Every week I'll examine the most common NFL players on the teams eliminated in Yahoo Death Leagues, trying to figure out where the puck is headed. I will also offer some FAB advice ($1,000 cap is the Yahoo default), but please remember this area is highly context-sensitive and manager-specific.
Waiver strategy in Death Leagues
If you're new to this format, it's critical to understand that waiver strategy is significantly different in the world of Death Leagues.
You can often win a traditional fantasy league with modest help from the waiver wire, maybe a timely pickup or two. Sure, it's great if you crush the market and land the right guys — the best managers will always aim to be smart on the wire — but if your drafted team stays healthy and runs pure, some years that might be enough.
Immediate needs vs. playing the long game
In Death Leagues, the eventual winning manager will have assembled a MONSTER team at the end of the year, a juggernaut, a Pro Bowl-type of roster. And the way you build that beast is usually by having resources all season — not by using the majority of your FAB on a tantalizing early star. It's pivotal that you understand that the waiver wire should get stronger and stronger every week in Death leagues, because the eliminated manager is coming from a smaller and smaller league size every week.
Unless you have a draft touched by the fantasy angels, you are unlikely to win a Death League without a successful and careful waiver-wire strategy.
My Death League strategy is centered on the concept that I like my squad early in the year and I am confident I can beat at least one team per week while the field of opponents is large. Therefore, while I will dip my toes into the FAB market early, my primary goal is to keep major reserves in play for later in the year, when bye weeks hit and injuries are more prevalent — and the pool of opponents is smaller (so advancing is harder, in theory). Again, I urge you to remember: the waiver wire in Death Leagues gets stronger as the year gets deeper, a key reason to be judicious with your resources.
Not everyone will share my strategy, of course. If you want to chase major improvements and use the bulk of your FAB to load up quickly, then shoot your shot. Play the strategy you're comfortable with. Just understand that my recommendations are predicated on being careful early, and if you prefer something more aggressive, you'll have to jump the numbers up. You know your room better than an outsider does.
Keep in mind the bye weeks are here — the Commanders, Chargers, Bills and Jaguars don't play in Week 7. When in doubt, we will prefer players with later bye weeks — if you survive deep in this format, your roster will be loaded in the money weeks (making byes less painful). October absences can be more difficult to negotiate.
Understanding FAB recommendations
I will offer weekly FAB recommendations in three buckets:
Proactive: This means you highly covet this player, perhaps might even need this player. I realize these offers might not win if someone in your league is lighting money on fire, but as described above, that's often a short-sighted mistake in this format.
Reactive: This means you desire the player but the offer has to make sense for your short- or long-term strategy.
Keep Them Honest: This is an offer that is not designed to win, but might surprisingly land a player if your opponents are distracted by other talent available or unexpectedly passive that week. I often compare notes with other experienced Death League players and we're surprised at how often the Keep Them Honest offers actually win (this is also a portable strategy for regular season-long leagues; you never know when strange market behavior will come about).
One last note: Understand that the FAB recommendations are with the assumption that you won't be making offers for every available player.
Join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Basketball league for the 2026-27 NBA season
1. RB Derrick Henry, Ravens (18%)
Henry had his first game without a touchdown this season and managed just 3.4 YPC against a sturdy Cleveland defensive front. The veteran retains a strong workload and the Ravens will eventually get Lamar Jackson back, but maybe Henry is finally showing signs of gentle decline. Still, bellcows are rare, so pay up.
FAB Recommendation:
$260 proactive
$160 reactive
$85 them honest
2. RB Cam Skattebo, Giants (17%)
Skattebo saw just six snaps and didn't touch the ball in the loss to New Orleans. Worse yet, the Giants used three other backs, and Tyrone Tracy Jr. actually scored two touchdowns. Najee Harris was cut Tuesday, so at least the committee is trimmed to three. But Skattebo is in the doghouse until further notice.
FAB Recommendation:
$55 proactive
$20 reactive
$5 them honest
3. RB MarShawn Lloyd, Packers (16%)
The Green Bay rushing game is dead last by any reasonable measure, in part because of a terrible offensive line. But Lloyd and the backs share much of the blame. Josh Jacobs is now off the exempt list and can practice Wednesday, so Lloyd is a fantasy drop in almost all formats.
FAB Recommendation:
No Bid
4. WR Amon-Ra St. Brown, Lions (15%)
Ah, those pesky bye weeks. The Sun God didn't score a touchdown in his last two games, but he's seen 11 or more targets in all but one start and Detroit has that lovely carnival setup (fun offense, bad defense). Get out the checkbook.
FAB Recommendation:
$275 proactive
$175 reactive
$90 them honest
5. RB Rhamondre Stevenson, Patriots (15%)
Early in the week, the spot looked perfect. But TreVeyon Henderson's ankle injury wasn't as bad as thought, and Corey Kiner stepped up late on Sunday. Stevenson remains a solid player, but he has the lowest YPC of this trio. Things are muddy moving forward.
FAB Recommendation:
$85 proactive
$35 reactive
$8-10 them honest
6. TE Tyler Warren, Colts (14%)
He was a game-time decision for Week 6 but ultimately scratched due to a groin injury. The Vikings are a nasty Week 7 draw, and QB Daniel Jones has not played well all year. But a healthy Warren can still move the needle.
FAB Recommendation:
$100 proactive
$55 reactive
$5-10 them honest
7. TE Sam LaPorta, Lions (13%)
Can't knock a guy for a bye week — he doesn't set the schedule. LaPorta is a good player off to a decent start, but he's the third option at best on this offense, and occasionally the fourth. Just be reasonable about what his true ceiling is.
FAB Recommendation:
$85 proactive
$40 reactive
$3-6 them honest
8. TE Harold Fannin Jr., Browns (13%)
It wasn't a fun week for tight ends, and we haven't even mentioned Juwan Johnson (zero catches). Fannin is a strong talent who has two obvious problems — Cleveland's QB room is especially weak, but the WR room is young and talented. Variance is to be expected.
FAB Recommendation:
$60 proactive
$25 reactive
$2-4 them honest
9. WR Denzel Boston, Browns (13%)
It's reasonable to blame most of it on Deshaun Watson, but it's not like Watson is going anywhere. Boston is still a rookie to watch, but his target count toggles between four and seven every week — they're not forcing the ball to him. Once again, it's a story of Cleveland having a lot of pass-catching talent, but no real answer at quarterback.
FAB Recommendation:
$40 proactive
$15 reactive
$1-3 them honest
10. WR Garrett Wilson, Jets (13%)
When a 4-44-0 log is your bad game, you must be a pretty decent player. Wilson's upside will forever be capped so long as the Jets don't have a plus quarterback, and Omar Cooper Jr. stole some looks last week. But Wilson is a set-and-forget WR2 in standard leagues, and still a respectable play in Death Leagues, even as the roster strength keeps rising weekly.
FAB Recommendation:
$150 proactive
$75 reactive
$30 them honest