Waiver Wire Week 11

Welcome to another week of Waiver Wire Work. Solid pickups from the wire during the season can make a huge difference to a fantasy football team, and turn a pretender into a contender overnight. With that in mind, here are some of the top candidates to check out on the waiver wire this week.

WR Pickups (Immediate)

Reggie Brown (Phi) – Brown had a very average game on Monday night against the Cowboys but was still the most targeted Eagles WR. He looks to be a big factor in the Eagles’ plans for the remainder of the season.

Greg Lewis (Phi) – Lewis didn’t do much this week, either, and received fewer looks than Brown.The jury is still out on who will most benefit from the loss of Terrell Owens.

Bobby Engram(Sea) – Engram turned in a very solid effort against the Rams this weekend and looks as if he’s back to the level he was playing at prior to injury. He has a very nice schedule for the remainder of the year, so don’t be bashful about picking him up.

Antonio Chatman (GB) – Chatman had a down week in what was probably his last appearance as a starter for the Packers. Chatman, however, won’t lose all value, as he will continue to play the slot position for the team once Robert Ferguson is back.

Robert Ferguson (GB) – There is a good chance that Ferguson could be ready for the Monday night tilt with Minnesota this week. If he is, he makes for a pretty strong play the rest of the way as he was performing well and clicking with Brett Favre prior to his injury.

Amani Toomer (NYG) – Toomer was Eli Manning’s top target this past weekend, in part because opponents are now consistently double-teaming Plaxico Burress. If this trend continues, Toomer may gain more steam as the year continues.

LeRon McCoy (Ari) – Bryant Johnson injured his shoulder very late last week and wasn’t able to play on Sunday. McCoy responded with a strong game for the Cardinals. Johnson and Anquan Boldin are both questionable for the coming weekend, so keep an eye on McCoy, who could do well again for the Cardinals.

Ernest Wilford (Jax) – Wilford was injured this weekend, although it doesn’t look like it’s enough to keep him down for long. He’s been so hot lately that he should still be considered a top pickup.

Lee Evans (Buf) – Evans had two touchdowns against Kansas City, both coming with JP Losman back as the starting QB. It was at about this time last year that Evans came on and scored the majority of his TDs. He certainly is worth a roster spot in hopes that this game signified the start of another run.

WR Pickups (Worth a Look)

Matt Jones (Jax) – Jones had a huge game for the Jaguars this past weekend, going for 100 yards and a TD on a couple of long, nice grabs. If Wilford’s injury continues to hamper him, don’t be surprised to see Jones get more work.

Keary Colbert (Car) – Colbert caught a TD this weekend, but that was pretty much it for the second-year WR.

Brian Finneran (Atl) – Finneran turned in another decent effort this Sunday for the Falcons. Michael Vick’s passing ups and downs make Finneran a tough choice to pick up and rely upon right now.

Braylon Edwards (Cle) – Edwards has moved himself into a starting lineup rotation for the Browns. Look for more and better things to come for Edwards as the season wears on and he gets more playing time.

Brandon Jones (Ten) – Jones was playing well for the Titans prior to his injury. He should continue to start once he is healthy and should continue to produce in this offense.

Courtney Roby (Ten) – Roby, much like his teammate Jones, has been productive for the Titans this year. Even when Drew Bennett comes back into the starting lineup, expect Roby to get solid playing time.

RB Pickups (Immediate)

Samkon Gado (GB) – Tony Fisher was out once again this week, and Gado responded with a fantastic game for the Packers in a win over the Falcons, scoring three TDs and rushing for over 100 yards. He has looked the best out of all of the Packers’ RBs this year and seems poised to hold onto the position even when Fisher is healthy.

Marion Barber III (Dal) – Julius Jones was back and healthy, but Barber was still the main ball-carrier for the Cowboys. It will be interesting to see how this situation plays out for the remainder of the year, but Coach Parcells seems intent on getting the ball into the hands of more than one of his RBs, and Barber should continue to have nice value.

Adrian Peterson (Chi) – Peterson came into the game this past weekend when Cedric Benson injured his knee and responded with 100 yards and a TD. Thomas Jones may be back this weekend, but that’s not a certainty yet, and Benson is lost for between three and six weeks with his knee injury. Peterson would be the starter for the Bears if Jones can’t go and will serve as his backup even if he can.

Jonathon Wells (Hou) – Wells had another solid game for the Texans in place of Dom Davis. If Davis isn’t able to go, Wells makes for a solid play.

Greg Jones (Jax) – Jones put up another stellar game for the Jaguars in the absence of Fred Taylor. There’s no word yet on when Taylor will be back, and with Jones playing as well as he is, there seems to be no need for the team to hurry him back, either.

Heath Evans (NE) – After Corey Dillon left Sunday’s game with an injury, it was Evans who turned in a very nice rushing performance. Simply put, there just aren’t any more healthy bodies to run the ball for the Patriots right now. If Dillon is out for any time, expect Evans to see the action at RB.

JJ Arrington (Ari) – Right now, Arrington is the only sign of life coming from the Cardinals running game. If the season continues to slip away from the Cardinals, one would expect coach Green to give Arrington more looks to find out exactly what type of back he truly has.

Dominic Rhodes (Ind) – This one is out on a limb a bit, but hear me out. The Colts are off to a dominating start to the season so far this year, reminiscent of the Philadelphia Eagles’ run last season. One would think that Tony Dungy and company may opt to rest some of their stars near the end of the season if the Colts keep cruising along at their current pace. If that ends up being the case, Rhodes may be one of the key recipients of additional playing time.

QB Pickups (Immediate)

Brad Johnson (Min) – Johnson and the Vikings offense as a whole looked pathetic against the Giants, but he did lead his team to the game-winning score when everything was said and done. Johnson’s matchups won’t be as tough as last week’s for the rest of the season. He makes a nice addition to any squad needing a QB.

Gus Frerotte (Mia) – For much of the game, Frerotte looked pretty good against the Patriots. He may be coming back around to his early season form. At the least, he provides nice depth as a backup.

Kurt Warner (Ari) – Warner once again threw for over 300 yards and a TD. He’s not pretty to watch, but by game’s end, he always seems to be sitting on a high yardage total.

Chris Simms (TB) – Simms had his best game of the season this past weekend. It looked as if all of the pieces finally came together for him. He may prove to be a decent play in spot starts the rest of the way.

Kicker Pickups (Immediate)

Joe Nedney (SF) – Anyone who can make a field goal in the conditions that he was kicking in this past weekend deserves to be picked up. The offense in San Francisco has been at least decent enough to get into field goal range recently, and Nedney has been cashing in.

David Akers (Phi) – Akers made a couple of FGs this past weekend as well as two extra points. With TO gone, the offense may bog down a bit more now.

TE Pickups (Immediate)

Heath Miller (Pit) – He should start contributing more once Big Ben is back, which could be as soon as this week.

Erron Kinney (Ten) – Tennessee’s WR corps is still hurting, so expect more solid action for Kinney.

Defensive Pickups (Immediate)

Denver – The Broncos are coming off of a very solid effort against the Raiders. They also have a very attractive matchup with the listless Jets coming to town this week.

NY Giants – One of the top fantasy defenses currently going, the Giants get a chance to play a banged up Philadelphia team this weekend.

Seattle – A solid defense that has flown under the radar to date this year, the Seahawks are a very nice play down the stretch with two games against the 49ers left, as well as a matchup with the Cardinals.

 
Scott Houlding, known to forum regulars as MadScott, made it through another week in the Cafe’s Sweet Sixteen contest thanks to wins by Indianapolis and Chicago.

Questions or comments for Scott? Post your thoughts in the Cafe’s forums!