Waiver Wire Week 13

Welcome to another week of Waiver Wire Work. The number of games left in the season is rapidly dwindling, and the playoffs are fast approaching. A few key late season additions could be the difference between being a pretender or contender for your league championship. With that said, here are some players to keep an eye on.

WR Pickups (Immediate)

Braylon Edwards (Cle) – Edwards had another solid week for the Browns and continues to see more looks each week. He should continue to gain momentum down the stretch.

Bobby Engram (Sea) – Engram was very involved in the passing game this past weekend but didn’t account for many yards. His real value is more in a point per reception format but he may also see a bit of a spike in his numbers now that Darrell Jackson appears ready to return and take some of the coverage away from Engram.

Amani Toomer (NYG) – Ho-hum, another week, another TD for Toomer who has really come on down the stretch. Toomer has really started to take advantage of the coverage that Plaxico Burress is seeing. No reason to think that he should slow down.

Darrell Jackson (Sea) – Jackson could return to the field as soon as this weekend. Your league may have had an impatient Jackson owner who decided to drop him during his injury. He’s definitely worth having on your team as he was off to an excellent start to the year.

Arnaz Battle (SF) – Battle finally appears to have mended from a nagging injury from earlier in the season. It appears that Alex Smith will resume the QB duties for the 49ers so you may want to wait a week before plugging Battle into the lineup for sure.

WR Pickups (Worth a Look)

Roddy White (Atl) – Though not an outstanding game on Thanksgiving, White still had a couple of catches. He seems to be gaining Mike Vick’s trust.

Marcus Robinson (Minn) – 3 catches for 3 TDs for Robinson this past weekend. You don’t get more efficient than that. Robinson isn’t technically even a starter for the Vikings but he does appear to be a big red zone threat and target of Brad Johnson’s.

Koren Robinson (Min) – Robinson did make his first start for the Vikings this past Sunday and was somewhat productive but remains a work in progress to date with the team.

RB Pickups (Immediate)

Heath Evans (NE) – On Sunday, Evans shared the ball-carrying duties for the Patriots with Patrick Pass in Corey Dillon’s absence. Both backs turned in productive days for the team. Dillon’s injury appears to be rather nagging so expect more of the Evans/Pass show in New England until Dillon is healthy.

Patrick Pass (NE) – See Heath Evans. Until Dillon is healthy, Pass should continue to get looks and carries along with Evans.

Marion Barber III (Dal) – Julius Jones appears to be back in the driver’s seat for the starting job in Dallas but Coach Parcells appears to be giving Barber the goal line work for the team. He’s not a bad option right now in TD heavy leagues.

TJ Duckett (Atl) – Duckett turned in a very nice game against the Lions this past Thursday and looks healthy. He should be a critical part of the teams playoff push.

Greg Jones (Jax) – Jones proved once again that he is very capable of performing in place of Fred Taylor for the Jaguars, turning in another solid game. With Byron Leftwich’s injury, expect the running game to be a bigger focal point of the offense for the Jaguars as they push for the playoffs and expect Jones to help shoulder that burden.

Chester Taylor (Bal) – Taylor was held out of this past game with an injury and Jamal Lewis responded with a 100 yard performance. It still appears that the two RBs will share carries once Taylor is back to full speed.

Ron Dayne (Den) – Tatum Bell’s injury left the door open for Dayne to get on the field and grab some carries. He performed very well for the Broncos in spelling Mike Anderson. Coach Shanahan has showed so far this year that he is willing to play the “hot hand” and Dayne not only appears to have the hot hand, but also the fresh legs.

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 threw for three scores this past weekend against Cleveland. He’s a very solid passer that seems to be tuned in well to this offense.

Mike McMahon (Phi) – McMahon showed off his athleticism this past weekend against Green Bay. He is an erratic passer but can get things done with his legs and improvisational skills. He’s a risky grab.

Kurt Warner (Ari) – Simply put, Warner is a yardage machine and is starting to add some TDs in the mix as well. His schedule is fairly decent down the stretch, especially if you are hurting at QB.

David Garrard (Jax) – Byron Leftwich’s injury will sideline him for the remainder of the regular season. Garrard did a nice job in relief this past weekend and has shown in the past, when he’s had adequate time to prepare as the starter, that he is more than a capable backup.

Ryan Fitzpatrick (Stl) – Jamie Martin was injured early on in the game this past weekend and Fitzpatrick stepped right in and managed to throw for over 300 yards in leading his team to a come from behind win. There’s no early word yet on whether or not Martin will be ready for this weekend’s game so the Rams may turn to Fitzpatrick.

Kicker Pickups (Immediate)

Rob Bironas (Tenn) – Bironas was used as a bye week filler but really has stepped up to become an every week type of kicker.

TE Pickups (Immediate)

Zachary Hilton (NO) – Hilton had a very nice performance for the Saints this past weekend. The team was very high on him coming into the season and now you can start to see why.

Ben Troupe (Ten) – The “other TE” in Tennessee. Troupe finally looks healed from injury and is getting put in unique situations ala Tony Gonzalez and Dallas Clark. He could be nice down the stretch.

Ben Watson (NE) – Watson seems to be clicking well now with Tom Brady. He’s near to becoming an every week start.

Defensive Pickups (Immediate)

Denver – The Broncos once again created opportunities for themselves this weekend with constant pressure and good DB play. They are becoming an every week play now.

Tennessee – The team really pummeled the 49ers this past weekend. The task will be tough against Indy this next weekend but after that, they should be solid.

 
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.

 

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