One of the biggest mistakes fantasy football owners make when acquiring free agents through waivers is chasing last week’s points. How many times have you seen someone blow a huge chunk of their FAAB budget or waste their top waiver priority on a one-week wonder?
After Week 1, it was Nyheim Hines and Russell Gage. After Week 2, it was Chase Claypool and Dalton Schultz. Looking at box scores rarely tells you the full story of a game, and if you aren’t careful, you are destined to make the same mistakes once again.
Adding Cowboys wide receiver Cedrick Wilson is chasing points. Buried on the depth chart, Wilson stumbled onto five catches for 107 yards and two touchdowns Sunday. Those who only read box scores, in lieu of actually watching the game, won’t see how Dallas spent most of the game in catch-up mode, and the Seattle defense added coverage to their top three receivers. Wilson thrived simply because there just weren’t enough quality defenders on the field. Not every game will go this way, nor will Wilson play enough snaps to repeat this performance.
If you’re going to go after a wide receiver, go after Vikings rookie Justin Jefferson. The team was looking for someone to step up into the No. 2 role after Stefon Diggs landed in Buffalo, and Jefferson obliged. He spent the first two weeks getting his feet wet, and when the opportunity to shine emerged, the rookie grabbed it with both hands and took it to the house.
With few quality options, Vikings offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak is going to continue designing opportunities for Jefferson, who serves as a fantastic complement to Adam Thielen. Minnesota’s next three opponents — Houston, Seattle and Atlanta — all have explosive offenses but extremely weak secondaries. To keep pace, the Vikings will have to throw, and that means more opportunities are ahead for the budding superstar.
Howard Bender is a senior writer at FantasyAlarm.com and the host of “Overtime” on SiriusXM Fantasy Sports Radio each Sunday from 11 p.m.-1 a.m. Follow him on Twitter @rotobuzzguy. For more from Fantasy Alarm, listen weekdays on SiriusXM from 4-6 p.m.
