By Zack Cimini

notjustagame23@gmail.com

Hopefully everyone was able to read our sleeper starters for this past week. As a handful of the guys listed on this weeks waiver wire pickup are guys that we tabbed as sleepers for week two. Usually it takes an injury for a player to step in and make the most of an opportunity. There were a few this weekend that make for a classic waiver wire bidding scramble.

Quarterbacks

Josh Freeman- Freeman’s doing enough each week to show subtle growth for a young quarterback. He doesn’t have the great run support but the team has a solid balance that’s working. As the season goes on he should develop an even better rapport with his rookie wide receivers. When his third year approaches a year from now he could be a viable starter in deep fantasy leagues.

Kyle Orton- Hands down Orton has been the best turn around quarterback of the last few seasons. In Chicago he backed up Rex Grossman of all people. They were both forced out of Chicago after musical chairs of dismal seasons with both. Orton landing in Denver as part of the Cutler trade was a joke of jokes around NFL circles. Orton’s held up his part of the bargain and doesn’t look like even Tebow’s name can supplant him.

Bruce Gradkowski- Gradkowski was one of many quarterbacks on Sunday that was called to replace a starter. Unlike other backups, Gradkowski came in and provided the spark to get his team a win. Jason Campbell struggled again. The Raiders have enough talent to maybe have to think about starting Gradkowski.

Running Backs

Donald Brown- Brown didn’t touch the ball week one mainly due to the Colts being down early to the Texans. Indianapolis got back to their game plan against the Giants, and showed a strong ground game. Indianapolis will likely have their fair share of games when they’re ahead comfortably. Even with that extra area to pad his stats, Brown seems to have a chance of getting ten carries a game as part of the Colts regular game plan.

Marshawn Lynch- Were not sure how Buffalo’s planning on splitting the backfield up between Lynch, Jackson, and Spiller. You’d expect Spiller to be the main threat after the Bills invested a first rounder on him. Lynch was perceived as being in the Bills dog house and on his way out. He led the Bills with seventeen carries Sunday. Even though he did not have a ton of yardage the amount of carries he had is fantasy friendly. Buffalo may hand the ball off every carry rather then have Trent Edwards attempt a pass.

Mike Tolbert- The bowling ball is typically the Chargers fullback, but has the ability to carry the load every down. Time will tell how long Ryan Matthews will be affected with his injury. Tolbert ran the ball effectively and scored two touchdowns Sunday, something Matthews had not been able to do thus far. Tolbert’s available in most leagues and even if Matthews is back next week, San Diego will likely lessen Matthews burden after Tolbert’s performance. The worst situation for Matthews owners is if Tolbert becomes the inside the five yard line running back.

Jason Snelling- Down goes Michael Turner again. Word is he should be back without worries. Turner wasn’t the only Falcon to go down though as Jerious Norwood did as well. Snelling stepped in and delivered a monster game. Three touchdowns in all and was effective both rushing and catching the football. The combo of Snelling and Turner could bolt up to the top five duel backfields in the league.

Wide Receivers/Tight End

Mike Williams (Tampa Bay)- We’ve been praising Williams in the off-season and the first two weeks of the regular season. He should have been a first round pick if it weren’t for some questionable decisions while at Syracuse. His talent is there and his shown it by catching a touchdown in both games this year. As Freeman becomes more comfortable in the pocket Williams stats will get even better.

Brandon Tate- Tate is getting integrated into the Patriots offense more and more. We see him blossoming as the year goes on and becoming a regular contributor to Tom Brady’s stat line. With rumors of Randy Moss not being resigned, and Wes Welker coming off a surgically repaired knee, Brandon Tate is the future for New England at wide receiver.

Kevin Walter- This guy is like a unpredictable weather pattern a meteorologist can’t figure out. For years he has scattered around big games here and there teasing fantasy owners. With the Texans we know that he can be a number five receiver in fantasy leagues. Matt Schaub’s on his way to being the yardage leader for the second year in a row. Someone besides Andre Johnson’s going to get a portion of that and Walter will be the beneficiar. The problem with Walter is when he goes off you’ll likely have him on your bench.

Aaron Hernandez- He looks nothing like a tight end on the field. Fernandez gets open with ease and may already be the top tight end at gaining yards after the catch. Impressive ability to make quick cuts and turn a routine play into a thirty or forty yarder.

Louis Murphy- If Bruce Gradkowksi has stolen the starting quarterback role from Jason Campbell, Louis Murphy shoots up the waiver wire. Not only the waiver wire but possibly as a third or fourth receiver instead of a fifth or sixth on fantasy teams. Gradkowski has that connection on point with Murphy. Last year when Gradkowski started a stretch of games for the Raiders, Murphy had three touchdowns and a monster game against Pittsburgh during a four game stretch. Sunday, Murphy did almost all his damage once Gradkowski had entered the game. Receiving ninety yards to go along with a touchdown.