Each week of the NFL season, we will identify fantasy football waiver-wire pickups specifically for those of you looking for streaming options in deeper formats (including IDP leagues). These are players available in a majority of ESPN Fantasy leagues (or close) who have enticing matchups in the week ahead that make them worthy of consideration for your lineups.
While you might notice some overlap with Field Yates’ pickup column that publishes on Mondays, an important distinction is that the options mentioned in this column are focused solely on this week’s matchup and not the players’ values for the remainder of the season.
Quarterback
Carson Wentz, Indianapolis Colts vs. Buccaneers (46% rostered)
Wentz will play against the Buccaneers’ defense, which allows the ninth-most fantasy points per game (18.65) to opposing quarterbacks. In his last two games, Wentz has averaged just 8.57 points, but it’s important to remember that from Weeks 5-9 he averaged 23 points. It’s likely that Wentz will have a similar performance against the Buccaneers because he will be more involved as a passer and won’t rely entirely on the Colts’ running game to keep up with Tom Brady and his playmakers.
