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Every Monday during the season, theScore’s Justin Boone runs down the recommended waiver wire pickups.
Rostered percentages are based on Yahoo leagues. Free Agent Budget (FAB) amounts are set off a $100 salary cap. Only players rostered in less than 60% of leagues are considered.
Quarterbacks
Hannah Foslien / Getty Images Sport / Getty
Kirk Cousins, Vikings
Next Up
Rostered
FAB
vs. JAX
40%
$1
Cousins has quietly emerged as a reliable fantasy starter – averaging the 12th most fantasy points since Week 3. He’s also thrown for two or more touchdowns in six of his last seven games.
Meanwhile, the Jaguars have been the third easiest matchup for opposing quarterbacks and have permitted multiple passing scores in five straight games, as well as eight of their last 10 outings.
Even without Adam Thielen, Cousins put up 307 yards and three touchdowns on the Panthers this week. Whether Thielen plays or not, Cousins is a quality streamer in Week 13.
Philip Rivers, Colts
Next Up
Rostered
FAB
at HOU
33%
$1
Jacoby Brissett‘s newfound presence in goal-line packages is far from ideal for Rivers‘ fantasy value, but he’s regularly finished inside the top-13 quarterbacks since the Colts’ Week 7 bye.
Rivers’ weekly results over the last five weeks: QB5, QB28 (tough matchup with Ravens), QB13, QB10, and he’s the QB11 in Week 12 prior to the Monday nighter.
Though the Texans defense has recently put up better numbers, some of that success is attributed to a softer schedule. Rivers should have no problem spreading the ball around and putting up another solid fantasy performance.
Taysom Hill and Derek Carr are around the 60% rostered mark and would be the top options if they’re still available in your league.
Streamer options: Ryan Fitzpatrick vs. CIN (20% rostered), Mitch Trubisky vs. DET (4% rostered), Baker Mayfield at TEN (35% rostered), Sam Darnold vs. LV (8% rostered)
Injured streamer options (if healthy): Gardner Minshew at MIN (12% rostered)
Running backs
Katelyn Mulcahy / Getty Images Sport / Getty
Cam Akers, Rams
Next Up
Rostered
FAB
at ARI
29%
$24
As much as we need to stay grounded and not overreact to one big run, it was great to see Akers pour in a career-high 84 yards with a touchdown this week.
The bad news is the rookie was third in the backfield in snaps with 17, behind Malcolm Brown (25) and Darrell Henderson (20). This performance could go a long way toward establishing Akers as the hot hand since Henderson has struggled following his midseason injury and Brown is an average talent.
Akers has another opportunity to showcase his abilities against the Cardinals this week before the Rams get two very winnable games against the Patriots and Jets in the first two weeks of the fantasy playoffs.
This may remain a three-headed committee, but you should want Akers on your roster in case the second-rounder continues to emerge down the stretch.
Benny Snell/Anthony McFarland Jr., Steelers
Next Up
Rostered
FAB
vs. WAS
35%/6%
$19/$5
The Steelers are scheduled to take on the Ravens this Wednesday in a Week 12 game that’s been postponed several times already. If that contest is finally played, it’s possible my feelings about these backs could change based on performance or injury.
At the moment, James Conner is on the COVID-19 list after testing positive. As a cancer survivor, you can be sure the 25-year-old and team will be very cautious with his health.
That should set the stage for Snell to get at least two consecutive starts after head coach Mike Tomlin identified him as the lead back while Conner is sidelined.
That means Snell needs to be rostered as a low-end RB2 with upside for more if he can find the juice he displayed in the opener when he rushed for 113 yards on 19 carries.
McFarland can be rostered as a stash until we see how this situation plays out with Conner.
J.K. Dobbins, Myles Gaskin, Zack Moss, Jamaal Williams, Latavius Murray, andJames White are around the 60% rostered mark and should be rostered in almost all leagues.
High-upside backups Alexander Mattison (32% rostered), Boston Scott (28% rostered), Carlos Hyde (38% rostered), and Tony Pollard (19% rostered) should be rostered in most leagues.
Flex options: Frank Gore vs. LV (25% rostered), Ito Smith vs. No (1% rostered), Brian Hill vs. NO (46% rostered), Devontae Booker at NYJ (9% rostered)
Risky flex options: J.D. McKissic at PIT (59% rostered), Joshua Kelley vs. NE (19% rostered), Gus Edwards vs. DAL (54% rostered)
Other backups to roster: Adrian Peterson at CHI (46% rostered), Royce Freeman at KC (6% rostered), Sony Michel at LAC (20% rostered), D’Onta Foreman vs. CLE, Jordan Wilkins at HOU (17% rostered), Kerryon Johnson at CHI (15% rostered), Devine Ozigbo at MIN (1% rostered)
Deeper stashes: Peyton Barber at PIT (1% rostered), DeAndre Washington vs. CIN (1% rostered), Jeremy McNichols vs. CLE (1% rostered), Jeff Wilson Jr. vs. BUF (3% rostered)
Wide receivers
Sean Gardner / Getty Images Sport / Getty
Allen Lazard/Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Packers
Next Up
Rostered
FAB
vs. PHI
39%/25%
$14/$9
Investing in the Packers’ passing attack is a wise decision, so acquiring one of these wideouts off waivers should be an obvious move.
Lazard reached the end zone again Sunday – the third time he’s done that in five games this year.
Valdes-Scantling was shut out in the boxscore this week after suffering a mild Achilles injury in practice, but he’s still taking the field for SNF. In the previous three games, MVS delivered stat lines of 2-53-2, 4-149-1, and 3-55-0.
Don’t overthink this. Scoop these guys up now and consider using them as WR3/flex plays during their favorable upcoming schedule, which features the Eagles, Lions, Panthers, and Titans over the final month.
Breshad Perriman/Denzel Mims, Jets
Next Up
Rostered
FAB
vs. LV
12%/7%
$9/$7
The Jets’ outside receivers remain available in the vast majority of leagues, but that shouldn’t be the case based on their recent play.
Consider their last three stat lines:
Week
Perriman
Mims
9
5-101-2
4-62-0
10
Bye
Bye
11
2-54-1
3-71-0
12
4-79-0
4-67-0
With Sam Darnold healthy and matchups with the Raiders and Seahawks on deck, Perriman and Mims are flex options with significant fantasy upside.
Deebo Samuel, Sterling Shepard,Curtis Samuel,Cole Beasley, Corey Davis, Michael Pittman Jr.,and Jakobi Meyers are around the 60% rostered mark and should be rostered in almost all leagues.
Flex options: Jalen Reagor at GB (29% rostered), TY Hilton at HOU (38% rostered), Sammy Watkins vs. DEN (44% rostered), Gabriel Davis at SF (3% rostered), Tim Patrick at KC (22% rostered), Keke Coutee vs. IND (1% rostered), Keelan Cole at MIN (27% rostered), Laviska Shenault at MIN (18% rostered), Henry Ruggs at NYJ (28% rostered), Nelson Agholor at NYJ (43% rostered), Emmanuel Sanders at ATL (46% rostered)
Risky flex options: Russell Gage vs. NO (8% rostered), Darnell Mooney vs. DET (7% rostered), Josh Reynolds at ARI (9% rostered), KJ Hamler at KC (4% rostered), Damiere Byrd at LAC (5% rostered)
Dart-throw flex options: Michael Gallup at BAL (42% rostered), Rashard Higgins at TEN (11% rostered), Hunter Renfrow at NYJ (17% rostered), Collin Johnson at MIN (0% rostered), David Moore vs. NYG (4% rostered), Olabisi Johnson vs. JAX (0% rostered), Chad Beebe vs. JAX (0% rostered)
Injury stashes: Julian Edelman vs. ARI (26% rostered)
Deep bench stashes: Isaiah Coulter vs. IND (0% rostered), Kenny Stills – free agent (1% rostered), Mohamed Sanu at CHI (1% rostered), Demarcus Robinson vs. DEN (1% rostered), Steven Mitchell Jr. vs. IND (0% rostered)
Tight ends
Bobby Ellis / Getty Images Sport / Getty
Trey Burton, Colts
Next Up
Rostered
FAB
at HOU
19%
$1
Burton isn’t even playing the most snaps among the Colts’ tight ends, and yet he’s still the one we’re targeting.
That’s because the Colts have gone out of their way to get the ball in his hands in scoring position and it’s resulted in touchdowns in back-to-back weeks.
Now Indy has a three-game stretch against the Texans, Raiders, and Texans again. The Colts should find themselves in the red zone often against those defenses, and that means opportunities for Burton to come through as a fantasy streamer.
Jordan Akins, Texans
Next Up
Rostered
FAB
vs. IND
4%
$1
Akins had a quiet Week 12 with no catches on two targets, but the news of Will Fuller‘s six-game suspension means changes are coming for the Texans’ offense.
Akins is only one week removed from catching five passes for 83 yards and displaying the kind of yardage upside most tight ends don’t possess.
Since the receiving corps is limited behind Brandin Cooks, Akins might be the best option to see an expanded role in Fuller’s absence, making a worthwhile stash this week.
Robert Tonyan and Mike Gesicki are around the 60% rostered mark and would be the top options if they’re still available in your league.
Streamer options: Logan Thomas at PIT (41% rostered),Jordan Reed vs. BUF (25% rostered), Dalton Schultz at BAL (22% rostered), Kyle Rudolph vs. JAX (15% rostered)
Injury stashes: Irv Smith Jr. vs. JAX (6% rostered), Zach Ertz at GB (59% rostered)
Risky streamer options: Will Dissly vs. NYG (4% rostered), Jacob Hollister vs. NYG (2% rostered), Tyler Eifert at MIN (6% rostered), Darren Fells vs. IND (3% rostered)
DETROIT (AP) — The Detroit Red Wings made another investment this week in a young standout, signing Moritz Seider to a seven-year contract worth nearly $60 million.
The Red Wings announced the move with the 23-year-old German defenseman on Thursday, three days after keeping 22-year-old forward Lucas Raymond with a $64.6 million, eight-year deal.
Detroit drafted Seider with the No. 6 pick overall eight years ago and he has proven to be a great pick. He has 134 career points, the most by a defenseman drafted in 2019.
He was the NHL’s only player to have at least 200 hits and block 200-plus shots last season, when he scored a career-high nine goals and had 42 points for the second straight year.
Seider won the Calder Trophy as the league’s top rookie in 2022 after he had a career-high 50 points.
Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman is banking on Seider, whose contract will count $8.55 million annually against the cap, and Raymond to turn a rebuilding team into a winner.
Detroit has failed to make the playoffs in eight straight seasons, the longest postseason drought in franchise history.
The Red Wings, who won four Stanley Cups from 1997 to 2008, have been reeling since their run of 25 straight postseasons ended in 2016.
Detroit was 41-32-9 last season and finished with a winning record for the first time since its last playoff appearance.
Yzerman re-signed Patrick Kane last summer and signed some free agents, including Vladimir Tarasenko to a two-year contract worth $9.5 million after he helped the Florida Panthers hoist the Cup.
Veterans Tyson Beukeboom and Karen Paquin will lead Canada at the WXV 1 women’s rugby tournament starting later this month in the Vancouver area.
WXV 1 includes the top three teams from the Women’s Six Nations (England, France and Ireland) and the top three teams from the Pacific Four Series (Canada, New Zealand, and the United States).
Third-ranked Canada faces No. 4 France, No. 7 Ireland and No. 1 England in the elite division of the three-tiered WXV tournament that runs Sept. 29 to Oct. 12 in Vancouver and Langley, B.C. No. 2 New Zealand and the eighth-ranked U.S. make up the six-team WVX 1 field.
“Our preparation time was short but efficient. This will be a strong team,” Canada coach Kevin Rouet said in a statement. “All the players have worked very hard for the last couple of weeks to prepare for WXV and we are excited for these next three matches and for the chance to play on home soil here in Vancouver against the best rugby teams in the world.
“France, Ireland and England will each challenge us in different ways but it’s another opportunity to test ourselves and another step in our journey to the Rugby World Cup next year.”
Beukeboom serves as captain in the injury absence of Sophie de Goede. The 33-year-old from Uxbridge, Ont., earned her Canadian-record 68th international cap in Canada’s first-ever victory over New Zealand in May at the Pacific Four Series.
Twenty three of the 30 Canadian players selected for WXV 1 were part of that Pacific Four Series squad.
Rouet’s roster includes the uncapped Asia Hogan-Rochester, Caroline Crossley and Rori Wood.
Hogan-Rochester and Crossley were part of the Canadian team that won rugby sevens silver at the Paris Olympics, along with WXV teammates Fancy Bermudez, Olivia Apps, Alysha Corrigan and Taylor Perry. Wood is a veteran of five seasons at UBC.
The 37-year-old Paquin, who has 38 caps for Canada including the 2014 Rugby World Cup, returns to the team for the first time since the 2021 World Cup.
Canada opens the tournament Sept. 29 against France at B.C. Place Stadium in Vancouver before facing Ireland on Oct. 5 at Willoughby Stadium at Langley Events Centre, and England on Oct. 12 at B.C. Place.
The second-tier WXV 2 and third-tier WXV 3 are slated to run Sept. 27 to Oct. 12, in South Africa and Dubai, respectively.
WXV 2 features Australia, Italy, Japan, Scotland, South Africa and Wales while WXV 3 is made up of Fiji, Hong Kong, Madagascar, the Netherlands, Samoa and Spain.
The tournament has 2025 World Cup qualification implications, although Canada, New Zealand and France, like host England, had already qualified by reaching the semifinals of the last tournament.
Ireland, South Africa, the U.S., Japan, Fiji and Brazil have also booked their ticket, with the final six berths going to the highest-finishing WXV teams who have not yet qualified through regional tournaments.
Canada’s Women’s Rugby Team WXV 1 Squad
Forwards
Alexandria Ellis, Ottawa, Stade Français Paris (France); Brittany Kassil, Guelph, Ont., Guelph Goats; Caroline Crossley, Victoria, Castaway Wanderers; Courtney Holtkamp, Rimbey, Alta., Red Deer Titans Rugby; DaLeaka Menin, Vulcan, Alta., Exeter Chiefs (England); Emily Tuttosi, Souris, Man., Exeter Chiefs (England); Fabiola Forteza, Quebec City, Stade Bordelais (France); Gabrielle Senft, Regina, Saracens (England); Gillian Boag, Calgary, Gloucester-Hartpury (England); Julia Omokhuale, Calgary, Leicester Tigers (England); Karen Paquin, Quebec City, Club de rugby de Quebec; Laetitia Royer, Loretteville, Que., ASM Romagnat (France); McKinley Hunt, King City, Ont., Saracens (England); Pamphinette Buisa, Gatineau, Que., Ottawa Irish; Rori Wood, Sooke, B.C., College Rifles RFC; Sara Cline, Edmonton, Leprechaun Tigers; Tyson Beukeboom, Uxbridge, Ont., Ealing Trailfinders (England);
Backs
Alexandra Tessier, Sainte-Clotilde-de-Horton, Que., Exeter Chiefs (England); Alysha Corrigan, Charlottetown, P.E.I., CRFC; Asia Hogan-Rochester, Toronto, Toronto Nomads; Claire Gallagher, Caledon, Ont., Leicester Tigers (England); Fancy Bermudez, Edmonton, Saracens (England); Julia Schell, Uxbridge, Ont., Ealing Trailfinders (England); Justine Pelletier, Rivière-du-Loup, Que, Stade Bordelais (France); Mahalia Robinson, Fulford, Que., Town of Mount Royal RFC; Olivia Apps, Lindsay, Ont., Lindsay RFC; Paige Farries, Red Deer, Alta., Saracens (England); Sara Kaljuvee, Ajax, Ont., Westshore RFC; Shoshanah Seumanutafa, White Rock, B.C., Counties Manukau (New Zealand); Taylor Perry, Oakville, Ont., Exeter Chiefs (England).
—
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 18, 2024.
PENTICTON, B.C. – Vancouver Canucks goalie Thatcher Demko says he’s been working his way back from a rare lower-body muscle injury since being sidelined in last season’s playoffs.
The 28-year-old all star says the rehabilitation process has been frustrating, but he has made good progress in recent weeks and is confident he’ll be able to return to playing.
He says he and his medical team have spent the last few months talking to specialists around the world, and have not found a single other hockey player who has dealt with the same injury.
Demko missed several weeks of the last season with a knee ailment and played just one game in Vancouver’s playoff run last spring before going down with the current injury.
He was not on the ice with his teammates as the Canucks started training camp in Penticton, B.C., on Thursday, but skated on his own before the sessions began.
Demko posted a 35-14-2 record with a .918 percentage, a 2.45 goals-against average and five shutouts for Vancouver last season.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.
