The first football game of the year is tomorrow, with the Baltimore Ravens taking on the Denver Broncos in a rematch of last years AFC title game. While there may not be many waiver wire pickups or free agents available from this game, there are a few players whose matchups this weekend and Monday could help benefit your matchup should you be looking for help.
I will go over each matchup and which player, if any, from each that I think would be a good waiver pickup.
Denver against Baltimore: In this matchup the best player to pickup who is a free agent in over 20 percent of leagues would be running back Knowshon Moreno. While he is third on the depth chart this will likely be a running back by committee, so Moreno should get his fair share of snaps.
New England against Buffalo: In this matchup the best player to pick up who is a free agent in over 20 percent of leagues is tight end Kenbrell Thompkins. The options have been limited for quarterback Tom Brady with Wes Welker departing, Aaron Hernandez being kicked off the team and for the mean time without the injured Rob Gronkowski. Thompkins is likely to catch a few balls in this matchup.
Tennessee against Pittsburgh: In this matchup the best player to pickup who is a free agent in over 70 percent of leagues is tight end Heath Miller. While Miller is not on the physically unable to play (PUP) list he is coming back from an injury. With that being said, that is why he is available. In past years he has been a top-10 tight end.
Atlanta against New Orleans: In this matchup the best player to pickup who is a free agent in over 90 percent of leagues is tight end Benjamin Watson. While he is not a good play this week he is a must have for any Jimmy Graham owner. Should the Saints number one tight end go down, Watson will be a solid target for Drew Brees.
Tampa Bay against New York Jets: In this matchup the best player to pickup who is a free agent in over 70 percent of leagues is running back Bilal Powell. While Powell will be splitting reps with Chris Ivory, who is coming off an injury, he is still a decent third running back option.
Kansas City against Jacksonville: In this matchup the best player to pickup who is a free agent in over 80 percent of leagues is quarterback Alex Smith. Smith did all he could to help the 49ers last year, and when he got injured they turned his back on him. Now in a new offense with Andy Reid Smith is an x-factor in what could be a pretty efficient offense with Jamaal Charles and Dwayne Bowe. Look for Smith to have a good game, and a solid season. But don’t go after Smith if you are looking for eye popping stats, he is a game manager, not a game changer.
Seattle against Carolina: In this matchup the best player to pickup who is a free agent in over 55 percent of leagues is running back Christine Michael. While Marshawn lynch is the go-to back in this offense, Michael is playing him time into the backup role along side of Robert Turbin. While Michael is not going to get you a 100-yard game he should be had if you are an owner of Lynch.
Cincinnati against Chicago: In this matchup the best player to pickup who is a free agent in over 80 percent of leagues is tight end Tyler Eiffert. Clearly the best tight end in this years draft the Bengals are hoping he will take over or at least contribute along side of Jermaine Gresham. I see Eiffert becoming a top choice of quarterback Andy Dalton soon.
Miami against Cleveland: In this matchup the best player to pickup who is a free agent in over 70 percent of leagues is wide receiver Brian Hartline. In his only trip to Cleveland Hartline had four catches for 87 yards. Do I expect this again? No, but it certainly could happen as the Browns defense is one of the worst in the league. Hartline is a solid choice for a third receiver this week because of the matchup.
Minnesota against Detroit: In this matchup the best player to pickup who is a free agent in over 40 percent of leagues is running back Joique Bell. The clear cut backup for Reggie Bush, Bell should 10-15 snaps a game. While not a fantastic play against Minnesota this week, he should be owned by Bush owners, or anyone who has a twinkling that Bush might get injured if the Lions play him too much. Jahvid Best anyone?
Oakland against Indianapolis: In this matchup the best player to pickup who is a free agent in over 70 percent of leagues is Darrius Heyward-Bey. Going up against his former team this week makes the play that much more interesting. The speed burner wide out will have a good opportunity to burn the poor secondary of the Raiders and with an adept quarterback like Andrew Luck tossing around the pigskin I could see Heyward-Bey being a flex play this week.
Green Bay against San Francisco: There aren’t many free agent options to speak of in this matchup as both teams are on the fast track to the NFC title game, if you really want someone Kendall Hunter is the best option, available in over 80 percent of leagues, would be suitable for Frank Gore owners as a backup incase he gets hurt.
Arizona against St. Louis: In this matchup the best player to pickup who is a free agent in over 60 percent of leagues is Carson Palmer. While he tossed for over 4,000-yards last season with the Raiders those stats are skewed, as he was on the losing end of the battle most weeks. Despite that, fantasy numbers don’t relate to wins or losses, Palmer will once again be on a losing team looking to sling the ball late in games, which could be the case in week one against St. Louis. Palmer is a decent second quarterback option.
New York Giants against Dallas: Another matchup with not many free agent pickups to speak of. If you are looking for a kicker Dan Bailey for the Cowboys, who is available in over 55 percent of leagues, might be a good pickup as I see this game turning into a shootout.
Philadelphia against Washington: In this matchup the best player to pickup who is a free agent in over 75 percent of leagues is wide receiver Santana Moss. While not the speed burner he once was, Moss is still returning kicks and playing a decent receiver for Mike Shanahan’s offense. I would give a look at Moss if you earn points for return yards.
Finally the last matchup of the week is Houston against San Diego: In this matchup the best player to pickup who is a free agent in over 30 percent of leagues is wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins. While Hopkins suffered a concussion during week two of the preseason he is currently on schedule to play week one against the Chargers. With the Chargers prone to giving up big passing weeks I would take a chance on Hopkins, but no higher than a flex.
That’s all for this week. Check back next week as I go over the waiver wire pickups and matchups that stand out to me for week two.
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