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 — gulp — a championship, there are always moves to be made. How much of a priority is Malik Davis for fantasy managers to add off the waiver wire ahead of Week 18?
Malik Davis Could Lead the Cowboys’ Backfield in Touches This Week
The final stages of football season are always the most challenging. It’s hard enough to predict player performance, but this late in the season, we have to deal with uncertain motivation as well.
Last Thursday, the Cowboys played in a game they very much wanted to win. However, their opponent treated it as a glorified exhibition. As a result, the Cowboys opted to rest Tony Pollard, who is dealing with what is believed to be a very minor thigh issue.
Pollard’s absence elevated rookie Malik Davis to the RB2 role. He played 32% of the snaps and touched the ball 12 times. That, alone, has fantasy value. Davis’ usage puts him in RB3 territory.
MORE: Week 18 Fantasy Waiver Wire Targets
While Pollard is expected to be able to return in Week 18, that doesn’t mean he will. The Cowboys find themselves in a very interesting situation heading into the final week of the season. They play the Commanders, who were eliminated from the playoffs following their loss and the Packers’ win.
The Cowboys can still win the NFC East and secure the No. 1 overall seed with a win if the Giants beat the Eagles. However, the Giants have nothing to play for and are likely to rest starters. If the Eagles win, the Cowboys winning also means nothing. We have a lot of moving parts here that could result in teams adjusting their approach on the fly.
The Cowboys are almost certain to open the game with the starters. But if the Eagles go up big on the Giants, the Cowboys may elect to pull their starters. That could give Davis as much as an entire half of this backfield to himself.
How Aggressively Should Fantasy Managers Pursue Davis Off the Waiver Wire?
Given the situation in Week 18, even if the Cowboys don’t rest starters, they may still rest Pollard. They likely don’t need him to beat a Commanders team with nothing to play for. So, Davis is worth pursuing even if he’s just the RB2 to Ezekiel Elliott.
With that said, Davis is one of the top waiver wire targets at running back this week. Unless Alexander Mattison is out there, Davis should be someone you’re looking at if you need an RB2 (or if your opponent might need a running back).
As with any Week 18 pickup, spend whatever FAAB you have left on whoever you’re picking up. 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.