Waiver Wire Pick-Ups: Fantasy Football Week 15 Waiver Wire Warriors

Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pick-Ups: Week 15s Waiver Wire Warriors

Tashard Choice disappointed as Felix Jones was #1 instead of #1a like he was last week, that means Choice was #2. Josh and I both liked Alex Smith and he came up huge (leading me to the bonus money for a high-point-total week, good man!). I liked Westbrook and in a PPR he was great. Nate’s picks of Brandon Gibson (another nice PPR day) and Jon Kitna were also solid…

This week we’re looking for great, and with a chance some playoff winning moves brought to you by us. Here goes nothing.

Papa wants to answer your questions, send them to PAPAWEIMER50@hotmail.com – he’ll answer and if it’s good (or if he gets off his lazy rump to copy and paste the interaction), post your stuff in his weekly “Ask Papa Weimer” spot. Here goes Waiver Wire Warriors for Week 14.

(Our WWW pick-ups are limited to guys owned in under 50%. Each writer ranks their Top 6. I’m also going to give you my “Pull The Trigger” area for guys that are obvious pick-ups and still owned in less than 70% of fantasy leagues. And there’s going to be an area called “End It Already” for guys that I consider drop-worthy, or try to trade now-worthy, regardless of their %-Owned.)

Top Waiver Wire Pick-Ups

Top Waiver Wire Pick-Ups (Week 15)

Ryan Kauffman	Josh Arsenault	Papa Weimer	Lucky Lester	Nate B. Kuhns
David Garrard	Owen Daniels	Tashard Choice	Ryan Torain	Tashard Choice
Ryan Torrain	Ryan Torain	Owen Daniels	Owen Daniels	Ryan Torain
Alex Smith	Ruvell Martin	Dexter McCluster	Jon Kitna	Jon Kitna
Anthony Dixon	Browns D	Earl Bennett	Anthony Dixon	Owen Daniels
Tashard Choice	Anthony Dixon	Davone Bess	Brandon Gibson	Arrelious Benn
Owen Daniels	Sam Bradford	Brandon Petitgrew	Tashard Choice	Brandon Gibson

Pull The Trigger

Ryan Torain- (43% owned): I thought it might be Davis, so far I’m wrong – Ryan Torain looks like the bellcow in Washington and while Dallas is tough against the run at times, RT could be a great pick-up for a running back starved squad.

Jon Kitna – (18% owned): 30, 29, 17, 16, 18 – those are Kitna’s last five weeks of quarterbacking action. The Redskins boast one of the most giving secondaries in the league. I hit with Alex Smith last week, and I think I’m on to something with this one too!

Brandon Gibson (.3% Owned): Gibson is just the best route-runner with growing trust from one of the more accurate young signal callers in the game on a receiving corps that doesn’t have many threats. He’ll get his looks from here on out.

Owen Daniels (42% Owned): Last night he looked like he was the old dominant TE force that he was last season before the injury knocked him out for the year. Hurry, you could use that in the playoffs.

Anthony Dixon (9% Owned): Dixon out-rushed Westbrook for the second time in as many weeks – and while Westy was still the more productive back (80+ yards receiving) Dixon will get the goal line touches.

Sidney Rice (69% Owned): This still isn’t enough, he may not have the best QB situation in fantasy, but he’s such a beast it shouldn’t matter.

Vincent Jackson (62% owned): Vincent Jackson hasn’t broken out yet, so he still might be available. Take advantage of that, the Chargers will be throwing and throwing trying to get into the playoffs, no weeks off for them, and Jackson will eventually hit it big.

End It Already

Brett Favre (69% Owned): Might be out for the year, get your cheap thrills somewhere else.

Donovan McNabb (74% Owned): McNabb threw 2 touchdowns (only 2nd time this year he’s had more than a single touchdown pass) and threw for a monstrous 228 yards – plus he brought the Redskins back and threw a touchdown for the game-tying score… err, the game tying if the Redskins hit the extra point. Nope. Anyway, all that good for Donovan and I’d still cut him free.

Steve Smith (Car) (89%): I’ve had enough, poor guy, one of my favorite players ever – but fantasy isn’t a love-fest, it’s about winning, SS isn’t helping anyone do that.

Randy Moss (94%): Not worth much as his situation is killing his chances of playing next year (not because he won’t be good enough, but because he won’t be able to swallow enough pride to pay for what a team will end up offering him). Either way, he won’t be worth playing this year.

A couple guys WE think should be owned in ALL LEAGUES….

Jonathan Stewart (74%) Pierre Thomas (71%) Vincent Jackson (62%) Sidney Rice (69%)

NFL Week 14 Waiver Wire Pick-Ups: Waiver Wire Warriors 2010

Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pick-Ups: Week 14 Waiver Wire Warriors

Arse’s advice to pick up Tashard Choice could pay dividends down the stretch – but if nothing, it was brilliant this last week. Choice showed why everyone has been wondering why this guy isn’t getting the ball when he toted the rock 19 times for 100 yards and a touchdown in Week 13. Now he’s on all of our lists. We also thought Jon Stewart should be owned in all leagues. He showed why, and we still think it is true!

Outside of that, there’s not much to love about our waiver wire advice from Week 13. I said Davone Bess was a good option, and he did catch 6 balls for 60+ yards, but that was my best. My QB additions sucked it up. Nate suggested Jacoby Ford, and while he scored another TD, that was it for the young speedster. So better luck this week, for sure – playoffs in some leagues, last week in others! Here’s this week’s Waiver Wire Warriors article…

Papa wants to answer your questions, send them to PAPAWEIMER50@hotmail.com – he’ll answer and if it’s good (or if he gets off his lazy rump to copy and paste the interaction), post your stuff in his weekly “Ask Papa Weimer” spot. Here goes Waiver Wire Warriors for Week 14.

(Our WWW pick-ups are limited to guys owned in under 50%. Each writer ranks their Top 6. I’m also going to give you my “Pull The Trigger” area for guys that are obvious pick-ups and still owned in less than 70% of fantasy leagues. And there’s going to be an area called “End It Already” for guys that I consider drop-worthy, or try to trade now-worthy, regardless of their %-Owned.)

Top Waiver Wire Pick-Ups

Top Waiver Wire Pick-Ups (Week 14)

Ryan Kauffman	Josh Arsenault	Papa Weimer	Lucky Lester	Nate B. Kuhns
Tashard Choice	James Starks	Tashard Choice	Tashard Choice	Tashard Choice
Jon Kitna	Tashard Choice	Roy Williams	James Davis	Brandon Gibson
Anthony Armstrong	Roy Williams	Dexter McCluster	Alex Smith	Jacoby Ford
James Davis	Anthony Dixon	Earl Bennett	Brian Westbrook	Roy Williams
Ben Obamanu	Chris Ivory	Davone Bess	Chris Ivory	Alex Smith
Roy Williams	Alex Smith	Brandon Petitgrew	Davone Bess	Jon Kitna

Pull The Trigger

Josh Freeman – (56% Owned): Here’s what I said last week, “All there is to say is Atlanta then Washington, Detroit, Seattle for Fantasy playoffs….” – So feel me on this one when I say, Washington, Detroit, Seattle – Your ticket to good QB points during the fantasy playoffs.

James Davis- (.5% owned): Shanny might just go nuts and give Davis the full workload and see what he can do with it over the final weeks of the season. Splinter’s done crazier things. Davis has looked good with his chances in Washington.

Alex Smith – (6% owned): He plays Seattle this week, so yeah, I seem to appreciate him more than your normal fantasy writer – but it’s not like Alex was BAD when he was the starter – I expect them to lean on him a bit more than usual with Frank out, more spread passing that he’s used to.

Roy Williams – (38% Owned): I’ve been saying, “Drop this guy, quick.” But as circumstance would have it, Dez Bryant looks out for the season with a broken wheel. Enter Roy E. Williams having more value than Wylie E. Coyote moving forward.

Chris Ivory (38% Owned): Okay, I know Pierre should be coming back from a sprained ankle that lasted damned near 3 months – and Reggie Bush is already back, but have you seen this guy run? I figured trading him for value was a good move a few weeks ago, but the Saints have smart people, right, right? This guy should continue to get carries, he runs real hard.

Davone Bess (28% Owned): He may have disappointed those that thought he’d go for 100+ yards again, but Bess still looked good, still is reliable, had 6 catches for 60+ yards, and I think you should still own him.

Anthony Dixon (3% Owned): Dixon out-rushed Westbrook in Week 13, and maybe he’ll get a couple more carries this week against the Hawks. I think Westy might be the better play this week, but if you’re in a bind like me in one league, Dixon might be a nice bet for a goal-line TD chance.

Joel Dreessen (3.9% Owned): .2% of the fantasy people listened to me last week, but catch my drift this week – this Dreessen kid is good, he’s still unlikely to be owned in your league, and he had 5 more catches for 63 yards against the Eagles last week. He has a tough match-up against Baltimore, but then it’s Tennessee and Denver and Jacksonville to finish out the season. Could be a money TE pick-up from here on out.

Sidney Rice (55% Owned): Because he’s nasty, that’s why – look at that guy, a beast.

Dexter McCluster (8.5% owned): This one makes sense – it comes from Papa, but he noticed that MC Dex started at WR opposite Dwayne Bowe last week, and while he didn’t produce as hoped, it could mean big things ahead for the gamebreaking talent.

End It Already

Last week I suggested axing Gore, McNabb, Barber, and Berrian – I still am a full believer in those, though Gore is kind of a gimmie. This week I have a couple more guys I’d feel fine giving the axe, to.

Brett Favre (71% Owned): I know Jackson didn’t come out and light the world on fire, but Favre hasn’t had it all year, and the Vikings played well under Tarvaris. Bottom line, it’s not about Jackson, but Favre and the Vikings tough fantasy playoff road, Giants, Bears, Eagles = tough sledding.

Donovan McNabb (74% Owned): I’m telling you, Andy Reid is a quarterbacking genius and Shanny is not. Splinter can get a different running back to go for 1000 yards almost every year, but dude has struggled with signal callers. McNabb has thrown more touchdowns than interceptions once this season – Week 2. He’s thrown multiple touchdowns once this year. That was a game where he got picked three times. Let it go.

Guys I want to drop but can’t because of Fantasy Playoff Match-Ups: Ronnie Brown (Buffalo and Detroit, Weeks 15 and 16) – Randy Moss (Houston and KC, Weeks 15 and 16) – Steve Smith (CAR) (Arizona, Week 15) – But seeing that I want to drop them, at least a little, enough to write about, shows how far these fantasy heroes have fallen.

A couple guys WE think should be owned in ALL LEAGUES….

Jonathan Stewart (68%) Davone Bess (25%) Chris Ivory (38%) Sidney Rice (55%)

Week 13 Waiver Wire Pick-Ups: Waiver Wire Warriors 2010

Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pick-Ups: Week 13 Waiver Wire Warriors

Talk about some big time pick-ups. Mike Goodson continues to show us that he should be owned. Matt Cassel against the Hawks – I hope you jumped on that bandwagon last week, I know I benefited. There were just so many good pick-ups last week that went out there and proved they should be owned in more than 50% of leagues. With the playoffs just around the way, it’s time to get your team right for the stretch run. Here’s this week’s Waiver Wire Warriors article…

Papa wants to answer your questions, send them to PAPAWEIMER50@hotmail.com – he’ll answer and if it’s good (or if he gets off his lazy rump to copy and paste the interaction), post your stuff in his weekly “Ask Papa Weimer” spot. Here goes Waiver Wire Warriors for Week 11.

(Our WWW pick-ups are limited to guys owned in under 50%. Each writer ranks their Top 6. I’m also going to give you my “Pull The Trigger” area for guys that are obvious pick-ups and still owned in less than 70% of fantasy leagues. And there’s going to be an area called “End It Already” for guys that I consider drop-worthy, or try to trade now-worthy, regardless of their %-Owned.)

Top Waiver Wire Pick-Ups

Top Waiver Wire Pick-Ups (Week 13)

Ryan Kauffman	Josh Arsenault	Papa Weimer	Lucky Lester	Nate B. Kuhns
Matt Cassel	Brian Westbrook	Sam Bradford	Matt Cassel	Brian Westbrook
Jon Kitna	Tashard Choice	Matt Cassel	Kerry Collins	Toby Gerhart
Mike Goodson	Toby Gerhart	Mike Goodson	Sam Bradford	Jacoby Ford
Maurice Morris	Troy Smith	Brian Hartline	Brian Westbrook	Shaun Hill
Ben Obamanu	Legedu Naanee	Toby Gerhart	Eddie Royal	Nate Burleson
Brian Westbrook	TB Bucs D/ST	Brandon Petitgrew	Davone Bess	Matt Cassel

Pull The Trigger

Josh Freeman – (56% Owned): All there is to say is Atlanta then Washington, Detroit, Seattle for Fantasy playoffs…. wowser.

Kerry Collins- (.8% owned): If you’re in a bind this week, and you don’t have a sure thing at QB, take a chance on this guy and hope for a big day. Here’s the deal, he was healthy enough to be the #2 last week, so he’ll almost surely play this week. The Titans play the Jags, bad pass defense. Randy Moss can still do some damage, and Kerry can still throw it far.

Matt Cassel – (49.5% owned): Cassel made me look great last week, how about one more time against the Denver-doodles? The Broncos can’t seem to get anything right on defense, and Cassel should have them paying close attention to the run – that’s where guys get wide open, and Matt has been drilling them lately. Good play here.

Sam Bradford – (31% Owned): Stud. Had his best passing day of his short career last week and Arizona is on the schedule next week. I don’t expect 333 yards again, but those passes that Troy Smith just missed on during Monday Night Football, Bradford hits those – and those are touchdowns.

Brian Westbook – (12% Owned): Gore is out for the season, Westbrook looked very good (though it was against the Cardinals’ corpses, but still). Westy does a lot of good things, and in an offense that loves the dump down, his receiving skills could really pay dividends.

Eddie Royal (40% Owned): Demaryius Thomas wasn’t atop the depth chart or anything, but with him out there’s more snaps for other receivers. Aside from Lloyd, Royal is one of the best playmakers on the team, he could be a good weapon against KC’s pass defense that can let receivers loose from time to time.

Davone Bess (25% Owned): We have Marshall out with an injury, and vagitas so Bess is the man. He proved he could be with 6 grabs for over 100 yards last week. This week the Dolphins play the Browns, so big plays could be in the cards, especially in the 4th quarter when Cleveland quits tackling.

Brandon Petitgrew (42% Owned): Consistent double digits – can you ask for more from your TE?

Anthony Dixon (3% Owned): Westbrook is obviously the lead back, but Dixon runs very hard, is a big boy, and Westbrook hasn’t been the beacon of health throughout his career – and he’s older these days.

Danny Amendola (27% owned): I hate to beat a dead horse (or a live one for that matter) but Amendola puts up points every week, and there’s plenty of guys that don’t (Randy Moss owners say “I”).

Joel Dreessen (3.7% Owned): Laugh all you want, but he’s outperforming 90% of owned fantasy TEs over the last 4 games. 11, 2, 20, 10 – Those are his points over the last 4 weeks, only a handful of guys are much better than him over that span. Tamme and Gronkowski – everyone else is below him or within 4 points of him. He’s been better than Olsen, Witten, Marcedes, Shiancoe, Hernandez, Miller, Moeaki, Watson, and he has about 30 more points than Vernon Davis over that time.

End It Already

Last week I said park it to Roy Williams (who was crap except for one long catch that he fumbled to seal the deal for the Cowboys), McNabb (who produced another 12 pointer in week 12 – hey, jinx), Ricky Williams (who blew up on a long run to total near 100, sorry), Clinton Portis (who ended up going on IR), and the Vikings (who had their 2nd best fantasy outing of the year) who I still wouldn’t trust with a butter knife. Here are this week’s drops…

Frank Gore (100% Owned): After seeing Gore come back in, give it a shot, and look like he was a smile away from coming back in at any moment throughout the 1st half, I can’t believe the guy broke his hip. But that’s the news, and out for the year is also the news, and fantasy owners crying follows.

Donovan McNabb (79% Owned): On the road against the Cowboys and Jaguars for two likely fantasy playoff weeks keeps him somewhat keepable – but I wouldn’t play him until then, and even there, he’s had 3 games over 20 points all season long – but he consistently hits double digits, if that’s all you’re looking for from your starting QB, by all means, keep him in there, coach!

Marion Barber (63% Owned): Barber hurt his leg and is supposedly out for two weeks. That is the time in which Tashard Choice will probably come in and show that he’s a better option, and keeping Barber for the playoffs seems like an oxymoron, anyway. Go ahead and use that roster space on someone else!

Bernard Berrian (49% Owned): No reason to, even though he’s not healthy, even if he was – Rice is back and Harvin is explosive, and Berrian is forgettable.

A couple guys WE think should be owned in ALL LEAGUES….

Mike Tolbert (88%) Josh Freeman (56%) Jonathan Stewart 66%) Sidney Rice (53%)  Brandon Petitgrew (42%)

Week 10 Waiver Wire Pick Ups: Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Warriors

Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pick-Ups: Week 10 Waiver Wire Warriors

If you want some proof of our work, check last week’s Waiver Wire Warriors article where we advised the masses that “Mike Wiliams-TB (56%), Steve Johnson (51%), Davonne Bess (51%) Josh Freeman (26%) and Sam Bradford (28%) should be owned in all leagues.” As it just so happens to be, every single one of those guys (aside from Sam I am, because he was on bye) produced starter-worthy stat-lines. Steve Johnson was the #5 WR with 11 grabs for 145 yards. Mike Williams was the #16 WR with 4 grabs for 89 yards and a touchdown. Davone Bess didn’t light it up, but 5 grabs for 50 yards made him startable as teh 30th WR for Week 9. And Freeman put up 17 fantasy points, good for 14th amongst QBs. Believe! And that’s just the beginning, because if you listened to me about James Jones you probably got a huge day from a rarely owned WR, and the same can be said for guys that listened to Josh and Nate about Jacob Tamme – dude put up monster stats in Dallas Clark’s spot- I think it’s a trend. Here’s this week’s WWW!

Papa wants to answer your questions, send them to PAPAWEIMER50@hotmail.com – he’ll answer and if it’s good, post your stuff in his weekly “Ask Papa Weimer” sections. Here goes Waiver Wire Warriors for Week 10.

(We are switching our WWW article from guys under 20% owned in ESPN leagues to guys owned in under 50%. Don’t worry, we’ll still have some low-level guys to pick-up, we just don’t want to leave out obvious options. Just like the weekly fantasy rankings, each writer ranks their Top 5. I’m also going to give you my “Pull The Trigger” area for guys that are obvious pick-ups and still owned in less than 70% of fantasy leagues. And there’s going to be an area called “End It Already” for guys that I consider drop-worthy, or try to trade now-worthy, regardless of their %-Owned.)

Top Waiver Wire Pick-Ups

Top Waiver Wire Pick-Ups (Week 10)

Ryan Kauffman	Josh Arsenault	Papa Weimer	Lucky Lester	Nate B. Kuhns
Sam Bradford	Colt McCoy	Davone Bess	David Garrard	Sidney Rice
Jon Kitna	David Garrard	Jabar Gaffney	Shaun Hill	Mario Manningham
Mike Hart	Jimmy Graham	Nate Washington	Sam Bradford	Mike Goodman
Marcel Reece	Arrelious Benn	Sidney Rice	Nate Burleson	Brian Hartline
Sidney Rice	Tashard Choice	Ryan Fitzpatrick	Mike Goodman	Mohamed Massaquoi
Nate Burleson	Sam Bradford	Blair White	Josh Freeman	Sam Bradford

I cut off everyone from picking up guys going into that players’ bye week, so James Jones won’t be seen on anybody’s list and neither will any other Packers, Saints, Raiders, or Chargers… I’ll list a couple guys we’re interested off of those teams below.

Bye Week guys that could be solid pick-ups (We all think picking up VJ is a good idea, Vincent Jackson 52% owned, Arse and Papa both like Jacoby Ford .1%, James Jones 5.4% owned, Arse likes Jimmy Graham .1% owned, and then there is Seyi Ajirotutu – if Charger receivers still aren’t ready after the bye, keep him on your minds)

Pull The Trigger

Steve Breaston - (53% owned): Breaston didn’t have a great week to follow up his big performance two weeks ago, but he still has a lovely schedule in the next four games, going up against Seattle’s little corners the KC, San Francisco, and St, Louis. He could have a nice little stretch there if Derek Anderson can complete at least 50% of his passes.

Steve Johnson (64% Owned): Steve jumped another 13% in ownership this week, making that nearly 40% more people owning the top Buffalo WR. Something tells me that next week he won’t be under 70% owned, making him unavailable for this list. Still, what’s not to like? Now with Roscoe Parrish out, Steve will likely see even a couple more targets per game. Fitzpatrick has been the best thing Buffalo WRs have had going in years – take advantage and get Steve if he’s there to be got.

Josh Freeman (43% Owned): Aside from his elite consistency (another 17 point week in Week 9 means he’s finished with 17 points or more in 6 games this season) Freeman has one hell of a playoff schedule, and you know the Bucs aren’t going to be “resting their starters” come playoff time. All Josh has done is be one of the most consistent sophomore QBs in some time. Can you say Washington, Detroit, and Seattle? That’s money right there. That’s like no lines at 6 flags, like free gummy bears for life, like double pay-checks – it’s good.

Mario Manningham (49% Owned): Just 4 catches for 56 yards last week, but Manningham is basically good for that just about every week. He didn’t score any fantasy points in Week 4 and Week 5, but he’s been good for 12, 20, 13, 14, 13, and 9 in those other 6 weeks – ain’t nothing wrong with that.

Nate Burleson (26% Owned): Nate has been doing work if you haven’t noticed. He had his best week as a Lion in Detroit’s tight loss to the Jets, doing work on that famed Jets secondary, going for 113 yards and a touchdown on 7 catches. That’s 24 catches for 210+ yards and 3 touchdowns over the last 4 games. He’s scored 15 or more fantasy points in 3 of those 4 games.

David Garrard (26% Owned): David played awesome coming off a week off when he and the Jags visited Dallas a week after he sat due to injury. Well, after another week off (his bye) Garrard plays the chronically poor Houston Texans secondary where he might just have another huge game. If you need a good week from a guy, going with DG for Week 10 might be a great option.

Sidney Rice (31% Owned): Sidney is a huge pick up right now. He could be playing as early as next week, and he could be playing a lot in 2 to 3. That kind of possibly production, really high upside, is worth stashing right now. Go. Stash. Hurry!

Blair White: With Collie out he could be a solid fill-in. Brian Hartline: At least 4 catches for 40+ yards in 5 of his last 6 games. Shaun Hill: Had 27, 11, 27, and 23 fantasy points in the 4 games he started and finished for the Lions this year – sees Buffalo, Dallas, and New England in the next 3, not really shut down secondaries – if he starts he could be great for you.

End It Already

Deion Branch (52% Owned): It may be his hamstring, it may be that once defenses realized they actually had to guard him now that Tom Brady was throwing the ball, but I don’t Branch having an upside over 5 grabs for 50 yards the rest of the season.

Marion Barber (69% Owned): Have you had enough yet? Only 3% of you cut Barber last week. It’s time. Take your chance on a guy like Hightower, Woodhead, Mike Goodson, even Tashard Choice (at least we don’t know what he’s going to do, yet). I’ve always been a big MBIII fan, but he’s lost something and I don’t see him finding it this season.

Lance Moore (82% Owned): Okay, last chance, it’s either hold on to him and hope his value doesn’t take a huge hit with Bush’s return, or find some owner that thinks Moore is going to continue his production (that’s foolish, but you never know).

Steve Smith (CAR) (97% Owned): Can you drop him? Probably not – but it wouldn’t be as crazy as it seems. Look at the numbers – are Tony Pike and Jimmy Claussen going to get the ball to SS enough to make him fantasy worthy down the 2nd half of the trail? I don’t think so, do you? Find somebody who does, or maybe it’s best not to rely on Steve at all – bench him (at least) until you find out he can produce with the guy throwing the ball.

Kenny Britt (68% Owned): If it’s a deep league, hold on just in case. In fact, hold on until further notice unless you can get top dollar for Britt. Kenny is rumored to be out 6-8 weeks, aka the rest of meaningful fantasy football. If you have an IR spot in your league, go ahead, stick Kenny there, but if you don’t and you need guys, it might be best to cut your losses and pick up another up and coming WR.

A couple guys WE think should be owned in ALL LEAGUES….

Brett Favre (77%) Steve Johnson (64%) Davone Bess (31%) Vincent Jackson (52%) Sidney Rice (31%)

Fantasy Waiver Pickups: Week 8 Waiver Wire Warriors

I got together with team LuckyLester and we’ve all decided that a Waiver Wire article would be a solid option for new and longtime readers of the site. Instead of putting out our Fantasy Focus on Tuesday, we figured this would be a better way to optimize the stuff you need while also being thorough with our fantasy predictions. And it certainly makes sense. Our Waiver Wire analysis, and top pick-ups, will be limited to guys that are under 20% owned in ESPN leagues. That means the guys we suggest should be available in about 80% of fantasy leagues out there and should help you out. Just like the weekly fantasy rankings, each guy agreed to give their Top 5 (even though we play in the same leagues together and that might be considered top-secret information). I’m also going to give you my “Pull The Trigger” area for guys that are obvious pick-ups and still owned in less than 60% of fantasy leagues. And there’s going to be an area called “End It Already” for guys that I consider drop-worthy, regardless of their %-Owned. Hope this helps! Do fantasy work!

Top Waiver Wire Pick-Ups

Editor’s note: I would have listed Steven Johnson in my Top 5 as well, but everybody else already had him down, so I took that extra room to list somebody else I thought was a good pick-up as well. That takes nothing away from Steve, however, his production has been great and he’s a great upside pick-up if you can get him.

Top Waiver Wire Pick-Ups (For Week 8)

Ryan Kauffman	Josh Arsenault	Papa Weimer	Lucky Lester	Nate B. Kuhns
Legarrette Blount	Steve Johnson	Steve Johnson	Derrick Ward	Demaryius Thomas
Davone Bess	LeGarrette Blount	Tashard Choice	David Gettis	Jon Kitna
Steve Johnson	Jon Kitna	David Gettis	Patrick Crayton	Brandon Petitgrew
Ryan Fitzpatrick	Matt Moore	Ryan Fitzpatrick	Anthony Armstrong	Denario Alexander
Anthony Gonzalez	David Gettis	Tarvaris Jackson	Ryan Fitzpatrick	Derrick Ward
Matt Moore	Tarvaris Jackson	Brandon Tate	Brandon Petitgrew	LeGarrett Blount

Pull The Trigger

Mike Williams -TB (58% owned): Somehow, his guy is still owned in less than 60% of fantasy leagues. All he does is catch balls, make big plays, and impress. I know he wasn’t a high pick, and his team doesn’t have that offense thing down quite yet, but in his 6 games he has more than 50 yards in 4. He has 28 catches (on pace for 74 grabs), 365 yards (on pace for just under 1000 yards), and 3 touchdowns (on pace for 8). He’s good, folks, go on ahead, pick him up.

Nate Burleson (27% Owned): Since returning from injury, Burleson has shown his upside potential opposite Calvin Johnson. Nasty Nate has had at least 50 yards and a touchdown in each of the past two weeks, and is always a threat to turn a short pass into a touchdown – he always has that big play potential.

Marion Manningham (46% Owned): He’s good for 10 points per week, basically. He had 0 points against Chicago and Houston, but had at least 4 catches and 75 yards in each of his first 3 games, and has at least 40 yards and a touchdown in each of his last two games. He’s a very good #3 receiver that has quite a few mediocre secondaries in his near future after the Week 8 Bye (Seattle, Dallas, Jacksonville, Washington – in 4 of their next 5).

Chad Henne (59% Owned): There is nothing wrong with this guy. He has a strong running game that defenses are worried about (but isn’t as good as everyone thinks, so while the defense still tries to stop it first, it opens up the secondary a little more – perfect storm type stuff here). He is 19th in points so far, and averages 16 per game. His last 4 games? 26, 19, 17, 16 – I’m telling you, he’s better than Mark Sanchez, Vince Young, and probably Ol’ Brett, too – though I might just hold onto Brett and see if Magic happens….

Danny Amendola (19% Owned): I know he’s not flashy, but he’s production every week, the best receiver left playing in St. Louis, and he’s got sure hands. Bradford is an accurate passer, and the more teams focus on Steven Jackson (with the receivers out) the more Amendola will get room to make plays.

Matthew Stafford (22 % Owned): Hurry and start paying attention to Stafford in deeper leagues. He hasn’t come back yet, hasn’t blown up yet, so not many guys in your leagues are running to pick him up, but he could be really good moving forward. He has 3 big time touchdown making weapons in Calvin Johnson, Jahvid Best, and yes, Nate Burleson. All 3 can break it anytime. He also has Brandon Petitgrew who is a sure handed do-everything TE. Worth a shot if you’re looking for a back-up with many upside. Many, many.

End It Already

Devin Hester (26% Owned): I think he has more than 3 catches twice. He has at least 5 catches once – this week, and that got him a big fat 30 yards. It does not surprise me that Hester has really struggled in Mike Martz’s heavy-route schemes. He’s at his best when you let him go, or give him some space to make plays – Mike needs him to be a system guy.

Marion Barber (81% Owned): He looks hesitant, something I never thought I’d say about Marion the Ex-Barbarian. Even worse, the Cowboys are phasing him out. This week it was 4 carries for 6 yards, and 1 catch for 7 yards. Yikes. He’s had double digit fantasy points one week, and only 12 points.

Lance Moore (73% Owned): I’m not saying you have to end it this week, but if you can get anything for him, hurry and do it – because when Reggie Bush is back on the field, Lance will lose touches, catches, and of course, fantasy value. It might be best to go with one of our pick-ups over Moore, even though he had some nice production there for a while – he’s close to his end.

Devin Aromashodu (40% Owned): I was holding on to him, because I still think he’s at least the 2nd best receiver in Chicago – but it’s about that time for even his believers to let go. He saw no catches against Washington. Martz doesn’t like him. Martz is a grudge holding donkey punch bowl.

Chris Ivory (46% Owned): Alright, Reggie is back this week. Pierre is back soon as well. Even if both those guys magically don’t play in Week 8, you would be throwing him to the Steeler-Wolves anyway. I would let him go and pick-up someone with more upside.

A couple guys WE think should be owned in ALL LEAGUES…. Kenny Britt (66%) Carson Palmer (72%) Lee Evans (65%) Dez Bryant (84%) Mike Williams-sea (60%) Beanie Wells (84%)

Ten for Tuesday: Fantasy Football Advice Week 1 2010

Started last season and carried onto this year, my totally entertaining and completely insightful look into the weekend’s fantasy football action is back with Ten for Tuesday filling the article slot on the slowest day in the NFL. Maybe you can use some of this to grab guys of the waivers or make trades or just make sure you hold onto them. Here goes nothing…

1. Percy Harvin, Brett Favre – Yeah, it’s a good time to hold onto these two fantasy garbage cans from Week 1. They were going up against a tough defense, and they both sucked it up. Maybe there’s somebody out there ready to give them away for a dime on the dollar – I say go for it! Harvin and Favre spent less time in training camp than any two QB and #1 WRs in the league. Harvin missed a ton of days dealing with his migraines (now halted) and Favre was busy diddling the media into a frenzy. These guys will figure it out, and Harvin is too good not to take advantage of Sydney’s absence. When I asked Arse what was going on with Harvin, he texted me, “Harvin and Favre combined for 4 days of training camp, can’t say I was shocked,” and once again, he was right on the button.
2. “You know how I know Shanahan is a perfect fit with the Skins? – when he yells at officials his face turns the exact burgandy of their helmets … Yahtzee!” As for the Redskins, I don’t care about numbers, but that running game is going to be good. If you have a roster spot to waste, picking up Larry Johnson wouldn’t be dumb. Grabbing Clinton Portis off a guy that thinks he’s going to be crap would be a nice move, too. I tell ‘em how I see ‘em, and against run D’s not as good as Dallas, they’re going to be good for yards and scores.
3. Arian Foster had a good week. I would trade that guy for Adrian Peterson if I could. You never know, make that offer, it pays off 25% of the time. Unless you believe that Foster is going to go for 200 every week… Bottom line, just like asking that dime piece out to lunch, you’ve got nothing to lose. Foster isn’t the best back in the league, and even after going off, he’s not going to be. Did he jump some spots? You bet – but he’s not on top the big board!
4. Matt Schaub (and Owen Daniels, and Andre Johnson) didn’t do dick, and that’s what I like to see. Sometimes fantasy owners can go nuts over the first week of the year, my buddy wrote, “I hate my teams, they are on the block, all of them.” Bingo. Ignore this last week (for the most part) and go get some guys you were really high on – this is the time, win the championship this week!!!
5. Where coaches trying to kill fantasy hopes of those that drafted Justin Forsett, Jerome Harrison, Shonn Greene, DeAngelo Williams, Jon Stewart, Mike Sims-Walker? WTF, mate? Shonn Green got 5 carries – haha – will that ish continue? It’s tough to say for sure, but the best guess is no. If any of those coaches have any sense at all (so cross out Harrison, Stewart, and Sims-Walker, because play calling and the guys that call numbers on those teams are clownlike) the touches will sway back into those good players’ hands.
6. How about Matt Forte busting out of his sophomore slump like gang busters. This guy went off, finishing just behind Foster for the top spot in fantasy this week. But I have to think it won’t last, at least not like that. If owners think Forte is going to grab two long touchdown catches every week (one really long touchdown) they have something else coming. RBs don’t catch 70+ yard touchdowns and they certainly don’t catch two over 30. I really like Forte, always have, but the numbers he put up in week 1 should be red-flagged. Sell him if you have him and can get a good player for him, don’t buy him for his week 1 numbers.
7. Dexter McCluster, Jamaal Charles, Chris Johnson, Calvin Johnson, Ray Lewis, Wes Welker, Mike Vick – these are special people. Sure, there are probably more than just these guys, but these guys are something amazing. Dexter moves his feet as fast as anyone I’ve seen, his start-stop-go is blinding, and he’s fast enough to beat everyone. Charles is faster than McCluster and has a running sideways to running forward burst that is special. Chris Johnson is the fastest in-sport athlete I’ve ever seen, no Usain Bolt, running doesn’t count. Calvin Johnson nearly caught three balls that everyone on the field new he was getting thrown his way. The first was a catch, but a dumb rule nullified it. The 2nd was nearly caught, in trip-coverage, amazing. And the 3rd was overkill, but any ball thrown his way has a shot. Just those 3 play calls shows you how good the Lions’ think he is. He is that good. Ray Lewis doesn’t age, and it freaks me out. How does he hit harder than everyone? Dustin Keller hates playing the Ravens. Wes Welker is back after tearing his knee up like 7 seconds ago. Seriously, an injury that always takes 10-12 months to heal (minimum) and almost 2 years to be at full speed, and Wes looks like the same exact guy after blowing his knee out in late december. Freak. Mike Vick – I don’t care what anybody says, I don’t think I’ll ever see another quarterback like him. He has jukes, a cannon, and angles that didn’t exist before him. Thanks for the show, guys!
8. Hakeem Nicks, I’m interested to see if you become the focal point of that passing attack. Your hands have been unreal forever, shown to a national audience in your bowl game two years ago, your freak behind the back catch -but now everyone knows. You’re the fastest receiver on the Giants roster, and I’m thinking you take over that #1 spot from Steve Smith – that’s why I drafted you ahead of SS when I had the choice.
9. Johnny Knox didn’t have a bad day, and the only receiver I wouldn’t want in Chicago is Devin Hester – but the leading target guy in Chicago was Aromashodu, and that means something. If he’s still available, grab him, if he’s on your team, hold on a little longer, I see him getting more than 1000 yards this season.
10. Eddie Royal is back! The Broncos aren’t likely to run it with much success, and you know Josh McD likes to throw the rock. I have always thought Eddie to be perfect for that offense, and I still do, despite last years’ terrible stats. Eddie is probably available for you, and I think he ends up the #1 receiver in a pass-happy offense. There’s worse things to own.

Week 2 Waiver Watch: Thing 1 and Thing 2

Week 1 is in the books and what a strange week it was. Sure a handful of the usual suspects lit up the scoreboard (thank you, Drew Brees, Adrian Peterson and Reggie Wayne), but just as many fantasy giants stumbled out of the gates - much to the chagrin of their owners (curse you, Jay Cutler, Michael Turner and Andre Johnson).  If your team didn’t quite live up to expectations on opening weekend now is certainly not the time for panic.  A few simple tweaks via trade or your league’s waiver system may be all your club needs to compete not just in week 2 but for the long run as well.  In the short-term, players like Saints running back Mike Bell or Oakland wide receiver Louis Murphy can give your squad a welcome boost in production if you are lacking at those positions.  Both Bell and Murphy are owned in less than 15% of standard ESPN leagues and I expect them to continue to contribute even when the injured Pierre Thomas and Chaz Schilens return to action.  With that in mind, here are some other players to consider that are most likely floating around your league’s free agent pool.

Thing 1: This QB relies on accuracy and decision-making to accumulate fantasy numbers.  He is young, but a strong supporting cast of playmakers takes some of the pressure of him on a weekly basis.  In week 1 he went 22-36 for 229 yards and 2 TDs with 0 INTs.  Currently this signal-caller is owned in 100% of ESPN fantasy leagues.

Thing 2: This QB depends on accuracy as well and with improved pass-catchers around him he will no longer be called upon to do too much with too little.  A very intelligent player (Stanford alum), he kicked off his season going 15-25 for 212 yards and 2 TDs with 0 INTs.  He is currently owned in 52% of ESPN fantasy leagues.

Reality Check: Thing 1 is Matt Ryan and Thing 2 is Trent Edwards.  I know Edwards isn’t the sexiest option at QB but I believe in the Buffalo starter just entering his second full season.  His accuracy is excellent and he has the arm strength to make all the throws.  With TO in town to relieve some of the pressure from Lee Evans and a very good receiving backfield duo in Marshawn Lynch and Fred Jackson, I think Edwards takes a big step forward this season.

Thing 1: This RB is the complimentary back in a run-first offense.  He had a decent week 1 rushing for 60 yards on 12 carries (5.0 ypc) and snagging three passes for 11 yards, though he failed to get into the end zone.  He is currently owned in 97% of ESPN fantasy leagues.

Thing 2: This RB is the complimentary back in a run-first offense.  He also had a solid showing in week 1 gaining 55 yards on 12 carries (4.6 ypc) including a touchdown.  In addition, he caught one pass for four yards.  Currently, this back is owned in 13% of ESPN fantasy leagues.

Reality Check: Thing 1 is Ahmad Bradshaw and Thing 2 is Michael Bush.  As any LL reader knows, I love Bradshaw but this is more a testament to Bush’s role with the Raiders (and his considerable upside in the event of a trade or injury).  I like for him to get the bulk of the carries in the red zone and score 8-10 TDs this season.

Thing 1: This WR is the #1 option for a playoff-caliber team.  In week 1 he was targeted frequently and hauled in 8 passes for 103 yards but did not record a TD.  There are younger, more athletic receiving options on this team but this player can be counted on for production and is currently owned in 100% of ESPN fantasy leagues.

Thing 2: This WR is the #1 option for a playoff-caliber team.  In week 1 he was targeted frequently and caught 7 passes for 78 yards and a TD.  There are younger, more athletic receiving options on this team as well but this player is a reliable target with the trust of his QB and is currently owned in 35% of ESPN fantasy leagues.

Reality Check: Thing 1 is Hines Ward and Thing 2 is Justin Gage.  Like Ward, Gage is a gutsy wideout that will make the tough catch and keep the chains moving.  If he is still available in your league don’t pass up the chance at 80 catches for 1100 yards and 6 TDs (see also: Burleson, Nate – 23% ownership).

Thing 1: This TE moved to a new team and didn’t do much in the preseason.  Questions about the QB position have created some uncertainty about his expected production.  He made a decent showing in week 1 catching 5 passes for 30 yards and a touchdown and is currently owned in 98% of ESPN leagues.

Thing 2: This TE also changed locations in the off-season and had a quiet preseason before emerging as the leading option in week 1 with 4 catches for 60 yards and a touchdown.  With a young QB that will likely rely on this safety valve, this player makes an intriguing option and is owned in 0% of ESPN leagues.

Reality Check: Thing 1 is Kellen Winslow and Thing 2 is Robert Royal.  No, that is not a typo for Royal’s ownership percentage but I don’t anticipate that number staying as low as it is.  Brady Quinn has shown a strong rapport with his TEs throughout his young career and the spot vacated by Winslow in the off-season may be Royal’s ticket to fantasy relevance.  He is not a TE1 at this point but he is worth a stash (especially in keeper leagues).

Thing 1: A big-name D/ST, this unit’s best days are probably behind them.  Injuries as well as a few off-season departures have robbed this group of a bit of their swagger and big-play ability.  During week one, they faced a poor offense and allowed 24 points without forcing a single turnover and are owned in 100% of ESPN leagues.

Thing 2: A fly-under-the-radar D/ST, this group is an attacking bunch that will give up some big games but will also get after the QB, resulting in sacks and turnovers (fantasy gold).  In week 1 this unit shut down a decent offense to the tune of 7 points while generating 4 turnovers and 4 sacks.  They are currently owned in 4% of ESPN leagues.

Reality Check: Thing 1 is the Ravens D/ST and Thing 2 is the Falcons D/ST.  I like this group a lot with the understanding that they are best when matched up against running teams with average passing games.  Elite QBs will be able to pick apart their secondary, but the Falcons generate one of the best pass-rushes in the game.  Be sure to grab them to take advantage of a juicy match-up coming up this week against Jake Delhomme and the Panthers.

Ten For Tuesday

Okay, it’s late tuesday and I want to get a few guys out there for you to either think about, get right now, or let someone else dabble with – here they go, more than 10, but I’ve never heard anyone argue that I’m giving you too much for your buck…

Think about…

Javon Walker: This guy has had lots of good games in the past, has a lot of talent, and if he can stay healthy he has a good opportunity with defenses paying a lot of attention to the run game. He looks to be getting it together mentally. 

Mewelde Moore: I’m still not convinced that Moore is going to be a sure thing, and Willie might be back soon, but there is no doubt that Pittsburgh likes to run the ball and I’ve always seen Moore as a back that can do solid work. He’s no sure thing, but if you need help – go for it. 

Vishante Shiancoe: I like this guy. He plays for a team that doesn’t do a lot of work through the air, but he’s had a few good games and there’s a decent chance he’s better than the TE you have right now. He’s always been talented. 

Harry Douglas: This kid just gets open. He’s a great compliment to Roddy White. I don’t know if he’ll be consistent enough, but if he’s on your keeper league waiver wire I think you’ll be very happy you grabbed him. 

Marty Booker: Books is getting a little long in the tooth, sure, but Bears opponents go after the run hard, and if Hester is out for a while I think Booker could benefit from Kyle Orton’s air attack. Launch. Still, he’s no sure thing to be a great option. 

Brandon Lloyd: Almost a sure thing to be healthy coming off a bye, and the Bears loved him in the preseason and he played well in the beginning of the year. I’m just saying. People seem to forget about guys that didn’t do great last week. 

Kevin Faulk: He might get picked up less than Green Ellis, but I think he’s the better bet to get more fantasy points – but we’ll see – neither is a great pick up. 

Go Get Them…

Josh Morgan: I liked him early, I liked him just before the season, I like him now that he’s starting. The 49ers need to throw less to win, Mike Martz doesn’t see it that way, that’s good for Morgan owners – go get him. 

Ryan Torrain: I think this is the last week you can possibly get him for free – stash him, thank me later. 

Deuce McAllister: For two to four weeks I like the big cat. Pierre Thomas too, but I’ll take Deuce over Thomas. 

 

Leave Them Alone…

Tyler Thigpen: There’s a reason the Chiefs are trying out Boomer, Steve Young, and Warren Moon on Wednesday…

Martellus Bennett: TE playing behind Jason Witten – no thanks. 

Ben-Jarvis Green Ellis: I don’t know, I’m putting him down just because someone has to run the ball for the Pats while Matt Cassel is at the helm. Still, Lamont will likely come back soon and chances are Green Ellis won’t be a decent option, I even think Sammy is solid, so this would only be a last resort pickup. I’d pass on him if you have another option. Like Deuce.