We are just one week away from the start of the fantasy football playoffs, and now is the time to assess your rosters and make fantasy waiver wire moves according to your situation. Do you have a star running back who is worth handcuffing? Are you still searching for a reliable weekly FLEX play? Perhaps simply upgrading your bench depth would be worthwhile. While most fantasy managers opt to roll with the players who brought them to the playoffs, there are plenty of low-owned assets still available.
FlurrySports Staff Feature Article Overview
In light of these important next few weeks, several members of the FlurrySports fantasy staff came together to create a list of quality roster additions. To meet the criteria for inclusion, these players all had to be owned in fewer than half (50%) of ESPN fantasy leagues at the time of writing. Analysis of each player and the rationale for adding them is included.
Perhaps the best part of this column is that you get viewpoints and opinions from several of our writers all in one place. Be sure to follow them on Twitter.
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Running Backs
James White, Patriots | 48.4% Ownership
Zach Brunner (@FantasyFlurry)
We saw the Patriots rally around James White earlier in the season, following the tragedies in his family. Now, White’s opportunity in the Patriots offense is growing. Rex Burkhead is out for the season, making White the only pass catching RB. New England also struggles to get their WRs involved, so White should have solid flex value in PPR going forward. They also lean on him in big games, and the Patriots have must-win games the rest of the way: LAC, LAR, MIA, BUF.
Latavius Murray, Saints | 46.3% Ownership
Kevin Schroeder (@SchroederCoach)
If Latavius Murray is available in your league, you need to change that in a hurry. With Taysom Hill at QB, Latavius Murray has seen two of his biggest workloads of the season. He had 20 touches this past week as he had the fourth quarter work to close out the depleted Broncos. Drew Brees is likely out another 2-3 weeks so look for Murray to continue his increased workload in addition to his lofty ceiling should Alvin Kamara miss any time. With bye weeks nearly complete, now is the time to drop your low-ceiling players and stock your bench with high-upside backup RBs. Murray is at the top of that list.
Luke Reimer (@LukeReim)
Latavius Murray needs to be looked at if you are on the cusp of the playoffs and need some help at the running back position. Without Drew Brees, it seems like Alvin Kamara’s role has decreased as he isn’t being used as much in the passing game. It looks the Saints are trying to play more of a power run game to help Taysom Hill at the quarterback spot. If this trend continues, Murray is the bigger, stronger, power back who will get touches early in the game. The Saints next four matchups are Atlanta, Philadelphia, Kansas City, and Minnesota, four rush defenses that don’t exactly scare you. Look for the Saints to continue featuring Murray in their backfield, as long as Hill remains the starting quarterback.
Cam Akers, Rams | 27.9% Ownership
Tanner Rohr (@FFNugget)
A rib injury early in the season stuffed Cam Akers behind Darrell Henderson and Malcolm Brown on the Rams depth chart. I’ve been waiting for him to emerge ever since, and this backfield is finally shifting. Akers has a touchdown in two consecutive weeks. His explosive 61-yard run on Sunday gave the Rams a spark of offense that they had struggled to find all day and showed why he is the best running back on the team. It led to a goal-line touchdown. Brown is getting phased out of the offense, recording six carries over the last two weeks. Take a shot on a player that is getting more involved in his team’s offense and has the talent to explode over the last month of the season and bring home some fantasy championships.
Wide Receivers
Michael Pittman Jr., Colts | 36.8% Ownership
Hunter Skoczylas (@HunterSkoczylas)
Pittman Jr.’s next three matchups are Houston, Las Vegas, and Houston again. Both defenses surrender more than 24 fantasy points per game to opposing wide receivers. The AFC South division is up for grabs as the Colts are only one game behind the Titans with a record of 7-4 and they play a division opponent twice in the next three games. Indianapolis needs to win these next three games to stay in playoff contention and Pittman Jr. will be a big part of the passing game. He’s been targeted 27 times over the past four games.
Keke Coutee, Texans | 0.3% Ownership
Henry John (@HankTimeSports)
Time to take a deep dive! When you think of quality adds for the fantasy playoffs, I highly doubt Keke Coutee is a name that crosses your mind. The third-year pro has seen action in just three games for the Texans this season, posting two receptions in each. The news of Will Fuller’s six-game drug suspension has opened the door wide open for Coutee. Two other recent Houston wideout developments to note include Randall Cobb landing on IR and Kenny Stills being released. Brandin Cooks will presumably ascend into the WR1 role for the Texans going forward. Behind him, there are just three other wideouts on the roster, including Coutee. The upcoming schedule is far from ideal (IND, CHI, IND, CIN), but you have to believe Coutee will be in line for a solid target floor by default.
Josh Reynolds, Rams | 10.7% Ownership
Luke Reimer (@LukeReim)
For the rest of the fantasy season, it’s hard to find a more intriguing option than Josh Reynolds. Reynolds, who is currently owned in just under 11% of ESPN leagues, has a very favorable schedule coming up. The next four weeks, the Rams take on Arizona, New England, the Jets, and Seattle. Given that these teams need wins to solidify playoff spots, it seems likely that Robert Woods and Cooper Kupp will be defensive priorities. Reynolds will have an opportunity to do damage each week as the third option for Jared Goff. The Rams are going to have to get Reynolds involved if they don’t want a repeat of their loss to San Francisco.
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Tight Ends
Dalton Schultz, Cowboys | 30.4% Ownership
Trevor Land (@TrevorLand2)
Dalton Schultz is a guy that needs to be on your radar. Tight ends have been historically bad this year and if you want to be champion, you have to make sure you aren’t putting up goose eggs at any position. Schultz is the seventh-ranked tight end and provides such a stable floor. He averages six targets a game and while he doesn’t give you a lot of yards, he’s always a good bet for around seven to nine points a week. In Week 14, Schultz faces a Cincinnati Bengals defense which gives up the fourth-most. In Week 16, he gets a Philadelphia Eagles defense which gives up the sixth-most points to tight ends.
Zach McAdoo (@ztmcadoo)
The Cowboys have been an absolute dumpster fire this season, but there have been some standouts like Dalton Schultz on the team. Schultz is one of those guys who is quiet but can have a good game fantasy-wise. In PPR formats he has outperformed both Jonnu Smith and Evan Engram in some weeks. The Cowboys are going to keep firing the ball as they are still in the division race. Cincinnati and Philadelphia allow some of the most fantasy points to opposing TEs.
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