San Francisco 49ers wide receiver De'Zhaun Stribling (ankle) is an intriguing player to stash ahead of his projected return from injured reserve in December. Stribling, who has been sidelined since after Week 1, will have WR3/flex potential when he gets back on the field, so it would make sense for fantasy managers to add him before his activation, rather than get involved in the mad waiver wire scramble once he gets activated. Projecting an exact role and volume for Stribling is a bit difficult because he has yet to catch a pass at the NFL level, but his involvement back in Week 1 before he got hurt was encouraging. The 23-year-old won't pass Mike Evans or Deebo Samuel Sr. on the depth chart, but it seemed like he was perfectly capable of coexisting alongside those two receivers in the 49ers' volume-heavy offense. Stribling should be stashed on the IR in 14+ team leagues for now, and managers in 12-team formats should get in on the action relatively soon, too.

Baltimore Ravens running back Justice Hill has emerged as an intriguing handcuff option with some existing low-end standalone value in PPR leagues. Hill has played at least 42% of the snaps in each of his last three games, and he has 10 catches over his last four contests. None of his fantasy outputs have been truly explosive, but he has been relatively steady week over week. In fact, he has managed to rank as the overall RB46 in PPR scoring so far, which gets him closer to RB3/flex consideration. With that being said, regardless of the standalone fantasy value, Hill is an intriguing handcuff. While he is historically more of a pass-catching back, he has also shown that he is capable of handling a medium-sized rushing role, which would be necessary if Derrick Henry were to ever get hurt. A presumptive dual-threat role would immediately vault Hill to fringe top-24 running back territory if this hypothetical scenario were to happen. As a result, he's an intriguing handcuff to stash in 12+ team leagues, especially for managers who already have Henry on their roster.

Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Alec Pierce (heel) should be a priority stash in all fantasy football leagues ahead of the midway mark in the season. Pierce tried to play through injury for the first two weeks of the season before being placed on injured reserve, and he is now eligible to be activated whenever the Colts feel he is ready. Given that this move could happen at any time, Pierce is a strong stash option in redraft leagues. After all, there will be a mad scramble to add him when he's activated, so savvy managers should beat the rush and add him off waivers now. Plus, there's the potential for Pierce to carve out an even bigger role if teammate Josh Downs gets traded, as recent rumors have suggested. A Downs trade would strengthen Pierce's position atop the wide receiver depth chart, putting him in the WR2 range on a more consistent basis. The 26-year-old should be stashed on the bench in most 10+ team leagues ahead of his eventual return and potential increase in volume with Downs in trade rumors.

Buffalo Bills running back Ty Johnson doesn't have much standalone value in fantasy football, but he remains one of the most intriguing handcuffs to roster because of his upside if James Cook III were to ever miss time. Johnson has carved out just a little standalone value this season, catching 12 passes across four games so far. Meanwhile, he has been nearly nonexistent in the rushing attack, which is where Cook and Josh Allen shine. With that being said, if Cook were to ever miss time, Johnson would have a steadier receiving workload while also handling more carries on early downs. Presumably, he and Ray Davis would share early-down work, while Johnson stays on the field almost exclusively for passing plays on later downs. Cook has missed just one game through nearly five years in the NFL, so rostering his handcuff admittedly requires patience and a willingness to be okay with never playing him. However, the upside is too good to pass up. Johnson should be added off waivers in 14+ team leagues going forward, especially by managers who already have Cook on their roster.