FANTASY FOOTBALL PICKUP WATCH
It’s Week 1 of the NFL season – rosters are set, optimism is in the air and all it takes is a few breaks to put that trophy in your hands come December. The waiver pool is for everybody else. (Unless, of course, you rolled the dice on Le’Veon Bell and came up snake eyes. Sorry.)
Soon enough, though, injury or dismal performance sends everyone looking for help. Like any NFL general manager, it’s always best to have an idea who’s out there when the inevitable happens. Though you don’t need a new face on Opening Weekend, you might come Tuesday.
Jeff Shain offers a few to keep on your radar – if they haven’t already been snapped up.
QUARTERBACK
Mitch Trubisky, Bears: Not necessarily an endorsement of Trubisky’s own improvement, but the receivers around him should help the second-year QB grow. The arrivals of WRs Allen Robinson (Jaguars) and Taylor Gabriel (Falcons) are significant upgrades, WR Kevin White is healthy again and TE Trey Burton (Eagles) offers another big option.
RUNNING BACK
Adrian Peterson, Redskins: Needed little more than a week in Redskins camp to put himself in the thick of things, a late pickup after injuries to Derrius Guice and Samaje Perine. Right man, right situation. Don’t overthink Peterson’s mercurial season in Arizona, where he was a poor fit for Bruce Arians’ offense. His power game is a better fit in DC.
WIDE RECEIVER
Christian Kirk, Cardinals: Larry Fitzgerald is still the centerpiece, but all that focus on not letting Fitzgerald hurt defenses could open things for the speedy rookie. Hey, that was the circumstance that once made Michael Floyd and John Brown so potent. It’s a different system now, sure, but Kirk has shown flashes of production. He also returns punts.
TIGHT END
Dallas Goedert, Eagles: The original call here was Hayden Hurst (Ravens), but you won’t see him until October as he rests a stress fracture in his foot. Consider him a future watch. Meantime, Goedert has stepped nicely into the Philly offense where Trey Burton used to work. The Eagles like two-TE sets, and Goedert does good work in the red zone.
DEFENSE
Browns: Yes, Cleveland allowed the second-most points in the league last year. But some of that can be attributed to a giveaway-prone offense that put them in bad spots time after time after time. Less noticed is the Browns were middle-of-the-pack in yards allowed. Clean up the turnovers, and the defensive numbers might be a quick beneficiary.
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