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Chip Bayless FEATURED Football Latest 

Top Waiver Wire Pickups: Week 8

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By Chip Bayless (click Howie for more Chip)

 

 

 

1) Keon Coleman

Initial rumors out of Cleveland after the Amari Cooper trade suggested the Browns thought they fleeced the Bills by getting anything at all for a receiver that supposedly had the yips and had forgotten how to catch a football.

Much like all things Browns, this trade worked out about exactly as you’d expect as Cleveland looked terrible in their game, their “franchise” sexual predator quarterback went down with a season-ending injury, and Amari Cooper scored a touchdown and looked like he unlocked the entire Bills offense.

Cooper might not have only unlocked Buffalo’s offense, he might have finally unlocked Keon Coleman’s potential as Coleman now ranks fifth among all WRs in yards per target, per Pro Football Reference.

Coleman is also starting to accrue a more significant share of the Bills offense after looking like the team’s potential WR4 through the first few weeks of the season, and Coleman has now accounted for just over 20% of all of Buffalo’s air yards this season.

On Sunday, Coleman looked like the fast, big-bodied target he was lauded as when the Bills selected him in the second round of this year’s draft, in part as evidenced by the fact that today Coleman sits at 7th in terms of receivers when it comes to yards after contact per reception, according to FantasyPros.

Coleman had over 120 receiving yards on a mere four catches, and he looked like he had eyes in the back of his head all night as he constantly created additional YAC yardage (currently 15th among NFL WRs in YAC) by using defenders’ pursuit angles against them.

Coleman ranks, among receivers:

  • 3rd in yards per reception (per ESPN)
  • Tied for 8th in catches for 20+ yards (per ESPN)
  • 11th in average depth of target (per Opta Stats)
  • 20th in efficiency versus expected (EVE) – per Opta Stats
  • 30th in receiving yards

He also showed that renown size and strength on some impressive grabs and creative plays where he shook arm-tacklers with ease.

Allen’s newly-found confidence in Coleman is paying dividends for the Bills offense, and right now Coleman has the 10th-highest passer rating when targeted, according to Pro Football Reference.


In addition, Coleman is second among receivers in YAC per reception, trailing only the Lions’ speedy Jameson Williams while also ranking second in average YAC above expected (per Next Gen Stats).

Much like Jameson Williams, Coleman is a clear deep threat as well as he had two receptions over 40 yards last week and he ranks 18th among WRs in average targeted air yards through seven weeks (per Next Gen Stats).

While Cooper might become the “go-to” guy in terms of a consistently man-beating route-runner Josh Allen depends upon in clutch situations, Coleman might become the #1 receiver in this offense in terms of yardage.

Even if Coleman ends the season as the undisputed #2 receiver on the Bills after Cooper, that will still be an insanely valuable fantasy role considering the talent level of Josh Allen and the production and scoring potential of the Bills’ offense.

Due to a disappointing start to the season that included a season-high of 11.9 fantasy points and scoring double-digit fantasy points in only one game leading up to Week 7, Coleman’s roster percentage has fallen to just under 45%.

If he’s available in your league, he’s worth an immediate pickup but can’t be considered more than a risky FLEX play due to how inconsistent targets have been distributed among the Bills receiving core.

If he scores double-digit points again this week and looks like one of the top two receivers on the Bills without question, then Coleman can be considered a solid WR2 or FLEX moving forward with legitimate low-end WR1 upside due to his youth, talent level, role, and the elite roster he finds himself on.

With a snap of at least 60% in each of his last three weeks, and a 64% average snap share on the season, a receiver that plays that much in one of the best offenses in the league is far from the riskiest dart throw if you’re a team in desperate need of WR help immediately.

 

 

2) Tutu Atwell

Although he has now put together four straight double-digit fantasy weeks and has played at least 74% of snaps in every game over that span, Tutu Atwell is only owned in 15% of ESPN leagues today.


He’s accounting for 25% of all the Rams’ 2024 air yards so far as well, a figure that ranks just below Stefon Diggs and just above A.J. Brown (according to Next Gen Stats).

At the moment Atwell is also, among WRs:

Atwell’s ownership percentage is seemingly a reflection of his lack of preseason hype due to the presence of Nacua and and Kupp in addition to the fear that the return of one or both of the Rams top receivers will immediately send Atwell to the fantasy gulag.

That might very well be the case, however; until we see either Nacua or Kupp on the field again Atwell can be immediately considered a high-floor but low-ceiling WR2 who can be started in virtually all PPR leagues due to his consistency and workload over the past four straight weeks.

Over that span, Atwell is averaging: 7.5 targets, 71 receiving yards, and 12.3 fantasy points per game.

He’s been remarkably consistent throughout that stretch too. Over his last four games, Atwell has scored at least 11.1 fantasy points, caught at least four passes, and had 50+ receiving yards in every contest.

Reports indicate that Kupp could make his return as soon as the Rams’ upcoming Thursday night game, but hopefully for Atwell and his fantasy owners he’s earned some additional snaps on a season-long basis due to how well he’s stepped up for his injured teammates.

Although, according to Dianna Rusinni from The Athletic, the Rams have been quietly shopping Kupp and have been hoping for a second round pick in return. So maybe Tutu Atwell’s recent consistency and production (18th among NFL WRs in receiving success rate) has given the Rams confidence he is deserving of a starting role going forward.

For what it’s worth, according to ESPN Analytics, Tutu Atwell has the eighth-most yards per target, is ninth in open rating, and has the 19th-best overall receiver rating in the NFL.

 

 

3) Noah Fant

Fantasy TEs have been a relative crapshoot this season, but Noah Fant has a few things going for him.

First and foremost, Fant plays in an offense that leads the NFL in passing yards and with a quarterback with who he has demonstrated clear chemistry with.



Fant also has above-average speed, agility, ball-skills, and break-tackle ability (14th among TEs in terms of YAC per reception) as far as TEs go, and the Seahawks know it which at the very least means Fant is on the field a ton as the Seahawks’ undisputed TE1.

Per ESPN Analytics, Fant is 10th in open rating and has the 11th-highest overall receiver rating, 13th-best catch rating, and 14th-highest YAC rating among tight ends.

The reason Fant cracks the list is his skillset has begun to yield fantasy points, as Fant has two straight weeks with more than 10 fantasy points. Given how weak and random fantasy TEs have been, two straight double-digit weeks means Fant will likely be the most-claimed tight end off of waivers this week.

If you’re in need of a TE, you could do far worse than one that plays with the QB who currently leads the league in passing yards and has had at least 60 receiving yards, four catches, four targets, and 10 fantasy points in his two games most-recent games.

Additionally, since fantasy TEs are so thin, Fant is basically an immediate TE2 given his most recent performances and would become a virtual lineup lock as a TE1 if he puts together two more double-digit fantasy performances within his next three weeks.

Overall, on the season Fant’s TE ranks are:

  • 3rd in receptions for 10+ yards (per FantasyPros)
  • Tied for 4th in broken tackles (per FantasyPros)
  • 8th in yards after contact (per FantasyPros)
  • Tied for 11th in receptions
  • 11th in YAC

Coincidentally, Fant is one of the sharpest route-runners on the Seahawks roster, making him a trustworthy target for genoa salami Smith as Fant’s average separation is the sixth-best his position group has to offer.

Speaking of trustworthiness, Fant is third among TEs in catch percentage (per Next Gen Stats) and receiving success rate too (reports Pro Football Reference).

His efficiency has been elite as well, and right now Fant when it comes to TEs in yards per target.

If D.K. Metcalf, who was carted to the locker room on Sunday, is forced to miss any time, then Fant as well as all Seattle pass-catches would likely see an added volume boost.

At minimum, Fant is seen as one of the top chain-movers in the Seahawks’ offense and has the 8th-most TE receptions resulting in first downs (according to ESPN).

Fant is available in about 93% of ESPN leagues today, so if you’re still desperate for a TE he’s probably the best available and it’s doubtful any other TE ranks in the top-15 at the position in fantasy points and receiving yards like Fant is now.

 

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