Welcome to "Money Talks". The general purpose of this column will be to give you some advice for one of the more popular methods of adding new fantasy players each week – the Free Agency Acquisition Budget, or "FAAB". What this is in a nutshell is a budget of money that every team is given to bid on free agents each week, much like in an auction. Usually this is done via blind bids, meaning that no other owner knows how much you have bid on a given player – unless you announce your bid in some sort of a poker-like bluff move. Some leagues do reveal all bids after the bidding is closed and waivers are processed, while other leagues just show winning bids. It can be fun to see if several teams bid on a given player or if an owner spent a ton of money on a guy no one else even wanted.
Enough of that for now. I will give both general advice and also some weekly assistance for this advanced waiver process in this column. I hope you enjoy and get the player(s) you want every week. Here we go.
ASSUMPTIONS
As with anything in fantasy football, not all leagues are the same. Some are big, some are small. Such is the way with FAAB waivers. Some leagues use a big budget of $1,000 per owner or more, while others use $100 or less. I will assume $1,000 for the purposes of this article and let you, the reader, do the math to adjust to your league. Another difference is that in some leagues the FAAB process is the ONLY way to get new players. Other leagues have the FAAB process first and then allow free transactions for that week on any player not getting a bid (so you can cover your kicker's bye, for example, for free). I will assume that is NOT the case here and think that every transaction will cost you something. If it does not, great – but at least you know why I might say to grab a kicker now for a buck.
Now let's talk about bidding in general. For many more experienced leagues, round numbers are the kiss of death. Even older leagues (and owners) start to see bidding trends over time ("Jeff loves to end in a 7"), which can be dangerous when you are trying to outbid everyone. The natural assumption is to bid in large round numbers – please avoid that temptation. $53 vs. $50 may seem like a trivial difference, but many more people bid $50 instead of adding a few extra bucks that can change who wins.
Another generally accepted rule – do not be stingy early in the year. Sure it is nice to hold on to extra "cash" in case a stud RB goes down for the year, but look around your league and count how many NFL backups are even available on the waiver wire. Not many? Right. Go big early on players who seem to come out of nowhere, like Victor Cruz last year. Most fantasy studs appear on the scene in September instead of weeks later.
There is a "ying" to the "yang" of the last rule – which is to not excessively churn your roster. While it may not seem like much, but if you drop 5-10% of your bankroll each week on bench players that never see the light of day in your lineup, then you are just wasting money. Think about it this way – if you save for a rainy day, you can be prepared to go all out for when you need that money to go "all in" on a player you really want. Of course the trick is figuring out which player is worthy of such a big bid.
Last comment for now – it is far better to bid on a player a week or two early instead of a week late. That can be the difference between a $3 player and a $300 player. If you really want Adrian Peterson’s understudy, get him now before Peterson pulls that hammy and everyone gets in on the action.
Week 3 Comment: Another item to discuss – who to drop. Keep perspective on your team. If you are short on running backs, you probably want to cut a different position player to grab running back depth. To say that another way, if you are strong and deep already at wide receiver, a sixth or seventh wideout is very unlikely to help. Let that steer your cuts.
Week 4 Comment: Bye weeks are starting now, so teams are going to be more active on the waiver wire, especially with New England off in Week 4. Kickers and defenses will be added and dropped, so start looking ahead and you’re your lineups for the weeks where you will be short a starter or two. Depth is going to play a bigger part in the next several weeks, so do not be afraid to add players for a rainy day now instead of later.
Week 5 Comment: Bye weeks are here, so some of the best deals are both players on a bye week or coming off of one. For example, New England and Tennessee were both off last week. With the idea of "out of sight, out of mind", players on both teams could be bargain acquisitions – and this general trend will continue through Week 12.
Week 6 Comment: The fantasy regular season is nearly half over, so if you are sitting on some free agent money, it is probably time to buy some guys you might need – now or later. Even if a player is only startable for 2-3 games, that is a big percentage of the fantasy regular season. Shoot the lock off of that wallet.
Week 7 Comment: Not only is the (fantasy) season half over, injuries are starting to pile up. Once you can start to get past some bye weeks, depth on rosters will matter. Add players and handcuffs accordingly.
Week 8 Comment: This week is a make or break waiver wire week to me. Pick up the wrong guys and you will pay dearly for it. Waiver wire money will cost you, as will the wasted roster spot, but also the missed chance to get someone else. I see lots of Fools' Gold this week, so read on and choose wisely.
Week 9 Comment: Time to make some moves. With stars from six teams on the bye week, it is either time to build some depth or to position your team for a playoff push. Throw the budget away and get some guys you want (and might need) for November and the fantasy playoffs.
Week 10 Comment: Time to make some moves. With stars from six teams coming off of the bye week, those guys could fly under the radar. it is either time to build some depth or to position your team for a playoff push. Throw the budget away and get some guys you want (and might need) for November and the fantasy playoffs.
Running behind this week, so here are some early entries if you need to bid in the next few hours. Commentary to be added late Tuesday.
BIG BUCKS
Big Bucks are reserved for immediate starter potential players (QB1, RB1/2, WR1/2/3, Flex, TE1) in most league formats.
- Jeremy Langford, RB, Bears ($425): This is what I wrote last week:
- Remember when people were wondering who would be the next back after Matt Forte after all these years as the top guy in Chicago? I think we got the answer on Monday Night Football, as Langford looked strong as a runner and also made some nice grabs as a receiver. Langford could push for more playing time as Forte turns 30 next month and is a free agent after this season. The Bears may want to get a better look at Langford down the stretch, so grab him now and do not worry about the bad matchup next week (Rams) because Langford could be valuable through Week 17.
Now look at what has happened. Langford went off for over 180 total yards and two touchdowns against a good Rams defense, so now what? I think Langford is going to see a lot more chances, even when Forte is healthy again. Grab him if you can.
- Danny Amendola, WR, Patriots ($405): Amendola should be at the top of your wide receiver waiver wire list this week with Julian Edelman breaking a bone in his foot. Edelman will likely be out the rest of the regular season, which is just long enough for your fantasy team to employ Amendola through your fantasy playoffs. Amendola should see close to 10 targets a week from Tom Brady going forwards, making him a WR1 in PPR leagues for sure.
- Kirk Cousins, QB, Washington ($245): If you need a quarterback, Cousins has to be at the top of your list. DeSean Jackson is back and Cousins is spreading the ball around to lots of targets in Washington. His career best four-touchdown day in Week 10 shows what he can do in the right matchups, and Washington has a few of those the rest of the way (just be cautious in Week 11 with Carolina up next).
- Travis Benjamin, WR, Browns ($227): Benjamin is the top target for Johnny Manziel, and Benjamin posted strong numbers (7-113) in Week 10. If he is available, I would take Benjamin as one of my top wide receiver waiver wire moves this week.
MEDIUM MONEY
Medium Money is reserved for players who could be bye week starters or that have upside potential on good matchups in most league formats.
- Matt Jones, RB, Washington ($189): I have always thought of Alfred Morris as a guy who was just holding down a starting spot until someone better came along – and now one has. Matt Jones had a huge Sunday, sparked by a long touchdown run after a catch for 78 yards, but even if you take that away from him, he still had 56 rushing yards on just 11 carries plus two more catches for 53 yards. That’s over 100 yards not including the long play. I think Jones is now the guy to own in the Washington backfield, and the rib injury for Morris is a good enough reason to make the switch to Jones as the new starter. If you can grab him, do so immediately.
- Brock Osweiler, QB, Broncos ($177): Is this the end for Peyton Manning? Maybe or maybe not, but here is what we do know. Osweiler is starting in Week 11, and that makes him worth adding if only for that reason. With the receivers in Denver, Osweiler has a huge amount of upside if he retains that job. His fantasy playoff schedule is also very attractive with matchups against Oakland, Pittsburgh and then Cincinnati in Week 16.
- Kamar Aiken, WR, Ravens ($165): Aiken is the top receiver in Baltimore. Let that sink in for a moment. Now, he should not be a WR1, but injuries to Baltimore have pushed Aiken to the top of the list, so Joe Flacco has to get him the ball. Aiken posted respectable numbers (7-73) in Week 10, so he is worth WR2/WR3 consideration.
- Dorial Green-Beckham, WR, Titans ($157): This is more about what lies ahead than what Green-Beckham has done so far. With Justin Hunter (broken ankle) sidelined indefinitely now, “DGB” could be the starter and go-to target for Marcus Mariota in the passing game, especially down the field. He is more of a “boom / bust” type right now, but the booms can be loud.
- Dwayne Harris, WR, Cowboys ($157): Harris is getting more chances as a receiver for New York, and he offers similar upside as Tyler Lockett does for the Seahawks. Both players offer top end speed and kick return value, but Harris is more of a slot receiver and has more PPR value. Harris keeps finding the end zone, including a 6-82-1 day in Week 10, and with recent news that Victor Cruz is done for the year, I would snap up Harris.
- Thomas Rawls, RB, Seahawks ($135): Marshawn Lynch keeps getting banged up, and Rawls keeps showing promise when he gets the ball in his hands. I would add him if you owned Lynch for sure, but even if you do not, I like Rawls to see more action the rest of the season.
- Johnny Manziel, QB, Browns ($125): The Browns may be going with Manziel the rest of the year as their starter, so he can be looked at now as a viable QB2 candidate.
- Mark Sanchez, QB, Eagles ($115): Sanchez is probably going to start for at least two weeks in Philadelphia as the Eagles play on Thanskgiving at Detroit this year. That makes two reasonable matchups (Tampa Bay, Lions) on the schedule for Sanchez, who could cover a bye week or be a solid spot starter or QB2 for your lineup.
- Bryan Walters, WR, Jaguars ($105): Who? This sleeper wide receiver was the third option after Allen Hurns and Allen Robinson at wide receiver, operating out of the slot and filling in when Robinson was out. I recently said that it was a good idea to pick him up if you have room and want to back up either Hurns or Robinson – and now we see that Hurns is banged up. Get Walters for some upside here, especially for this Thursday.
- Crockett Gillmore, TE, Ravens ($101, $144 in TE-PPR bonus leagues): Gillmore was one of the main targets for Joe Flacco in Week 10, as Flacco looked towards his tight ends with very little left in the cupboard at the wide receiver position in Baltimore. Gillmore responded with a solid day (4-40-1), scoring a touchdown to help the offense. I expect similar numbers going forwards, so Gillmore is a solid TE2 with upside.
CHUMP CHANGE
Chump Change is reserved for players who are relatively considered to be a good flier pick to stash on a fantasy bench in case he blows up over the next few weeks and becomes a potential immediate or spot starter.
- Maxx Williams, TE, Ravens ($95, $124 in TE-PPR bonus leagues): Maxx Williams holds slightly less value than Crockett Gillmore, but he is still worth a look on the waiver wire. Baltimore lacks receivers now, so two tight ends may find themselves on the field more often, especially in the red zone. Williams barely outproduced Gillmore in Week 10 (4-42-1) by just two yards, but both of them scored.
- Justin Perillo, TE, Packers ($95, $124 in TE-PPR bonus leagues): Who? Justin Perillo, of course. Six targets from Aaron Rodgers led to five catches, 58 yards and nearly the game-tying touchdown (they missed the 2-point conversion) in Week 10. Green Bay has supported two tight ends in the past, so Perillo may have a little upside.
- Chris Givens, WR, Ravens ($79): Baltimore needs receivers, and Chris Givens is more likely to start the rest of the year as the WR2 than any other option they have. Givens only caught four passes Sunday but he did find the end zone, so he may see more chances going forward.
- Cody Latimer, WR, Broncos ($77): Latimer goes in the “playing a hunch” pile here as he caught three balls on Sunday, two from backup QB Brock Osweiler (who may now be the starter going forward). Latimer has both an opportunity with Emmanuel Sanders hurting and also rapport with the second string QB here, so I like the upside.
- Zach Miller, TE, Bears ($65, $83 in TE-PPR bonus leagues): Adding Zach Miller after Week 10’s explosion (5-107-2) out of nowhere feels a lot like chasing points that may never happen again. Stranger things have happened, but I think Miller was fortunate to get the right play calls in two-tight end formations that led to fluky scores last Sunday. I would not go out of my way to add him.
- Jay Ajayi, RB, Dolphins ($65): Miami wants to get their rookie some touches, and even though he had just six carries, Ajayi got 48 yards. That should show some promise of upside here, but do not go crazy. I would put him as the handcuff to Lamar Miller until further notice and not much more.
- Mychal Rivera, TE, Raiders ($45, $66 in TE-PPR bonus leagues): Do not let the stat line from Sunday (6-46) fool you, as Rivera did most of his work in garbage time. Oakland’s passing game is mostly about the wide receivers, so only add Rivera in the deepest of leagues.
Questions, suggestions and comments are always welcome to pasquino@footballguys.com.