The waivers following Week 1 are the most important of the fantasy season. Your league’s owners are still involved, and there’s usually a mad scramble for the league’s best prospects. Players who surprised in the first week will replace those that disappointed, and there are always a few injuries that will give backups the opportunity to step into the spotlight. This time last season there is a pretty good chance that Marques Colston and Maurice Jones-Drew were available on your league’s waiver wire, so there are good players out there and you had better pay attention.
RUNNING BACKS
According to reports, Brandon Jacobs is going to miss 3-5 weeks with a sprained knee, so those in need for a short term fix at RB (possibly those owners with Kevin Jones on their roster) should jump on Derrick Ward, not Reuben Droughns. Ward looked very good in relief, rushing for 89 yards on 13 carries (including a nice 44-yard scamper) along with 4 catches for 27 yards and a score. Ward should be a serviceable RB2 as long as Jacobs is out…LenDale White got the start and didn’t look horrible, rushing for 66 yards on 18 carries (3.7 ypc), but that didn’t compare to Chris Brown, who toted the ball 19 times for 175 yards (9.2 ypc). Brown isn’t an every down back, so expect the Titans to give both players nearly equal work in the short term. Brown’s performance was bad news for owners counting on LenDale to emerge as a viable RB2. If Brown is available on your league’s waiver wire, he’s definitely worth a roster spot…The injury woes for Carnell Williams continue. He left the Seattle game in the second half with bruised ribs after carrying the ball 12 times for 60 yards. The team is hopeful that he can play in Week 2, but if he’s out, Michael Pittman gets a big boost…Ronnie Brown owners should be concerned. Not only did Brown have a quiet day (17 touches for 72 yards and no scores), but as promised, Jesse Chatman was involved, turning 13 touches into 63 yards. Brown owners would be wise to grab Chatman and hope that one guy emerges as a solid RB2.
WIDE RECEIVERS
Ronald Curry is clearly the best WR in Oakland and if the Raiders O can improve at all on last season’s dismal numbers, Curry will be the first to benefit. He will probably have a tough Week 2 (@ Denver), but after that his schedule looks pretty good…Brandon Marshall is Denver’s WR2 and already has a nice rapport with Jay Cutler. He’s athletic, so if he can stay healthy, he can give the Broncos what Rod Smith used to…Patrick Crayton will continue to start in place of the injured Terry Glenn and if Glenn does indeed miss the season, Crayton is a good candidate to finish in the top 30 at his position. With all the other receiving options in Dallas, he might have a quiet game or two, but he’s a threat to go over 1000 yards and catch 6 TD or so…It looks like Wes Welker is WR2 in New England. The Pats gave up a lot for the versatile Welker and he looks to be a fine complement to Randy Moss. Welker will be a possession guy, and he may not score a bunch of TD, but he’ll be a nice WR3 in PPR leagues…Don’t expect Shaun McDonald to catch 6 passes for 90 yards and a TD every week, but he plays in the league’s most wide-open offense and gets a lot of snaps with all the 3 and 4 WR sets the Lions run. He’ll be especially effective when teams take away the deep throws and give up the underneath stuff…The potential loss of Eli Manning will hurt, but Amani Toomer proved Sunday night that he still has some game…Arnaz Battle has great hands and showed his versatility by rushing for the game winning TD against the Cardinals. Overall, the San Francisco offense didn’t look very good, but Battle is worth a look in PPR leagues…D.J. Hackett has a high ankle sprain so it looks like Nate Burleson will start at split end in his absence. Count me among those that Burleson burned a few seasons ago when he was supposed to be a good WR1 in Minnesota, so my enthusiasm is tempered…Antwaan Randle El’s numbers were inflated by that fluke bounce on the Hail Mary at the end of the game. Don’t expect him to put up huge numbers, but he’s probably worth a roster spot in most leagues.
QUARTERBACKS
Jake Delhomme passed his first test this week, throwing three TD and leading his team to a win over the Rams. His schedule is very favorable, so if he’s hanging out on your league’s waiver wire, snatch him up. It doesn’t look like David Carr is going to take over anytime soon…David Garrard is a solid QB with pretty good legs. Don’t expect Jacksonville to throw the ball 30 times every game; they will almost certainly get back to the running game. But Garrard is efficient and a quiet fantasy producer…Matt Schaub looked poised in leading the Texans’ offense over a decent Chiefs DT. He already has a nice rapport with Andre Johnson but he will have some ups and downs over the course of the season…Josh McCown started for Oakland and played well, throwing for 313 yards and 2 TD. He’s not a sure bet to start every week, especially if Jamarcus Russell progresses quickly once he reports. But the Raiders will probably trail a lot, so McCown could get a lot of garbage stats in the second half…Trent Green looked decent against the Redskins and just might still have something left in the tank.
TIGHT ENDS
Just a word of advice: don’t panic and cut Chris Cooley just yet. He got off to a slow start last season as well and tore up the league over the second half. He should be more involved next week…He may not be on your league’s waiver wire, but Eric Johnson looks to be a big part of the Saints’ passing game and is a good option as long as he can stay healthy…Daniel Graham was involved in the Broncos offense and should get the leftovers once Javon Walker and Brandon Marshall are done with dinner…Marcedes Lewis had a nice game against the Titans and is a candidate to have a solid year…As promised, Marcus Pollard was involved in Seattle’s potent passing attack, catching 5 passes for 43 yards. He’s not going to set the world on fire, but those numbers are a reasonable weekly expectation…Rookie Zach Miller caught three passes for 23 yards for the Raiders, so keep an eye on his development and pick him up if he starts to improve.
CONCLUSION
To summarize, if things break their way, I think Curry, Marshall and Crayton all have a decent shot to crack the top 20 or 30 by the end of the season. At the moment, I don’t see a RB of the caliber of Maurice Jones-Drew on most waiver wires, though if Brandon Jacobs’ injury lingers, Derrick Ward certainly has that kind of potential. (Of course, if Jacksonville continues to ignore the run like they did on Sunday, I’m not sure Jones-Drew is capable of having another Jones-Drew year!)
If you have any questions, be sure to post them on our weekly Q&A and I’ll do my best to answer them.
