Fantasy Players to Add, Drop, Plus MLB Playoff Betting Primer

The Wild Card begins tonight with the Red Sox hosting the Yankees

Welcome to the first day of MLB’s postseason. The Yankees and Red Sox fittingly start us off in the AL Wild Card tonight. Look out for more baseball betting content on SI Betting and in Winners Club in the weeks to come. And we’re not far out from the start of the NBA season, either. But still, we begin with fantasy football.

Navigating the Waiver Wire

Backup running backs headline this week’s top waiver wire additions after a few of the NFL’s top backs were banged up this weekend. There are a few mobile quarterbacks worth picking up, too. Jennifer Piacenti has recommendations for which players to add to your roster this week and advice on how much FAAB you should pony up to get each of them.

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Droppables

Four weeks into the season, we now have a pretty good idea of what players are capable of or what their role in the offense will be. With that knowledge, here are some players to drop to make room for the recommended waiver additions above.

Baker Mayfield, QB, Browns: Cleveland's quarterback had his worst fantasy outing of the season against the Vikings this week. And it wasn't his first dud, either. Mayfield has as many touchdowns (2) as interceptions, has passed for more than 250 yards just once and has yet to top 20 fantasy points. The Browns offense operates through its running backs, and Mayfield is just there to facilitate. He's not losing Cleveland games; he's not winning fantasy matchups for you either, though. He's rostered in more than half of ESPN leagues while quarterbacks like Daniel Jones and Sam Darnold, both fantasy QB1s to this point, are hardly rostered.

Jalen Reagor, WR, Eagles: Quarterback Jalen Hurts threw a season-high 48 passes against the Chiefs — only one went Reagor’s way. He’s had two weeks with more than 10 points and two weeks below five points. That’s inconsistency from a desperation play who could either have enough to help you get by or few enough to sink you. Reagor isn't winning you any weeks, and he's competing for targets with a pair of tight ends, DeVonta Smith and now even running back Kenneth Gainwell. His involvement and the way he's being used (8.3 yards per catch, second-lowest on the Eagles) don't justify the headache of keeping him rostered.

Sony Michel, RB, Rams: Unsurprisingly, there weren't many opportunities for the Rams' backup running back in a blowout loss with Darrell Henderson Jr. back in the lineup. He saw just three carries and lost a fumble on one of them, and he only played 10% of snaps this week. You're banking on an injury to Henderson for any path to relevance for Michel. Even then, Michel is the handcuff in a high-scoring offense behind a player with a long injury history, but his value as a starter doesn't come close to Henderson's when he's plugged in the starting role.

Watch List: Ravens running back Ty’Son Williams was a healthy scratch in favor of the three-headed veteran monster of Latavius Murray, Le'Veon Bell and Devonta Freeman. Williams played well in the first three weeks of the season, averaging 6.1 yards per carry. But if the coaching staff is out on him, you need to be too. Chiefs receiver Mecole Hardman only saw three targets in a blowout of the Eagles. After consecutive weeks posting over 10 PPR points, he disappointed managers who put any faith in him to produce. Plus, Josh Gordon could play next week, further siphoning work from Hardman. If you had Rondale Moore when he broke out in Week 2, you likely didn't start him. And if you had him, then you probably plugged him in the last two weeks and regretted it. His upside makes him difficult to part ways with, but it's been hard to guess who Kyler Murray will target week-to-week; even DeAndre Hopkins isn't immune.

MLB Playoffs Betting Primer

The postseason begins tonight, and Frankie Taddeo has insight on the betting favorites and long shots to win it all. The Dodgers, in spite of playing in Wednesday night’s Wild Card Game against the Cardinals, are still the favorites to win the World Series. See how the rest of the field breaks down and take your money and newfound knowledge over to SI Sportsbook.

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Reading

Frankie Taddeo cashed on his MNF pick: Raiders vs. Chargers went under 52 (-120). That’s three in a row on Monday night!

Volume is King: Cordarrelle Patterson is the most efficient player in fantasy football. See who else joined him in this week’s Touches, Targets, Volume and Regression Index.

Wild Card Line and Odds: Head on over to SI Sportsbook to bet on tonight’s Yankees-Red Sox game and Wednesday's Cardinals-Dodgers matchup.

NFL Power Rankings: Jenny Vrentas ranked the best teams in the NFL 1-32. The Buccaneers are No. 2 after a narrow win in Foxborough, see who holds the top spot.

Standout Stats From the Weekend

The Good

Ezekiel Elliott had his first 100-yard rushing game in five games against the Panthers, who looked to be one of the top defenses in the NFL until they ran into Dallas. After a slow start, Elliott is finding his stride and holding off Tony Pollard in the process.

Deebo Samuel is leading the NFL in receiving with 490 yards through four games. He’s the WR3 on the season and added to his totals with 156 yards and two touchdowns on eight catches Sunday against the Seahawks.

The Bad

On Sunday, Travis Kelce's 23 yards were his fewest in a game since the 2018 AFC Championship game against New England. Meanwhile, Tyreek Hill ran wild, scoring three touchdowns against the Eagles.

CeeDee Lamb had as many catches as Cowboys cornerback Trevon Diggs did on Sunday. Lamb caught two passes from Dak Prescott while Diggs intercepted Sam Darnold twice. Lamb has regressed in each game this season since posting 100 yards and a score in the opener.

The Weird

Sam Darnold leads the NFL in rushing touchdowns. He added two scores on the ground against the Cowboys and now has five on the year. His knack for the end zone has buoyed his overall QB5 campaign thus far.

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C.J. Uzomah was the surprise of Thursday Night Football. The Bengals' tight end caught five passes for 95 yards and two touchdowns to help lift Cincinnati over Jacksonville. Before that game, he had four catches all season.

Get those waiver claims in, folks, and enjoy postseason baseball tonight. I’ll be back on Thursday.