Another week gone… Regardless of if you’re ranked No.1 or No.12 in your league right now, waivers are important. Whether it’s finding that breakout player to carry you to the playoffs, a dependable bye-week replacement, or grabbing the next man up for an injury plagued team, the weekly waiver claims cannot be ignored by any team.
Defensive Lineman
If you read my weekly In the Trenches column you’ll know I’m a fan of Cliff Avril this month due to several good matchups. He had the first last night against the Redskins, but did fail to capitalise as he only had an assisted tackle. His schedule for the rest of the month reads Cowboys (Doug Free), Rams (Joe Barksdale) and Panthers (Nate Chandler) who have combined to allow six sacks, seven hits and nine hurries so far this season. Despite missing a chance to reward his owners in Week 5, I’m still ranking Avril as mid DE2 or better for the rest of October.
Jerry Hughes had his biggest week of the season in Week 5, with five total tackles (four solo), three of which were for a loss, two sacks and a forced fumble. He’d been a player I’d been high on preseason, but he had struggled to deliver early doors after three disappointing games in the first four. Hughes does profile as a boom-or-bust scorer for your fantasy team, but also has the benefit of the most IDP friendly stat crew in football for his home games. I’d roster him as my first backup defensive end, and use him as a spot starter.
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Ross Miles is a Lead Writer for Pro Football Focus Fantasy. Follow him on Twitter – @RossMilesNFL