My wife Alicia is a sourcing professional in the corporate arena. If you're not aware of what sourcing does—most don't, including those who work with sourcing professionals—their skills are the mix of a hedge fund manager, a corporate lawyer, and a high-powered negotiator.
Alicia essentially advises how executives should spend the company's money as well as help them get the best value in their division's business dealings. This means knowing when to create a plan that saves money, leverages the best possible service from vendors, or often both.
If you knew Alicia at work, you would not expect her to be an avid player of the lottery. Not the weekly Powerball—ok, sometimes the weekly Powerball—but mostly the scratch-off tickets.
Of course, if you knew Alicia at work, then you wouldn't be surprised that she routinely wins money playing scratch-off tickets. When she's winding down from work and watching TV, she's researching which gas stations and convenience stores in the neighborhood had significant winnings from specific scratch-off games and devise a game plan for which games to buy at specific stores.
Ever since I met her—back when she left her industry for a number of years to run her own interior design business where she did 80 percent of the contract work (with the exception of plumbing and electric) and had a part-time job at a convenience store when business would occasionally be slower—Alicia had a plastic baggie where she reserved a small amount of cash for her scratch-off hobby.
When she won money from the scratch-offs, she'd place the original investment back into the baggie. I once asked her what she did when she depleted the baggie of cash. Alicia cocked her head at me, smiled as if I was a nine-year-old inexperienced with the ways of life, and said, "I don't play anymore—at least until I have the kind of money where I can afford to throw away $25-$30 dollars."
During the 12 years we've been together, I've never seen that baggie empty. I have seen her exit convenience stores with a handful of scratch-offs, tell me not to leave the parking lot just yet, play them in the car, and win $20, $80, $200, $800, and $1,200 dollars.
This has happened often enough that if she ever told me with a straight face that playing scratch-offs is like fantasy football—if you're good, it's more skill than luck—I won't argue with her. After repeatedly pulling out of convenience store parking lots only to double-back five minutes later for her to reclaim her winnings, why would I?
If she cared about football, I'm pretty sure she'd be writing a popular Daily Fantasy Column.
While I'm no Alicia Waldman, I'm hoping I can help you earn a fraction of her success with the players I'm recommending below who might as well be the fantasy football equivalent of scratch-off tickets for your playoff run. Most of these options are speculative adds lacking proven volume but they have the talent and potential fit during Weeks 15 and 16 to help you if you're desperate for production in your playoff lineups.
Reason No.1 I'm no Alicia Waldman: Never play scratch-offs if you can't afford to lose what you put in.
Now that we've established who is the brains of the Waldman operation, join me in my weekly folly of encouraging the desperate and deluded...
Keelan Cole
You know I love me some Keelan Cole. If you want the Gut Check's retrospective on Cole, go here. Cole deserves your consideration because D.J. Chark is week-to-week with an ankle injury and Cole will be one of the three receivers in Jacksonville's base sets. After Chark, Cole is the next best option the Jaguars have on one-on-one, back-shoulder routes.
Although Dede Westbrook and Chris Conley will earn perimeter targets, Conley is a more athlete Donte Moncrief in terms of potential unfulfilled and Westbrook is feisty but hasn't proven he can earn the position required from these fade routes now that he's facing a higher class of cornerbacks in the NFL. Cole has made these plays to create some of the biggest moments in Jaguars' history before he lost his confidence midway through his sophomore campaign.
If you examine our recaps of Cole's sporadic work this season, you'll see that he's connected with Minshew on scramble drills, third-down targets, comebacks, a red-zone corner route, a red-zone whip route, and a deep rail shot in traffic. The diversity of targets he earns based on route types is enough for me to give him a high priority recommendation for those of you desperate to field a productive fantasy receiver.
The Raiders and banged-up Falcons secondaries are awaiting the Jaguars in Weeks 15 and 16. Cole has some proven production, a high ceiling, and an opportunity to earn some of the trust routes that Gardner Minshew delivered to D.J. Chark with success.
Olamide Zaccheaus
A rookie UDFA from Virginia, Zaccheaus had the reputation among draftniks as Tavon Austin with a case of the drops. When studying Zaccheaus for the 2019 Rookie Scouting Portfolio, his hands weren't a rampant problem with his game. He was one of my underrated receivers in this class because he not only thrilled in open space but he also displayed surprising skill one-on-one as an outside vertical threat in ways that Austin never did—including this summer in Atlanta.
Fast-forward to the second half of the Atlanta-Panthers game this weekend, and here's Zaccheaus filling in for Calvin Ridley who was carted off the field after he collapsed on the sideline with an abdominal injury that will sideline him for the rest of the year.
Olamide Zaccheaus scores from 93–his first NFL grab. Had a good preseason for Atlanta. pic.twitter.com/3C9dS4lftN
— Matt Waldman (@MattWaldman) December 8, 2019
Although Russell Gage and Christian Blake are ahead of Zaccheaus on the depth chart, both are used as inside receivers more often than perimeter deep threats. I believe Zaccheaus will see enough playing time against the 49ers and Jaguars to earn targets on vertical routes, screen passes, and crossing routes that could generate at least one chunk play each week.
When examining the Jaguars and 49ers defensive game logs, there are numerous players with similar roles I expect from Zaccheaus based on his skills—chunk plays on short routes in space and vertical targets—that delivered moderate to strong fantasy outputs.
The Jaguars have given up solid-to-strong PPR production players that include Sammy Watkins, Adam Humphries, A.J. Brown, Emmanuel Sanders, D.J. Moore, Courtland Sutton, Tyler Boyd, Demaryius Thomas, Kenny Stills, Beshad Perriman, Mike Williams, and Keenan Allen.
The 49ers have given up similar production to Chris Godwin, Boyd, John Ross, Diontae Johnson, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Jarvis Landry, Andy Isabella, D.K. Metcalf, and Pharoh Cooper.
Zaccheaus is probably one of those players who earned 3-4 targets, 1-3 catches, and the variation of his yardage and scoring potential is wider than a front desk employee's smile when he or she would like to butcher you but can't afford to get fired today. If you're desperate for big-play potential and playing to win rather than not-to-lose, Zaccheaus is worth your consideration.
Isaiah Ford
A standout receiver at Virginia Tech who ran a slow 40-time and wound up a UDFA earned a roster spot with the Miami Dolphins a few years ago. Ford has impressed annually at training camp as a playmaker at practice but just as observers predicted he was in a position to make a move up the Dolphins' depth chart, he got hurt or the buzz quieted—even when the preseason production continued at a lower but notable level.
As you can see above, Ford feasted on fades against tight coverage during his college career. he has tremendous body control, concentration against tight coverage, and timing to find the ball at the catch point. He also has good vision after the catch.
However, it's questionable whether these skills will ever translate to the NFL because he's quicker-than-fast and he's a skinny player with only competent acceleration. On Sunday against the Jets, Ford led Dolphins receivers so I was excited to see how he earned his production.
It was pretty boring and I almost changed my mind...
I might change my mind, Fitzpatrick is tough to watch this week...
— Matt Waldman (@MattWaldman) December 9, 2019
Good work to dig out this inaccurate throw pic.twitter.com/bQ0XIYATjx
— Matt Waldman (@MattWaldman) December 9, 2019
SlantsRUs pic.twitter.com/PvoMy1DRz1
— Matt Waldman (@MattWaldman) December 9, 2019
Ford earned his yardage on a steady diet of slants. It left me thinking that I shouldn't even broach him as a potential addition. Then, I looked at the Dolphins' remaining schedule that includes the Giants and Bengals in Weeks 15 and 16.
The Giants play a lot of Cover 3 and have had communication issues between the cornerbacks and safeties that led to big plays because the cornerback plays outside leverage on the receiver, expecting help over the top that doesn't arrive. Mike Evans feasted for 8-190-3 due to this issue and didn't have to work hard for most of these targets.
Unless your passing game lacks firepower at the receiver position, most teams had 2-3 receivers earn moderate-to-great production against the Giants. Unfortunately, the Dolphins may qualify as that exception if DeVante Parker doesn't play this week after sustaining a concussion in Week 14.
Still, Ford is worth your consideration. The Giants' coverage is vulnerable to the routes that he's running in the short game. Ryan Fitzpatrick trusts him on these routes. And, if Parker remains out, there's the upside that Fitzpatrick gives Ford a shot on some deeper routes that break inside, the Giants' safeties remain asleep, and Ford earns a chunk play or two.
There's also the potential for Ford to earn some of those red-zone routes in one-on-one situations where he thrived at Virginia Tech. I'm hoping to add Ford on a defending champion dynasty squad that won its first playoff matchup but has a receiving corps that includes T.Y. Hilton, Marvin Jones (IR), Adam Thielen, Preston Williams (IR), Paul Richardson Jr, Miles Boykin, and Deon Cain.
Feel my pain? If you can relate, Ford offers a stabler floor of PPR points than Zaccheaus but his matchups with the Giants and Bengals could generate some big plays we haven't seen from him during his brief tenure as an offensive contributor. And yes, Ford was on the field and earning targets before Parker got hurt.
Justin Watson and Breshad Perriman
With Mike Evans done for the year, Perriman and Watson will earn more playing time. Both earned starter production last week against the Colts. Perriman, as most of you know, is a speedster with good ball tracking but inconsistent hands. His route running is not great in the middle of the field but it has improved from awful to occasionally bearable.
Watson is a former star at Penn, a school where the only other notable alum with some football-related acumen is my bud Jason Wood. Watson is quick, fast enough to earn separation deep, and runs good routes. His hands have been iffier during his first three years in the NFL than they were at Penn but he did have some focus drops with the Quakers.
Perriman offers big-play upside but a low floor. Watson earned 8 targets for 5 receptions, 59 yards, and a score. With the Lions and Texans on the Buccaneers' schedule, Watson looks like a solid play with a better floor than Ford and Zaccheaus but not the embedded upside.
I'd rather have Zaccheaus if choosing between him and Perriman because I trust Matt Ryan more despite the more difficult matchups. Then again, I'm no Alicia Waldman when it comes to scratch-offs.
Kerrith Whyte
I wrote about Whyte and shared highlights of his game in this week's Top 10. Jaylen Samuels suffered a groin injury during the Cardinals game so it's possible we see Whyte earn some of those change-of-pace touches even if James Conner returns to the lineup this weekend. Whyte's ability is better than his matchup with the Bills. However, the Bills give up decent yardage on screen passes and while Conner would be the Steeler most likely on the receiving end of these targets if healthy enough to play, Whyte is worth stashing if you have the luxury to wait and see if Conner even plays.
If Conner doesn't play, Whyte will likely earn these targets in a committee role with Benny Snell.
Boston Scott
One of my favorite running backs of the 2018 NFL Draft class, Scott was my player most likely to make coaches, players, beat writers, and fans yell, "Who is THAT?" during training camp. You can go to NFL.com to watch a compilation of his work on Monday night against the hapless Giants when he essentially took over for a struggling Miles Sanders.
If you want to read a dead-on scouting report on Scott, here's a sample from my 2018 Rookie Scouting Portfolio publication that also includes video highlights of him as a collegiate player, doing many of the same things he did against the Giants.
Think of Scott as a slower Darren Sproles, a player with surprising power for his size, excellent movement, burst, sudden lateral movement, and physicality as a blocker. The Eagles like to use backs in a committee dynamic and Scott has been performing well enough over the course of several weeks that his sudden uptick in targets isn't as "out of nowhere" as it may seem if you've been examining the box scores or watching the games.
Because Philadelphia is out of contention, there's a likelihood that the Eagles shut down Jordan Howard for the year and give Sanders and Scott enough playing time for them to gain experience. Washington and Dallas are the next two opponents and both teams are generous to running backs on the ground and through the air—and often generous to committees to the point that you stand a good chance of earning at least a solid floor of fantasy points with Scott if Howard doesn't return to the starting lineup.
Hopefully, this is enough intel to aid those of you, who like me, have playoff teams that entered the postseason with decimated portions of their depth chart or depleted free agent budgets that will force you to shop the bargain bin.
May your plastic baggies remain full for the next two weeks.
