Richardson, Moore Highlight Top Waiver Wire Targets

Welcome back to Tanner’s Top Free Agents! It was yet another crazy week in the NFL, highlighted by impressive performances by some of my previous waiver suggestions. Let’s get right into the recap.

Recap

As has become a fantasy football tradition, The Taysom Hill Game happened this week, and it was huge.  The New Orleans tight end put up 41.5 (!!!) fantasy points on Sunday in a win over the Browns, and he contributed in pretty much every area of the offense. Hill attracted a whopping ten targets, bringing in eight of them for 50 yards. On top of that, he carried the ball seven times for 138 yards and three touchdowns. He also added 18 passing yards. That stat line is simply unreal. If he only earned points in the receiving game, the Saints’ Swiss Army Knife would’ve put up 13 points, solid numbers for a tight end. If only his rushing production counted, his score would’ve been an astounding 31.8 points, blowing past every running back in Week 11.

All told, Hill scored the most fantasy points of any player this week. Not too shabby for a guy who was rostered in just a third of leagues last week.

Bo Nix continued his impressive run, totaling 28.7 fantasy points against the Falcons, his second-highest output of the season. He’s beyond solidified himself as a QB2 and is firmly in the fringe QB1 conversation. The rookie out of Oregon hasn’t been the most consistent player, but he’s established a solid floor (about 15 points) and has proven that he has an incredible ceiling. That combined with an easy remaining schedule means that the arrow is pointing straight up for the Denver QB.

Who should you be looking to add this week?

Anthony Richardson – QB, IND (43.5% rostered)

Anthony Richardson is far from an unknown player; he was, in many leagues, drafted within the first five rounds. However, his performance in 2024 had been underwhelming, to say the least, causing several managers to drop him after he was benched for Joe Flacco.

But, on Sunday against the Jets, he proved that he may be a viable fantasy threat for the remainder of 2024. The biggest concern with the second-year pro was his efficiency in the passing game, and he was effective in that area this week. He threw for a season-high 272 yards and a touchdown on solid 20/30 passing against New York while adding 32 yards on the ground. It was Richardson’s best fantasy performance of the year, totaling to 28.1 fantasy points. More importantly, however, the uptick in his efficiency is very encouraging.

If he’s still available in your league (and there’s a solid chance he is), adding him to your bench is the move you should be making this week. Is it a bit of a gamble? Yes. This was just one game, and the Colts face a few tough defenses down the stretch. There’s no guarantee that Richardson will turn into the fantasy star we all hoped he’d be. But is there a chance that happens? Absolutely. His performance against Detroit next Sunday will give us a good look at where he is in his development. Stashing him could pay dividends, especially if your roster is hurting at QB.

Jonnu Smith – TE, MIA (31.7% rostered)

Smith is another tight end who, like Hill, had a big game in Week 11. The Dolphins pass-catcher impressed with a 28.1-point performance, catching six passes on a season-high eight targets for 101 yards and a pair of touchdowns. I’m encouraged by the consistent volume Smith is getting; since Week 5, he’s only had one game with under six targets. In that same span, he’s had a pair of 20+ point showings, which is great for a guy rostered in less than a third of leagues. If you look at his weekly outputs, he hasn’t been the most consistent fantasy option. Can we reasonably expect Smith to replicate his Week 11 numbers going forward? No. But is he a solid bet to hover around ten points per week? Sure. Adding him as a TE2 is far from the worst idea in the world.

Elijah Moore – WR, CLE (9.4% rostered)

Has Elijah Moore arrived at fantasy relevance? After being shipped off to Cleveland by the Jets, the wide receiver had struggled to find his footing in the early going, topping five points just once in the first six weeks of the year.

Yet, his recent performance suggests that the Browns have a bigger role for him going forward.

In his last three contests, Moore has drawn an average of 9.7 targets per game – 12, 9, and 8, respectively. In that same span, he’s averaged 13.6 fantasy points, including an 18.6-point showing this week. He’s appeared to have gained the trust of Jameis Winston in the Cleveland offense, and his volume is very impressive someone rostered in under 10% of fantasy leagues. Moore is a very talented player, but his career had previously defined by an inability to translate that talent into success on the field. This could be the turning point for the wideout, so adding him to your bench is a solid low-risk, high-reward move. I see him as a good WR4 for now, but with another solid performance this week he could enter the WR3/FLEX conversation.

Good luck this week!

The post Richardson, Moore Highlight Top Waiver Wire Targets appeared first on Russell Street Report.

Source: https://russellstreetreport.com/2024/11/19/fantasy/richardson-moore-highlight-top-waiver-wire-targets/