It is officially the midway point in fantasy football seasons. Does your team need that additional depth or boost to bypass injuries? That’s what the waiver wire is for. For these next seven weeks and even for fantasy playoffs you may have to reach for a starter on a given week. Here are some names based on week sevens performances.

Quarterbacks

Charlie Batch
Mike Vick had his best game as a quarterback. If he didn’t the talk would have been on Batch and how well he delivered in tough spots. After Roethlisberger went down it seemed like the Steelers were in a world of hurt. Instead Batch came in and torched the Falcons defense some more with fabulous throws, including a strike to Hines Ward. Two concussions in the time span Roethlisberger suffered them are not a good sign. We’ve seen this before with some of the great quarterbacks. Chances are Batch is going to have to be the guy full time. Even if Roethlisberger happens to step back onto the field it should be short lived. Pick Batch up and start him if you need to.

Tony Romo
He made the errors that you’d expect from a quarterback thrown in at halftime. For playing a half though, Romo put up near a game’s worth of stats. Both negatively (3 INT’s) and positively (200 yards, 2 touchdowns). The Cowboys want to work him in and get the offense kicking. With the change being announced officially Romo becomes a no risk pickup.

Andrew Walter
If it were not for a late season injury in his senior year at ASU, Walter was projected to be a first round pick. He slipped to the third round to the Raiders and has had a month to work himself in a bit. Against the Ravens he looked solid and last week against the Cardinals he finally looked for Moss. As his confidence boosts the quarterback that broke nearly all the Pac-10 records should come out as well.

Running Backs

Leon Washington
There is no need for Curtis Martin to return this season or even next. He should make a firm decision to retire, as Washington is the future for the Jets. The offensive line is creating solid holes for him, and Washington is hitting them with exceptional quickness. He made a run for a touchdown against the Lions that most backs would not have been able to turn the corner on.

Wali Lundy
The opening day starter fell off quickly when Ron Dayne and then the trade of Samkon Gado happened. Now Lundy has reappeared and his strong day against the Jaguars defense should open the door back in his favor again.

Wide Receivers

Patrick Crayton
Crayton was becoming a nice stat filler last year until he suffered an injury. With the running game suffering the Cowboys could become like the Cardinals of last year and just air it out. Terrell is going to get the attention which leaves Glenn and Crayton out to do what they do best. They’re big play receivers and Crayton should have some decent games to finish out the season.

Brandon Lloyd
For whatever reason, Lloyd has been nonexistent to this point of the season. A few more losses for the Redskins and Mark Brunell will be seating the bench in favor of the future in Jason Campbell. That should be enough of a change for Lloyd to finally get balls thrown his way. Often times quarterbacks have their main guy and Brunell is locked in on Chris Cooley and Santana Moss.

Derek Hagan
Just like we said last week, Miami is going to be throwing a heck of a lot. They’re either unable to run the football or in losing situations all the time. Two weeks in a row Harrington has put up great fourth quarter stats, to make up for the previous three quarters. That means all of Miami’s receivers are now fantasy threats other then Chris Chambers. Last week we told you to scoop Marty Booker and he had a great game. If you’re really desperate consider Hagan. Chambers has been pouting about his involvement and Booker can’t seem to stay healthy.

By Zack Cimini

The season continues to creep along at a rapid pace. For fantasy owners we’re already at the pivotal midway point in our seasons. It’s make or break time to bust out that trade, or be a savage on the waiver wire. This particular week does not have any players worth extreme value, but the key in winning fantasy football is preparation of future weeks.

Quarterbacks

Kyle Boller
Air McNair has been anything but that. What happened last week with him getting banged out against the Panthers is nothing new. He is as susceptible to getting hurt every year almost as surely as Robert Ferguson with the Packers. Brian Billick had enough with the poor execution of the offense and decided he is best suited to orchestrate this team to scoring. Just keep an eye out on McNair as a small injury usually lingers and turns into worse things for the Alcorn State product.

Joey Harrington
Forget about what Harrington displayed in the game against New England and the first three quarters against the Jets. He started to click in the fourth quarter and what was most impressive was his poise and confidence. If it were not for an Olindo Mare missed field goal, the Dolphins would have been right up there with the Bears in fourth quarter comebacks of the week.

Ben Roethlisberger
He has never been fantasy friendly but Bill Cowher has to keep boosting his confidence by letting him throw more. Cowher can not afford to have Roethlisberger in any sort of rut while trying to push back up in their division standings. He had plenty of bad games but changed that in a quick hurry with a solid game against the Chiefs. The way the Steelers pound the football the ability to make big plays when needed through the air is always there.

Running Backs

Nick Goings
With DeAngelo Williams down and out we all know who is next in line. DeShaun Foster has never been able to stay healthy an entire season, and Nick Goings is suddenly the guy again who might get a chance to start. Foster has done a solid job thus far but carried a heavy load last week. Can his body recuperate and take on those duties the next few Sundays or more?

Brandon Jacobs
His name has been on our list before, but we all know how impatient fantasy owners get with their waiver wire pickups. He has faded down a bit and after Tiki Barber broke out last week, Jacobs may have been dropped in your leagues. Immediately drop a nobody to pick Jacobs up. Barber is a great back but the Giants will keep Jacobs in their offensive philosophy. With Barber thinking of retiring after this season, the Giants will use Jacobs more and more as the season winds down. Think about the damage Jacobs could do for your fantasy playoff chances, if he gets the starting nod in week sixteen.

JJ Arrington
There are more then a few things wrong with the Cardinals offense, and Dennis Green thinks they can change things with the firing of their offensive coordinator after Monday’s debacle. One thing that they need to do is stop killing Edgerrin James. He is getting pounded for less then a few yards a carry but is still carrying the football a load of times. Arrington is a nice change of pace back and the Cardinals could use him out of the backfield as well. See how Arrington becomes more effective with the Cardinals newly promoted offensive coordinator.

Wide Receivers

Jerry Porter
Something has to be done with Porter. The Raiders will cut ties with him it is just a matter of when. They can be the stubborn enforcer and keep punishing him with fines and suspensions or they can cut him or get something for him now. With the way the Raiders organization is acting they’ll probably play the stubborn role. For Porter’s and fantasy owners sake lets hope he lands on a new team soon.

Santonio Holmes
Holmes is a perfect replicate of Randle El, and the Steelers are going to work him in more and more. Nate Washington is also doing a fine job and can be of some interest as well. Holmes has the big play ability to score on any touch. You can not say that about most wide receivers. Before the season is over Holmes should have two or three stellar games.

Marty Booker
He is hurt now which makes it even more opportune to scoop him up. The Dolphins offense will open up finally with Harrington in. That means great things for Chambers owners that are ticked off, but a possibility of Booker regaining some of his fantasy worthiness from his Bears days.

Desperation is setting for about half of the fantasy football leagues you did. There are a few things you can do. Start abandoning those teams and keep extreme tracking of the rest of your teams. You could also forget them completely and give your 2006 fantasy sports season another try with fantasy basketball leagues. Or you can give your teams another few weeks and try to get on a win streak.

How can you do it? Work the waiver wire a bit.

Quarterbacks

Philip Rivers
Marty responded to criticism of holding Rivers down by allowing him to actually throw the football. What happened were no mistakes and great execution to lead them back from a ten point deficit. The Chargers are a serious AFC contender if Rivers is allowed to get the proper training he needs before playoff time. That means he can be a solid fantasy starting quarterback on a weekly basis. Which is hard to say that you could expect from most fantasy quarterbacks this year other then Donovan McNabb, Grossman, and Manning.

Matt Leinart
For those that did not believe in the young rook we hope you have TIVO and can go watch the game against the Chiefs. He came out blazing with great throws to build the Cardinals up to a quick 14 to 0 lead. Sure they ended up blowing the game like the Cardinals are notorious for, but the key was that Leinart put up effective stats against a solid defense. The one pick he threw came at a bad time but was also just an unbelievable read and play by Ty Law. He did still manage to get the Cardinals a chance to tie the game with no timeouts and minimal time left on the game clock. He has been a winner his whole life and can win you some fantasy games with the way the Cardinals are running the football.

Jon Kitna
He makes some boneheaded plays but they have not yet landed him on the bench. We thought the Lions would easily have pulled Kitna to give their other free agent acquisition in Josh McCown a chance, but that has not happened. Kitna is managing games decently and shockingly second in the league in passing yards. A lot of his yards come from utilizing Kevin Jones out of the backfield which is a great thing. His touchdown numbers have not been bad either and if he can remain the starting quarterback he has fantasy worthiness.

Jake Plummer
The Broncos defense has been dominant and the Broncos are now riding a three game winning streak. That means they are not going to fold and put Plummer on the bench for Cutler this season. After their week one loss to the Rams people were thinking differently about the Broncos in 2006. Plummer has been rusty with his throws but has made enough plays. Against the Patriots he threw some solid balls to Javon Walker including a long dagger, and against the Ravens the weather wasn’t in his favor. Expect Plummer to get the offense going, especially with the way Tatum Bell is carrying the football.

Running Backs

Correll Buckhalter
Brian Westbrook has started the year off great but now it has been demoted to a solid season with an asterisk. His knee problem is certainly going to affect him the entire season. If the Eagles are still riding high in a month and a half they may have him sit out and heal properly for the playoffs. It looks like the Eagles will keep limiting him in practice and also in games because of his big play ability. Buckhalter had a poor Monday Night Football game against the Packers with a few fumbles, but has proven himself before.

Noah Herron
When the Packers traded for Vernad Morency it was thought that he would be the backup of Ahman Green. Instead it has been Herron and with Green taking his time to come back, Herron has been the man. Green Bay running backs just seem to fill in well when given the chance and that is what fantasy owners love. Last season it was Samkon Gado who may never be heard of again, and this season it’s Herron.

Justin Fargas
If you were to guess the running back who is leading the league in yards per carry this name would name pop into your head. For one thing Fargas only has seventeen total carries this season, but the average of nine yards per carry is what is amazing. He is sneakily taking away carries from Lamont Jordan, as last week Jordan had twelve and he had eight. He has tremendous speed and has been difficult for defenses to handle. His worth is limited to only Jordan owners that are very thin at running back.

Mike Anderson
If the Ravens are going to improve on offense they are going to need to demote Jamal Lewis. Last year he was coming off a serious injury and jail time so the rustiness was expected, now it just looks like Lewis career may be complete as a running back. The back that use to carry the offense himself since 2000 is a different back. If Anderson would have received the right amount of carries against the Broncos they may have won that game. We have a feeling the move will be made soon, if Lewis continues his horrible running.

Wide Receivers

Greg Jennings
The second round rookie is playing like Javon Walker use to for the Packers. That is he provides the big play abilities when they need it, and Favre is now looking his way over Donald Driver. There is a shot he may be available in your league but he will go to the person with the first priority for a waiver wire acquisition.

Troy Walters
Word is that Bryant Johnson may not be the Cardinals second receiver with Fitzgerald sidelined two to five weeks. Dennis Green has stated he has not made a decision yet on Johnson or Walters as their number two receiver. Obviously Green may just still be upset over the dropped touchdown by Bryant Johnson that would have sealed a victory for the Cardinals versus the Chiefs. Walters has done a fine job though for the Cardinals including a nice catch last week to give the Cardinals a chance to tie the game and send it to overtime.

Wes Welker
Welker has been a surprise thus far this season and has been recognized as the Dolphins second option at wideout, even though Marty Booker has been listed. With Booker out Welker is now the official second wide receiver and is excited about the opportunities. With already 300 yards receiving this season Welker will be in line to have some solid weeks in a starting role.

Hank Baskett
The Eagles always seem to be filled with injuries, luckily it has not got to Donovan McNabb. Donte Stallworth’s hamstring issues seem to be lingering on and on, but the Eagles are doing the right thing in not risking anymore setbacks. With Reggie Brown also dinged Baskett and Greg Lewis are a couple of role receivers that will be involved. By looking at McNabb’s MVP stats, 317 ypg and 11 touchdowns it means that someone is going to be racking up plenty of yards.

Arnaz Battle
Battle scored a few touchdowns this past weekend and is floating in the waiver wire pickup zone. You can’t expect anything spectacular or even enough to consider starting him. The only reason to pick him up is if you need a bye week filler at wide receiver.

Comments or questions to zack.cimini@notjustagame.com

Waiver wire pickups have been paying off big time for 2006 fantasy owners. Marques Colston, Jerrico Cotchery, and Reggie Williams continue to surge with great fantasy weeks. Who’s out there now that can help your team lacking at the quarterback, running back, or wide receiver position?

Quarterbacks

Charlie Frye
The Browns running game has come down a few notches this season. So Charlie Frye has been the main guy to get the Browns points. His stats in the yardage category and interception area may make you hesitate on picking him up. If you’re in a league that credits pass throwing touchdowns in a friendly way, then take a flier on him. Each of Frye’s three touchdowns on Sunday were five yards or less strikes. Teams would rather run down there if they could, and the Browns can’t.

Mark Brunell
Everyone was bad mouthing Brunell a few weeks ago. Two weeks later he has quieted many and is now back on the fantasy radar. The Redskins offense has always had a plethora of talent and will go as Brunell goes. The last few weeks and especially yesterday he made the safe short route throws and let the talent he is surrounded with do their thing. Moss is too quick and can break Brunell’s ten to twenty yard throws for fifty plus anytime.

Running Backs

Laurence Maroney
Chances are he is not available in your league. If you were in a league though where an owner became silly and dropped Maroney for a bye week filler, then now is your chance to get a scoop of a life time. He has been sharing the carries with Dillon in large part to protect Dillon from any injuries. That has worked perfectly, and as showcased yesterday it is becoming a hard task for defenses to stop. The carries may begin to drift more and more in Maroney’s way if he keeps doing what he is doing.

Dominic Rhodes
The favoritism has not waned in either Rhodes or Addai’s favor yet. Everyone anticipated Addai to easily take the job and it has not happened yet. As long as Rhodes provides what he has thus far, his fantasy value is still afloat. He already has three touchdowns and if anything he could become a target on the trade market for desiring teams. There are quite a few teams that may need to trade for a back in the near future.

Wide Receivers

Mike Furrey
Detroit has landed a second receiver after all, after failing with Charles Rogers and Mike Williams. Furrey has racked up a few solid games and yesterday ballooned that with a couple of scores. Az Hakim is still working in and might cause some problems in Furrey’s case, but Hakim is a suited third wide receiver. Furrey should continue to do fine and be a gem the rest of the season.

Reggie Williams
We warned that Matt Jones was not going to be a sleeper wide receiver and more of a bust. None of the Jaguars receivers has popped into a fantasy category this year except for Reggie Williams. The Washington product is using his size well and just finding a way to reach the end zone. Will that continue remains to be seen, but at least he has become Leftwich’s main guy.

Bernard Berrian
Rex Grossman is turning into an MVP Pro Bowl candidate in only a month into the season. Combining his turn about of the Bears offense into a lethal operation has brought fantasy owners to start taking a gander at the Bears offensive weapons. At first it was a quick pick easy pickup of Rex Grossman. Now the receivers are becoming consistent as well. Berrian is the big play guy that Grossman is firing at with sharp accuracy. The good thing with the Bears is that they are not slowing down their offense and playing in control of their defense. Against the Seahawks they wanted to score on every drive, and went for the big play on several occasions. You have to love that as an owner of a fantasy player on a team like that (San Diego).

Ben Watson
Nothing spectacular has happened yet with Watson on the field. The plays he does make though do jump out. He is a big presence out on the field and the Patriots have not unleashed him yet. As the ground game keeps soaring, Brady will finally get back to throwing the ball. Right now his top target would be Doug Gabriel but after him it is certainly Watson.

Brandon Lloyd
For the first time Lloyd actually showed something. With the Redskins offense starting to click it should only open up more receptions and opportunities for Lloyd. Santana Moss is the main receiver but he is the big play receiver. On Sunday three of his four catches were for touchdowns. Some other receiver has to become the possession receiver other then Chris Cooley. Antwaan Randle El is the gadget player and will not become a consistent receiver.

This week there are some strong considerations at the running back position. One, everyone should already know by now is Maurice Morris. Who are some of the other players that are out there to consider?

Quarterbacks

Steve McNair
Many are skeptical on McNair’s value as a fantasy quarterback. He would be no more then a filler as a starter but McNair is still a solid quarterback. The question with him in Baltimore was the system the Ravens have used over the years. The running game still has been poor to launch and may come along to a nice degree, but hasn’t yet. Until it does the Ravens will have to rely on McNair to air it out. Last week against the Browns his numbers weren’t great, but he threw the ball 41 times. Any quarterback that is throwing for that high of a number is worth scooping up.

JP Losman
We had Losman down as a worthy shot of starting last week in fantasy leagues and he came through as the third rated quarterback of the week. Perhaps it was the Jets poor defense but Losman looked comfortable airing the football out for the first time in his career. Maybe that will get him going, as he has had the groundwork to do it with Willis McGahee continuing to do well. Losman is a low risk pickup that is only needed if you are in a desperate situation at quarterback and don’t want to give in to a trade just yet.

The Rooks: Vince Young and Matt Leinart
Most of the time fantasy rookie quarterbacks are the worst solution to even consider adding to a fantasy roster. With these two quarterbacks though it is not even about what they will do from October and beyond. They’re going to be poor from the gate as the usual trend suggests. Where they will play a factor is down the road when fantasy playoffs come around. By then they’ll both be fastened for launching quality games and boosting your chances of pulling off an upset in the playoff rounds.

Running Backs

Maurice Morris
Morris now has an opportunity to showcase if he can be an actual every down back. This is his fifth year in the league but he has shown brief flashes in his career. The bad thing about Morris is that the Seahawks have not been able to run the football at all this season. If the line can’t create holes then Morris is going to be getting drilled at the line of scrimmage. At his size that is going to be tough to see him do without fumbling regularly. The Seahawks will likely spread their receivers out (Jackson, Branch, Burelson, and Engram) and try to create some draws or dump passes for Morris.

Maurice Drew
The Jags ran all over the Colts as most teams have been able to do this year. Drew looks very likely to finally be the guy to supplant Fred Taylor. The good thing for Fred Taylor owners is at least they’ll be able to work a lighter load for him, with Drew in the fold. His previous week may end up being his best output of the year unless Taylor goes down. Unless has been a likely scenario for Taylor in his career, but unless you have Fred Taylor don’t worry about picking up Drew.

Ladell Betts
Once teams become active to do a trade, Betts figures to be one of the top backs to be shipped out. The Redskins have Portis and Duckett to complement each other, and Betts is a back that could start for plenty of teams. Seattle and Denver could be in his sights but as of now Betts is just buried too deep on the Redskins. He did get the carries last week against Houston but that was because of Portis not playing at a 100 percent, and of the big lead the Redskins had. Both of those facts of last week likely won’t shape around a Redskin game ever again this season.

Michael Robinson
Gore is going to remain the main guy for the 49ers but there are plenty of reasons to consider Robinson. Gore is battling a rib injury and he has been fumbling the football at a high rate. The 49ers will likely adjust the way they use Gore just enough to see Robinson start getting into the fold. Watch out for how they use him, whether it is as a short yardage back or an increase of carries.

Wide Receivers

Chris Henry
Chad Johnson may be getting upset but Henry has been the man lately in Cincinnati. TJ and Henry accounted for two scores each last week while Johnson only had one catch for eleven yards. While Johnson is off to a slow start it has more to do with teams blanketing him then anything. Teams will be forced to stop focusing as much attention to him if they keep getting toasted by TJ and Henry. So Henry will likely not be continuing his big games but will be an erratic fantasy stud. Sort of like Az Hakim was as third receiver of the Rams back in their electric days.

Doug Gabriel
Brady has become frustrated and for his mindset to change into a positive state it will be up to Doug Gabriel. Against the Broncos he was the only bright spot, as he made a nice touchdown catch in the back of the end zone. He was getting open all night on short routes and getting extra yards with his big size. The Patriots are bringing him along and Brady will only look more his way as the season goes along.

Mark Clayton
With McNair likely throwing the football more, Derrick Mason isn’t going to be the only Raven receiver fantasy worthy. Clayton had a solid game last week with eight catches for seventy four yards. Those were low enough numbers to keep him from jumping out on every fantasy owners minds. There will be a game soon though where he’ll have a big game and be on every owners radar. Anticipate the offense opening up and scoop up Clayton while you have the chance.

Start scrambling for your early season hopes of gassing your team back up. After all of that crazy talk you blabbed on and on about to every owner in your league, you’re suddenly the first one in line to snatch up a waiver wire pick up. If that is the case, this will likely not be your only time using the oxygen waiver wire to try to bring your team to life.

Here are some players that may be available in your league, to take a look at. Mind you none should be considered fantasy starters but as athletes to add quality depth to your lineup.

Quarterbacks

David Carr
Not overly staggering dynamic numbers from Carr in week one, but he continues to show that he is a solid quarterback. The only thing that has ever kept him from becoming a considered fantasy option is his offensive line and team. Well with Domanick Davis out and the emergence of Eric Moulds and Andre Johnson the Texans will look to throw a lot. With their team expected to be down in most games, Carr should put up a lot of numbers through the air. The only thing to be worried about is the turnover worries.

Chad Pennington
We called it in our fantasy perspective week one article to go ahead and start Pennington. Hopefully you did, because now everyone is going to be looking at him this week. Don’t jump on the wagon too fast as we’ve warned that Pennington is worth starting four to five times this year, and last week was a five star start.

Alex Smith
He looks totally different out on the field. We also liked Alex Smith if you were able to listen to our week one pod cast and cash in on taking the 49ers plus the points. He is a big quarterback that got all of the bad play out of him last season. All he needed was time and he’ll continue to develop at a nice rate. The 49ers have a solid foundation ahead of them offensively and will give teams a hard time.

Brett Favre
Let everyone rag on him now. Favre will throw a lot of interceptions and that is nothing new. They should not be as big as last year and that makes him a fine fantasy backup quarterback. With Ahman Green in the lineup he should be able to hit the dump off pass more often and get some sort of comfort ability back in place. This would be a week to definitely consider even starting Favre. Last year Favre had one of his best games in the early season blowout against New Orleans. With the media all over him, he needs to show something.

Running Backs

Travis Henry
The Titans used Chris Brown more then Henry but it was Henry that was the goal line carrier. His yardage was not pretty, but either is thinking Chris Brown can last a season. His fantasy value is very low but the chances of him either getting traded or seeing more time are high.

Lawrence Maroney
He should have been drafted in any league that was twelve teams or any league that has fantasy gurus. In the slim possibility that he is available, pick him up immediately. The Bills defense is one of the worst at stopping the run in the league and Maroney showed why. He ran all over them week one and will spell Dillon all year long with plenty of time on the field.

Jerious Norwood
No one really knew who was behind Dunn or what the Falcons were thinking when trading Duckett. Norwood showed how much of a better second option he is over Duckett in just one regular season game. Unlike Duckett, if Dunn were injured, there is no doubt that Norwood could carry the load effectively. He is a big back with tremendous all around skills.

Brandon Jacobs
There is a 50/50 chance he may be on your waiver wire. If he is, feel lucky, as he showed in the preseason that he was the real deal. People somewhat expected Jacobs to burst onto the scene last year but that did not happen. What a difference a year makes. Give praise to his off season trainers that had him on the correct workouts to get to this level.

Wide Receivers

Antonio Bryant
Shockingly in most drafts we noticed Bryant was an after thought. Maybe it is because he has been all over the NFL lately and has since signed on with the 49ers past woeful offense. Brandon Lloyd was one of the few 49ers with fantasy value last year. With Alex Smith emerging and Antonio Bryant filling in for the departure of Lloyd, that could equate to a more then solid year from Bryant.

Jerricho Cotchery
The Jets offense looked fantastic week one and may be the only week that happens. As long as Pennington can stay healthy it should function smoothly. Cotchery took over as the Jets second wideout when the demotion of Justin McCareins happened. In week one Cotchery snuck on the scene with a quiet sixty yards and touchdown. He will be a solid bench player to plug in if needed for bye week or injuries.

Jerry Porter
There is no way he’ll be a Raider much longer after his antics Monday night. So where will he land? Likely somewhere that he can jump in and show the value he has been preaching of his worth. He has all the talent in the world if he can get his head on straight. Being this early in the fantasy season you can add him and take a wait and see approach with him.

Koren Robinson
Just when it looks like Robinson was rising back up as an NFL talent he practically blew his second chance. It actually is more then that as the Seahawks let him get away with a few things before finally cutting him. This will be the last stop for Robinson in either a good or bad way. If he can finally control his alcohol problem then he can be a very solid player for the Packers. If not, then Robinson will be one of those troublesome players that is out of the league, and gets mentioned as a “tagged” professional athlete down the road.