Top Waiver Adds for Your Fantasy Playoff Push

We’ve officially hit the home stretch of the fantasy regular season.

Just four matchups remain before the playoffs, and the final month is shaping up to be as exciting as it will be defining for your team in your pursuit of a championship. We had some major injury news this week with Chris Olave hitting injured reserve, guaranteeing that he won’t be available for the final month and could possibly be sidelined for the rest of the NFL season. There are some decent options on waivers, so let’s dive right into them!

Recap

Bucky Irving continues to be a fantastic option for managers, and he’s surpassed Rachaad White as the top option in the Tampa Bay backfield for fantasy purposes. The electric rookie out of Oregon had another impressive showing on Sunday, tallying 73 rushing yards and a touchdown on just 13 carries and adding three catches in the passing game. All of that was good for 17.7 fantasy points, and Irving has now scored at least 15 points in four of his last five games. I’ve been impressed with his efficiency in just his first year in the league; averaging 5.1 yards per carry is no small feat, especially for a rookie.

In a Buccaneers offense that is seriously missing its top weapons in the passing game, Irving has become an increasingly viable option for fantasy managers over the past month or so. He has killer speed and is arguably the most dangerous weapon in Tampa Bay. His snap counts have been gradually ticking upwards each week, and the Bucs view him as the lead rusher in their running back-by-committee approach. He’s rounded into a good FLEX play and is in the low-end RB2 conversation. Start him with confidence.

Ricky Pearsall Jr. – WR, SF (25% rostered)

Ricky Pearsall Jr. has arrived.

After missing the first six weeks of his NFL career due to a gunshot wound, the rookie out of Florida has seemingly developed into a viable threat in the passing game for San Francisco. On Sunday against Tampa, Pearsall saw six targets, catching four of them for 73 yards and a touchdown. It’s nearly impossible to rely on any 49ers wide receiver to consistently contribute week to week, but it certainly appears like he’ll play a significant part in the team’s quest to replace Brandon Aiyuk.

While Jauan Jennings led the way for all San Francisco pass-catchers with 11 targets on Sunday, Pearsall quietly finished second in that department, even drawing more looks than George Kittle.

He’s by no means a definite start, but adding the rookie to your team could pay dividends down the road as he continues to adjust to the NFL. I view Pearsall as a solid WR4 for now and potentially a low-end FLEX play in deeper leagues. However, he has a clear path to finish well above that rating by the end of the year. Add him while you can.

Marquez Valdez-Scantling – WR, NO (0.6% rostered)

Who saw this one coming?

MVS, a guy who’s really bounced around the league over the past few seasons, exploded against the Falcons for an impressive 25.9-point performance. In a Saints offense that’s missing Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed, Valdez-Scantling has suddenly catapulted to the top of the WR depth chart in New Orleans.

Obviously, his production in Week 10 was touchdown-dependent; scoring twice on just three targets likely won’t happen again in 2024. And, while his volume is concerning, MVS was tied for the lead amongst Saints receivers and tight ends in targets against Atlanta. New Orleans seems to be deploying him as a deep threat to fill the void left by Shaheed, so he looks to be more of a boom-or-bust guy for the rest of the year.

Yes, Derek Carr only threw the ball 21 times – and six of those passes went to Alvin Kamara. That is a concern, but the ability of Valdez-Scantling to convert the few opportunities he had into significant fantasy production is encouraging. By no means do I recommend starting him, but he’s far from the worst wavier add, especially if you’re thin at WR.

Derek Carr – QB, NO (12.3% rostered)

As has his team, Derek Carr has cooled off considerably since his scorching-hot start to the 2024 campaign. Yet, he was able to post his third 20+ point performance of the year against the Falcons on Sunday. He’s completely touchdown-dependent, but I seem him as a low-end QB2 going forward.

As always, good luck this week!

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