Every Wednesday morning, the FAAB results from the Stopa Law Firm League are processed. This week was particularly busy since the auction took place in mid-July (during the MLB All-Star break) and a lot has changed around the league in the six-plus weeks since.
Here are the results...
Spencer Ware, RB, KC - $100 to Dalton Del Don
Ware will begin the season as the Chiefs' lead back, and his late draft-season ADP has surged from a late-round handcuff and afterthought to a mid-round target with an appeal of playing time that may resemble the opportunity DeAngelo Williams has in Pittsburgh while Le'Veon Bell serves a three-game suspension. All but two teams in the league placed a bid on Ware this week (or Yahoo's Commissioner service is limited to showing a total of 10 bids per player), and three were willing to spend more than half of their allotted budget to get him.
The Chiefs have been vague about the progress of Jamaal Charles in his effort to return from a second ACL tear, and given that he's was deemed to be "behind schedule" in his recovery as of August 30th, it's fair to wonder if he's in position to miss regular season action beyond Sunday's opener against the Chargers. Ware ripped off 5.6 YPC on 72 totes last season, but showed little in the way of being a capable pass-catcher. Thanks to an elbow injury for Charcandrick West, Ware may be used as a three-down option by head coach Andy Reid to begin the season, but it seems unlikely that he'll be deployed in that manner as West and Charles work their way back into the fold.
Lawyers Guns & Money $64 (Outbid)
El Jugador Mejor $60 (Outbid)
japanese ice $44 (Outbid)
RotoWire_Liss's Team $33 (Outbid)
Peter S's Team $31 (Outbid)
Mexican Love Juice $27 (Outbid)
Team Payneis $22 (Outbid)
#StayTurnt $22 (Outbid)
Secret Treasure Loaf $21 (Outbid)
Christine Michael, RB, SEA - $60 to Funston
Talent has never been the question with Michael, who has been drawing praise from the Seattle coaching staff throughout the summer. With the news late Tuesday that he is currently ahead of Thomas Rawls on the depth chart, the former second-round pick is garnering significant bids where available this week. It's unclear how much the hierarchy in the Seahawks' backfield is currently influenced by Rawls' recovery from major ankle surgery, or if Michael has truly turned the corner, but the distribution of carries in Sunday's opener against Miami will seemingly favor Michael, who opened eyes during the preseason with 157 yards on 24 carries (6.5 YPC). C.J. Prosise will likely be limited to passing down work, leaving 22-25 carries for Michael and Rawls to divide.
Lawyers Guns & Money $57 (Outbid)
RotoWire_Liss's Team $33 (Outbid)
Peter S's Team $21 (Outbid)
Secret Treasure Loaf $21 (Outbid)
japanese ice $11 (Outbid)
#StayTurnt $7 (Outbid)
Team Payneis $6 (Outbid)
Dak Prescott, QB, DAL - $26 to DVR
In a league that allows the use of two quarterbacks each week (Superflex), Prescott's hold on the starting job in Dallas during the absence of Tony Romo made him the best available signalcaller on the waiver wire this week. After he finished the preseason 39-of-50 for 454 yards, five passing TDs, and two rushing TDs, the belief is that the Cowboys may have found their eventual long-term solution to replace Romo. Prescott faces a much-improved Giants defense to begin his career, but he'll provide a Week 1 upgrade over Ryan Tannehill (at Seattle), Jay Cutler (at Houston), and Jimmy Garoppolo (at Arizona).
El Jugador Mejor $25 (Outbid)
Lawyers Guns & Money $22 (Outbid)
japanese ice $22 (Outbid)
Team Payneis $8 (Outbid)
Peter S's Team $7 (Outbid)
James White, RB, NE - $16 to Stopa
White may be ideally suited for a pass-catching specialist role, but if he has showed the Pats' coaching staff enough improvement as a runner between the tackles during the spring and summer, this price could be a steal. LeGarrette Blount should see the goal-line carries, and 10-12 touches per game for the time being. Plus, Dion Lewis will eventually return and potentially bump White to the inactive list, but White can change those plans by serving as a safety valve for Garoppolo though the first four weeks of the season until Tom Brady returns from suspension. The appeal is much greater in full-point PPR setups, but White is shifty in the open field and has enough top-end speed to do damage when he gets into the secondary.
Peter S's Team $13 (Outbid)
Mexican Love Juice $11 (Outbid)
#StayTurnt $6 (Outbid)
Jesse James, TE, PIT - $16 to Stopa
In addition to the Superflex spot, this league requires two starting tight ends each week. Heath Miller was targeted 81 times last season, including 13 looks in the red zone, so the 6-foot-7 James should be considered a fringe top-20 TE from Day 1 in a Steelers offense still looking for consistency behind Antonio Brown.
El Jugador Mejor $15 (Outbid)
Peter S's Team $7 (Outbid)
Lawyers Guns & Money $5 (Outbid)
Virgil Green, TE, DEN - $15 to Funston
Green has never caught more than 12 passes in a season (he's been in Denver since 2011), but he'll open the year as the starter with Jeff Heuerman slowed by a hamstring injury. The Broncos will likely be among the most ground-heavy attacks in 2016, and there may not be enough targets to make Green more than an occasional contributor even in two-TE formats.
Peter S's Team $13 (Outbid)
Lawyers Guns & Money $8 (Outbid)
Team Payneis $5 (Outbid)
Terrance West, RB, BAL - $15 to Liss
The release and re-signing of Justin Forsett only makes things more complicated in the Baltimore backfield. It would hardly be surprising to see Forsett and West split carries in Week 1, with Javorius Allen serving as the third-down back. Depending on the output of the two lead ball carries, it may only take a game or two for one of Forsett or West to emerge in a 12-15 carry per game role.
Lawyers Guns & Money $6 (Outbid)
#StayTurnt $6 (Outbid)
Peter S's Team $3 (Outbid)
Tajae Sharpe, WR, TEN - $13 to Schoenke
Sharpe displayed a developing rapport with Marcus Mariota during the preseason, while his opportunity to start opposite Rishard Matthews to begin the season could lead to immediate PPR appeal. The great unknown with the Titans, however, is how much they will stray from their ground-heavy attack outside of second-half scenarios in which they are trailing. Even if Mariota is limited to 475 attempts (a total that would have ranked in the bottom-five last season), 25 percent of those targets could end up in the direction of Sharpe even if Delanie Walker and Matthews receive slightly larger shares. Tennessee attempted 551 passes in Mariota's rookie campaign, so a sharp drop seems unlikely.
Team Payneis $7 (Outbid)
Lawyers Guns & Money $5 (Outbid)
Trevor Siemian, QB, DEN - $11 to Erickson
As weapons go, Siemian is in a great situation -- Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders produced last season with Peyton Manning carrying a sub 6.0 YPA and Brock Osweiler's first attempt to figure out NFL defense. In terms of run-pass balance, the Broncos may lean more heavily on their backs this season, but Denver may be reluctant to hand the reins over to Paxton Lynch too soon. This breakdown of Siemian at The Ringer is a very good one, and it would hardly be surprising to see Siemian outproduce a half-dozen teams' quarterback output.
#StayTurnt $11 (Lower waiver priority)
Peter S's Team $3 (Outbid)
Chris Hogan - $7 to DVR
Lawyers Guns & Money $7 (Lower waiver priority)
Stopa Law Firm $7 (Lower waiver priority)
Peter S's Team $0 (Outbid)
Will Fuller, WR, HOU - $6 to Behrens
Without a quality pass-catching tight end, there should be enough targets available behind DeAndre Hopkins to make Fuller viable some weeks. At the very least, he's good enough to spec on for a bench spot, but in situations where a third receiver or flex spot has taken a turn for the worse since draft day, Fuller may wind up being a useful streaming option against a mediocre Bears defense in Week 1. Moreover, if the two-time defending champion in this league believes Fuller is an option for 12-team leagues, it's probably time to get on board.
Stopa Law Firm $4 (Outbid)
Lawyers Guns & Money $2 (Outbid)
Tyler Boyd, WR, CIN - $3 to Jeff
The Bengals are going to miss Tyler Eifert (ankle) to begin the season. Much like the depth chart in Houston, the Bengals will need options behind A.J. Green to emerge to handle the other 50-60 percent of Andy Dalton's targets. Boyd will push Brandon LaFell for immediate value, but it makes sense that Fuller fetched a top-bid that doubled Boyd's winning number.
Peter S's Team $0 (Outbid)
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