group this offseason. Most notably, they cut Dez Bryant and Jason Witten retired. The Cowboys brought on Deonte Thompson, Tavon Austin, Allen Hurns and their 2018 3rd round selection, Michael Gallup. No one truly knows the pecking order in this lineup to begin the season. The two constants in the passing game for Dak Prescott in 2018 will be Terrance Williams and Cole Beasley. In 2016, Cole Beasley led the Cowboys WRs with 833 yards with 75 receptions on 98 targets. Last year, Terrance Williams finished the season ahead of Cole Beasley. In 2018, Dak Prescott will no longer have the trustworthy Jason Witten to throw to over the middle. Terrance Williams is a downfield receiver. That leaves Beasley to step in and command more targets out of the slot. He’s not the sexiest option at WR to have on your fantasy teams but he gets the job done and this year he’ll likely have an increased target share in the offense giving him more appeal. Get him while you still can as he could end up being the Cowboys #1 WR this season.
Jeremy Hill, New England Patriots – RB
Ownership: 5%
Every year, you just never know how this Patriots backfield is going to shake out. 1st round draft pick Sony Michel has already been dealing with knee issues in the preseason. He had it scoped and is questionable at best to start Week 1. Rex Burkhead will likely see an increased role with James White working 3rd downs while Michel pushes his way back to health. Burkhead has knee problems of his own and is said to have a “slight tear” in his knee. This should be very concerning to Burkhead truthers as this could truly hinder his fantasy value in 2018. Mike Gillislee is not expected to make the 53-man roster according to ESPN’s Mike Reiss.
Enter Jeremy Hill. At 6’1″, 230lbs, Jeremy Hill would be the Patriots’ biggest running back. Prior to 2017, Hill had 3 consecutive seasons with at least 222 rushing attempts. After his rookie season in 2014, where he rushed for over 1,000 yards at 5.1 ypc, the Cincinnati Bengals just never seemed to utilize Hill enough to where he could make a big impact in their offense. Only 26 years-old, Jeremy Hill is looking to revamp his career in New England. If he can remain healthy and take advantage of his opportunities, he has just as much chance as anyone on this roster to have an effective role.
Boston Scott, New Orleans Saints – RB
Ownership: 2%
There is no doubt, Alvin Kamara will lead the Saints backfield in touches through at least the first 4 weeks. It may not be as much volume as you would think as Coach, Sean Payton has already come out and said that they are not just going to give more touches to Alvin Kamara because Mark Ingram will be out the first 4 games. Payton doesn’t believe that is the best way to utilize Kamara’s skillset.
After cooling on the bench for the first 4 weeks, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Mark Ingram have very few touches when he returns in Week 5 as the Saints have their bye in Week 6. As a result, you could end up with a contributing running back with a decent workload in this high-powered New Orleans offense for the first 5 weeks of the season at little to no cost to you. If you need depth at RB, or if you drafted Mark Ingram, grabbing Boston Scott in the meantime, isn’t a bad idea.