2009 Waiver Wire Wonders
September 7, 2009 at 10:41 pm | Article by Paul Hickey |
Print This Page
| 
Every fantasy owner knows that several waiver wire gems change the face of fantasy football each year. Guys like Julius Jones (2004), Joey Galloway (2005), Marques Colston (2006), Wes Welker and Brandon Marshall (2007) and Antonio Bryant (2008) have been difference makers in terms of helping owners win championships. When you can get an impact player essentially “for free,” it’s worth doing your homework. In other words, even though you’ve just drafted and you feel great about your team, things change by the minute during the season, so it’s important to familiarize yourself with guys that need to be added to your roster immediately, and guys that are likely to emerge later in the season.
Find a way to add now…
James Davis, Cleveland RB – I field hundreds of questions from fantasy football owners every week, and there has been one major theme since preseason Week 3 – “should I add James Davis?” Believe me, I know that roster space is always an issue, but if the rookie sixth rounder out of Clemson is available in your league, you need to find a way to add him. He reminds me a lot of Chris Johnson, as a burner with great vision and lateral quickness. He can break it outside with the best of them, but isn’t afraid to take it between the tackles. Rumors of Jamal Lewis getting cut were obviously inaccurate, but trust me – JLew won’t make it past Week 5 as the starter or Week 3 as the featured back in Cleveland. Davis’ play will make Eric Mangini’s coach-speak completely irrelevant, and fantasy owners will be very happy with Davis on their rosters come mid-season.
Fred Jackson, Bills RB – Amazingly, Jackson is still a relatively unknown player among seasonal fantasy owners with smaller rosters. With Marshawn Lynch being the bigger name RB, I guess that’s understandable, but Jackson’s production has been undeniable in points per reception leagues. He’ll be the team’s starter for the first three weeks of the season. Check that, with Dominic Rhodes a casualty of roster cuts this past weekend, Jackson will be the team’s FEATURED back for the first three weeks of the season. When Lynch returns, he’ll still see red zone carries and be the primary back in the two-minute drill – a role that isn’t to be overlooked. I believe Buffalo’s offense will struggle more than most people think, and they’ll rely on Jackson to move the rock via the pass, similar to the way Chicago relied on back-up Adrian Peterson after an injury to Cedric Benson in 2007.
Joe Flacco, Ravens QB – With much “sexier” guys available, it’s been really easy to pass on Flacco in seasonal drafts, but won’t most owners don’t realize is that Ravens offensive coordinator Cam Cameron plans on opening up the passing game a ton this year. Flacco had just as good a season as Matt Ryan last year, and has made just as much progress if not more this off-season. He’s a “poor-man’s” Ryan, with potentially just as high an upside. Due to the lack of sexy weapons, Flacco happens to come at a much cheaper price.
Dustin Keller, Jets TE – Maybe the reason why he’s owned in less than 90% of Yahoo! leagues is because some leagues don’t require starters at tight end, but I have a sneaking suspicion it’s because fantasy owners haven’t taken the time to familiarize themselves with Keller. The Jets traded up into the first round of the 2008 NFL Draft to get him, and envision him becoming a Dallas Clark type weapon in their passing offense. With rookie QB Mark Sanchez ready to take the helm, you can bet that offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer will be featuring the second year man from Purdue. Sanchez has shown great chemistry with Keller in the preseason, and the athletic receiver in a tight end’s body is ready for a breakout year. Examine your situation, because if you waited until the later rounds to draft a TE, Keller may be better than the guy you currently have projected as your starter, let alone your back-up.
Earl Bennett, Bears WR – If you haven’t heard of Bennett, you were hiding under a rock until a couple weeks ago. The hype machine was in full affect up until the preseason, as he didn’t really do anything to wow the masses. However, the fact is that he’ll start opposite Devin Hester, and he’s solid enough to stay in that roll throughout the entire season. He has a high upside with Jay Cutler at QB, and should be a very solid WR5 in all formats.
Michael Bush, Raiders RB – It’s been very easy to overlook Bush this preseason, with the Raiders offense looking horrible, and Darren McFadden and Justin Fargas seemingly ahead of him on the depth chart. However, Bush is a dynamic athlete and playmaker with phenomenal size, speed and hands. At some point in 2009, he will earn his way on the field and take advantage of his opportunities to the point where he will put up consistent numbers. Despite the roadblocks, as bottom of the roster fliers go, Bush is a top tier option.
How to make room for a player – Time out. You may be reading this thinking – “I love my roster – how do I make room for one of these guys?” Well, I’ve noticed a common problem among rosters I’m asked to analyze on a daily basis. Many guys keep multiple defenses, kickers, quarterbacks and tight ends in leagues that only require them to have/start one. These are the easiest positions to find help at via waivers during the entire season – so why use roster spots on them? It’s MUCH smarter to hoard the harder positions to fill that allow multiple starters – like RB and WR. Drop a defense for one of these guys for crying out loud!
Keep an eye on for later…
Matt Leinart, Cardinals QB – It’s only a matter of time before Kurt Warner goes down folks. He hasn’t stayed healthy for two consecutive seasons during his entire career. He will miss one or more games, and when he does, the Cards’ first round pick in 2006 will step in and seize the opportunity. His 346 yard, three TD performance in the second half of preseason Week 3 against Green Bay can’t be ignored, and neither can the weapons surrounding him. If at any point during 2009, you have a roster spot to spare that you’re not sure what to do with, go add Leinart – because adding him AFTER Warner goes down will be next to impossible.
Justin Forsett, Seahawks RB – Like Leinart, Forsett plays behind starters that are destined to either get injured or simply underperform. Over the last two seasons, Edgerrin James has shown that he isn’t the same player he was during his prime. Starter Julius Jones has never reached the potential he showed during the second half of his rookie season in 2004. Forsett, on the other hand, has looked brilliant when given the opportunity, and could be a true force in points per reception leagues down the line.
Peyton Hillis, Broncos RB – From Weeks 9-14 last year, the former college fullback was the 10th leading fantasy scorer among NFL rushers, racking up six TDs and more than 500 total yards. The presence of new faces such as Knowshon Moreno, Correll Buckhalter and LaMont Jordan make the road to production rockier for the second year man, but doesn’t change the fact that he’s been the Broncos’ most consistent tailback thus far this off-season. If Moreno doesn’t bounce back from his MCL sprain and play well, Hillis could be the waiver wire gem of 2009, just like he was a year ago.
Jeremy Maclin, Eagles WR – Other online fantasy publications have dogged him this August, but I watched him closely in each of Philly’s preseason games, and I really liked what I saw. Apparently, so did starting QB Donovan McNabb, who told the media last week he believes Maclin is ready to start. The injury-prone Kevin Curtis currently sits ahead of him on the depth chart, which means that Maclin should get a shot a significant playing time early in the season. He’s just as electric if not more so than Minnesota’s Percy Harvin, and should be treated accordingly in fantasy leagues as soon as his role is defined.
Nate Hughes, Jaguars WR – Of all the sleeper WRs I’ve looked at this off-season, perhaps the least amount of attention has been given to Hughes, a second year man from Alcorn State. However, he has made a strong impression upon head coach Jack Del Rio, and the 6-2 receiver could have already wrapped up the number three WR gig in Jacksonville behind Troy Williamson and Torry Holt. Mike Sims-Walker and rookie Mike Thomas have been injury prone, and by no means does Williamson have a stronghold on the starting role opposite Holt.
Kenny Britt, Titans WR – I’ve had a man-crush on him since NFL Draft day, and the opportunity could be there for him to be a year-long starter opposite Justin Gage. I don’t buy into the Nate Washington hype, and even if he bounces back from his hammy injury, I still like Britt to flat out beat him out this year. An argument against adding rookie wide receivers is that the majority of them don’t produce. However, the flaw in that argument is that there are at least one or two every year that become fantasy starters. Britt is definitely in the running to become one of those guys this year.
Hakeem Nicks, Giants WR – See above. Nicks’ situation mirrors that of Britt. He’s shown flashes of brilliance in the preseason, and plays for a quality organization in need of a playmaking WR to step up and earn a starting role. Domenik Hixon and Steve Smith are penciled in as starters, but make no mistake – Tom Coughlin and GM Jerry Reese want Nicks on the field regularly as soon as possible. With him, unlike other rookies, it’s a question of “when,” not “if.”
Greg Camarillo, Dolphins WR – He’s under the radar right now, but there are plenty of great reasons to add him. First of all, he caught 55 balls for more than 600 yards and two scores during the first 12 weeks of the 2008 season prior to tearing his ACL. Despite his injury, he was the favorite to start opposite Ted Ginn this year, before Davone Bess and Brian Hartline made life hard on him. Still, Camarillo is now 100 percent, and despite the competition could emerge as a solid points per reception league WR3. Although there appears to be a lack of clarity with regards to the starting line-up, in Miami, what you see is what you get. If Camarillo plays a lot during the first couple weeks of the season, expect big things.
This article is also featured on Athlon Fantasy Football, your spot for Cheat Sheets updated daily, and Fantasy tools to manage your team all year long.
Related posts
Loading ...
