The 2024 season is upon us. Are you ready? Hopefully, you’re in for a winning campaign. But those of us who play Dynasty know it’s a 365-day-a-year endeavor. When we’re in season, it’s about patching roster holes and making pickups that can benefit you in the long term. Below are the players that might be on your Waiver Wire that are worth targeting. As we begin bye weeks, that will be even more crucial. All roster percentages are courtesy of the NFL.
Quarterbacks
Mason Rudolph, Tennessee Titans
Roster Percentage: 0
About: Rudolph finished the Week 4 Monday Night Football game for the Titans after Will Levis left with a shoulder injury. With the Titans on a bye last week, we don’t know how Levis is progressing. Brian Callahan suggested Levis is still the starter if healthy, but Rudolph could be a good early-week stash.
Aidan O’Connell, Las Vegas Raiders
Roster Percentage: 0.1
About: O’Connell finished the Raiders’ Week 5 game. It’s the second time he’s entered the game for Gardner Minshew this season due to performance. O’Connell wasn’t much better, throwing an interception of his own. But he was the starter last year, and the 2-3 Raiders need a spark. He could get the call.
Jameis Winston, Cleveland Browns
Roster Percentage: 0.1
About: Winston is the backup in Cleveland. He appeared at the end of the Browns’ loss to the Washington Commanders. The team is 1-4 and looking flat on offense. Deshaun Watson isn’t getting any better, but Coach Kevin Stefanski said he’s still the starter—for now. I still think Winston is worth a stash. The Browns have some receivers, and it’s quite possible Winston could provide a spark for the Browns and for fantasy.
Jake Haener, New Orleans Saints
Roster Percentage: 0
About: Derek Carr was injured on Monday in the loss to the Chiefs. Haener is his backup, who came in to finish the game. Carr’s health is a question heading into Week 6, especially on a short week. If you need to hedge your bets, pick up Haener.
Running Backs
Trey Sermon, Indianapolis Colts
Roster Percentage: 31.9
About: Sermon is fairly widely rostered, especially in dynasty. But if he’s sitting on the waiver wire, you need to snap him up. He’s the RB2 option behind Jonathan Taylor, and with the Colts starter still battling an ankle injury, Sermon could have value, as he did in Week 5. He should be rostered.
Tyrone Tracy, Jr., New York Giants
Roster Percentage: 4
About: Tracy is more highly rostered in Dynasty, where he was a late-round rookie stash. But if he’s available in your league, I’d snap him up. Devin Singletary has been solid, but he’s struggling with a groin injury. Tracy filled in Sunday, rushing for 129 yards on 18 carries against the Seahawks. That’s good production. It’s reasonable to believe Tracy will have a role even when Singletary is healthy, especially on a Giants’ team starved for skill position player production.
Ameer Abdullah, Las Vegas Raiders
Roster Percentage: 0.1
About: Abdullah has mostly been a Special Teams contributor, but the Raiders’ run game has been a struggle. With Zamir White out Sunday, Abdullah got more run. He looked good, rushing for 42 yards and a touchdown on five carries and catching three passes. White is still recovering, and the Raiders are looking for some spark on offense. Abdullah makes for an interesting deep league stash.
Wide Receivers
Jalen Tolbert and KaVontae Turpin, Dallas Cowboys
Roster Percentage: 1.4; 0.3
About: The Cowboys receiver room is a work in progress. With Brandin Cooks on IR, out at least four weeks, Tolbert and Turpin are the receivers in line for more work. We saw both involved on Sunday night, with Tolbert even catching a touchdown pass. Both are worth a roster spot and Tolbert could be a good spot starter given the injury and bye week landscape.
Darius Slayton, New York Giants
Roster Percentage: 0.3
About: We’ve seen it before—Slayton stepping in for a depleted Giants offense and doing great work. With Malik Nabers out Sunday, Slayton stepped up with more than 100 yards and a touchdown. If Nabers is back, he’s still WR1 and Wan’Dale Robinson seems to have locked in a steady role as well. But Slayton has great value if other miss time and still has a good connection with Daniel Jones.
DJ Turner, Las Vegas Raiders
Roster Percentage: 0
About: The Raiders are actively trying to trade Davante Adams. That will open up opportunities in the Raiders’ receiver group. Jakobi Myers and Tre Tucker top the list, but Turner is another young receiver that’s getting more opportunities. As the Raiders work on the offense and look to the future, he’s worth a deep league stash.
Bo Melton, Green Bay Packers
Roster Percentage: 0.1
About: The Packers have great receiver depth but turns out they might need it. Christian Watson is dealing with an ankle injury and now Romeo Doubs is at odds with the team, which led to a one-game suspension in Week 5. It’s a situation that’s worth monitoring. While Dontayvion Wicks is next up, and widely rostered, we’ve seen Melton contribute when called upon before. He could be a good deep league add.
Tight Ends
Charlie Kolar, Baltimore Ravens
Roster Percentage: 0
About: Kolar has been on the Ravens for years, but mostly in the background. As the team works on its tight end rotations, he’s coming more into the foreground. On Sunday, that meant three receptions for 64 yards and a touchdown on four targets. He also had a carry. Given the fluctuations in the Ravens’ passing game, he’s worth a deep league roster spot.
Theo Johnson, New York Giants
Roster Percentage: 0
About: Johnson piqued our interest when he was taken in the Fourth Round. It was unclear what role he’d have for the Giants, and it’s possible he’s been set free in your league. On Sunday, we saw him step up. He saw five targets, catching them all for 48 yards. Given the opportunity for someone to step up at tight end for the Giants, he should be rostered.
Elijah Higgins, Arizona Cardinals
Roster Percentage: 2.5
About: This is a deep league dart throw, and I admit it. But it’s hard to completely ignore Higgins. He now has two receiving touchdowns. While not a lot, it’s two more than starting tight end Trey McBride. Higgins isn’t getting a lot of volume, but if you’re desperate he seems to be a target in the Red Zone. There are sadly worse options at tight end.
Matthew Fox is a die-hard NFL fan and Broncos’ homer. He’s a member of the FSWA. You can find more from him on Twitter @knighthawk7734 or as co-host of the Fantasy Football Roundtable Podcast, a part of the Campus2Canton Network.
