With Week 1 of the NFL season officially in the books, it’s time to pivot in Fantasy Football. Last week is history, the future is a mystery, but the present is when you put in your waiver claims. While everyone else is scrambling after unsustainable explosions and future busts, you can win your league with some well timed, smart, under the radar pickups. I’m here to help with that. Here are some pickups that can help you outsmart, out play, and blow out your opponents.
Running Back
Dylan Sampson:
Sampson operated as the clear lead back in Cleveland last week, and while he only gained 29 yards on 12 rushes, he passed the eye test and was also very involved in the passing game, catching 8 catches for 59 yards. While Quinshon Judkins comes back next week, Sampson’s role will not disappear. If he continues to impress he could win the job outright giving him a very safe floor and upside in the passing game, especially if the rookie QBs get chances to start later in the year.
DJ Giddens:
Giddens toted the rock 12 times for 41 yards in the Colts’ matchup against the Dolphins. While some of the high volume was due to total domination by the Colts (shoutout Danny Dimes), 12 carries is nothing to sneeze at. Giddens was solid with the carries as well, and while there is near zero receiving upside, he could continue to be in the 8-10 carry range per game, making him a solid bench RB and a must start if Johnathan Taylor sustains an injury.
Kareem Hunt:
Hunt and Isaiah Pacheco evenly split the carries at 5 each against the Chargers on Friday, with Pacheco ending up as the more efficient back totaling 25 rushing yards to Hunt’s 16. However, Hunt is the more dynamic receiving back, and outplayed Pacheco late last year. If that trend continues he could overtake the RB1 spot on the Chiefs, as it already seems that Andy Reid likes the backs around the same amount. He has RB2 potential.
Wide Receiver
Wan’Dale Robinson:
The stats don’t look great for Robinson in terms of yards per catch, and I expect that number to hang under 10 all season long, but Robinson has a great floor in PPR leagues. He led the Giants in catches on Sunday with 5, finished second in yards with 55 and even with a dreadful offensive performance by the Giants he put up a fantasy relevant stat line. He should be even better once Russell Wilson is benched if the Giants go to Dart (if Jameis Winston is the next man up Robinson may struggle). Robinson currently is locked in as a solid WR3/FLEX.
Dyami Brown:
Dyami Brown won’t pay off right away, but this is a player with potential if you wait on him. Jacksonville used Brown as a gadget guy on Sunday, tallying 2 carries for 6 yards and 3 catches for 52 yards, and the Jags seemed to make a conscious effort to get the ball into the speedster’s hands. He has explosive breakaway speed, and may work into the backfield some after Tank Bigsby was traded. There’s potential to become a poor man’s Deebo Samuel here.
Troy Franklin:
This Denver receiving room is wide open after Courtland Sutton, and Franklin looks like he may be the guy to mop up the rest of the targets. He already has a proven connection with Bo Nix after their days playing together, and outplayed Marvin Mims and Evan Engram, racking up for catches for 44 yards well past their totals of 12 yards and 21 yards respectively . If he can establish himself as the WR2 early in this offense, he should creep up into fantasy WR3 territory and may even find his way to being the top dog in this Broncos aerial attack.
Calvin Austin III:
Austin asserted himself as the clear cut #2 option in the passing game early, severely outsnapping and out targeting Roman Wilson and Ben Skowronek. Not only did he receive more opportunities, he made the most of them, turning 6 targets into 4 catches for 70 yards. D.K. Metcalf has already proven himself to be inconsistent, so if Austin plays well he could become Aaron Rodgers’ favorite target early. This is a good situation for Austin, and one that smart fantasy owners will capitalize on.
Elic Ayomanor:
The 4th round rookie wideout began building some hype in the offseason and preseason with strong showings and chemistry with Cam Ward, and it looked like that chemistry transferred on to the regular season. While Ayomanor only racked up 13 yards on 2 catches, Ward looked his way 7 times, second to only Calvin Ridley. The Titans passing game struggled heavily on Sunday, no surprise for the first start of Cam Ward’s career, but it flashed potential. If Ayomanor can stay as one of Ward’s favorite targets once the passing game starts clicking it could mean big things for his fantasy numbers.
