I’ll be digging through the trash for your next waiver stash. Like last week, these 3 guys are barely owned. They might not be huge contributors to your squad right now, but could possibly be useful down the road. Here goes:

1. Hakeem Valles, TE, Detroit Lions

(1.1% owned in FFPC leagues)

Vs Green Bay, BYE, @ Miami

Valles is a name you probably haven’t heard. Hakeem is a mammoth at 6’5” 258lbs. He played his college ball at Monmouth University. Formerly a wide receiver at Monmouth, he made the transition to tight end late in his college career and began to produce. This caught the attention of Bruce Arians during his tenure in Arizona and when Valles went undrafted, he was added to the Cardinals practice squad. He was then promoted due to injury and was placed on the active roster to play special teams. After 11 games being on the active roster in Arizona and not catching a pass (he did have 4 tackles though), he was cut before the 2017 started. Four days later he was scooped up by the Detroit Lions.

The Lions added Valles to their practice squad and they have been working with him to practice his craft. This past preseason it looked like Valles had been putting it all together. He posted 8 catches on 14 targets (one drop in the end zone), 84 yards and also showed that he had strong pass and run blocking ability. These numbers impressed the Lions coaching staff and they promoted to the active roster as a 4th tight end. The current trio of Lions tight ends (Luke Willson, Michael Roberts and Levine Toilolo) have underperformed by only catching a total of 63 yards with 1 score. Valles has seen the field in some passing situations also by having 3 targets, catching 2 for 11 yards.

This past week of practice, it was reported that Valles received some first team reps. Take notice Dynasty owners.

2. Jeffrey Wilson, Jr., RB, San Francisco 49ers

(0.4% owned in FFPC leagues)

Vs Arizona, @ Green Bay, Vs Los Angeles Rams

This is one of my favorite prospects from 2018. Jeff Wilson was an undrafted running back from North Texas. In his senior year at North Texas, he dominated Conference USA by rushing for 1,215 yards with 16 touchdowns. Wilson also can catch the ball, as he had 70 receptions in his career at North Texas (which is a plus for a running back playing for Kyle Shanahan). So why was the guy undrafted? Well, Wilson did have a few fumbles in his college career that definitely hurt his draft stock.

When injuries hit the 49ers running backs in the preseason, the coaching staff had no choice but to give Wilson more playing time, and he did impress. In week 2 of the preseason against Houston, he had a nice 6 yard run where he showed good vision and burst (perfect for the zone-blocking scheme Shanahan currently runs in San Francisco). Against Indianapolis in week 3 of the preseason, Wilson displayed patience and waited for his blockers before making a cut to a 7 yard gain. Then, in the preseason finale against San Diego, Wilson didn’t look as good, but did plow through the middle for a 2 yard touchdown showing off his physical side.

Wilson totaled 19 carries for 61 yards and a touchdown and 2 catches for 17 yards in 3 preseason performances. This led the 49ers to sign him to their practice squad where he currently awaits. Currently with Matt Breida ailing with multiple injuries already, an aging Alfred Morris and Raheem Mostert (special teams) ahead of him on the depth chart, we may see Wilson in action this year. All it takes is opportunity.

3. David Moore, WR, Seattle Seahawks

(0.4% owned in FFPC leagues)

Vs Los Angeles Rams, @ Oakland, BYE

David Moore is a former 7th round draft pick in 2017 out of the small school East Central University. He is the all time leader at East Central in receiving yards (2,776) and touchdowns (35). After being a practice squad player and only dressing for 1 game in his rookie season in 2017, Moore made a splash in his 2nd training camp. Rave reviews from coaches and beat writers about Moore’s speed, quickness, and his skill on contested catches. All of these traits were put on display in the preseason. Most notably the catch Moore made against San Diego. With 2 defensive backs draped all over him, Moore made an unbelievable play and caught the ball in traffic for a 52 yard gain. It’s really something to see.

If you haven’t seen it already, you should look for it on YouTube. He also made a great contested catch and run vs Minnesota in the preseason and after the catch, he made a nice spin move to get away from the defender to sprint into the end zone for a 36 yard score. Pro Football Focus had David Moore rated the #19 WR out of 182 in the preseason (minimum of 5 targets). That’s not too shabby for a guy from a small school. His final totals in the preseason were 6 catches for 147 yards and a touchdown. He also returned 3 punts vs Minnesota for 24 yards (8 ypr).

This season so far, Moore has been active, he just hasn’t caught a pass. He currently sits 3rd string LWR behind Brandon Marshall and Doug Baldwin on the Seahawks depth chart. Will Russell Wilson throw a pass to Moore this year? I don’t know, but it looks like 0.4% of FFPC owners are waiting to find out.