Start the sweepstakes of maneuvering in fantasy football leagues. Star players have yet to prove their worthiness of their draft status, and frustration is an understatement for fantasy owners. Riding afloat with unpredictability of teams is at its biggest hike in years. Figuring a new strategy until star players get into gear is going to be key in picking up some wins over the next few weeks. Trading apples for different apples is not the answer, but a boost or two from the waiver wire is.

Quarterbacks

Eli Manning
Manning was a borderline draftee in leagues. If he was drafted it was in the latest of rounds and based on his upside. Well his upside is showing and growing. Manning’s struggles are still evident on occasion but no longer embarrassingly jolting. His pocket presence has upgraded his overall composure which has translated into some decent fantasy numbers. That should continue to improve as Manning nears the state of take off as an NFC big name quarterback.

Philip Rivers
Hints of inserting Rivers in San Diego have always been a possibility since he was drafted. All it was going to take was the Chargers losing, and that’s in a shady state currently. Drew Brees may be a stellar quarterback but if the Chargers season folds completely, the Chargers have to test Rivers. Rivers has demonstrated great ability in preseason and wants to show that he can start now. Choosing between Brees and Rivers for next season will go back and forth and be based on how Rivers responds to starting.

Tim Rattay
Don’t forget Rattay led one of the best scoring offenses in college at Louisiana Tech. Finally being rid of injuries has allowed Rattay to air it out like his old days. He has a nice connection brewing with Brandon Lloyd. For the other surrounding players he has you can only rate his play as exceptional. Once Frank Gore is named starter, Rattay’s play should only rise.

Brooks Bollinger
Often the guy not talked about shines. For a player getting ready to start in New York that is usually rare. All the talk though has been about Pennington and Fielder’s season ending injuries, a long with the resigning of Vinny Testaverde. Figuring the way Pennington’s weak arm allowed defenses to converge and press every down, matters should change with Bollinger. The only concern is how will he react to pressure defenses. Starting out this week against the Ravens. Compared to Pennington’s stats from the first few weeks, Bollinger should put up better all around.

Running Backs

Frank Gore
It’s only a matter of time before the Bar is set Low for Kevan Barlow. Low enough for him to do the limbo on the sideline for fifty five of sixty minutes. Gore doesn’t just look like the better back, he is. Once the 49ers squash debate and insert Gore, the 49ers offense will become more dynamic. Right now he is getting sneaky carries but making noise. If you wait too long on scooping him up, you’ll be hurting yourself later this season.

Jerome Bettis
Owners that are edgy and drafted Bettis likely let him go when he was hurt in the preseason. Bettis injury wasn’t supposed to take this long. So he should be extra fresh and have another one of those great strides because of it. Parker will get the carries still, but Bettis will do what he does in the touchdown department.

Ron Dayne
Mike Anderson’s durability has been a big question mark. The Broncos like to run the football a lot, and we don’t think Anderson will be able to handle a bulk of carries. Either Dayne will get an increasing role or Tatum Bell. All should be involved but Dayne is the big back that will be getting the one yard plows in the end zone.

Wide Receivers

Brian Finneran
Michael Jenkins and Roddy White drove the attention of fantasy owners to their side, once Peerless Price was given his exiting papers. While Brian Finneran just continued to do his job and now appears that he is back on Mike Vick’s target list. Vick never has put up stellar passing numbers, but the games he does is when Finneran is involved. Hint, hint.

Kevin Curtis
Isaac Bruce is off to one of his slowest starts in recent years. That is definitely a jumping sign considering the amount of throws Marc Bulger does a game. Curtis on the other hand looks like he is ready to step up and over Bruce on the depth chart.

Corey Bradford
The funk David Carr has been in hopefully will change now that they’re fresh off a bye week. If the offense is remotely back to normal, Bradford will have solid stats. Andre Johnson is a premier receiver, and being on the other side will only boost Bradford’s impact chances.

Are you the first team with an option for waivers in your fantasy football league? If that is the case, than your team is 0-2. Not a good spot to be in as the shortened fantasy football season, makes little room for error. Your looking at having to post a couple of nice runs to make up for the first two games. The only way to do it, is utilize your chances with waiver wire pick ups. It’s an under rated aspect that some losing teams still don’t try to use to spring their teams.

Quarterbacks

Trent Dilfer:
Dilfer gets a lot of smack about being the worst quarterback to win a Super Bowl. He has a ring and that’s all he cares about. Now his career has turned into a brighter direction with the new look Browns. If the season were to be over now, he’d be a lock for a Pro Bowl spot. Like Chris Berman always says, that’s why you play the game. Things can change rapidly with Dilfer, but having him as a security emergency starter would be a bright idea.

Jeff Garcia
Yes he out for an extended period of time, but prepare for the Lions to try to rush him back. Think ahead another five weeks, and Harrington will be a ghost. Kids in Detroit will be sporting Joey Harrington jerseys on Halloween to pay tribute to him one last time. Detroit has too much talent to let an opportunity slip to win the NFC North. Chicago isn’t going to do it, and the Packers and Vikings are both 0-2. Scoop up Garcia before everyone else tries to in three or four weeks.

Mark Brunell
Being hesitant on Brunell’s future with the Redskins has become a lock for this apparent season. Brunell played under flight for the most part of the Monday Night game, and then finally board with two launches in a span of three minutes. He has always had the arm. The Redskins should only get better on offense. With the defense already solid, it may be a fight for the top between them and the Eagles.

Running Backs

Sammy Morris
Morris has made the most of his carries. All it’s going to take is continued poor play by Brown for Morris to overshadow Brown totally. Morris has always been an under the radar back throughout his career, but will never fade completely. Even last year Miami couldn’t run the ball, but Morris on the other hand averaged 4.0 ypc and had six touchdowns. Miami may be over stocked at running back. So watch for the team that signs Morris in the off season. If he lands in a nice situation, he will be a great sleeper in 2006.

Derrick Blaylock
Bypassing a week to sit out could harm Curtis Martin for good. He says he is fine but we all know how weekend warriors like to push aside an injury for their teams. The decline of Curtis Martin was foresaw three or four years ago, but never happened. Lamont Jordan was supposed to be the next guy in New York, but Martin was resilient. He has done it for so long, that soon it’s just going to be injury due to age that catches up to him.

Derrick Blaylock is an opportune back. In Kansas City he raised his stock when Priest Holmes went down with injuries in prior years. What a gift for Blaylock to run behind the Chiefs and Jets offensive line. If any other NFL team goes crazy with offering Blaylock a huge contract, better look at the lines he was behind first.

Wide Receivers

Robert Ferguson:
Some think Ferguson is a better receiver than Javon Walker. Barely over a year ago, Ferguson was ahead of Walker on the depth chart. Then Ferguson was hit with the injury bug, and Walker become a star. The tables have turned in the injury department, and now it’s Ferguson’s chance to shine. Green Bay will be throwing a lot because of their defense, so Ferguson will get plenty of yardage.

Bryant Johnson
With the Cardinals lack of a rushing attack, Johnson should creep up in the stat department. Over him are two premier receivers, but there is room for more footballs. Proven that Anquan Boldin has been injury prone, could leave even more balls Johnson’s way.

James Thrash
The Redskins are so happy that they found a new angle to attack with their offense. Line up their speedy receivers and gun it down field. Santana Moss left two trails last week, and James Thrash is still in the league because of his speed. There will be new focused attention on Moss, and that could limit him for weeks. So Thrash may get the indirect fantasy stats due to Moss’s presence on the field.

Tight Ends

Jeramy Stevens:
Seattle has never used Stevens as a forceful weapon. He has great size and adequate pass catching skills. Those two skills combined are all you need to be a great tight end in the NFL. Over the past two weeks, Hasselbeck has found Stevens for forty yards a game and one touchdown. It looks as if Stevens is a safe starter if you weren’t able to grab a Randy McMichael, Todd Heap, Alge Crumpler, Tony Gonzalez, Antonio Gates, or a Jason Witten.

Danger, danger. It’s a terrible sign if you are scouring the waiver wire list, one week deep into the 2005 NFL season. Chances are if that is the case, you might as well pay off whoever in your league you made a bet with. Then again, your moves to scoop up pass on players may help you get back into realistic competition. Lets begin the impossible voyage of trying to excavate your fantasy football team. The possibility of an undefeated season has already collapsed on you. What desperation attempts will you try to make?

h3. Quarterbacks

*Drew Bledsoe*
If you’re in dire need of a bail out at quarterback, Bledsoe may be a viable resuscitation for your team. All a long in preseason we told you to watch out for Bledsoe. He has always been a decent passer, and just needs an extra second or two in the pocket. He is the type of quarterback that gets rattled if he is pressured. As long as Dallas can have good pass protection and Julius Jones, this should be Bledsoe’s best year in some time.

*Gus Frerotte*
Don’t get crazy with this one. Frerotte and the entire Dolphins had a shocking display of how quick a team can transit from one season to the next. Either that or Denver was poorly conditioned going into the season in Miami. Regardless of the matter, Frerotte is worth nothing more than a better backup situation, if your current backup is a question mark. The Dolphins have implemented a lot of change, and one of them is to utilize some sort of passing attack. Chris Chambers, David Boston, and Marty Booker are not a bad combination.

*JP Losman*
Maybe the Bills can retrieve last seasons success with follow up finesse. Losman’s debut went fairly well. Defenses will continue to throw different looks at him, and that’s when will see a rookie Losman. The NFL still doesn’t know enough information on him, so he may get away with a few good games this month.

h3. Running Backs

*Willie Parker*
The bus made a trip to Parker and was hijacked. For all the toughest calls franchises have to make, Pittsburgh is going to be in a tussle. Once Bettis and Staley are healthy, they are going to have to deal with a crowd. It’s going to be like three brothers owning one car. There is no time to share, but someone is going to get the set of keys come Sundays. Lets face it, Parker is going to be the best difference maker for the Steelers. He is super quick, and does all the things Staley and Bettis can’t do.

With the way the Steelers like to baby Roethlisberger, it may not end up being that big of a situation. The Steelers may choose to run the football fifty times a game with all three backs. Seriously, I wonder if the Steelers make Roethlisberger practice handing off the football more times than he throws. He has it easier than a punter. Hut, hut, a quick turn and handoff. Instead of his arm hurting, he probably has to ice his ankles from all the shifts he makes from under center to a ninety degree handoff.

*Kevan Barlow*
He didn’t even do well in the 49ers shocking week one win. The good thing that came out of the 49ers win is hope. If their offense can bring something to the table, than there is some actual fantasy value to seek out of Barlow. A few years ago Barlow was a sleeper and ranked in the fifteen to twenty range. The light has been dim on the field for him since, and he went undrafted in many leagues. Any fantasy football team that is weak at the running position should sweep him up.

*Larry Johnson*
Err, is probably what your thinking. Yeah we know Johnson didn’t go undrafted in your league. But you better think of a way to land him on your team now. Offer whatever type of slightly baiting trade you can to lure an owner into accepting. Johnson put up killer stats with only eight carries. The Chiefs want to use him more, and there is actually room for two great backs in Kansas City. Now next year that may be a different story, as Holmes may need to find a new home.

*Brandon Jacobs*
Didn’t he look like a Ron Dayne replica live in action? He even wears Dayne’s old number. What Jacobs does do differently though is actually pound the pile for more than two yards. Jacobs will be the Giants short yardage back, and that’s already paid dividends with a touchdown.

h3. Wide Receivers

*Patrick Crayton*
Has any third or fourth receiver been in the stat column as much as Crayton? He did it last season and has ripped through the preseason and first regular season game with the same results. Crayton is an unbelievable talent that in due time will be a star. All that’s waiting is Keyshawn Johnson and Terry Glenn. Before the year is over, Crayton will solidify a starting position opposite Keyshawn Johnson. This will be less than two years after being a seventh round draft pick. Talk about determination and hard work. These are the athletes that need restructuring of contracts.

*Greg Lewis*
Lewis plays like a hard nosed type receiver that wants a job. His job is to be the Eagles second receiver, and he fit’s the bill with opposite integrity of Terrell Owens. His style isn’t boastful (Shouts out to jobless Freddie Mitchell), and his stats are quiet numbers. Terrell Owens draws way too much attention for Lewis not to have some big games this year.

*Clarence Moore or Mark Clayton*
Kyle Boller went down briefly into the third quarter. Anthony Wright stepped in and the passing game suddenly began. If Anthony Wright can jar away the starting job from Boller, than Derrick Mason and either Clayton or Moore will be weekly fantasy swifts. Wright has always demonstrated an arm and ability to rack up passing yards. Remember interceptions and mistakes by the quarterback don’t hurt your receivers in fantasy football.