Waiver Wire

POST WEEK THIRTEEN WAIVER WIRE

Tuesday, 3 December, 2013

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Brian Hartline- Mike Wallace may have started to surge lately, but clearly Hartline is still Tannehill’s main target. He caught nine passes for over 120 yards with a touchdown.

Lance Dunbar- Wow, Dallas actually ran the football for a change. Theyve done it a handful of games this year and have had success. Dunbar had a big impact on Thanksgiving and should continue to receive attention in the offense.

Ace Sanders- Sanders had his third consecutive game with 60 plus yards receiving. He is becoming the new Davone Bess type receiver for Chad Henne. Get Sanders if you’re in a PPR league.

Julian Edelman- The Patriots continue to feature Edelman over their rookie wide receivers and Danny Amendola. That may change when playoffs come and teams look to prevent the short pass. For now Edelman may be the extra boost you need for fantasy playoff success.

Michael Crabtree- Upon his return, Crabtree had a solid debut with 68 yards receiving. Adding him to the 49ers lineup has opened things up for Anquan Boldin and Colin Kapernick.

Andre Brown- Brown doesn’t have the flash of most tailbacks. In New York he will continue to get carries as the Giants play outdoors in low temperatures. Since coming back from injury Brown has added stability to the Giants offense.

Others: Andre Holmes, Ted Ginn Jr, Legarrette Blount, Montee Ball, and Doug Baldwin

Post Week Twelve Waiver Wire Adds

Monday, 25 November, 2013

Post Week Twelve Waiver Wire Adds

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The fantasy playoffs are just about here. Make the necessary moves before the games on Thanksgiving to give yourself an extra boost heading into week thirteen.

Carson Palmer
For those that have not been reading my weekly waiver wire adds I’ve listed Palmer the last several weeks. Chances are for how poor he was the first eight games of the year that fantasy owners probably wanted to see a few solid weeks from Palmer before considering adding. Well the Cardinals have been winning and the offense is actually matching the solid play of the defense. At this point Carson is an on the bubble fantasy quarterback starter in deeper leagues.

Ryan Fitzpatrick
Fitzpatrick has done this time and time again throughout his career, where he can be a perfect backup quarterback reliever. The time frame for his fantasy success is limited but he is as sporadic as they come. How else would a team offer him a mega contract like the Bills did? Tennessee could be tied with the Colts if they didn’t let the Thursday night game slip away. They’re by no means out of the division race with the way the Colts are playing and have a shot at the second wild card as well.

Brandon Bolden
The hot pickup was Shane Vereen from the Patriots. He delivered a solid outing in his first major action back Sunday. Owners didn’t expect Bolden to re-enter the fantasy equation. With LeGarrette Blount and Stevan Ridley seemingly ahead of him on the depth chart, but that may be the case after issues with fumbling. Pickup Bolden and see how Belicheck approaches the backfield situation.

CJ Anderson
Ball is owned in quite a few leagues currently. It’s Anderson that got some eye popping carries with the team in position to win. He muffed a handoff that he was fortunately able to get back on top of. Anderson’s fantasy value hinders on Knowshown Moreno’s status after limping considerably in his 200 plus yard effort against the Patriots.

Benny Cunningham
The constant shuffling in the Rams backfield is a conundrum many fantasy owners would just avoid altogether. But week to week since the Rams unseated Daryl Richardson as starter they’ve been one of the strongest teams in the NFL at providing fantasy points from the running back. It’s typically been Zac Stacy as the one headed monster, until Sunday when Cunningham joined in on the parade on crushing the Bears.

Tiquan Underwood
Mike Glennon is finally showing some progression and confidence as the Buccaneers have won three straight games suddenly. It’s not known if the Bucs will give Glennon their full vote of confidence heading into next season, but the talent to prosper is there. Glennon has been efficient by targeting Vincent Jackson for big games. Detroit did a good job holding Jackson in check but they couldn’t do so with Underwood.

Nate Burelson
Detroit’s Burelson was out with one of the flukiest injuries of the football season. His return this past week was needed greatly as teams have began to limit Calvin Johnson’s effectiveness in second halves. With the amount of throws by Matthew Stafford each game, having a guy like Burelson as an option can be the difference in playoff depth success.

Michael Crabtree
The 49ers passing offense can only go up once Crabtree fully returns. For all the negative criticism Colin Kapernick has taken for the 49ers ineffective passing attack, it isn’t all necessarily his fault. Since the 49ers week one shining offensive performance against the Packers teams took away Kap’s best wide receiver in Anquan Boldin. Kyle Williams couldn’t cut it at the second wide receiver position and was ultimately cut. Mario Manningham is still getting back into form and now soon so will Crabtree. This should position Boldin back into his comfortable role while boosting Vernon Davis’s presence. Crabtree should be worth a flier in deeper leagues.

Stretching the Field Post Week Eleven

Tuesday, 19 November, 2013

Stretching the Field Post Week Eleven

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Antonio Brown
By season’s end Brown may land himself as a top three fantasy wide receiver. The first month to six games of the season the offense had no clear direction. Now the offense is in must-win mode. With that Todd Haley has finally given the green light to Ben Roethlisberger to throw the football like he used to.

Calvin Johnson
In the second quarter the Lions offense could not be stopped. It looked as if the Steelers defense was going to surrender touchdown after touchdown like they did against the New England Patriots. Somehow the Steelers coverage held Johnson without a catch in the second half. That wasn’t before over 170 yards receiving in the first half though.

Michael Floyd
Floyd is more of a possession receiver, but he has been good for three to four big plays a season. Sunday against the Jaguars he turned a standard catch over the middle into a despicable highlight reel of how to perform poor tackling. It turned an average day of one hundred yards receiving into nearly two hundred yards.

Josh Gordon
Gordon has had a handful of games with over a hundred yards, and this is with missing the first two games of the season with a suspension. He is probably the best receiver in football currently besides Calvin Johnson with big play ability. To be a more viable fantasy football receiver he is going to need to shed that label and become more of an all-around receiver. He hauled in five catches for over 120 yards Sunday.

Vinny Jackson
He did it again. The adage that a player can’t replicate a performance because they already had a dominate game against them just got thrown out by Vincent Jackson. He had yet another dominating performance against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers catching ten of twelve from quarterback Glennon. If you got Vincent Jackson via a trade, or as your second/third receiver good for you.

Garrett Graham
Graham exposed a poor Raiders secondary and got the best out of both Case Keenum and Matt Schaub. For the day he had seven catches for over 130 yards receiving. The dysfunctional issues in Houston would be too much for me to consider picking up a waiver wire acquisition on this team.

Post Week Eleven Waiver Wire

Tuesday, 19 November, 2013

Post Week Eleven Waiver Wire

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EJ Manuel
The spotlight on Sunday’s game was entirely on Geno Smith’s horrid performance. But who caught my eye was EJ Manuel who came back strong after a poor return against the Pittsburgh Steelers. After a rough first quarter the Bills ignited thanks to a long sideline throw by EJ Manuel. If he can get back to the level he was playing pre-injury Manuel can be a definite fantasy football asset to a team.

Josh McCown
The longer Cutler is declared out the more the hype around McCown grows. McCown led another comeback win Sunday over the Ravens. This time it was in horrendous field and weather conditions. This Bears offense is setup to produce points and will do so on a weekly basis.

Bobby Rainey
You could see this coming. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have had instant success with running backs over the last few years with Cadillac Williams, LeGarrettte Blount, Doug Martin, Mike James, and now Bobby Rainey. The reason Rainey wasn’t high on many fantasy football writers waiver wire lists before was uncertainty on the amount of carries he would have. Based on thirty carries from Sunday, that has been answered. If running to the waiver wire was practical, owners would be scurrying in a marathon sprint type of fashion.

Donald Brown
I’m not going to completely write off Trent Richardson like every sports fan in America. But clearly the Browns disliked Richardson and cast him off to the Colts to get their investment of a first round pick back. To get more consistency at running back the Colts have turned more to Brown. Brown is what the Colts need to sustain a constant and serious threat to keep Andrew Luck and the Colts in playoff contention.

Daniel Thomas
After two total yards rushing against the Buccaneers Miami committed to the run game against the Chargers. It resulted in less pressure on the Dolphins offensive line and better protection for Ryan Tannehill on drop backs. Thomas should continue to see carries as they try to make a wild card playoff push.

Shane Vereen
Vereen is active again and though he will be brought along gradually you can expect the Pats to utilize him quite a bit. Before his injury Vereen was on his way to a stellar season. Even at this point of the season fantasy owners can get a fair amount of value by adding Vereen.

Rashard Jennings
Jennings was a sleeper start of the week and he delivered on the road in Houston with 150 yards rushing and a touchdown. Who would of thought the top two fantasy running backs of the week would be Bobby Rainey and Rashard Jennings? Oakland offers a high opportunity to the starter and right now that is Jennings with McFadden out with injury. With either McGloin or Pryor under center the team values and protects play calling with volume run calls.

Jerricho Cotchery
The Steelers have resorted to Big Ben in hopes of getting back in division and playoff contention. They’re letting Ben throw upwards of fifty times a game to help spark a team that’s ailing defense is surrendering too many points. Cotchery has seen an increased role as the team continues to run and gun for wins.

Michael Floyd
Floyd’s done this before with strong play in the back half of the season. I predicted that Carson Palmer should finish the second half of the season stronger and in turn boost the performance of all the Cardinals receivers. Palmer finally had a turnover free game Sunday and had only twelve incomplete passes. Floyd had the biggest play of the day on a catch and run touchdown in which he shredded several defenders.

Coby Fleener and Delanie Walker
Both tight ends shined in Thursday night’s game. Fleener has had a poor season thus far but figures to have a vital role with Reggie Wayne out. Walker on the other hand will also see more targets with Ryan Fitzpatrick at quarterback over Jake Locker. While in Buffalo, Fitzpatrick even made Scott Chandler a viable fantasy performer.

Stretching the Field Post Week Ten

Tuesday, 12 November, 2013

Stretching the Field Post Week Ten

Tiquan Underwood
Confidence in having Glennon as a permanent future starting quarterback has to be waning. There have been a handful of games the Bucs could have won if Glennon would throw better passes. Monday the Bucs got away with Glennon’s inaccuracy and mistakes. Underwood had 21 yards a catch on three receptions.

Pierre Garcon
After the Redskins woes the first few weeks it looked like RG3 and the offense was on its way to a miserable season. Instead Garcon and the Redskins have been one of the most prolific offenses in the NFL. With Garcon healthy he is showcasing why he received a hefty contract offer from the Redskins. He had seven catches for well over 100 yards Sunday.

Golden Tate
Over the last month there might not be a receiver in the league that has risen from a mediocre week to week performer to a standout. Tate has been sensational and a go to receiver for Russ Wilson when the offense appeared to be struggling. It made some strides against the Falcons thanks to six catches for over a hundred yards.

Riley Cooper
With Nick Foles quarterbacking the Eagles have designed two to three plays a week where a home run ball is going to go Cooper’s way. Suddenly he has risen up the fantasy charts as the deep ball continues to hit for long touchdowns. He hauled in two out of three catches for big touchdowns Sunday.

Tavon Austin
Three touchdowns from Austin made it look like he was wearing his old West Virginia uniform. He was a blur at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis and catapulted the Rams to a blowout road win. All St. Louis has to do is figure out a way to keep Austin involved in the offense on a week to week basis. Quick screens and more deep ball attempts have to be in the Rams arsenal.

TY Hilton
For the second consecutive week Hilton was a second half fantasy football killer. He could of scored a touchdown in the third quarter if he did not trip over his own two feet. At any rate Hilton’s fantasy value is growing as he continues to have success as the Colts number one receiver.

AJ Green
Thank goodness for Andy Dalton that he has one of the best wide receivers in football at his disposal. If it weren’t for Green, Dalton may have been seated on the bench a long time ago. Having a guy like Green keeps a young quarterbacks confidence up. Green finished Sunday with a miracle hail mary catch on eight catches for over 150 yards.

Julius Thomas
People that stole Thomas off of waivers early this season are smirking widely that he was able to return quickly from his injury. He is a bonus asset to a position that finding a top tier fantasy scorer is golden. Thomas hauled in three catches for 96 yards on three catches.

Post Week Ten Waiver Wire Pickups

Monday, 11 November, 2013

Post Week Ten Waiver Wire Pickups

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Nick Foles
Foles followed up his great performance last week with three more touchdowns Sunday. Another potential waiver wire pickup in Riley Cooper was a big factor with two of the three touchdowns. Chip Kelly hasn’t announced Foles the permanent starter but it seems to be all but a lock that he will do. Foles can step right in and be your number one fantasy quarterback for the stretch run.

Mark Ingram
Wow an actual Mark Ingram sighting. It was starting to look like Nick Saban’s program was producing dud running backs in the NFL. The jury is still out as Ingram had his first effective game in a long time. It’s a good enough game to warrant Ingram as a strong waiver wire pickup this week to add depth at running back to your team.

Andre Brown
New York’s Andre Brown returned to action and gained over 100 yards on an even more promising thirty carries. Tom Coughlin is going to pound the football and try to save Eli the headaches of mistakes he has been prone to.

Golden Tate
After one or two games with an amazing catch an athlete catches your eye. At this point Tate has solidified himself as a fantasy football need. Even though Percy Harvin is set to return you have to envision the Seahawks limiting his snaps to preserve him for the playoffs. Tate is becoming the consistent big play threat for the Seahawks as the offense continues to take steps from the regression we saw a few weeks ago.

Tavon Austin
When Austin touched the ball Sunday he turned it into a big play score. He had two catches Sunday and both were long touchdowns and also had a fabulous punt return. He is the Colts TY Hilton but has not find his niche amidst with Bradford or Clemens. Maybe now the Rams can figure out a way to involve him in the offense on a weekly basis. He has too much speed and talent to be limited in this offense.

Griff Whalen
Andrew Luck’s home game comeback heroics finally conceded to a poor performance from Luck and the Colts overall. In order to find balance offensively the Colts must try to run the football with Trent Richardson and Donald Brown. Once they do so the passing game will open up again. Griff Whalen has an opportunity to be a difference maker as the team looks for receivers to snare balls in absence of Reggie Wayne.

Michael Crabtree
Crabtree is expected to be able to return at some point, more than likely late November to the field. He is the missing piece offensively to an offense that is void of a playmaker receiver. Anquan Boldin a solid possession receiver but he is not a playmaker at this point in his career. Vernon Davis has been filling that area and left Sunday’s game early with an injury. San Francisco must have someone step up soon or Colin Kapernick’s confidence may be shaken at an inappropriate time.

John Carlson
Christian Ponder isn’t one to elevate his wide receivers in terms of fantasy football, but at tight end he has with Kyle Rudolph. With Rudolph out for about a month, John Carlson is the guy up next to reach dividends with the Vikings. He had a solid game Thursday against a poor Redskins secondary.