Week 9 in the books with no COVID delays and no major injuries, which is a rarity nowadays. Fantasy owners rejoiced, but they know that this is the home stretch to the playoffs. Roster spots from starters to the bench are more important than ever at this part of the season. When you get to the playoffs, everyone is on the same level. Everyone has one chance to have a good week and to make it to the next round. Depth is going to play an important role. Here are some players to consider to help round out your roster for this upcoming week and the home stretch:
Tua Tagovailoa - QB, Miami Dolphins (Available in 80% of leagues)
It’s Tua Time in Miami! After a shaky first start last week that led to a win, the former Alabama Crimson Tide QB capitalized on his second outing by beating the Arizona Cardinals. He started off slow but ended up with 248 yards and two touchdowns to go with 35 rushing yards. All in all, Tagovailoa ended up with 21 fantasy points on the day and ranked 15th overall in fantasy performance among quarterbacks.
Now it's rare that a QB with talent on a winning team becomes available this late in the season. Tua seems to check all the boxes. He can definitely throw it all over the field and can scramble outside the pocket. His remaining schedule isn’t too bad either with matchups against the Jets and Bengals back-to-back helping fantasy owners down the stretch. Tagovailoa should be a high priority claim if their are any questions at quarterback
Duke Johnson - RB, Houston Texans (84%)
This next addition is the classic case of an injury situation you should probably jump on. The Houston Texans have been looking better since the firing of coach and general manager, Bill O’Brien. It looks like starting running back David Johnson might be out due to a concussion that he suffered during last week's game against the Jaguars.
Duke Johnson stepped in and ended up with 73 total yards and a touchdown. The 16% of owners who had him and started him were rewarded with 13 points. Johnson is a veteran who has been in this position before with the Cleveland Browns. He is a more impressive as a pass catcher than rusher, which is great for mobile quarterback Deshaun Watson. Duke Johsnon is worth an add especially if David Johnson is out for an extended period of time.
DeAndre Washington - RB, Miami Dolphins (99%)
Washington was one of the few players that moved during the trade deadline. The Kansas City Chiefs parted ways with the running back and sent him to Miami. Starting running back Myles Gaskin and little-used reserve Matt Brieda have both been added to the injury list. Jordan Howard and Salvon Ahmed both played and underwhelmed with a total of 57 combine rushing yards. Washington has been around the block and has made a name for himself as a complimentary back. The Dolphins need a shot in the arm in terms of the rushing game. If you need to gamble a bit or just want a late add, Washington is your man especially with his availability.
Danny Amendola - WR, Detroit Lions (93%)
One of Tom Brady’s former favorite wideouts makes his way to the waiver wire list. Starting wide receiver Kenny Golladay is out due to a hip injury, leaving Amendola and Marvin Jones as the starters. Amendola is the classic safety valve player for any quarterback ,and I mean any quarterback because of the availability of Matthew Stafford due to a concussion he suffered this past Sunday. Amendola ended with 10 targets and 77 yards, which shows he can be valuable to any quarterback.
Curtis Samuel - WR, Carolina Panthers (58%)
The long shot add of the week goes to Curtis Samuel of the Carolina Panthers. Samuel was probably drafted really late in fantasy drafts or went completely undrafted. The Panthers' offense has been good all year and it finally got their star rusher Christian McCaffrey back. This is important because more people down the field will be open, which is the role Samuel can thrive in. Week 9 showed us Samuel as a deep ball threat with 105 yards and touchdown, totaling 17 points in fantasy. Samuel looks to be taking advantage of defenses focusing on Robby Anderson and DJ Moore. If Samuel is available, he is a must-add this week.