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It’s just about the halfway point in the majority of fantasy leagues. How will the second half of your fantasy season fare? As the season stretches on, injuries become even more significant. Week seven boasts some of the best value pickups thus far for any waiver wire week on the season.

Quarterbacks

Josh Freeman-
Freeman did exactly what he needed to do in a stretch against poor defenses. The Buccaneers expanded the offense during that stretch and Freeman has continued to ascend with new target Vincent Jackson. Mike Williams is even becoming more consistent in terms of catches. With the running game still working out kinks, Freeman may continue to be a focus point for the offense.

Mark Sanchez-
Talk has slowly shifted from the benching of Sanchez for Tim Tebow the last couple of weeks. Sure, Sanchez could have connected on a few more balls against the Patriots, but he has played fairly well against both the Texans and Patriots. With the limited talent he has at his disposal you could say it’s been quite impressive.

Running Backs

Kendall Hunter

Gore was in obvious pain towards the end of the Seahawks game on Thursday night. The apparent injury has been labeled as a rib injury. The extent of that only Gore knows. Gore has been one to play hurt throughout his career and it seems he will attempt to do so with his rib injury. Hunter has been getting roughly eight carries a game, and may get a higher average now to preserve Gore for the playoffs.

Jonathan Dwyer
Dwyer was on my addition waiver wire list in anticipation of bypassing Isaac Redman weeks ago. Neither were able to do much and it appeared the Steelers were in a deep hole with Redman and Mendenhall out against Cincinnati. Many expected Baron Batch to get the bulk of carries due to Dwyer’s ineffectiveness earlier this year. Dwyer finally had his breakout game and will be the top fantasy waiver wire pickup this week.

Philip Tanner
Carolina shut down the Cowboys rushing attack, largely due to the fact they limited Felix Jones. Jones has always been the old Napolean Kaufman type of running back. If he isn’t busting loose on a big run, his value is diminished tremendously as an every down back as he lacks the hard nosed between the tackles rushing. Tanner can do that and even though he also had a tough time against Carolina he had nearly the same amount of carries as Jones.

Rashad Jennings

All the owners that hand cuffed MJD with Rashad Jennings during fantasy drafts must have been impatient as the season went about, and dumped Jennings for a waiver wire pickup. That’s a golden rule not to do with a top tier fantasy running back. Now it’ll be a free for all to get a back in Jennings that’s in a true old school backfield system. There is no complimentary back in Jacksonville, so Jennings will receive 90 percent of the duties. Jennings is available in over 70 percent of Yahoo leagues.

LaRod Stephens-Howling

Howling was another waiver wire addition weeks prior to his breakout game on Notjustagame. Howling is just a better all around threat and does more in smaller space than William Powell and Alfonso Smith. The Cardinals finally decided to test Howling as a feature back and it worked out well as the Cardinals finally had a hundred yard rusher on the season. It was Howling’s first game with a high amount of carries. We will see how his body takes the hits for a smaller back over the course of a few games.

Wide Receivers

Titus Young

With Nate Burelson done for the season, Titus Young and Ryan Broyles figure to be in the mix to get more attention from Stafford. Monday when Charles Tillman did a solid job covering Calvin Johnson, Stafford looked more to Young’s direction. In a meaningless drive except for Vegas, Stafford hit a huge out route to Young that was his best throw of the night on a third and nineteen. Though he needs to stop his antics after each catch, Young should offer high value for the rest of the season.

Devin Hester

Hester has always flirted with fantasy rosters as a receiver, but now may be the best time. Brandon Marshall and Jay Cutler are so in sync, that Hester is going to get some one on one plays just with his speed. With Alshon Jeffreys out to injury, Hester could have a big game or two during the stretch without Jeffreys.

Jeremy Kerley

Kerley continues to make the weekly waiver wire report after three consecutive solid games now. Maybe folks just don’t trust Mark Sanchez enough to believe the Jets can have a reliable fantasy wide receiver. Still available in over 50% of Yahoo leagues, Kerley just seems to get open with his speed with regularity.

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Injuries, injuries, and more injuries are adding up on your fantasy rosters. If you’re an owner that has 70 to 80 percent of your top eight players still healthy from your original draft, you’ve fared well. For the majority of owners though injuries are piling up. Here are some players to look at off the waiver wire of week six.

Quarterbacks

Matt Hasselbeck-
The veteran Hasselbeck seems to be settling in after a couple of poor outings from a turnover standpoint. Lets not forget the Titans brought in Hasselbeck for solid money right after the lockout ended. There were plenty of teams that wanted to sign Hasselbeck but he chose Tennessee even with Locker in the fold. If he can limit his interceptions, Hasselbeck can be a decent fantasy performer if you’re in dire need for a quarterback.

Sam Bradford-
All the hype about the young quarterbacks drafted the last two years has put Bradford out of the loop. He is on a Rams team that has never been an offensive juggernaut. Bradford though has put together a few solid games this year, and seems to be past the injury woes that have plagued him. He tore apart the Dolphins who came into the weekend as one of the best defensive teams especially at home.

Josh Freeman-
Anticipating Freeman performing better was not in doubt with the matchups Freeman and the Buccaneers had in store after their bye week. Yet it was good to see Freeman airing the football out to his big play receivers in Vincent Jackson and Mike Williams. The running game has yet to be a factor, but you have to imagine they’ll get it figured out sooner than later.

Carson Palmer-
Palmer has always been one of the streakier quarterbacks in the NFL. I said to gamble on him to start this weekend and he had an above average performance besides his pick six. Palmer is finding Denarius Moore now and a possession receiver target in Derek Hagan.

Running Backs

Felix Jones-
Soon the extent of DeMarco Murray’s foot injury will be released, but it’s said not to be season ending. So if Murray is out even a couple of games, Jones will be a viable fantasy producer. He has done it before in spot start duties, and is a suitable replacement for Murray production wise. Jones stepped in nicely in a secondary role in the first half to Murray, and would have been on the list even if Murray had not went down.

Philip Tanner-
Tanner is the one that Ray Lewis was trying to tackle while he tore his triceps. Tanner factored in the second half with nine carries with Murray out. Felix Jones will be the main guy but Tanner will fill Jones’s old role. While Jones is the home run threat, Tanner will be the pound back for the tough yards.

Montario Hardesty-
One of the backs talked about the most on handcuffing in your fantasy drafts was Trent Richardson. He has shown to be fragile and went down Sunday against the Bengals. The running game for the Browns will not disappear with Richardson sidelined. Hardesty has solid value to carry the load for the Browns and rookie Brandon Weeden.

LeGarrette Blount-
Blount lost his job to rookie Doug Martin and appeared to be an after thought from a fantasy standpoint. Don’t discount him just yet. If the Buccaneers can get things rolling, they could have a favorable dual threat backfield. Blount has displayed his power and is going to be a fourth quarter back teams do not want to tackle. Blount can be the Brandon Jacobs to Ahmad Bradshaw when he was with the Giants.

Daryl Richardson
For a moment it looked like Richardson was going to have a career game against the Dolphins. Miami had not allowed a run over ten yards on the season, but Richardson burst for a forty yard run off the bat in the first quarter. After that run though Richardson was held in check. He only received eleven carries, but is the future of the Rams backfield.

Wide Receivers

Josh Gordon-
Last week he was on the weekly wonders report, but after a duplicating performance I have added Gordon to the waiver wire report. Both of Gordon’s big touchdown plays came on blown deep safety help. Gordon has the speed to continue to pose problems for defensive secondaries.

Brandon Gibson-
Gibson faded weeks three thru five after a couple of solid outings with touchdowns to start the season. With Danny Amendola out someone needs to fill in for all the catches Amendola was receiving. Gibson seems to be the guy that wants that role, and made some nice grabs against the Dolphins. St. Louis does not score too many points, but Gibson can make up for that with PPR points.

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If your near .500 or sense your team losing it’s potency, it’s time to re-work that waiver wire. Average teams in the NFL are constantly shifting their lineups by making every little move possible to get that extra edge for Sundays. That’s what it takes in fantasy football. If you’re barely squeezing out wins and keep getting the favorable opponent that has the weekly low score, you better be planning to improve as well.

Those wins will turn into losses rather quickly as the points consistency on your team begins to tank, and the points average takes affect.

Here is a look at post week five’s waiver wire additions.

Quarterbacks

Jay Cutler-
Cutler offers solid value for still being available in nearly thirty percent of leagues. He has the offensive weapons and comfort ability surrounding him. He targets Brandon Marshall an abundance of times per game, and has his safety net in Matt Forte healthy. The Bears offensively look to be getting stronger and rising to the level of the Bears defense to make them a complete team.

Ryan Tannehill-
You can just see Tannehill’s confidence growing by the week. Miami has done a great job at making the game easy for Tannehill. The run play is ran consistently, and is giving Tannehill plenty of time in the pocket for pass plays. Miami could easily be sitting at 4-1 instead of 2-3. Tannehill is a buy low type of fantasy quarterback that can be a difference maker in the latter part of the season.

Colin Kapernick-
Alex Smith’s sprained finger could mean Kapernick seeing increased playing time. When the 49ers unveiled Kapernick in the wildcat it showed another wrinkle available at the 49ers disposal. Two blowout wins have allowed that to happen, and may be apart of the team every week now. If you’re in an unordinary league where you have unique flex options, Kapernick may be intriguing for what he has done with his legs.

Quarterbacks to consider waiving: Russ Wilson, Mark Sanchez, and Kevin Kolb

Running Backs

Alex Green-
An injury to a feature back means someone is going to get a chance. I listed Green as a pickup a few weeks back due to Cedric Benson’s ineffectiveness. Green showed enough flashes on his nine carries to show upside while Benson’s out. We’ve seen what Randall Cobb and James Jones have done with injuries at receiver. Green Bay’s offense is a glutton for fantasy production, which will allow Green to have a fantasy impact.

Rashard Mendenhall-
Kudos to owners that drafted on Mendenhall expecting to be able to use him properly upon his return. Mendenhall looked fantastic for a guy that hasn’t played since tearing his knee in week seventeen. He showed speed and shiftiness to evade tackles and get extra yards. The variables he showcased were just not getting done with Redman and Dwyer. He is available in twenty two percent of Yahoo leagues.

LaRod Stephens-Howling
Arizona thought they had their backfield solidified with Beanie Wells and Ryan Williams. With both out now it’s going to be a platoon of backs each week for Arizona. With their running game as poor as it is, you have to depend on a back that can do something out of the backfield. Stephens-Howling may miss one more week but he has solid hands and will see more action on the field over Alfonso Smith and William Powell. For week six it’ll be interesting to see if Smith or Powell gets the bulk of the carries. Smith is a familiar Cardinal who was just resigned to the team.

Wide Receivers

Michael Floyd-
The Cardinals have been bringing Floyd along slowly, until he gets the understanding of plays down properly. The high draft pick will begin to see more playing time on the field, so the Cardinals can begin developing their investment. Arizona is going to continue to be one of the league leaders at slinging the football each down with their poor running game. Floyd has been non existent thus far but may be one of the best gambles on the wire.

Randall Cobb
Cobb is available in 35 percent of Yahoo leagues. With the unknown on Greg Jennings and his repeat appearance to the injury list, other receivers on Green Bay are going to continue to step up. Aaron Rodgers has not even had a typical Rodgers stretch yet, with below standard stats for his expectations. The offense will blend together sooner or later, and Cobb should remain a part of it. Even if Jennings gets back to full strength the Packers may put a threshold of number of plays he runs to keep him healthy.

Mike Williams
Williams is never going to be a high points per reception receiver, but he gets high value out of his catches. Josh Freeman does not have a tight end he depends on, so he leans on Williams to fulfill that role. Coming off a bye week, Tampa Bay gets to face off against the Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs did a good job on shutting down the Ravens, but this season they’ve been shredded every week through the air otherwise.

Jeremy Kerley
Every team needs a deep threat, and Kerley is going to be that athlete for the Jets. He had a big game against Houston and might be a hidden gem that gets to get more action with the Jets receiver woes. Chaz Schilens does not look like he can recover from multiple years of injuries, and likely will be out of the fold once Stephen Hill returns. Look for Kerley to become more and more involved as a feature receiver for the Jets and Mark Sanchez.

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A month has now been concluded in the NFL. The last game of week four featured the media’s favorite quarterback to bash in Jay Cutler obliterate the Dallas Cowboys. Tony Romo can now get his spot back right next to Mark Sanchez in the media’s circle of bashing. Jay Cutler is one of those quarterbacks that either gets it done or kills your fantasy team. Who else makes it into week fours waiver wire edition from Notjustagame.com?

Quarterbacks

Ryan Tannehill-

The skillset of Tannehill was on display in college, and led to him being drafted with the eighth overall pick by Miami. Like any young quarterback he is going to have his fair share of the learning curve. That will come each week of gained starting experience. As a fantasy owner you just can’t ignore a performance such as Tannehill had. When playoff time comes favorable matchups can come from anywhere.

Jay Cutler-
You truly pay for your ticket with Cutler before getting on the rollercoaster. Yet when he limits his interceptions he can be a spot starter and suitable fantasy backup. After his poor performance against the Packers and a non standout game against the Rams fantasy owners began to drop him. He is available in twenty eight percent of Yahoo leagues. With his familiarity with big play receiver Brandon Marshall, and favorable backfield with Matt Forte and Michael Bush why not have him on your team.

Joe Flacco-

I guess there were just too many non-believers out there for Joe Flacco. He has came out and been a top seven fantasy quarterback in the first month of the season. A trend that could remain for the entire season if the Ravens keep the offense churning the way they are. He has the confidence of his teammates and now coaches to be a weekly fantasy starter. There is no reason for him to be available in nearly twenty percent of Yahoo leagues.

Running Backs
Brandon Bolden-

As the Patriots started to explode in the fourth quarter they found out a gem in Bolden. You just have to wonder if the Patriots will run the football as much as they did against the Bills. Regardless, the way the Pats offense is starting to look again, it’s going to give plenty of players the chance at being a fantasy stud. Pickup Bolden and stash him to see how the Patriots plan to keep on using him. He won’t have the hundred yard games but rushing touchdowns will make him fantasy relevant.

Jackie Battle-
San Diego is going to try to keep Ryan Matthews healthy. To do so they will utilize a dual backfield, similar to what they did with LT and Michael Turner and Mike Tolbert. Battle has supplanted Curtis Brinkley in the role and is becoming a consistent double digit carry back every week. With Matthews documented fumbling issues, Battle may be the back that steals plenty of short yardage touchdowns.

Wide Receivers

Andre Roberts-
Roberts has been on my waiver wire report a few times this season. He has been a factor for the Cardinals with both John Skelton and Kevin Kolb. With Kolb though his value increases, as the offense moves at a better pace. With the Cardinals poor rushing attack, the Cardinals have short route plays designed to keep the defense off balance. Michael Floyd is still adjusting as a rookie, while Roberts has been the one to step up to the plate. Roberts is widely available in leagues.

Chaz Schilens-
Almost by default Schilens ascends to the top of the Jets passing offense. As profiled as the Jets horrific game against the 49ers was, it was just one loss. They’re .500, and a good few weeks by Mark Sanchez will erase the tension spiked to get Tim Tebow on the field.

Jerome Simpson-
Simpson has freak athletic ability, and the Vikings want to get him involved. Even though the Vikings pass offense is in the bottom tier of the league, there just are not many options to go to. Harvin, simpson, and tight end Kyle Rudolph.

Brian Hartline-
This is yet another repeat entry as Hartline was included a week ago. There is not much more to explain with Hartline as his career game speaks for itself. The other stupefying number is that Hartline is available in 75% of yahoo leagues.

Kendall Wright-
Kenny Britt has had a plethora of injuries over the last year, the latest being an ankle injury. It’s not expected to hamper him for an extended time, but it’s enough to raise an eyebrow. The rookie Wright will get opportunities this year to get involved in more plays and show the value and reason why the Titans drafted him high.

Leonard Hankerson-
Even with Pierre Garcon back in the fold fantasy owners that currently own Hankerson do not need to be worried. RG3 is putting up monster numbers every week and it’s not just with his legs. Hankerson is a target RG3 eyes and has made Hankerson into a double digit fantasy wide receiver in three games he has played.

Questions @Cimini

Bye Week Teams: Pittsburgh and Indianapolis
It’s the first week of bye weeks and injuries are starting to mount up. Do not be an owner that makes a costly error of not reviewing injury notes prior to Thursday or Sunday’s games. Matthew Stafford is looking as if he is going to be a game time decision by the Detroit Lions. Have a backup plan well in advance. Inserting Shaun Hill for this week is even a good option.

Here are some fantasy players of note to consider placing on the bench for week four.

Quarterbacks
Mike Vick
One of the first teams to corral Vick during his surprise comeback and overtaking of Donovan McNabb were the NY Giants. They know how to contain Vick in the pocket and do what every team in football is doing now, and that is lay hits on Vick. All the offensive line issues and poor play calling by Andy Reid has this team on the verge of another media and self team collapse. Sunday night football will only elevate and expose the Eagles even more.

Christian Ponder
Ponder has been a surprise to start the season and is right on the borderline of tier one and tier two fantasy quarterbacks currently. This has been done with the Vikings calling a basic offense and rather mediocre numbers from the skilled position wide receivers. Though the matchup looks favorable against Detroit, I do not expect Ponder to be ranked in the top fifteen this week for fantasy quarterbacks.

Drew Brees
As shocking as this looks, Brees has too many factors that make a foreseeable rough game against the Green Bay Packers. The number one issue is the Saints defense. They have not been able to stop the run or pass, and this is the type of game that Aaron Rodgers has been waiting for. He has faced some of the toughest defenses to start the year in the Chicago Bears, Seattle Seahawks, and San Francisco. With the anger of the Packers matched with the offset of the Saints poor play, means this could get ugly quick for the Saints. Frustration is already evident and will only grow for Brees when they’re 0-4

Other Quarterbacks to Sit: Peyton Manning and Kevin Kolb

Running Backs
Ryan Williams
The big news Wednesday was that the Cardinals decided to place Beanie Wells on the injured reserve, assuring that Williams is going to be the primary back for at least eight weeks. Williams may have a couple of solid games intermixed in these eight weeks, but not enough to make him a RB1 or RB2 starter. He can possibly be a flex option, but the Cardinals are not going to improve from being near the bottom of the league in rushing. Miami has been tough against the run and will make Williams full time duty debut a rough go.

Willis McGahee
Peyton Manning is struggling early on in games because teams are able to condense down the secondary for Manning’s quick throws. McGahee is as tough a runner as they come but Manning’s limitations are going to hurt his overall effectiveness. Oakland has not necessarily been a stalwart against the run, but McGahee is not a flashy back anyhow. McGahee is a straight forward runner that the Raiders should be able to boggle down.

Doug Martin
Though Washington ranks near the bottom overall for defense, this game will be more about boosting Josh Freeman’s confidence heading into the Buccaneers bye week. The Redskins secondary has allowed every quarterback to thrash them through the air thus far, and have given up ten passing touchdowns overall. Freeman will finally get into rhythm with new receiver Vincent Jackson, and add to Mike Williams touchdown totals.

Others to Sit: Mike Bush if Matt Forte is declared available Sunday, and Chris Johnson

Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
Steve Smith (Carolina)
Cam Newton himself has admitted he has to work on his demeanor when adversity lurks. The Panthers have had some extended days off after playing last Thursday in an embarrassing home loss to the Giants. Newton just may need a sophomore slump to look back upon for true growth. Facing the red hot Atlanta Falcons in Atlanta is going to be extremely tough for Newton and the Carolina Panthers.

Miles Austin
Much of the focus with Chicago always surrounds Jay Cutler. Year after year that’s what the media focuses on. Chicago likes it that way, as their defense has been as consistent as any team in the NFL, but for some reason the focus remains off of them. Tony Romo has had below standard performances against the Buccaneers and Seahawks. A home game against the Bears figures to be an opportunity to change things, but I believe the Bears will continue the pattern of frustration of Romo.

Antonio Gates
Gates has continued to shake off injuries year after year but it appears that has began to take its toll on him. Fantasy owners that drafted him in the same relative rounds as Vernon Davis, Jimmy Graham, and Rob Gronkowski are cursing up a storm like Chris Johnson owners. Especially with how elder tight end Tony Gonzalez is performing. In years past Gates has shaken off the injury bug to put on strong games. It just does not seem like his high catches and yardage games are going to happen as frequently anymore. He is now more in the mid to bottom range of a tier one tight end. That is only if the Chargers can solve their scoring woes. Kansas City is always tough for Philip Rivers and divisional opponents, and will give Rivers enough fits this week to hurt Gates’s production.
Others to Sit: Eric Decker and Marques Colston

Twitter Questions @Cimini

Lets not base the first three games as an entirety to the season. If that were the case Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady would not even be first tier quarterbacks right now. Brady is ranked 15th and Rodgers 21st currently. Just like with true NFL teams, early season hype for a scattered amount of teams will fade and be evaporated to near .500 seasons by December.

We know which big time players are going to turn around their season because of their history. But where is a quarterback like Josh Freeman headed?

Freeman’s 2010 stellar season seems like a year distant to a veteran winding down his quarterback years. That’s what makes Freeman’s downward spiral and lateral stagnancy so puzzling. Last years lockout appeared to have hurt Freeman more than any quarterback in football. Rapid changes are also an issue that is likely a main factor in Freeman not coming out with better performances.

A new coach, running back, and adjustment to Vincent Jackson all takes time. The early season rust by Josh Freeman should not be over examined. Even though the stats do not jump out on paper from his first three games, Freeman and the Buccaneers have been in every game.

In fact they should be 2-1 if it were not for a colossal collapse by their defense in the fourth quarter against the Giants.

This next month will be a high indicator if Freeman is ever going to move past last season. The Buccaneers have an early bye week, week five, which can do wonders for a quarterback. His one game before the bye week and two after the bye week are three of the worst pass defenses in the NFL.

Washington currently ranks second to last in pass defense, and we all know how poor the Saints have been defensively as a whole. Kansas City’s defense would be ranked worse if it were not for the Bills and Falcons letting up in the second half with huge leads.

So the opportunity for a fantasy quarterback to turn their year around and become relevant, can’t be better than Josh Freeman’s position. His season statistically could not have started off worse. With Freeman as low as he could possibly be from a fantasy perspective, now is the time to snag him.

You’d have to expect Freeman to start connecting with Vincent Jackson more, and target Mike Williams at a higher rate. This next month will be key, but the plus/minus differential for where Freeman is and where he can go currently as a fantasy quarterback is in the double digits range for improvement. Currently he is twenty ninth in passing yards and right in the middle for touchdowns thrown. A couple of three hundred yard games and he should gain the confidence to finish the year off as a solid fantasy backup quarterback.