(Each week, the PFF Fantasy cheat sheet will have all the relevant fantasy football content for the week in one place for you to keep track and review as needed as you prepare for that week in fantasy.)
This is the time of year where a lot of fantasy managers are looking toward the postseason. Some need to snatch every win possible, so for them thinking can’t generally go much beyond the week in question, but there are plenty of players who can be reasonably sure they’re playing in Week 14 and beyond. And for those, there are waiver-wire pitfalls to avoid.
For example, Kalen Ballage. Because of the Kenyan Drake trade and Mark Walton suspension, the second-year Dolphins back suddenly finds himself as a starting NFL running back, and as such he’s got fantasy appeal. But if you’re comfortably looking toward the playoffs, what is the benefit of spending anything of value (FAAB budget, waiver slot) on Ballage? He is averaging 2.5 yards per carry on the year. His longest run is 8 yards. He already got leapt by Walton in the depth chart once, will likely do so again once Walton’s suspension ends, and the Dolphins already signed De’Lance Turner as more backfield depth.
Yes, a starting running back is a starting running back. If you’re in a position where you’re desperate for wins and have to use Ballage, by all means pounce. But if you’re just setting yourself up for the playoffs, when are you possibly going to use a player like Ballage and feel good about it? Those are the things to consider. It’s not always worth chasing the shiny new object.
On to the Week 10 advice.
Week 9 lookback
Podcasts
- Week 9 takeaways
- Week 10 waiver wire
- Week 10 rankings
- WR/CB matchups, TNF preview
- Previewing the weekend, recapping Thursday
The tools
- Weekly staff rankings
- Weekly projections
- WR/CB matchup chart
- DFS ownership projections
- DFS optimizer
Written content
Season-long league advice:
- Top 150 flex rankings
- Waiver wire
- Weekly rankings risers and fallers
- Start/sit
- Weekly sleepers/busts
- Jeff Ratcliffe’s fantasy focus
- Streaming DST options
- Streaming QB options
- Best and worst weekly matchups
- Player props
- Expected fantasy points
- Trade value chart
- IDP advice: Waiver wire
- IDP advice: 3-down linebackers
