When the New York Giants signed Jamison Crowder to their preseason roster, I was very optimistic that his veteran guile would give him a leg up on the seemingly endless stream of young slot wide receivers the G-Men were putting in on the field.
Unfortunately, that did not work out, but the Washington Commanders wasted no time and swooped in to snag their former player and quickly promoted him to the active roster. Is Crowder a worthwhile add off of fantasy football waiver wires?
Should Jamison Crowder Be a Fantasy Waiver Wire Add in Week 10
Let me tell you a story. It was 2015, and I had a considerable fantasy problem with injuries among my wide receivers. And my savior was a rookie I had never heard of. I grabbed Crowder off the waiver wire for the Kirk Cousins-led Washington attack. So, keep in mind I do have a soft spot for the man.
The Commanders have opened their offense lately, with Sam Howell slinging at a rate that is good for a top-10 passing offense this season. This means greater opportunities for Terry McLaurin, Jahan Dotson, and Curtis Samuel, right?
Well, Samuel is hurt, and we don’t know for how long. In Samuel’s absence, Crowder has averaged 5.5 catches for 59 yards and half a touchdown in the last two games.
The Commanders have a plus matchup this week for their wide receivers against the Seahawks. They have a very up-and-down fantasy playoff schedule, with the Rams as the 10th-best team against fantasy wide receivers, followed by the most challenging matchup in the league in the Jets.
If you can guide your team to the fantasy championship game, though, the Commanders will face off against a bottom-five team in the 49ers.
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We were skeptical after Crowder’s unexpected seven catches for 95 yards and a touchdown in Week 8 and only ranked him as the No. 70 WR going into last week. Crowder showed that this ranking was appropriate with a four-catch, 23-yard performance against the Patriots.
I believe that Crowder’s 13.6% target share over the last two weeks is his peak for the season, as I see Samuel getting healthy and the uber-talented McLaurin and Dotson establishing themselves even further. Crowder’s brief resurgence this season is a great story but not one I would use a valuable roster spot on this close to fantasy playoffs.
I would not recommend picking up Crowder off the waiver wire this week. I would need to see more explosiveness and consistency. I would rather use my waiver claims for high-upside stashes like Tank Dell, Demario Douglas, Quentin Johnston, Kahlil Shakir, or even the aforementioned Samuel.
Please don’t forget to handcuff your stud running backs’ potential replacements. I also recommend rostering a second quality quarterback, so you are not starting the likes of Joshua Dobbs, Brett Rypien, Mitch Trubisky, or Tyson Bagent in the fantasy playoffs if your stud starter goes down.
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