Regardless of the state of your fantasy football team, chances are you'd like to grab a player off of the waiver wire who could round out your team as the playoffs rapidly approach, and this week there are a number of viable options for practically every GM.
Wide receivers are the tops of this week's waiver wire must-adds, with a number of widely available players emerging as serious components of their respective teams' offenses. The Dallas Cowboys' Laurent Robinson leads this pack.
Robinson will be starting for the Cowboys alongside Dez Bryant for the remainder of the month, after fellow receiver Miles Austin re-aggravated a hamstring injury that's been bothering him all season long.
Robinson played well as a fill-in for Austin in the team's Week 9 win over the Seattle Seahawks, catching five passes for 32 yards and a score in a game that saw Dallas focus on the run game.
He has 24 catches for 368 yards and two scores on the year, and with Bryant fizzling in each game he appears, it will be Robinson carrying the bulk of the Cowboys' receiving duties that don't fall to tight end Jason Witten.
If Robinson isn't enticing enough, then perhaps you are in one of the ever-dwindling percentage of fantasy leagues that still have Steelers receiver Antonio Brown available on the waiver wire (31 percent of Yahoo! leagues as of this writing).
If that is the case, then grab him immediately. With Emmanuel Sanders sidelined for a few weeks after undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery on Monday, and Hines Ward dealing with head and ankle injuries, Brown will be starting alongside Mike Wallace.
Brown has already made quite a case for himself this season as a true breakout star, with 39 catches for 540 yards and a touchdown without ever being a full-on starter. He had five catches for 109 yards in the Steelers' Week 9 loss to the Ravens, and was targeted a team-high 11 times.
He's got great hands and blazing speed. Once both Ward and Sanders return healthy, both could see their playing time cut back with Brown keeping his starting role. Add him and start him, without question.
There are other receivers, of course, who can make a major difference for your team should Brown have an owner in your league.
The Chicago Bears' Earl Bennett, the Ravens' Torrey Smith, the Chiefs' Steve Breaston and the Niners' Michael Crabtree are all excellent adds and carry with them the potential to be every-week fantasy starters.
If running back is your weak spot, your options are more limited, but they are out there.
The Detroit Lions' Maurice Morris will be getting the start this week against the Chicago Bears as Jahvid Best is likely out while he undergoes further testing to determine the future of his season after suffering his second concussion of the year three weeks ago.
Morris rushed 13 times for 58 yards and a touchdown in his team's Week 8 win over the Denver Broncos. Coming off of the bye, the Lions will look to involve him more in the overall offense, and he should get up to 20 carries against Chicago this Sunday night.
Depending on Best's situation, Morris may become the de facto starter for the Lions for the rest of the year. It's advisable to grab him now and keep him around, not just as a starting fantasy back, but also as useful insurance should Best return but not last.
While the Washington Redskins' approach to running backs makes any of their rushers a risky fantasy start, the performance by Roy Helu in Week 9 should solidify his position as the team's starter, at least for one more week.
Of course, head coach Mike Shanahan won't say whether Helu or Ryan Torain would get the start this week against the Miami Dolphins, but all signs point to Helu. He set a Redskins all-time record for receptions in Week 9, with 14, for a total of 105 yards.
Helu also rushed for 41 yards on 10 carries, proving himself invaluable on the ground and in the air, taking some of the pressure off of quarterback John Beck. Beck has struggled with deeper passes, leaving him just the check down to Helu as his most effective weapon.
That makes Helu more useful to GMs in PPR leagues than Morris. Keep that in mind when making your decision on which of the two backs to place a claim on.
At tight end, both the New York Giants' Jake Ballard and the Minnesota Vikings' Visanthe Shiancoe are attractive options, and if you're looking for an upgrade at QB2, my recommendation is to give Oakland Raiders quarterback Carson Palmer a look.
Whether or not this waiver wire advice proves useful to you and your situation, remember one thing: Thursday night games start this week. Take care to make all of your waiver movements and that you set your roster with this in mind.
Kerry Wood Francisco Cervelli Chad Moeller Jorge Posada Lance Berkman Reegie Corona
Keine Kommentare:
Kommentar veröffentlichen