POST WEEK NINE WAIVER WIRE ACQUISITIONS

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There are a lot of options suddenly after week nine to help bolster your fantasy football rosters. Review and get your waiver wire bids and priorities optioned before waivers go through.

Nick Foles
Chip Kelly’s demeanor in post games is right beneath Bill Belicheck in his tone. Sunday though you could tell his body language was saying finally! This is the offense Chip Kelly envisioned for four full quarters. Turnovers were avoided and the defense of the Raiders just couldn’t stop Foles. Can Foles keep this up or will he have a major regressive game? For now he is a must pick up after that performance.

Christian Ponder
Ponder had a couple of poor plays Sunday but he is showing strong signs of growing. He threw the football down the field more than he has since the week one game against Detroit. In turn the offense had a balance which resulted in AP’s first breakout game in quite some time. Don’t look now but Ponder has sudden fantasy value. With his ability to get fantasy points for you with his legs, Ponder is a sneaky waiver wire pickup.

Zac Stacy
I won’t point out the obvious performance from Stacy Sunday. The only notion I’ll give for fantasy owners is that he is possibly available for your league. Owned in just 71% of Yahoo Leagues currently.

Jon Stewart
Stewart’s first action on the field this season went fairly well. He ran the football nine times for forty two yards and also netted over twenty yards receiving. Carolina is going to remain one of the heaviest running teams in the NFL. Stewart may not get 100 yards rushing on a weekly basis but he can be a solid eight to ten fantasy points here and there with net yardage.

Chris Ivory
The Jets success in their five wins is simple. They have to play sound defense and their running game has to be clicking on all cylinders. That formula keeps the pressure off of Geno Smith and the game manageable. Ivory delivered a resounding performance against his former team in the Saints Sunday. Now it’s a matter of if Ivory can propel his success forward or not.

Rashad Jennings
Down goes McFadden. The Raiders need to hire a live DJ that not only pumps music through the stadium but also acts like a boxing referee for the injury woes of McFadden. Jennings stepped in and performed well, albeit, in a blowout home loss to the Eagles. If you heavily depend on McFadden you likely already have Jennings. Other owners just may want to pickup Jennings and see how the situation plays out with McFadden.

Giovanni Bernard
Cincinnati could do no wrong when they involved Bernard in their offense Thursday night. Somehow the Bengals need to get a higher volume of play calls for Bernard. You can see the same pattern with Bernard that the Cardinals had with Andre Ellington, before he exploded in his first heavy action against Atlanta.

Shane Vereen
This is just a friendly reminder that Vereen is expected to return by week eleven. This late in the season is crucial for fantasy football owners heading to the playoffs to seek an advantage. Vereen can be that, as the Patriots should resort back to running the football more once he returns.

Mike James
Tampa Bay is becoming the new fit for plug in running backs to succeed. LeGarrette Blount did it after Cadillac Williams had success. Then came current injured running back Doug Martin, and now it’s Mike James. James nearly became the main reason for a monumental Las Vegas underdog upset Sunday in Seattle. Nevertheless the current 47 percent of James owners in Yahoo leagues are thrilled.

Doug Baldwin
He just keeps cracking the fantasy radar. When things are looking dim for the Seahawks, Baldwin sees the field more. It happened against the Houston Texans and in other situations this year. Even when Percy Harvin hits the field do not expect Baldwin to fade out of Russ Wilson’s favor.

Riley Cooper
Cooper was non existent the first five games of the season. Over the last month he has come along strong. It’s a shocker that he wasn’t more productive earlier in the season with the amount of throws the Eagles do. The difference in time frames was who was at quarterback. Since Foles has been under center Riley has been a solid WR3 or flex option for fantasy owners. Yet he is still available for fantasy owners to pursue on the waiver wire.

Week Nine Automatics/Don’t Do Its

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Who are fantasy football automatics and don’t do its for week nine. Zack has players under the radar to start and ones to also sit out.

Josh McCown
With the Bears coming off a bye week some may have forgot how McCown performed filling in for Jay Cutler against the Redskins. Green Bay has improved defensively but has not faced a stellar offense in quite awhile. Trestman is an offensive guru and will assuredly have some play calls up his sleeve from the extra preparation coming off a bye week.

Thad Lewis
Call it how you want to but Lewis has been a difference maker in all three starts that he has played in. Pulling off a near upset against the Bengals and doing so against Miami. He has a solid accurate arm and the Bills do a good job of calling correct play calls for him. Kansas City’s defense has been a bit vulnerable against the pass lately. Lewis should be able to make the same amount of factor plays that he has been doing the last three games.

Marshawn Lynch
I touched on Lynch in my fourth quarter killers. This is the perfect setup for Lynch to finally get rolling. Tampa Bay has been torched every week. At first it was just poor results from their offense as the defense held ground. But over the last three to four games it has been on both sides of the football. Look for Lynch to get going early and for the Seahawks to have a high tally of rushing yards.

Danny Woodhead
The favorable matchups for the Chargers as a top fantasy football team just don’t stop. Philip Rivers has been great to the first half of the season, and will look to continue to keep the offense motivated against a Redskins defense that gives up a lot of yardage. An unsung fantasy football performer has been Danny Woodhead. He isn’t going to rush for 100 yards, but he will outproduce plenty of fantasy football running backs that do.

Marques Colston
New York’s defense is going to get all it can handle and then some Sunday. Andy Dalton has never been a fantasy football stalwart yet he still torched them. Imagine what Drew Brees and Sean Payton will have in store Sunday? Colston has been the forgotten Saint. His stats haven’t been there and he seems to be dropping by the second in fantasy enthusiasts minds. Wait just a few more weeks on him. He should show some positive signs with this matchup against the Jets.

Others: Joe Flacco, Terrelle Pryor, Le’Veon Bell, Kyle Rudolph and Darren McFadden

Don’t Do Its

Tom Brady
Brady’s poor performance against a Dolphins defense that has been struggling should be a high indicator that the Patriots have issues. He was able to lead the Patriots back to a win, but also got away with a late fumble that was recovered by New England. If that had been scooped up and returned for a touchdown things could have been completely different. Statistically Tom Brady has never fared well against defenses that attack. Pittsburgh gave up some big plays early to Oakland and then settled down. They’ll be ready for Brady.

Nick Foles
Mike Vick tried to return from a hamstring and now Nick Foles tries to return from a concussion. The ebb and flow of the Eagles offense that is vital to Chip Kelly’s success is gone. I don’t see it suddenly surging with Nick Foles return. Foles last time out was a woeful outing against the Cowboys. Teams now know how to prepare for Foles and he has yet to adjust.

DeMarco Murray
Murray has been the hot potato fantasy football player that drives owners nuts. Coming off of an injury I would not trust Murray one bit. Minnesota’s defense showed strong pride last week in their loss to Green Bay. Down and out they held the Packers to a field goal from inside their own five yard line. Look for the Vikings to get after a Cowboys team still probing and searching to what happened last week.

Jason Witten
Dez Bryant was on the sideline being held back by Jason Witten at the end of their devastating loss to the Detroit Lions. Maybe Bryant should have been yelling at Witten. Before he was an automatic top five tight end week in and week out. The offense has not changed from a high volume pass offense, yet Witten’s fantasy production has dropped immensely. I believe the Cowboys as a whole will struggle offensively except for Dez.

Others: Chris Johnson, Alex Smith, Ryan Tannehill, Matt Ryan, Jacquizz Rodgers, and Texans Rb’s

Potential Fourth Quarter Killers For Week Nine

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Strap up your fantasy football seatbelts. It’s the accelerated part of the season. In all likelihood you have a few owners that have waved the white flag. There seasons were over after week four. It’s dwindled down to yourself and a handful of other league mates. Can you make that surge to get bragging rights? Here are some potential fourth quarter fantasy football players for week nine.

Alex Smith
I’ve been a brutal basher of Alex Smith every week. But when a matchup presents itself you have to take it for what it’s worth. The Bills for the most part have stayed strong mentally through constant injuries on both sides of the football. This week though presents a dubious task against the undefeated Chiefs. Mental confidence will take a strong hit by the Bills if Thad Lewis is unable to play. Smith just finds a way to do just enough. This week though he should flourish against an over performing Bills defense that surrenders chunks of yardage.

Marshawn Lynch
Seattle’s offense has been far less productive than teams with Super Bowl aspirations require. In order to get it fired back up the offense needs to get Lynch more involved. During the telecast of Monday Night football, Jon Gruden brought up a good point. Defenses are loading the box and daring the Seahawks to try to beat them with man coverage. Now with Percy Harvin set to return it should give Lynch clearance to run between the tackles better.

Dez Bryant
Dallas is just one of those teams that a win or loss is up in the air when it comes time for the fourth quarter. This is almost a must win scenario for the Cowboys against the Vikings. It’s going to be crucial that they rise to the occasion. Will the let down a week ago ultimately be impactful in a positive way or negative way? One thing that’s for certain is that Tony Romo will get Dez Bryant more involved against a Vikings secondary that loves to give up big plays.

Greg Jennings
Minnesota has been a head scratcher for fantasy football owners this year. AP has had two great runs on the year, while performing mediocre with almost all the rest of his carries. Poor quarterback play has led to the receiver and tight end position to be sapped of possible fantasy football value. Sometimes talent can supersede issues on given weeks. This should be one, as the Cowboys continue to get torched week to week by nearly every team via the passing game. Expect Jennings to finally have a decent game this week and produce in the fourth quarter.

Marques Colston
I’m going to call the reappearance of Marques Colston back to life. It is Halloween week after all. Those ready to bench Colston for good are going to be torn and twisted after Sunday. Drew Brees just hasn’t targeted Colston like he has in years past. Part of that has had to do with Brees’s sharp rise in targets to Jimmy Graham. A player in the Saints offense can only be relegated for so long. I’d expect Colston to make a sharp turn to regain a few notches on his season averages over the course of the next month.

Others: DeAngelo Williams, Terrelle Pryor, Saints Defense, Joe Flacco, Eddie Lacy, and Donald Brown

Best Ratios of Catches to Targets Week Eight

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Ted Ginn Jr
Ginn Jr has had sprinkled results of success during the Panthers recent rise over the last four games. He adds the dimension of speed that is the perfect neutralizer to keep defenses on their heels against a Panthers effective run game. Ginn caught five of six targets week eight.

Calvin Johnson
Johnson ripped apart the Cowboys fans’ hearts with a day for the ages. His stats alone were out of the ordinary. What made his day even more remarkable is that Dallas could not halt Johnson’s catches to targets a tad. He had fourteen catches on sixteen targets.

Dexter McCluster
Five to ten years ago safety valve targets for a quarterback came via tight ends and preferred slot receivers. Nowadays teams have primary check down backs to get in the open field. McCluster has made a niche on the Chiefs roster as an open field threat to go long distances. Sunday he caught seven of ten targets.

Stevie Johnson
The best attribute to Johnson this season has been his maturity. He was starting to live up to the new age diva NFL receivers that were accustomed to showboating. He has toned that down and also kept quiet to the media. Sunday he finished with seven catches on eleven targets.

DeSean Jackson
Throughout the quarterback carousel in Philadelphia, DeSean Jackson has remained a fantasy football haven at wide receiver. Each week he is providing a different element. In years past you just couldn’t depend on Jackson from a consistency standpoint. This past week he bypassed double digits in fantasy points by catching eight of eleven passes.

Cecil Shorts III
Even though the Jaguars haven’t done enough to get a win this year, they’ve been a different ball club offensively with Chad Henne at quarterback over Blaine Gabbert. Part of that had to do with Justin Blackmon’s return from suspension, but mostly it’s the attributes Henne has over Gabbert. Shorts caught seven of ten targets Sunday.

David Nelson
Geno Smith’s weeks at quarterback are as unpredictable as your drunk buddy playing darts. Each game (round) may be different because with sporadic play. Smith clearly does not even have a number one target to throw to which is hurting his development. Any game the Jets are down double figures the Jets chances for a comeback are gone out the window. Nelson was the latest receiver to join Smith’s target list catching eight of twelve throws Sunday.

Others: Reggie Bush 8 catches/9 targets, Jordan Cameron 4 catches/4 targets, Scott Chandler 7 catches/11 targets, Victor Cruz 7 catches/10 targets, Emmanuel Sanders 7 catches/11 targets, Antonio Brown 9 catches/13 targets, Jordan Reed 8 catches/14 targets, Demaryius Thomas 7 catches/11 targets, Wes Welker 6 catches/10 targets, Harry Douglas 12 catches/18 targets, Jarrett Boykin 5 catches/6 targets,

Poor Results: Vincent Jackson 5 catches/13 targets, Terrance Williams 3 catches/10 targets, Mike Wallace 3 catches/10 targets, Justin Blackmon 4 catches/10 targets, AJ Green 3 catches/7 targets

Stretching the Field Post Week Eight

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Marvin Jones
A day such as Jones had Sunday, I haven’t seen in quite awhile. Az Hakim’s old days as a Ram are equivalent performances that come to mind. Jones has learned the role the Bengals have been searching for. He is able to play off of AJ Green on the opposite side while providing a boost to the offense. Jones caught all eight targets his way with a career day in four touchdowns as well.

Golden Tate
Many fantasy analysts had Tate pegged for a big Monday night fantasy performance. The performance did happen but it was based mainly on one big play. That big play netted Tate as a top ten fantasy receiver for the week. With Percy Harvin set to return, it’ll be interesting to see if the struggling Seahawks pass offense will climb up or hit more bumps as the team adjusts to Harvin.

Jordy Nelson
It can’t be restated enough. The Aaron Rodgers to Jordy Nelson combination might not top everyone’s quarterback to receiver combo list, but it sure is the number one cerebral connection. The two just know where each other’s minds are thinking for each route and ball placement. There is enough phenomenal throws and catches in the first half of this season alone to create a highlight reel most teams couldn’t match. Nelson had over 17 yards a catch Sunday against Minnesota.

Kenny Stills
For the amount of throws that the Saints have each week, it’s remarkable that the receiving group as a whole has not been fantasy friendly. That should change with Lance Moore back and Kenny Stills emerging. Do not discount veteran Marques Colston for a second half resurgence either. Stills likely won’t be a high volume receiver but will be the home run threat a couple of times in every game. He had three catches for over 120 yards with two touchdowns against Buffalo Sunday.

Calvin Johnson
Sometimes coaches can let game film do the talking instead of consistently pointing out the obvious with speeches. Sunday, Johnson’s enormous day of over 320 yards receiving is the type of incredible day that deserves review rather than lengthy analysis. It was something special for a receiver surpassing all-time greats for what he is doing at his age.

Josh Gordon
The season for Gordon can’t propel much higher. He is becoming a top five fantasy wide receiver very quickly. Not many wide receivers can continue to have success by playing with his third quarterback in as many weeks. That goes to show that Gordon’s skillset is in the top tier of the NFL. He had an average of over twenty six yards a catch while finishing with over 100 yards receiving once again.

Post Week Eight Waiver Wire Follow@cimini It seemed like there were more breakout games week eight even with six teams on a bye week. Go figure. Terrelle Pryor had fifteen fantasy points on one run within the first minute and a half of Sunday’s game. Marvin Jones and Calvin Johnson’s combined stats were enough to give someone a Pro Bowl nod. And at quarterback Andy Dalton, Drew Brees, and Peyton Manning shined yet again. Did your team succeed or did you have holes in certain spots that cost you a loss? No matter the results there are always roster improvements you can make. Andy Dalton Dalton is at the peak part of his football career. The Bengals are winning and winning with offense based on his arm. In prior years the Bengals would rely on their defense solely and a sound running game. That has reversed as the Bengals success offensively has hinged on improved tight end play along with emerging receivers besides AJ Green. Dalton will likely dip a bit from what he has done recently, but should be a viable fantasy backup quarterback. Peyton Hillis It’s crazy to think that Hillis could be factor on a fantasy team but the Giants are now on a two game win streak. It’s come by giving Hillis a high volume of carries which in turn has limited Eli Manning’s costly mistakes. Even though Hillis hasn’t had a breakout prototype game, he is garnering enough carries to be a fantasy waiver wire pickup. Andre Ellington Ellington is also a repeat entry onto my weekly waiver wire column. Arizona had been using Ellington as a spark as a pass catching tailback, and now they’ve explored and found success with him as their main back. This is exactly what the Cardinals need to lessen the burden on high volume turnover prone quarterback Carson Palmer. Daniel Thomas Miami did a bit better with controlling the time clock against New England by increasing the amount of carries in the backfield. It still didn’t prevent a couple of timely turnovers by Ryan Tannehill but did show success with the duel backfield with Thomas and Miller. Thomas has been non relevant for quite some time, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see him garner double digit carries as Miami tries to figure out a way to calm Tannehill down. Jonathan Stewart Stewart is currently only owned by ten percent of fantasy owners. During Thursday’s telecast between the Bucs and Panthers the announcers made it evident that Stewart looked great in warmups. He should be able to return this week. It’s been awhile since Stewart and DeAngelo Williams have been able to compliment each other, but it’s clear the Panthers have an effective ground game going now. Ignore the past two years when the Panthers would hardly run the football. Over the last month the Panthers have ran the ball with authority. Stewart should join in on making the Panthers even more dynamic. Joel Dreessen Look for a diagnosis on Julius Thomas. He left the game against Washington with an ankle injury. Thomas’s history with ankle injuries leaves me to believe he will be out quite some time. If that’s the case that means Dreesen and Jacob Tamme are moved up to prominent fantasy roles. Dreesen should have more of an impact than Tamme, and deserves the fantasy pickup nod over him. Marvin Jones Eliminate any thoughts of Jones surging to the top spot on your fantasy teams at wide receiver. He has had two solid weeks and a phenomenal performance Sunday. Opponents haven’t necessarily made it hard for the Bengals offensive success as of late. Andy Dalton has had high success on a low amount of completions. A reliable ratio of where Dalton is going to throw the football is up in the air, but Jones is someone you obviously want to grab if you can. Kenny Stills Where is Marques Colston you ask? No he is not on injured reserve. Teams number one defensive backs have done a stellar job at matching up with Colston. Speed has been lost by Colston and the offensive strategy is different this year from the Saints. They’re doing a lot more dump off passes to their running backs and getting their younger receivers involved more. Stills is one of them and has the brightest future. Terrance Williams Dallas is on that roller coaster that starts with a big free fall. They’re going downhill and as a team sinking quickly. Offensively they’re a one track beat that can only win with a passing game. With Miles Austin gradually fading with a perpetual hamstring, Williams is going to see his involvement rise week to week. Especially with the decline of Jason Witten. Ted Ginn Jr Ginn has been listed by myself on numerous occasions. He stretches the field and has been part of the resurgence on a Panthers team that looked in the dumps a month ago. Offensively Carolina is doing a great job of mixing up their play call selection. It’s nothing fancy but it has calmed Cam Newton down from making his typical mistakes. Tiquan Underwood With Mike Williams now out for the season the Buccaneers will rely on Underwood to emerge based on their depth at receiver. It’s obvious the Buccaneers as a team are in a world of hurting. They’re not only one of the worst teams in the NFL, they’re also ranking towards the bottom when it comes to production from a fantasy football standpoint. With the defense regressing by the week it, there will continue to be a lot of drop back opportunities for rookie Glennon.