The draft is where you get the base of your team. In order to do well in fantasy football you’ll need to make changes throughout the season and it is very unlikely that everything will go as planned. That is the true fantasy in fantasy football, but it just doesn’t happen. Life gets in the way, players get injured, suspended, and sometimes they just aren’t the player you thought you drafted. So in these situations where can you add or drop players to fill in those areas of disappointments? Look no Further than the waiver wire.
Right now, I just want to focus on the Waiver Wire and why it is important to focus on it in Fantasy Football. I also want to tell you what players you should be looking for when you’re on the waiver wire.
What is the "waiver wire" ?:
The waiver wire is essentially a list of all players that are not currently on anyone’s roster from your fantasy league and it is the place where you can add players you want/ need on your team (at the expense of dropping a player on your team of your choosing who you don't need anymore). This tool is extremely important in fantasy football because it can beef up your team with better players that you can use for players on bye weeks, to replace a bust player you have in your lineup (starting or on your bench), or maybe even to use as trade bait for a player on a different team. If you are on top of it and frequently checking out who is performing well in fantasy and adding those players to your team, you can find fantasy gold and really improve your team as a whole.
What types of players should you be looking to add off the waiver wire?
You should be looking for players who are consistently scoring high amounts of points. This will vary for each position too. Unless you are going to add someone you know for sure will play (due fellow positions injury/suspension, a player has been named a QB's favorite target, etc.) before you pick up that player you should wait at least one game to see if they can repeat their same performance or close to it. If they can, pick them up right away. If not, wait until their next game to see if they can do well again. If they still can't perform on this time, leave them, but don't forget about them. I would suggest to still keep an eye on them because players can be a little off and on scoring wise at times.
Player Point Indicators to Look for on Waiver Wire by Position (in standard league (non PPR)):
Quarterbacks- A good QB to look for should be averaging about 17+ pts .
Running backs (RB)- A good (RB) to look for are ones who have scored 14+ pts in their last game and should be averaging 12 pts per game.
Wide Receivers (WR)- A good (WR) to look for should have scored 12+ pts in their latest game and should be averaging 10+ pts per game.
Tight Ends (TE)- A good (TE) to look for should have scored @ least 10 pts in their last game and should be averaging 8 or 9 pts a game.
Defense/Special team (D/ST)- A good (D/ST) to look for should have scored 10+ pts in their last game and should be averaging about 9+ points per game.
Kicker (K)- A good (K) should have scored 9+ points in their last game and should be averaging 9+ pts per game.
Now if there are really good players out on the wire, like any one on my top 100 list, but they are injured you need to learn their timeline (when they will eligible to be playing again), wait two weeks before they are due back and pick them up right away. These are always good pick-ups because they have done well before so you know they have the ability to do well again.
So remember to check the waiver wire every week!