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My fellow RotoBallers, whether you are hitting the playoffs or still in a fight for the postseason, we are here to get you to your trophy. If you have money to lord over your opponents then flex that bankroll! As always, joining our famous waiver wire pickups list, and our weekly waiver wire columns by position, this column focuses on suggested waiver wire bidding percentages for fantasy football owners in leagues using a Free Agent Acquisition Budget (FAAB).
As a caveat, these prices do not by any means indicate how much these free agent players will go for. Each league values players differently and will continue to do so. These values are here to provide a baseline or priority order to understand roughly how much you should be looking to spend on a particular player. Specific needs are always reasonable cause for a manual override.
It's difficult to toe the line between appropriate action and overreaction, but following context-aware volume is typically the best strategy. This late in the season, it may finally be time to hedge your players with direct handcuffs versus stashing outside fliers. Whatever your needs, here's my median FAAB bid ranges and adds going into Week 15.
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FAAB Waiver Wire Pickups - Quarterbacks
Justin Fields (QB, CHI) - FAAB Bid: 8-10%
19% rostered
Fields flashed some good with the bad in a Sunday night loss to Green Bay, which isn’t great in real life but it works for fantasy. He only completed 18-of-33 passes for 224 yards, but we saw his first career game with two passing TDs and he led Chicago with 74 rushing yards. The rookie missed throws, but he’s a rookie and will miss throws! The ground game makes him a weekly QB1 dart throw, especially with Minnesota on the horizon. The Vikes have allowed Aaron Rodgers, Jared Goff, and Big Ben to throw for at least three scores in their last four games while Lamar Jackson eviscerated them for 120 rushing yards in Week 9.
Justin Fields in his first 5 starts: 4.6 rush attempts and 21.2 rushing yards per game
Justin Fields in his last 3 completed starts: 9.0 rush attempts and 74.0 rushing yards per game
— JJ Zachariason (@LateRoundQB) December 13, 2021
Tua Tagovailoa (QB, MIA) - FAAB Bid: 5-6%
32% rostered
Tua and the Dolphins come off a late-season breather to beat up on the Jets in a cushy home outing. I am slightly worried about the low ceiling here, as Tagovailoa hasn’t topped 275 passing yards or two TDs in any of his three games since returning from the November injury. However, if you need a safer range of outcomes, then taking Tua for your playoff battle should yield a 15-point floor, especially if Myles Gaskin isn’t 100%.
FAAB Waiver Wire Pickups - Running Backs
Rashaad Penny (RB, SEA) - FAAB Bid: 30-50%
20% rostered
Seattle has scrambled to find a rushing identity since losing Chris Carson for the season, but Penny’s 137-yard, two-touchdown day sure helped. Penny has fought injuries this season as well as his entire career, but hope springs eternal in the Pacific Northwest. The Seahawks have to face a strong Rams front in Week 15, but then they get Chicago and Detroit in Weeks 16-17. The only concern lingering for me is that Adrian Peterson will be a short-yardage factor and TD equity remains precious.
SEA RBs yesterday:
* Rashaad Penny 35 snaps, 16 carries (14 routes)
* Alex Collins 14 snaps, 7 carries (6 routes)
* DeeJay Dallas 11 snaps, 2 carries (9 routes)— Adam Levitan (@adamlevitan) December 13, 2021
Ameer Abdullah (RB, CAR) - FAAB Bid: 8-12%
11% rostered
With no CMC, Abdullah and Chuba Hubbard split the backfield. As we figured, Hubbard was the primary rusher with 10 carries and no targets, while Abdullah saw four totes and four targets. Abdullah would get 33 yards on six touches as Carolina’s third-down and passing back. The opportunities should rise in uphill battles versus Buffalo and Tampa Bay in the next two weeks, so those desperate in PPR formats should make the add.
Craig Reynolds (RB, DET) - FAAB Bid: 6-10%
1% rostered
Adam Schefter told us that he was starting Reynolds on his fantasy team and Sunday showed why. The third-year RB was elevated from Detroit’s practice squad with D’Andre Swift and Jamaal Williams unavailable, with more work coming his way as Jermar Jefferson was also severely limited. Reynolds racked up 99 total yards on 13 touches and showed enough spark to remain a factor after Williams and/or Swift return. The odds go up if Swift is shut down for 2021.
FAAB Waiver Wire Pickups - Wide Receivers
Gabriel Davis (WR, BUF) - FAAB Bid: 15-20%
3% rostered
Davis turned eight targets into five catches for 43 yards and a TD against Tampa Bay on Sunday, with his role expanding after Emmanuel Sanders injured his knee. Davis would run 51 routes, right there with Stefon Diggs’ 56 and Cole Beasley’s 55 on the day. If Sanders misses significant time, then Davis is a deep-league consideration given Buffalo’s high-scoring output. That said, games against Carolina and New England in Weeks 15-16 are suboptimal before a gravy spot versus Atlanta in Week 17.
Emmanuel Sanders has a knee sprain and is “most likely out this week” according to Sean McDermott. He talked up Gabriel Davis after delivering that news.
— Joe Buscaglia (@JoeBuscaglia) December 13, 2021
Sterling Shepard (WR, NYG) - FAAB Bid: 8-12%
26% rostered
I know, the Giants are a mess and you want no part of it. Shepard was a hot ticket after beginning 2021 with 16 catches for 207 yards and a score in two games, but then injuries got to him. He briefly returned in October with a 10-catch game versus the Rams and then would injure his quad against Kansas City a couple of weeks later. He only had two catches for 27 yards on Sunday, but would get a huge bump if Daniel Jones is cleared to return. He should be more involved down the stretch regardless.
Allen Lazard (WR, GB) - FAAB Bid: 5-7%
4% rostered
Remember when Lazard scored a TD in three of four games back in Weeks 6-9? That was a fun time, but the fireworks ramped up in Week 14 with season-highs in targets (7), catches (6), and yards (75) next to his fourth TD. He even had a 14-yard rush on top. His strong run-blocking ability had him on the field often, though his more modest routes-run totals do trim his ceiling. Angry Aaron Rodgers can fuel several fantasy performances and make Lazard a weekly dart throw in the playoffs if his target share holds next week at Baltimore.
Amon-Ra St. Brown (WR, DET) - 12% rostered - FAAB Bid: 8-12%
Donovan Peoples-Jones (WR, CLE) - 10% rostered - FAAB Bid: 6-8%
Josh Reynolds (WR, DET) - 8% rostered - FAAB Bid: 5-7%
Joshua Palmer (WR, LAC) - 2% rostered - FAAB Bid: 5-7%
Jakeem Grant Sr. (WR, CHI) - 1% rostered - FAAB Bid: 5-7%
Nico Collins (WR, HOU) - 1% rostered - FAAB Bid: 3-5%
Breshad Perriman, (WR, TB) - 1% rostered - FAAB Bid: 1-3%
FAAB Waiver Wire Pickups - Tight Ends
Austin Hooper (TE, CLE) - FAAB Bid: 3-6%
41% rostered
Hooper delivered with five catches for 30 yards and a TD on seven targets in Week 14, capitalizing on a game with no David Njoku or Harrison Bryant. The Browns passing offense is far from prolific, but Hooper and Jarvis Landry are the sure-handed receivers while Donovan Peoples-Jones stretches the game. Kareem Hunt’s injury could further solidify Hooper’s floor as a shallow-to-intermediate option for Cleveland in Week 15 against a reeling Raiders defense.
Gerald Everett (TE, SEA) - FAAB Bid: 2-4%
31% rostered
Everett made the most of his three looks in Week 14, picking up 28 total yards and a score on two catches and a carry. While I dislike his 38 snaps trailing Will Dissly’s 42, he still ran more routes than Dissly (18 to 13). He can build on two TDs in his last three games so long as DK Metcalf and Russell Wilson aren’t on the same page.
Brevin Jordan (TE, HOU) - FAAB Bid: 1-3%
0% rostered
Jordan brought in his third TD of 2021 on Sunday, with the score coming alongside a season-high seven targets. The rookie missed the first seven weeks of the season, but if we took this pace and gave him six TDs, then he’d be one of seven TEs to meet said mark. For now we must treat seven targets as an outlier, but Davis Mills is averaging roughly 40 pass attempts in his last four starts, so the volume may now rise. Their run game is nonexistent and they face Jacksonville next, which makes Jordan a decent flier in deep formats.
Brevin Jordan producing 3+ receptions & a TD in 3 of his first 6 career games is no fluke.
He was an 85th percentile Dominator in college with a 99th percentile breakout age.
???
— David J. Gautieri (@GuruFantasyWrld) December 12, 2021
FAAB Waiver Wire Pickups - Defense/Special Teams
Cleveland Browns Defense (vs. LV) - FAAB Bid: 3-6%
39% rostered
The Browns’ defensive line gets to tee off on a buckling Derek Carr in Week 15 after Kansas City just crushed them with four sacks, five turnovers, and a TD. I’d be eyeing any defense that gets to face such a demoralized crew, but a Myles Garrett-led team sure gets an extra bump in my ranks.
Houston Texans Defense (at JAX) - FAAB Bid: 3-6%
5% rostered
Let’s face it, you’re not asking many questions about the defense going up against the Jaguars. Houston is available in many leagues thanks to them getting crushed by Indianapolis and Seattle these past two weeks, but let’s not forget they had a combined 10 sacks and 11 turnovers in three games between Weeks 9-12 and now they get the best matchup possible. Send it.
Philadelphia Eagles Defense (vs. WAS) - FAAB Bid: 2-4%
19% rostered
The Eagles defense flies out of its bye into a divisional matchup with a heavily-injured WFT squad. Washington’s Week 14 loss also saw Taylor Heinicke suffering a knee injury, Terry McLaurin getting concussed falling from a big jump, and center Tyler Larsen carted off. Philly will get a chance to swarm them before a rematch in Week 17 with a cushy Giants matchup sandwiched in between.
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