Quarterbacks
Jake Locker
Credit, Locker for coming back from injury and benefitting his team right off the bat. Locker was named the starter in preseason for a reason. He gives the Titans a better chance of winning and has developed in many areas as a passer. A person like Locker can have high value for your fantasy football stretch playoff run.

Andy Dalton

Dalton’s leadership was called into question by his own head coach Marvin Lewis. Dalton has followed those comments with two solid games. One in which he fought neck and neck with Peyton Manning before Manning took over in the fourth quarter. The second time around against a Manning brother, Andy got the best of Eli. Cincinnati does not have a high amount of rushing touchdowns. They are a slow pace offense but touchdowns are going to come through the arm of Dalton.

Carson Palmer
Palmer is piling up stats and might be the number one chunk garbage fantasy football candidate in the league right now. The Raiders don’t look like they’re going to improve any time soon, and seem fine with relying on Palmer’s arm and nothing else.
Running Backs

Jacquizz Rodgers
It’s inevitable that the Falcons will be seeking a new running back once the offseason comes. They have struggled all season for the most part to establish their running game, and that has led to many drop back passes for Matt Ryan. Mike Turner seems to be limited in the amount of carries he can handle effectively nowadays. Expect Rodgers involvement in the offseason to begin to leap more.

Wide Receivers
Mohamed Sanu
The big target out of Rutgers is starting to develop in the second half of this season. As AJ Green continues to tear apart secondaries, Green is going to only attract more and more attention. Sanu should be able to use his size to haul down some deep balls and utilize his size advantage over opposing cornerbacks.

Cecil Shorts
Shorts continues to be Gabbert’s favorite option in a limited effective passing attack. Shorts is now becoming consistent on a weekly basis over the last four weeks.

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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.

By Zack Cimini

notjustagame23@gmail.com

Bye weeks are something to worry about now. Just adding depth is not the sole reason to consider a waiver wire pickup. If you’re in a bye week jam, you may want to look at picking up one of these players.

Quarterbacks

Donovan McNabb

Throw out week one and McNabb has become an efficient game manager. Understanding his role as a quarterback that takes the backseat to Adrian Peterson has clicked in McNabb’s head. He has the best back in football and utilizing AP constantly is going to continue to open up pass plays for McNabb. There are a lot of teams in the hole to start the year, so this could be the year multiple teams at 9-7 make the playoffs. The Vikings have showed they can play with just about everyone, but cohesiveness needs to continue to be the key. McNabb can make a few plays a game with his legs and do enough with his arm to make him an option in deeper leagues as a number two quarterback.

Running Backs

Bernard Scott- Benson will likely serve his three game suspension at some point. When that happens the twenty five carries a game Benson is getting will all be his. Scott has been a comparable fantasy backup to Benson, and should have no problem filling in a few games. If you’re looking for that extra lift to help your team out for a few weeks, why not go Scott’s way?

Jonathan Dwyer- Dwyer stole the show from Redman. For a team that has struggled with the running game all year, there might be a mix up with the way Dwyer performed. Keep an eye on this situation as it develops.

Jackie Battle- Surprise, surprise. The Kansas City Chiefs realized McCluster could not be a split carry back, and a new back sprung from the Chiefs backfield. It seems to be a pattern for the Chiefs over the years. Holmes went down, in came Larry Johnson, down went Johnson in came Jamaal Charles. Now Battle.

Donald Brown- When Addai went done the team did not solely rely on Delone Carter. Brown hardly used all year, was used for eight carries. It looked as if the Colts had rode off the former first rounder. With the passing game revived with Painter under center, maybe the rushing attack will re-establish itself as well.

Kendall Hunter- The 49ers offense has shifted under Harbaugh. Alex Smith isn’t necessarily doing anything special. He is delivering timely key throws, but his statistics have been ordinary. The team is pounding the run and living off it very well. Hunter has shown great ability as Gore’s backup. With Gore fighting through injuries, you could find a steal in Hunter if Gore goes down for a length of time.

Wide Receivers

James Jones- How many Packers receivers caught a ball Sunday? The zone Aaron Rodgers is in has not been seen in a long time. Each week a new Packer could catch fire at receiver. Jones has shown before that he can be a big time performer. It’s the consistency to catch the ball that has limited him. The Packers resigned him for a reason, and for the first time this season he showed why. Only owned by 13% of Yahoo owners, Jones is going to be a hot pickup this week.

Devin Hester-

Hester seems to be one of the few receivers for Chicago that has been able to avoid injury. Cutler is starting to look more and Hester’s direction. You’d think that big plays would eventually happen with the Bears passing game involving Hester. Forte is too much of a threat rushing and out of the backfield, for another player not to emerge.

Chaz Schilens- Oakland needs that reliable big target that is different from the speed receivers they possess. That may be Schilens. Schilens was a waiver wire commodity a few years ago, and has fought off injuries the last few years. Sunday he made the game winning touchdown catch, and could see his involvement rise over the next few weeks.

Jason Hill- He could be a one week wonder, as seventy four of his yards came on one play. Jacksonville’s offense is upgraded with Gabbert at the helm over McCown. It is the transition as a rookie with Gabbert that worries fantasy owners on utilizing a Jaguar receiver. It may take another month or two, but Gabbert should establish himself as the other rookie quarterbacks have.

Doug Baldwin- You write him off once, twice, but not three times. Unheralded Baldwin has had a couple of impact games already this year. Instead most people discounted it for the simple fact that he is a Seahawk. The Seahawks offense is starting to do some things, and Baldwin has solidified that he is the most viable Seahawk fantasy wideout.

Jason Avant- I had Avant listed as a waiver wire pickup weeks back. There is no reason for Avant not to be considered as a depth filler on your fantasy team. With the way the Eagles have struggled defensively, the offense is going to need to put up points every week. That means more passes for Mike Vick, and balls spread out amongst the Eagles star receivers. Avant did struggle at securing the ball, but he is a veteran that will advance from it.

Devin Aromashadu-

McNabb has always been a quarterback that likes to air it out deep a few times a game. Minnesota does not really have too many weapons that can do that. Aromashadu is the one that can, and you can expect him to be targeted. As long as AP keeps establishing the offense, Aromashadu could have a few big games this season.

By Zack Cimini
notjustagame23@gmail.com

Alert, alert. The Carolina Panthers have a wide receiver worth picking up off the waiver wire? Yes someone besides Steve Smith has fantasy relevancy. It might be the first time since Mushin Muhammed teamed with Smith that you could say that. Week one went rather unscaved as far as injuries to top players. Week two did not fare so well. Waiver wire pursuits will be hot this week, as there are plenty of solid athletes to consider. I hope you all enjoyed some of the highly rated start players and sleeper starters that proceeded to have great weeks, Jeremy Maclin, Brandon LaFell, and Nate Washington.

Here’s a look at who you should be reacting to their week two’s success by adding them to your fantasy football roster.

Quarterback

Ryan Fitzpatrick- It isn’t often to include a player on the waiver wire in back to back weeks. I will in the case of Fitzpatrick. Buffalo is probably the least marketable sports city franchise in the NFL. Seven touchdowns in two weeks and he is doing it with extreme efficiency. Neither game has he thrown for over 300 yards, but he makes big plays when needed. People were laughing when the Bills decided they had no reason to pursue a quarterback in the draft or via free agency. How’s a 2-0 start look?

Andy Dalton- How rookies are faring so well with no extended reps via training camp is mind boggling. Maybe there is some truth to over training mentally. These guys are out there just gunning and playing on instinct and it’s working. Dalton delivered the ball timely, and has found the Bengals new and improved investment at wide receiver in rookie AJ Green.

Matt Hasselbeck- I for one do not believe in Hasselbeck at all at this stage in his career. The back issues he has had, and the overall tendency of the Titans to play hot and cold. This week the team was hot, and you just can’t discount the top talent around Hasselbeck. Chris Johnson’s only going to motor back up once he gets himself back into shape. At receiver, Kenny Britt is legitimately now a top five fantasy worthy receiver.

Jason Campbell- With Washington Campbell showcased adequate capabilities. He just never could muster the proper backing from the front office. Campbell has new life, and in his second year as a Raider may be able to build this team up to new heights. True speed with every receiver will play to Campbell’s strengths, and having the backfield he does will open up the plays down the field to hit those fast targets.

Mike Kafka- I just wrote an article on Mike Vick’s chances of playing all sixteen games. It’s hard for any starting quarterback to make it through the year, let alone a guy that scrambles and moves around like Vick. For all Vick owners that drafted him highly, you’re likely extremely weak with your current fantasy backup quarterback. Depending on the diagnosis of Vick, Mike Kafka may have to be your starter for a few weeks. The Eagles are loaded, and Kafka looked rather comfortable in it. Vince Young shouldn’t be ready and even if he is, Kafka may be appointed anyway.

Running Back

Daniel Thomas- Looks like Miami was all talk in the way they stated they would run Bush as a work horse back. Miami hardly ran the ball vs. New England with Thomas injured. Week two with Thomas healthy the Dolphins tried to get the ground game going, and did so by utilizing Thomas to a much more proportioned work load than Bush. Thomas tallied over one hundred yards rushing but did cough the football up twice.

Mike Bush- There is three reasons to pick up Bush and retain him. Darren McFadden’s injury history. Darren McFadden’s inconsistency. Jason Campbell’s rollercoaster starts that causes the Raiders to run the ball as high as any team in the NFL.

DeMarco Murray- Look for the diagnosis on Felix Jones seperated shoulder. The extent of time out shouldn’t be long at all. Even if Jones is limited, things will bode well for Tashard Choice and rookie DeMarco Murray

Dexter McCluster- He has Jamaal Charles characteristics, but is a tad bit more undersized. With Thomas Jones on the down side of his career, it’ll be interesting to see how this split works out. Le’Ron McClain could also factor into the mix. Kansas City’s offense looks like it is in a world of hurting. Cassel has had these woes before and dug himself out. He better wake up quick.

Wide Receiver

Brandon LaFell- No one imagined Cam Newton throwing for nearly 1,000 yards in his first two starts. The exponential raise of every Panther offensively has sky rocketed. He is turning Steve Smith back into a top fifteen fantasy wide receiver. LaFell seems to be playing his role solidly, and is a great depth filler to add to your fantasy roster.

DeNario Alexander- With the Rams changing the offensive system, it has opened it up more for stretching pass plays down the field. Alexander torched the Giants broken down secondary, and seems to be Bradford’s new found favorite target.We will have to see how Mike Sims-Walker typical scattered play affects Alexander for when Walker shows up.

Eric Decker- He did it as a special teams threat in week one with a return touchdown. Week two he got the start to fill in for injured receiver Brandon Lloyd and made the most of it. Denver is going to have to find a way to get Decker on the field after the way he lit up the Bengals secondary. A high impact involvement will not just happen for one week for Decker.

David Nelson- Extra motivation after being undrafted in a lockout made Nelson even hungrier. Roster moves happen all the time, and Nelson has made the most of it. Nelson has been targeted a ton the first two games. His start should not be a fluke since he has caught the ball fourteen times in the first two games.

Titus Young- Here is a guy that just makes an impact wherever he goes. The Boise State alum, jumped on board for the Lions and made a great contribution week two. Catching five balls for nearly ninety yards. Being that this was during an onslaught blowout, chances are Young(as the Lions third receiver) won’t get near this amount of yards for quite awhile. It is intriguing though to see that Young can step in and contribute.

Preston Parker- It looks as if Parker is gaining some ground ahead of some of the mediocre young receivers behind Mike Williams. Parker led all Buccaneers and was really the only factor at wideout, as Mike Williams was shut down. One thing with Josh Freeman is if you’ve got his trust, he will find you consistently.

Nate Washington- Kind of a forgotten veteran. Washington pops up here and there but never grabs your attention fully. Firmly as the Titans second option at receiver he has re-blossomed with a slight fantasy pulse. After two solid games now, you can pick him up as your fifth receiver and at worse start your waiver wire carousel at wideout.

Jerome Simpson- In extreme deep leagues Simpson is worth scooping up. It’s not likely Andy Dalton will have too many games where he has a field day from a yardage stand point. In standard leagues, just keep you eye on him.

By Zack Cimini

notjustagame23@gmail.com

We are now officially past the half way point this year. Kiss your fantasy football playoff hopes good bye if you’re not at least a game out from .500. Owners looking to keep stock piling depth for injury purposes or needing a spark; we have your waiver wire pickups for the week.

Quarterbacks

David Garrard- Quietly over the last month, Garrard has emerged as a solid fantasy option. After struggling mightily his first month, Garrard has a total of eleven touchdowns his last four games. The offense seems to be running a bit smoother but will have to see how he performs not playing a bottom rated defense. Give him credit for bouncing back as many thought he was on his way to the bench for good.

Chad Henne- More and more Henne is looking comfortable running the Dolphins offense. The problem isn’t the Dolphins moving the football, it’s scoring within the red zone. Dan Carpenter has made fantasy owners very happy by booting eighteen field goals already this season. We think over the second half of the season Henne will figure out how to get the ball to Brandon Marshall inside the red zone.

Derek Anderson- The Max Hall era seems to have come to a quick halt. Hall never looked like a viable starting quarterback, but Whisenhunt tried to sell him the best he could. Two quick pick six’s to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers found Hall sitting on the bench. Anderson has had accuracy issues but should remain the Cardinals starter the rest of this season. Fitzgerald’s healthy now, and Steve Breaston returned this past week in a big way.

Troy Smith- It appears that San Francisco will let their next few games ride on Troy Smith’s shoulders. After having a hard time moving the ball during the first half, Smith got things going and saved Mike Singletary. The throws he made for big plays could have easily been intercepted. What makes Smith entertaining is what he can do with his feet. He’ll extend the plays and should benefit greatly by having one of the better backs in the league.

Mike Vick- He should be announced starter again as he is apparently back to full health. The Eagles have a solid chance at making a run for a wild card birth. We think the Vick that everyone will see won’t be as potent as the one we saw earlier this year. He’ll provide enough statistically to warrant being a rated quarterback in the ten to fourteen range.

Running Backs

LaRod Stephens-Howling- Patience is growing thin with running backs Tim Hightower and Beanie Wells. Both have struggled with fumbling woes. Hightower drew just one carry Sunday, while Howling was a tremendous spark for the Cardinals. He broke a thirty yard touchdown and has been dynamite on special teams. He is the type of guy that needs more time on the field with his game breaking abilities.

Mike Tolbert- San Diego actually implemented a balanced attack against the Titans. There questionable play calling all season shifted to a rush attack against the Titans. Tolbert carried the ball eleven times, Sproles four, and Matthews fifteen. Look for the Chargers to keep to this offensive game plan for the rest of the season.

LeGarrette Blount- We’ve profiled him for the past month, hopefully you listened. He’s still available in a wide array of leagues. That won’t last much longer after his breakout game against the Cardinals. The game plan Sunday featured Blount as the main back, with Cadillac Williams/Earnest Graham as third down backs. Scramble to the waiver wire.

Wide Receivers

Steve Breaston- Not often a player returns and provides a tremendous spark like Breaston did Sunday. He stepped in as if he had been playing all season. For the first time this year, Fitzgerald was able to get open because of an opposite legitimate threat.

Nate Washington- With Kenny Britt out for an extended time, the ideal replacement to emerge will be Washington. He actually has four touchdowns this season and should see obvious more targets now.

Robert Meachem- When Drew Brees officially gets out of his two month rut, the Saints will once again have officially three fantasy wide receivers that you can start. Most owners have Lance Moore and Marques Colston. Meachem can be picked up and provide a spark as your third receiver or flex option. Brees doesn’t seem to have a favorite target but Meachem has been getting solid looks the past few weeks.

Brandon LaFell- Carolina’s running game with Jonathan Stewart/DeAngelo Williams figured to be one of the top rushing attacks in the league. They haven’t had it going. With Matt Moore in the lineup the past few weeks, the passing attack has been somewhat formidable.

By Zack Cimini
notjustagame23@gmail.com

If you had a fantasy football team that didn’t have at least minus six or more points due to turnovers we applaud you. The amount of interceptions and fumbles lost on Sunday were staggering. That led to a lot of high scoring affairs which bodes well for fantasy teams.

If you had the over in Vegas on this week’s action than you cashed out without sweating. Fantasy football owners though are panicking. Again big play draftees are not performing up to par. It’s the second tier and third tier players carrying teams. Heck, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Carson Palmer, and Matt Moore were in the category of top fantasy quarterbacks. At running back it was Darren McFadden who outplayed backs two through seven combined in relevance of fantasy performance. At wide receiver, Kenny Britt, Steve Johnson, Lee Evans, Dwayne Bowe, and a cast of others shadowed over the elites.

Quarterbacks

Ryan Fitzpatrick- It’s crazy that I went to the same high school as Fitzpatrick. He went from being not recruited by any division one schools besides Harvard, to making the most of being a 7th round draft pick. Fitz has had his struggles as a backup forced to start in St. Louis and Cincinnati. Finding a home seems to be what Fitzpatrick has done in Buffalo. He’ll come back to Earth as teams stop taking Buffalo lightly, and prepare in normal fashion. At the end of the season though, Fitzpatrick can be a dynamite performer to get you top notch fantasy points.

Tavaris Jackson- Will Favre play or sit? If he does sit and Jackson steps in, we don’t know if Favre will come back. He said it would be his last year and if Jackson gets the Vikings rolling, maybe Favre will bow out. Jackson’s carried this team to a 10-6 record and has watched Favre for a year and a half. He has to of gained a few things to help him become a better quarterback.

Matt Moore- DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart continue to be shut down. Moore’s ability to shake off a fourth quarter pick six, and get his team a victory shows a lot. He had a decent game and should stave off Jimmy Clausen from reappearing as a starter the rest of the season.

Mike Vick- If he’s still available in leagues that owners got impatient snag him back. He’ll be back out as starter after the Eagles bye week. Kolb threw a lot of ducks against the Titans, who bottled him up inside the pocket. Those are two things that Vick has a substantial game changing ability to do. You won’t ever hear of Vick being bottled up in the pocket or not able to throw the ball deep.

Running Backs

LeGarrette Blount- We profiled Blount the past few weeks as we saw this coming. Hopefully everyone listened as he’ll know be the hot commodity on this weeks waiver wires.

Dexter McCluster- The Chiefs are mixing in plays weekly for McCluster. When he is on the field he is more of a legitimate threat than a decoy. Whether out of the backfield or as a receiver, McCluster is part of a backfield that’s going to be very scary if they make it to the playoffs.

Wide Receivers

Riley Cooper- Cooper is a buried special teams player, but if DeSean Jackson’s not able to return after the bye week than Cooper could be a deep fantasy waiver wire pickup. He made the bulk of his yardage on a deep duck by Kolb, but also scored a nice touchdown.

David Gettis/Brandon LaFell- These guys both could be one week wonders, but one is going to step in and fulfill the second receiver role. It was supposed to be LaFell’s but Moore’s favorite target Sunday was Gettis. Gettis made some solid moves and created separation to give Moore great spots to throw the football.

Bills Receivers- Chances are Lee Evans, Steve Johnson, and Roscoe Parrish are widely available in leagues. Johnson’s been a fantasy gem but owners were likely hesitant to pick him up due to Buffalo’s inability to move the ball. That’s changed as of late, and you have to take notice when they light up a defense like the Ravens.

Jordan Shipley- The Bengals seem to be abandoning the run more and more by the week. Palmer’s either killing them with interceptions or keeping them in the game with huge passing days. He is throwing a high amount of pass attempts, and all three Bengals receivers are becoming beneficiaries of this.

Davone Bess- Bess is becoming one of the better hot route receivers in the league. Miami nixed the wildcat and Bess has been there new quick dink/dunk recipient. In the red zone when teams are doubling up on Brandon Marshall, Bess is getting open looks to sneak in the end zone.

Patrick Crayton- Rivers may be throwing to receivers that are practice squad caliber, but Crayton is not. He has fit in well with the Chargers having dinged up receivers all across the board. It’ll be interesting to see where Crayton falls on the depth chart when Naanee and Floyd are both healthy.

Fred Davis- Chris Cooley did play against the Bears but probably had no business in doing so. He looked a few steps slow but was a factor in the game. Davis stepped in last year when Cooley went down. Cooley’s health is worth keeping an eye on, especially with all the other tight end injuries throughout the league.