After a long 218 days since the Super Bowl, we have finally reached our destination. The NFL season is upon us, and with that comes the excitement of fantasy football. In my weekly column, “Shop and Drop”, I will give my advice on who to pick up and drop every week, allowing you to put your best roster together and eventually win your league. But first, it is vital to know some of the fantasy football lingo in order to dominate your league. Here are some helpful fantasy football terminology and their meanings.
Handcuff:
Having your running back’s backup on your bench, just in case the starting back gets injured.
Drop:
To remove a player from your roster.
Flex:
A spot in your starting lineup that allows you to start either a running back, wide receiver, or tight end.
Stream:
Not having a dedicated starter week-to-week and switching players based on matchups. For example, I may stream the Washington Commanders defense this week because they have a favorable matchup against a poor Arizona Cardinals offense. Then, after the week is over, I will drop the Commanders defense and pick up another defense.
Waiver Wire:
A pool of free agents available to add to your team. Usually, there is an order to the waiver wire, meaning you may not be able to pick up every player that you want. Another league member may be ahead of you in the order; therefore, they get the rights to that player.
Waiver Wire additions
Zack Moss – RB – Indianapolis Colts – 7% rostered via Yahoo! Sports
Although Zack Moss was inactive for week one, expect him to get a heavy dosage of the carries next Sunday against the Texans. Star halfback Jonathan Taylor is already sidelined until week five, and his status moving forward is unclear. Some may think that Deon Jackson would take over the backfield, but he had a disappointing 14 yards on 13 carries with two fumbles against the Jaguars this past Sunday. All signs point towards Zack Moss sliding into the RB1 role in Indianapolis.
Tyler Allgeier – RB – Atlanta Falcons – 55% rostered via Yahoo! Sports
All the hype in Atlanta this offseason was surrounding the 8th pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, Bijan Robinson, but even with Robinson’s solid first outing, second-stringer Tyler Allgeier shined as he rushed for 75 yards on 15 carries and found the end zone twice. We can view this as a similar situation to the Cleveland Browns these past few years. Both Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt shined in that offense and Robinson and Allgeier can be a similar tandem. The Falcons O-line is legit, and Allgeier has already proven his worth with a 1,000-yard season back in 2022.
Jordan Love – QB – Green Bay Packers – 31% rostered via Yahoo! Sports
Jordan Love may have been the most intriguing player to watch this week. After sitting behind Aaron Rodgers for the past three years, Love was finally able to take the field as the Packers QB1. The first-round draft pick did not disappoint, tossing three touchdowns with 245 passing yards. When Christian Watson returns next week, expect this offense to become even more explosive under the reins of Jordan Love.
Puka Nacua – WR – Los Angeles Rams – 5% rostered via Yahoo! Sports
Puka Nacua is a name that I never thought I would constantly hear on NFL Redzone this past Sunday. With former offensive player of the year, Cooper Kupp sidelined against Seattle, Nacua exploded for 10 receptions with 119 yards. The BYU standout was even targeted an astonishing 15 times. With Kupp on the IR, we hope to see Nacua continue his dominance in this Rams offense.
Rashid Shaheed – WR – New Orleans Saints – 16% rostered via Yahoo! Sports
Rashid Shaheed played a nice role behind Michael Thomas and Chris Olave against the Tennessee Titans. With those two drawing most of the attention, Shaheed caught five passes for 89 yards and a touchdown. The production may not be there every week for Shaheed, but he is definitely a nice stash knowing that Thomas tends to get banged up from time to time.
Robert Woods – WR – Houston Texans – 4% rostered via Yahoo! Sports
Bobby Trees is back baby! Well, to a certain extent. Even with only six catches for 57 yards, he was targeted a respectable 10 times. Once rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud gets more comfortable and a promising John Metchie III returns from injury, Robert Woods will continue to have more opportunities.
Players to Drop
Quentin Johnston – WR – Los Angeles Chargers
In a game where the Chargers scored over 30 points, Johnston was never truly involved. With only two catches for nine yards on three targets, he may need a few more weeks to get into the swing of things.
Devin Singletary – RB – Houston Texans
With Singletary out of Buffalo, we were all hoping for the production to increase. This was not the case, however, as he rushed for a slim 15 yards on seven attempts. Dameon Pierce owns this backfield, and it does not look like that will change in the near future.
Tank Bigsby – RB – Jacksonville Jaguars
Tank Bigsby, a fan favorite, was held to only 13 yards on seven attempts with a fumble. Travis Etienne Jr. had almost triple Bigsby’s carries, meaning it is impractical to keep him on your roster.
If you see some of these guys on your waiver wire, try and scoop them up. Although some players may not have a spot on your starting roster at the moment, injuries are bound to happen. When everyone else in your league is scrambling around looking for replacements, you will remember that you read “Shop and Drop”, and reinforcements are already sitting on your bench.
For comments/questions about this story tweet @TheWhitSports.
