Fantasy Football: 10 Waiver-Wire Players to Target Early in the Season

Jerick McKinnon, RB, Minnesota Vikings

Don't worry. They won't all be as obvious as Jerick McKinnon. It's just that McKinnon is owned in 37.3% of ESPN leagues, and that's pretty low considering his opportunity as a third-down back for a team that could be playing from behind a bit without franchise quarterback Teddy Bridgewater.

The drop off from Bridgewater to Shaun Hill isn't exactly the end of the world for the Minnesota Vikings, but it could be enough to ensure that McKinnon -- and not Adrian Peterson -- is on the field late in games.

The other part of all of this is that McKinnon is really good. His Rushing Net Expected Points (NEP) per carry last year of 0.17 (on 52 carries) ranked third among 72 backs with at least 50 carries. His career rate of 0.05 on 165 carries gives that even more weight, considering the league average was -0.04 in 2015.

By comparison, Peterson's 0.01 fell short of McKinnon's low-volume mark, but their Rushing Success Rates (the percentage of carries that led to positive expected points for their offense) were nearly identical and slightly above the league average last season.

McKinnon has a decent floor given his role, and he's one of the few pass-catching backups who can handle three-down duties if the starter were to get hurt. Don't overlook McKinnon if he's on your waiver wire or in your drafts, where he costs you just a 13th-round pick in points per reception (PPR) formats.