Welcome to an abbreviated version of the Waiver Wire Watch. It’s Week 16, and most fantasy teams have been eliminated or on cruise control, so instead of listing virtually every player available on the waiver wire, I’m just going to highlight a few players at each position that might be able to help fantasy teams in Week 16. As always, I’m going to limit my scope to those players available in at least 40% (or thereabout) of ESPN leagues. I’ll put the player’s percentage-owned next to their name.

Let’s start with the quarterback position, where I still find it amazing that Josh Freeman (69.8) is still available in 30% of leagues. Not only has he been very consistent this season, but he has a great matchup with the Seahawks in Week 16. I suspect he’ll be in my Top 12 when my rankings come out on Wednesday…Ryan Fitzpatrick (31.3) has the Patriots at home this week, and barring a snow storm, that’s shaping up to be a pretty good matchup. New England showed on Sunday night that its pass defense still leaves something to be desired…David Garrard (46.4) had a strong game against the Colts and has a terrific W16 matchup with the Redskins’ porous pass defense…Need a deep sleeper? Both Tim Tebow (4.0) and Rex Grossman (0.3) have nice matchups with the Texans and Jaguars, respectively. I wouldn’t trust either guy over a more established option, but if you’re desperate, you could do worse. These are some bad pass defenses we’re talking about.

Read the rest of this entry »

Welcome to another edition of Heroes and Goats, where we highlight (and lowlight) some of the best (and worst) performances of Week 15. Needless to say, we’re in crunch time now, as most leagues are holding their semifinals this week. So now is the time for studs to play like studs. Let’s see who did, and who didn’t…

HEROES

Michael Vick
Vick did next to nothing in the first half, as the Giants defense kept him contained for the first two quarters. But he had a monster second half, finishing with three pass TDs and rushing for another (along with 130 rushing yards). I had a comfortable lead in one league and Vick single-handedly erased it in the second half. Grrr.

Ray Rice
Big things were expected of Rice this week, but I don’t think his owners saw 233 total yards and two TDs coming. He ran over, around and through the Saints defense this week and is going to send more than a few fantasy teams to the finals next week.

Jason Witten
Witten owners have to be loving him right now. He caught 10 passes for 140 yards and a TD in a time where TE production has been severely lacking. He has 32 catches and four TDs in his last four games.

Santana Moss
Moss was a really iffy start this week with Rex Grossman under center, but he seemed to thrive with ‘Sexy Rexy,’ catching eight passes for 72 yards and two scores. I was fortunate that I plugged him in for Danny Woodhead just before kickoff.

Austin Collie
I doubt we’re going to see Collie again this season after he took another hard hit in the middle of the field. But boy was he good before he was knocked out. He racked up eight catches for 82 yards and two TDs.

Jamaal Charles*
I had Charles ranked #12 this week thanks to Matt Cassel’s iffy status, but with an 80-yard run late in the game, Charles sealed his status as an elite RB1 option. He finished with 153 total yards and a TD.

Brandon Marshall
Marshall has been really spotty this season and wasn’t an elite option heading into Week 15, but he caught 11 passes for 106 yards and a TD against the Bills and came up big for those fantasy owners that kept the faith.

Mario Manningham
Jeremy Maclin*
Overshadowed on their own teams, both Manningham (8-113-2) and Maclin (7-59-2) came up big for their respective teams. Manningham did have a bad fumble that helped to fuel Philly’s comeback, so Vick and Maclin owners should thank him.

Rashard Mendenhall*
In a terrible matchup, Mendy racked up 100 yards and a score, so owners who were forced to start him should be happy. This is a case where the player’s talent overcame a tough rush defense.

* Players who were goats last week

GOATS

Peyton Hillis
Really? 82 yards and zero TDs against the Bengals? The yardage was okay, but Hillis owners were expecting a TD or two from their stud this week. After running roughshod over the league this season, Hillis failed to find the endzone in the last three weeks.

Terrell Owens
He had a great matchup, but left the game without a catch with a torn meniscus. Season over.

Arian Foster
He was shaken up in the second half, but wasn’t getting much done when he was playing. He finished with 61 total yards and failed to score.

Maurice Jones-Drew
He has been on a tear of late, gaining 100+ yards in six straight games, so of course he’d have a big game against the Colts, who always struggle against the run, right? Wrong. He posted just 68 total yards without a score. Sigh.

LeSean McCoy
Ahmad Bradshaw
Given the way these two were playing recently, fantasy owners had to be expecting more than 157 total yards and zero TDs combined from this duo.

Tim Hightower
My deepest apologies to anyone who started Timmy on my advice this week. (I had him at #19 or #20 for most of the week.) He got a ton of carries last week and had a great matchup with the Panthers’ defense, but only saw nine touches all day.

Knowshon Moreno
Moreno had a great matchup and looked like he was primed for a big day, but left the game early with an injury to his side. Ugh.

I’m pleased to report that I finished #1 overall in Week 14 in the FantasyPros accuracy contest, so I extended my lead and am still ranked #1 on the season.

Congratulations to John Paulsen (The Scores Report) for taking home the honor as the most accurate expert in week 14. As the #1 expert in our competition for several months running, it’s fitting that he would step up his game as the playoffs arrived. As Bill Parcells once famously said, “Big players make big plays in big games” and it certainly seems like this quote can be adapted to describe Paulsen’s performance. In typical fashion, he delivered a solid set of advice across several key positions: WR (#2 rank), RB (#5 rank) and TE (#9 rank). For his WR picks, Paulsen rode the success of many of week 14’s top studs including DeSean Jackson (PHI), Deion Branch (NE) and Marques Colston (NO). Perhaps even more impressively, he also anticipated several of the week’s biggest underachievers. For instance, he had Dwayne Bowe (KC) slotted lower than most experts (WR #23) and Bowe’s disappearing act (just .3 points) helped solidify his high accuracy rating.

With his 1st place finish in week 14, it should come as no surprise that John Paulsen (The Scores Report) remains in the top position in the YTD standings. For those keeping score at home, this now makes it 10 weeks in a row that Paulsen has occupied the #1 overall spot. That’s a very impressive feat given the quality of competition that’s involved in the contest. Most importantly for Paulsen, he has now extended his lead in the competition and must only stay ahead of the pack for two more weeks in order to claim the crown as 2010’s Most Accurate Fantasy Football Expert.

Two weeks to go! Feet don’t fail me now!

Below you’ll find my first stab at the Week 15 rankings. Be sure to check back as they’ll certainly change as the news trickles in.

If you can’t see the rankings, it’s due to the heavy traffic at the FantasyPros site. I’ll have a set of text rankings up Sunday morning. If you are wondering specifically about Vincent Jackson with Malcom Floyd out. I have him at #13, so he’s a very good WR2 start this week.

Text rankings below…

Read the rest of this entry »

Every week, I highlight a few players that you should target in waivers. I use the ESPN league data when filtering players, so the only guys eligible for discussion here are those that are available on the waiver wire in at least 40% of ESPN’s leagues. I’ll list each player’s percentage-owned after their name so you have an idea of how available they are in leagues around the country. I’ll always try to mention a few players that are available in 90% of leagues for those of you in 12-team leagues or leagues with big rosters. I’ll rank them in the order I’d pick them up in a league with a high-performance scoring system.

Please note that these rankings are for total value through the end of the year. Players with particularly good matchups this week are in bold.

Josh Freeman (59.0)
Save for a bad game against the Steelers in W3, Freeman has been solid all season throwing for at least one TD in 12 of 13 games. He’ll also add 10-40 rushing yards, which helps the bottom line. He should be able to post nice numbers in a W15 matchup against the Lions.

Jon Kitna (18.2)
Kitna has a pretty good matchup with the Redskins, who have struggled to stop the pass this season. He has thrown at least one TD in seven of his last eight games, so I’d expect 200+ yards and 1-2 TDs against Washington in W15.

Matt Hasselbeck (14.3)
The Falcons have struggled against the pass and Hasselbeck has shown that he can be productive against suspect secondaries. It would certainly help if Mike Williams and/or Ben Obomanu could make it back, since the Seahawks lost Deon Butler to a broken leg.

David Garrard (43.2)
I’m not psyched about Garrard’s matchup with Indy. He played well against the Colts in W4, but the Jags will continue to feature the run, so I don’t see another three-TD game in his near future. Still, he’s a decent matchup and has had success against the Colts recently.

Ryan Fitzpatrick (33.6)
I do like the idea of Fitzy in W16 against the Pats (though they’ve managed to shut down Mark Sanchez and Jay Cutler in recent weeks). But the Dolphins are pretty tough against the pass, so I expect I’ll rank Fitzpatrick in the high teens this week.

Jason Campbell (6.7)
Campbell played well in a good matchup against the Jags in W14 and now he has another good matchup against the reeling Broncos. Campbell has had his share of stinkers (W6 against the 49ers and W11 against the Steelers come to mind), but he has played well in good matchups, so I’d expect a good line this week against the Broncos.

Kerry Collins (1.2)
Talk about inconsistent. Collins went from dreadful against the Jags in W13 to great (fantasy-wise) against the Colts in W14. He has the Texans in W15, so I’d expect good fantasy numbers.

Sam Bradford (34.5)
What’s happened to the rookie? He had a run of six straight games with at least one TD pass, but has failed to throw any in the last two weeks. His matchups the next two weeks are decent, but his recent failings have shaken my confidence in the youngster.

Drew Stanton (0.7)
Stanton was shaky against the Packers, but Green Bay is tough to throw on. The Bucs should be a bit easier, especially with Aqib Talib out for the season.

Chad Henne (46.9)
With back-to-back stinkers, as well as losing his job midseason, I’m not sure how Henne is owned in almost 47% of ESPN leagues. He does have the Bills and Lions the next two weeks, so if you’re really desperate, you could do worse. (See below.)

Alex Smith (6.7)
Smith torched the Seahawks, but the Chargers are another story.

Matt Flynn (0.0)
He had one good drive against the Lions, but threw a costly pick in the endzone. I am not optimistic about his chances against the Pats, who have played pretty good pass defense of late.

Jake Delhomme (1.4)
Ugh.

Tarvaris Jackson (0.9)
UGH.

Read the rest of this entry »

Ah, Week 14…

In most leagues, this is the week where all the teams good enough to make the playoffs but not good enough to get a bye duke it out in the first round of the playoffs. There’s generally no room for error due to the quality of the competition so every surprise performance and every disappointing outing is magnified.

Here’s a look at a few heroes and a few goats from Sunday’s action.

HEROES

Darren McFadden
In a must win game? How does 209 total yards and three TDs suit you? DMC went absolutely nuts against Jacksonville, scoring on a 67-yard pass, and runs of 51- and 36-yards. And believe it or not, the Jags were playing well enough of late for this to be considered a bad matchup. With the Broncos and Colts on deck at home over the next two weeks, McFadden is primed for a BIG finish.

Tom Brady
Deion Branch
Last week, I had a 30-point lead with just Brady to go against a pretty good Jets defense and lost because Brady scored 32. This week, in another league, I figured Brady might have a mediocre game in wintry Chicago conditions in another bad matchup. Yeah…no…369 yards, two TDs. Nothing can stop Brady right now, not even a blizzard. As for Branch, do you think he’s happy being out of Seattle. The guy is on fire right now — he has four TDs in the last three weeks.

Read the rest of this entry »

Well, the good news is that I’m still the top-ranked fantasy expert at FantasyPros, but the bad news is Week 13 wasn’t my best (#29 overall), and David Dodds has gained on me for two straight weeks. I still have a lead, but it’s getting smaller. Time to buckle down.

For the 9th week in a row, John Paulsen (The Scores Report) checks in as the #1 overall expert. While week 13 wasn’t Paulsen’s best showing (29th overall), his success throughout the course of the season has put him in the enviable position of having a cushion to work with as we head into the final 3 weeks of the competition. With that being said, it’s still too early for Paulsen to carve out space on his mantle (do people still have mantles?) for the first place trophy. That’s because David Dodds (FootballGuys) is coming on strong and he has cut into Paulsen’s lead for the 2nd week in a row. We should be in for an exciting conclusion to the competition if the trend continues.

I’d like to note that I was #7 last week in both DT and K rankings, which don’t count towards my overall score…so there’s that.

Below you’ll find my first stab at the Week 14 rankings. Be sure to check back as Sunday approaches because they’ll be updated as the news trickles in.

If the above widget isn’t working, there are text rankings below (but be warned, they aren’t as easily updated).

Read the rest of this entry »

Every week, I highlight a few players that you should target in waivers. I use the ESPN league data when filtering players, so the only guys eligible for discussion here are those that are available on the waiver wire in at least 40% of ESPN’s leagues. I’ll list each player’s percentage-owned after their name so you have an idea of how available they are in leagues around the country. I’ll always try to mention a few players that are available in 90% of leagues for those of you in 12-team leagues or leagues with big rosters. I’ll rank them in the order I’d pick them up in a league with a high-performance scoring system.

Please note that these rankings are for total value through the end of the year. Players with particularly good matchups this week are in bold.

Ryan Fitzpatrick (34.0)
He had a brutal first half in a so-so matchup, but the Vikings’ defense plays pretty tough at home. Over the next three weeks he has CLE, @MIA and NE. That W16 matchup against the Patriots is tasty.

Jon Kitna (14.1)
It wasn’t a great matchup against Indy, but Kitna fared pretty well. He has PHI, WAS and @ARI over the next three weeks, so even without Dez Bryant, he should still be able to post solid numbers down the stretch. Romo’s pending return could be a headache, but I don’t think the Cowboys are going to rush him back.

David Garrard (42.1)
The Jags are running the ball more and more and it’s eating into Garrard’s numbers, though he has rushed for a TD in each of the last two weeks. He’s startable in W14 (OAK) and W16 (WAS).

Sam Bradford (36.3)
Do I see a chink in the rookie’s armor? After a string of five consecutive games with at least 251 yards passing or two TDs, Bradford had his first bad game since Week 5…against the Cardinals no less. I’m not terribly optimistic about his chances against a relatively tough Saints pass defense.

Matt Hasselbeck (14.3)
His matchups down the stretch (@SF, ATL, @TB) are pretty favorable, but with Mike Williams 1.0 out, Hasselbeck is running out of options, and fast. Hopefully, Ben Obomanu can shake off that lacerated hand and make it back by Sunday.

Troy Smith (4.4)
After hooking up with Vernon Davis for a long TD, Smith finished with decent numbers on the day. He has a nice matchup this week against the Seahawks, but should be avoided after that (@SD, @STL).

Jason Campbell (6.2)
It’s not always pretty, but Campbell is capable of putting up good fantasy numbers when the stars align. He has two good matchups coming up (@JAX, DEN) before a date with the Colts in W16.

Chad Henne (47.7)
He had three picks against the Browns. What is the Jets’ defense going to do to him?

Drew Stanton (0.3)
He was decent in a tough matchup with the Bears. I wouldn’t want to use him against the Packers this week, but his W15 matchup with an Aqib Talib-less Bucs secondary isn’t a bad matchup.

Kerry Collins (1.2)
Maybe dreadful is too strong of a word to describe Collins’ performance against a sketchy Jags’ pass defense. 169 yards and two TDs…no it’s not too strong. He has the Colts this week (so-so) and the Texans in W15 (great matchup) before traveling to KC.

Jake Delhomme (1.1)
Congratulations to Jake Delhomme, who threw a TD without throwing an interception for the first time this season. Assuming Colt McCoy can’t make it back, he has a decent matchup with the Bills this week.

Jimmy Clausen (1.0)
Very good matchup, but he hasn’t thrown a TD pass since W4, so why are you reading this?

Tarvaris Jackson (0.7)
He threw two TDs and three picks against the Bills. The Vikings would be better off giving him some reps to see where he’s at heading into next season, but they appear to want Favre back under center if he’s healthy. We’ll see.

Read the rest of this entry »

I suspect that Week 13 will go down as one of the most frustrating weeks of the season. Not only did several so-called studs put up goat-like numbers, but many leagues were in the final week of their regular seasons so there were more than a few owners in must-win situations. Let’s hope that they didn’t have one (or more) of the guys on this list:

Dwayne Bowe (0-0)
78 points. That was the total of the first matchup between these two teams and, on Sunday, they combined for a measly 16 points. The biggest goat of the game was Bowe, who somehow failed to register a catch against one of the worst pass defenses in the league after posting an average of 7.0-105-1.9 over his last seven games. That is a mind-boggling drop in production for a guy who was the top fantasy wideout over the last two months.

Brandon Lloyd (2-31)
Kyle Orton (117 yards, 0 TD)
Last time he faced the Chiefs, Lloyd caught six passes for 90 yards and two TDs. In his last four games he racked up 413 yards and six TDs. Lloyd reminded the fantasy community why he was one of the most frustrating fantasy players of the mid-00s. Meanwhile, Orton looked dreadful, missing on 19 of his 28 pass attempts and failing to find the endzone. Thanks for that, Kyle.

Chris Johnson (67 total yards, 0 TD)
Over the first 10 weeks, Johnson averaged 107 total yards and 0.9 TDs. We wrote off last week’s miserable outing against the Texans due to the Titans’ problems at QB, but with Kerry Collins back under center, Johnson would get back to normal, right? WRONG. Chris Johnson looked more like Larry Johnson circa 2009. This was not what owners were expecting when they drafted him #1 overall this summer.

Read the rest of this entry »

I’m pleased to report that with a #5 finish in Week 12, I am still holding on to the #1 overall spot in FantasyPros’ accuracy contest.

The beat goes on for John Paulsen (The Scores Report) as he continues to hold down the #1 spot as the most accurate expert in our contest. Paulsen has been the overall leader for so long that the Lions, Titans and Dolphins have each gone through 3 starting QBs since he last trailed someone else in the standings. In other words, this makes it 8 consecutive weeks at #1. In week 12, Paulsen had another strong showing (#5 overall), marking the fourth time this season he has finished in the top 5 of the weekly standings. And for the season, Paulsen continues to shine at each of the positions that factor into our overall scoring: RB (#2), WR (#2), TE (#4), and QB (#9).

Four more weeks to go!

Below is my first stab at Week 13′s rankings. Be sure to check back because they will definitely change throughout the week as news trickles in.

Updated Sunday, December 5.

If you can’t see the FantasyPros widget (they’ve been having heavy traffic issues leading up to kickoff the last couple of weeks), then look below for text rankings. Just a warning though — I can’t update these as easily as the widget.

Quarterbacks

1. Michael Vick (PHI vs. HOU)
2. Aaron Rodgers (GB vs. SF)
3. Peyton Manning (IND vs. DAL)
4. Matt Cassel (KC vs. DEN)
5. Drew Brees (NO @ CIN)
6. Philip Rivers (SD vs. OAK)
7. Kyle Orton (DEN @ KC)
8. Tom Brady (NE vs. NYJ)
9. Jay Cutler (CHI @ DET)
10. Eli Manning (NYG vs. WAS)
11. Sam Bradford (STL @ ARI)
12. Mark Sanchez (NYJ @ NE)
13. Josh Freeman (TB vs. ATL)
14. Matt Ryan (ATL @ TB)
15. Ryan Fitzpatrick (BUF @ MIN)
16. Matt Schaub (HOU @ PHI)
17. Jon Kitna (DAL @ IND)
18. Joe Flacco (BAL vs. PIT)
19. Ben Roethlisberger (PIT @ BAL)
20. Matt Hasselbeck (SEA vs. CAR)
21. David Garrard (JAC @ TEN)
22. Chad Henne (MIA vs. CLE)
23. Carson Palmer (CIN vs. NO)
24. Donovan McNabb (WAS @ NYG)
25. Kerry Collins (TEN vs. JAC)
26. Brett Favre (MIN vs. BUF)
27. Troy Smith (SF @ GB)
28. Jake Delhomme (CLE @ MIA)
29. Derek Anderson (ARI vs. STL)
30. Jason Campbell (OAK @ SD)
31. Drew Stanton (DET vs. CHI)
32. Jimmy Clausen (CAR @ SEA)

Running Backs

1. Arian Foster (HOU @ PHI)
2. Peyton Hillis (CLE @ MIA)
3. Jamaal Charles (KC vs. DEN)
4. Chris Johnson (TEN vs. JAC)
5. Adrian Peterson (MIN vs. BUF)
6. Michael Turner (ATL @ TB)
7. Steven Jackson (STL @ ARI)
8. LeSean McCoy (PHI vs. HOU)
9. Matt Forte (CHI @ DET)
10. Knowshon Moreno (DEN @ KC)
11. Maurice Jones-Drew (JAC @ TEN)
12. Mike Tolbert (SD vs. OAK)
13. Ray Rice (BAL vs. PIT)
14. Felix Jones (DAL @ IND)
15. Fred Jackson (BUF @ MIN)
16. Rashard Mendenhall (PIT @ BAL)
17. Ahmad Bradshaw (NYG vs. WAS)
18. Cedric Benson (CIN vs. NO)
19. Darren McFadden (OAK @ SD)
20. Donald Brown (IND vs. DAL)
21. LaDainian Tomlinson (NYJ @ NE)
22. Maurice Morris (DET vs. CHI)
23. Thomas Jones (KC vs. DEN)
24. Jonathan Stewart (CAR @ SEA)
25. Christopher Ivory (NO @ CIN)
26. Brian Westbrook (SF @ GB)
27. Mike Goodson (CAR @ SEA)
28. LeGarrette Blount (TB vs. ATL)
29. BenJarvus Green-Ellis (NE vs. NYJ)
30. Brandon Jackson (GB vs. SF)
31. Brandon Jacobs (NYG vs. WAS)
32. Ronnie Brown (MIA vs. CLE)
33. Marshawn Lynch (SEA vs. CAR)
34. Toby Gerhart (MIN vs. BUF)
35. Shonn Greene (NYJ @ NE)
36. Danny Woodhead (NE vs. NYJ)
37. Tashard Choice (DAL @ IND)
38. Anthony Dixon (SF @ GB)
39. Ricky Williams (MIA vs. CLE)
40. Chris “Beanie” Wells (ARI vs. STL)
41. Justin Forsett (SEA vs. CAR)
42. Keiland Williams (WAS @ NYG)
43. Aaron Brown (DET vs. CHI)
44. Ryan Mathews (SD vs. OAK)
45. James Davis (WAS @ NYG)
46. Darren Sproles (SD vs. OAK)
47. Reggie Bush (NO @ CIN)
48. Mike Hart (IND vs. DAL)
49. Carnell “Cadillac” Williams (TB vs. ATL)
50. Tim Hightower (ARI vs. STL)

Wide Receivers

1. Dwayne Bowe (KC vs. DEN)
2. Roddy White (ATL @ TB)
3. Brandon Lloyd (DEN @ KC)
4. Andre Johnson (HOU @ PHI)
5. DeSean Jackson (PHI vs. HOU)
6. Reggie Wayne (IND vs. DAL)
7. Greg Jennings (GB vs. SF)
8. Santonio Holmes (NYJ @ NE)
9. Mario Manningham (NYG vs. WAS)
10. Jeremy Maclin (PHI vs. HOU)
11. Mike Williams (TB vs. ATL)
12. Larry Fitzgerald (ARI vs. STL)
13. Calvin Johnson (DET vs. CHI)
14. Steve Johnson (BUF @ MIN)
15. Marques Colston (NO @ CIN)
16. Terrell Owens (CIN vs. NO)
17. Wes Welker (NE vs. NYJ)
18. Johnny Knox (CHI @ DET)
19. Pierre Garcon (IND vs. DAL)
20. Mike Wallace (PIT @ BAL)
21. Braylon Edwards (NYJ @ NE)
22. Chad Ochocinco (CIN vs. NO)
23. Mike Thomas (JAC @ TEN)
24. Sidney Rice (MIN vs. BUF)
25. Santana Moss (WAS @ NYG)
26. Dez Bryant (DAL @ IND)
27. Miles Austin (DAL @ IND)
28. Percy Harvin (MIN vs. BUF)
29. Anquan Boldin (BAL vs. PIT)
30. Davone Bess (MIA vs. CLE)
31. Derrick Mason (BAL vs. PIT)
32. Danny Amendola (STL @ ARI)
33. Deion Branch (NE vs. NYJ)
34. Blair White (IND vs. DAL)
35. Hines Ward (PIT @ BAL)
36. Ben Obomanu (SEA vs. CAR)
37. Danario Alexander (STL @ ARI)
38. Michael Crabtree (SF @ GB)
39. Steve Breaston (ARI vs. STL)
40. Brian Hartline (MIA vs. CLE)
41. Mike Williams (SEA vs. CAR)
42. Eddie Royal (DEN @ KC)
43. Jacoby Ford (OAK @ SD)
44. Randy Moss (TEN vs. JAC)
45. Brandon Marshall (MIA vs. CLE)
46. Nate Burleson (DET vs. CHI)
47. Malcom Floyd (SD vs. OAK)
48. Nate Washington (TEN vs. JAC)
49. Lance Moore (NO @ CIN)
50. Jabar Gaffney (DEN @ KC)
51. Lee Evans (BUF @ MIN)
52. Steve Smith (CAR @ SEA)
53. James Jones (GB vs. SF)
54. Jordan Shipley (CIN vs. NO)
55. Jason Avant (PHI vs. HOU)
56. Robert Meachem (NO @ CIN)
57. Seyi Ajirotutu (SD vs. OAK)
58. Derek Hagan (NYG vs. WAS)
59. Earl Bennett (CHI @ DET)
60. Devin Hester (CHI @ DET)

Tight Ends

1. Jacob Tamme (IND vs. DAL)
2. Jason Witten (DAL @ IND)
3. Antonio Gates (SD vs. OAK)
4. Tony Gonzalez (ATL @ TB)
5. Marcedes Lewis (JAC @ TEN)
6. Dustin Keller (NYJ @ NE)
7. Vernon Davis (SF @ GB)
8. Kellen Winslow (TB vs. ATL)
9. Kevin Boss (NYG vs. WAS)
10. Todd Heap (BAL vs. PIT)
11. Rob Gronkowski (NE vs. NYJ)
12. Visanthe Shiancoe (MIN vs. BUF)
13. Chris Cooley (WAS @ NYG)
14. Brandon Pettigrew (DET vs. CHI)
15. Brent Celek (PHI vs. HOU)
16. Greg Olsen (CHI @ DET)
17. Benjamin Watson (CLE @ MIA)
18. Joel Dreessen (HOU @ PHI)
19. Tony Moeaki (KC vs. DEN)
20. Jermaine Gresham (CIN vs. NO)
21. Jimmy Graham (NO @ CIN)
22. Zach Miller (OAK @ SD)
23. Anthony Fasano (MIA vs. CLE)
24. Aaron Hernandez (NE vs. NYJ)
25. Heath Miller (PIT @ BAL)

Kickers

1. David Akers (PHI vs. HOU)
2. Adam Vinatieri (IND vs. DAL)
3. Mason Crosby (GB vs. SF)
4. Josh Brown (STL @ ARI)
5. Dan Carpenter (MIA vs. CLE)
6. Nate Kaeding (SD vs. OAK)
7. Nick Folk (NYJ @ NE)
8. Garrett Hartley (NO @ CIN)
9. Matt Bryant (ATL @ TB)
10. Olindo Mare (SEA vs. CAR)
11. Josh Scobee (JAC @ TEN)
12. Ryan Longwell (MIN vs. BUF)
13. Rob Bironas (TEN vs. JAC)
14. Sebastian Janikowski (OAK @ SD)
15. Robbie Gould (CHI @ DET)
16. Ryan Succop (KC vs. DEN)
17. Shaun Suisham (PIT @ BAL)
18. Lawrence Tynes (NYG vs. WAS)
19. Matt Prater (DEN @ KC)
20. Billy Cundiff (BAL vs. PIT)

Defense

1. Green Bay Packers (GB vs. SF)
2. Chicago Bears (CHI @ DET)
3. Seattle Seahawks (SEA vs. CAR)
4. New York Giants (NYG vs. WAS)
5. San Diego Chargers (SD vs. OAK)
6. New Orleans Saints (NO @ CIN)
7. Tennessee Titans (TEN vs. JAC)
8. St. Louis Rams (STL @ ARI)
9. Baltimore Ravens (BAL vs. PIT)
10. Minnesota Vikings (MIN vs. BUF)
11. Miami Dolphins (MIA vs. CLE)
12. Indianapolis Colts (IND vs. DAL)
13. Pittsburgh Steelers (PIT @ BAL)
14. Detroit Lions (DET vs. CHI)
15. New York Jets (NYJ @ NE)
16. Philadelphia Eagles (PHI vs. HOU)
17. Washington Redskins (WAS @ NYG)
18. Cleveland Browns (CLE @ MIA)
19. Arizona Cardinals (ARI vs. STL)
20. Atlanta Falcons (ATL @ TB)

It’s Week 13, which means we’re in crunch time in most fantasy leagues. If your roster is a mess, there’s not much we can do at this point, but if you need a win this week to make the postseason, there may be a player or two who can help.

I use the ESPN league data when filtering players, so the only guys eligible for discussion here are those that are available on the waiver wire in at least 40% of ESPN’s leagues. I’ll list each player’s percentage-owned after their name so you have an idea of how available they are in leagues around the country. I’ll always try to mention a few players that are available in 90% of leagues for those of you in 12-team leagues or leagues with big rosters. I’ll rank them in the order I’d pick them up in a league with a high-performance scoring system.

Please note that these rankings are for total value through the end of the year. Players with particularly good matchups this week are in bold.

Josh Freeman (56.6)
If you’re looking for a solid QB to run out there every week the rest of the way, Freeman is your guy. He has two solid matchups (ATL, DET) and two good matchups (WAS, SEA) the rest of the way, so he should be able to give you borderline QB1 numbers over the final month of the fantasy season. His somewhat Week 12 outing against the Ravens marked only the second time all season that he didn’t throw for at least 212 yards or toss two TDs.

Ryan Fitzpatrick (33.4)
The Bills have that Bad News Bears feel about them. I find myself rooting for Buffalo every week. He finished with decent numbers (265 yards, TD, INT) in a terrible matchup, and would have had 300+ and 2 TDs if not for Stevie Johnson’s dropped TD in overtime. The matchup this week isn’t great (@MIN), but Fitzy is still a solid start. I love him in W14 and W16 against the Browns and Patriots, respectively.

Jon Kitna (13.9)
I wouldn’t want to start him this week against an angry Colts’ defense, but his W15 (WAS) and W16 (@ARI) matchups are great, and in W14 he faces an Eagles defense that just got torched by Jay Cutler.

Matt Cassel (49.5)
He may not be the greatest QB in the world, but he’s taking full advantage of Dwayne Bowe’s ascendancy to stud status, tossing 12 TDs in the last four games. With Denver’s lowly pass defense up next, he’s a great pickup this week, though things get tougher in W14 against the Chargers.

Sam Bradford (30.6)
I watched quite a bit of the STL/DEN game, and Bradford is cool, calm and collected, especially for a rookie. I’m waiting for one of those nightmare games, but it just hasn’t come. His last ‘bad’ game was in Week 5 against the Lions (215 yards, 2 INTs), but other than that, he has thrown at least one TD in every game and has tossed five TDs in the last two weeks. He has a great matchup with ARI this week and is startable the rest of the way outside of a W14 date with the Saints.

David Garrard (47.3)
It wasn’t pretty through the air in a terrible matchup, but Garrard had a brilliant TD run to save an otherwise forgettable fantasy day. The Titans aren’t a great matchup, so Garrard is just a mediocre start this week. He has nice matchups in W14 (OAK) and W16 (WAS), however.

Chad Henne (47.7)
Henne had a nice outing (307 yards, 2 TDs, INT) in a good matchup against the Raiders, and should find more success through the air this week against the Browns. In fact, the rest of his schedule is pretty nice, outside of a W14 road trip to face the Jets.

Matt Hasselbeck (14.1)
I don’t like his matchup this week (CAR), but otherwise, Hasselbeck has decent matchups to close the season.

Jason Campbell (6.6)
It looks like Bruce Gradkowski is out again, so Campbell should take over. His matchup this week is poor, but things ease up in W14 (@JAX) and W15 (DEN).

Derek Anderson (3.7)
Troy Smith (4.7)
Jake Delhomme (1.2)
Jimmy Clausen (0.9)
If you are in a situation where you’re considering picking up any of these guys, I feel for you. I really do.

Read the rest of this entry »