We like to be a week or two ahead of the waiver wire adds. There is no greater example than Oronde Gadsden. Many websites and podcasts will be telling you to add Gadsden this week. That's a great idea if he is available, but for most of you reading this article, he is long gone and rostered — hopefully on yours.
I wrote this back in Week 4…
Oronde Gadsden (TE, LAC) — Gadsden had an eye-opening debut performance in LA’s win over Denver. After two weeks of completely de-emphasizing the TE position in the passing game, the Chargers completely flipped the script in Gadsden’s debut. He finished with 7 targets on a 14.9% target share, finishing with a 5-46 stat line.
Gadsden is a move TE in every sense of the word, with multiple teams viewing him as a potential WR prospect last offseason. He put up very strong numbers while at Syracuse and has big-time speed and athleticism. I am going to bid on Gadsden in any TE Premium format he is available, and will also add him as an upside stash in regular PPR formats. His role could grow over the second half of the season.
Gadsden was the 6th-ranked Waiver Wire add in the column that week. Last week, heading into Week 7’s games, I had him at #2 overall behind only Jaxson Dart. On Sunday, he set the fantasy world on fire with a 7-164-1 stat line. I certainly won’t get them all right when trying to identify waiver wire adds for fantasy managers like you in deep and competitive formats, but when we have hits like Gadsden, they should be celebrated.
Waivers become more challenging - and trickier this week. We are now officially in bye week hell week, aka Byemaggedon. Six teams are on a bye, followed by four each in Weeks 9 and 10.
There are certain situations and rosters where adding for the long term needs to take a back seat, and surviving the week and giving yourself a puncher's chance at a win needs to be the priority.
Upcoming Bye Weeks
Week Eight
Arizona
Detroit
Jacksonville
Las Vegas
LA Rams
Seattle Seahawks
Week Nine
- Cleveland
- NY Jets
- Philadelphia
- Tampa Bay
Week Ten
- Cincinnati
- Dallas
- Kansas City
- Tennessee
Running Backs
Brashard Smith (RB, KC) — Brashard Smith had his most productive game as a pro, finishing with 19 total touches - including 5 catches for 42 yards. The Smith becoming the next Jerick McKinnon narrative is very much in play over the second half of the season. Kareem Hunt was also banged up this week, and if he misses time, Smith’s role would continue to grow. The Chiefs' offense is trending up. Add Smith wherever available.
