Tavon Austin (WR, STL) - Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in deep leagues (12+ teams), Continue monitoring in smaller leagues

OWNED IN: 67% of Fleaflicker leagues

ANALYSIS: One of the hottest waiver wire names this past weekend was Tavon Austin who had a great outing in Week 8 with four catches for 98 yards to go with 21 yards rushing and two touchdowns versus a weak 49ers defense.  This week Austin will be facing a much tougher defense in the Vikings who are ranked eighth-best in passing and  seventh overall.

Over the season Austin has shown to be the #1 wide receiver option for the Rams playing 77% of the teams offensive snaps this season.  The challenge with Austin has been consistent production.  This season Austin is averaging a little over three catches a game on about six targets.  These numbers don't excite me and give me some concern on his value.

One main reason is due to the fact that the Rams offense is one of the worst in the league.  Currently the Rams offense is ranked 30th overall, averaging 311 total yards and 19.3 points per game.  There is some hope for improvement though--in upcoming weeks the Rams will be facing some softer defenses which benefits Austin's long-term value.  For this week's match up and the lack of consistent production thus far he is at best as a flex/WR3.  However, he should be startable next weak against a soft Bears defense. If you are in a 12+ team league Austin is a nice stash, but in anything smaller he's not worth adding just yet.