As fantasy football seasons reach the home stretch and playoffs loom, is Cody Latimer a sneaky great waiver wire add in week 12? We think so…
It’s a bit of an overreaction…or is it?
That’ll ultimately be for you to decide, but Denver Broncos wide receiver Cody Latimer is (once again) an interesting fantasy football waiver wire add with the insertion of Brock Osweiler into the starting lineup. With Osweiler on the field, as well as an injury to Emmanuel Sanders, Latimer’s snaps have seen a significant increase and so have his targets in the passing game.
He has had relatively modest success, but it’s clear to see the confidence Brock Osweiler has in him from their days working the scout team at practice, and it’s showing up in games. In PPR formats, Latimer had six points two weeks ago in mop-up duty against the Chiefs, and followed that up with a 10-point performance this past weekend against the Chicago Bears.
Confidence overflowing, Latimer will likely again be given a good number of snaps this weekend against the New England Patriots, though Brock Osweiler will likely also continue to spread the ball around quite a bit.
New England’s defense has been really good this year, so we’re not suggesting (unless in case of emergency) that you up and start Latimer this week. But go ahead and pick him up, and feel good about it. Latimer has great chemistry with Osweiler. He’s clearly a superior athlete who has all the talent in the world, and he’s finally starting to get some legitimate looks, including late in the game against Chicago where he caught the first touchdown of his NFL career.
Latimer struggled to adapt quickly enough to the offense as a rookie in 2014 and even up to this point this season but I have a sneaking suspicion that had a lot more to do with the confidence Peyton Manning had in him than the coaching staff did.
Even as recently as the Chiefs game, Manning was seen scolding Latimer for not running the correct route on what was likely an option for the receiver based on the coverage.
I have been clamoring all along for the Broncos to find ways to get Latimer involved in the offense in any way shape or form, and it seems they have. You are trying to tell me an athlete of his caliber can’t catch a screen pass, run a drag route, catch a jump ball in the red zone, or make people miss on a reverse play?
The Broncos have given him a few opportunities to do just those things, and now it’s paying off in the form of results on the field. Latimer is a sneaky great fantasy pickup this week for the home stretch of your season, especially in deep leagues.