The fantasy football playoffs are just about over. Many of you know the outcome of your matchups. The rest of you may be waiting on a mammoth Monday night contest to decide your champion. And some of you may be playing for something in Week 18.
Whether it’s a fun, bonus week, a punishment bowl, or a championship, there are always moves to be made. How much of a priority is Treylon Burks for fantasy managers to add off the waiver wire ahead of Week 18?
Treylon Burks Looked Very Good With Joshua Dobbs at QB
I’ve seen enough from Burks to know that he is talented. Unfortunately, talent isn’t enough to be a productive fantasy asset. You need the right situation. Having passes thrown to you from Malik Willis is the exact opposite of that.
In Week 16, Burks played a season-high 82% of the snaps. Yet, he didn’t catch any of his two targets against the Texans. We could blame Burks, but that would be unfair. The real problem is Willis just isn’t an NFL-caliber passer.
Fortunately, the Titans have a pretty savvy head coach in Mike Vrabel. Despite Willis being the guy they drafted as maybe the Ryan Tannehill replacement, he saw what we all saw — Willis can’t play. So, the Titans signed Dobbs and gave him a showcase on Thursday night in a glorified preseason game.
No one expected Dobbs to lead the Titans to victory. Probably not even the Tennessee coaches. But they hoped to see enough to know Dobbs was a superior option to Willis. I think he was and that Vrabel would agree.
With Dobbs, Burks caught four of eight targets for 66 yards and added a 20-yard rush as well. Additionally, Burks sailed past his receiving-yards projection on Underdog Fantasy.
The Titans ran almost exclusively 11-personnel. The difference in snaps and routes run between Robert Woods, Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, and Burks, was minimal. But targets were not close — there was a clear top two.
Dobbs targeted Woods nine times, Burks eight, and Westbrook-Ikhine just three. With Burks being the youngest and most talented of the group, he’s the one you want to take a look at.
How Aggressively Should Fantasy Managers Pursue Burks Off the Waiver Wire?
It’s exceedingly difficult to navigate Week 18. Ideally, you want good players in games that matter. Unfortunately, most of the games in Week 18 do not matter. They are either between two teams that are both eliminated, two teams playing for nothing, or a combination of the two.
However, the Titans play the Jaguars in a de facto playoff game to determine who wins the AFC South. We know with absolute certainty that these two teams will be trying.
As rare as it is to find this exact situation, it’s even more rare to find a talented player off the waiver wire who can help you. Burks is that guy and is the clear top add at wide receiver.
MORE: WR Fantasy Football Rankings Week 18
It also doesn’t hurt that the Jaguars are a relatively favorable matchup. They entered Week 17 as a below-average defense in terms of fantasy points per game allowed.
Fantasy managers in need of a wide receiver either for their own lineup — or to block their opponent — should spend whatever FAAB they have left on Burks. If your league still uses the continual rolling list waiver system, put in every claim you have this week by Tuesday night and let it go through waivers. No need to save that priority anymore.