QUARTERBACKS
Here is a list of players that may be available on your league’s waiver wire, in order of relative value:
Jon Kitna, Rex Grossman, Tony Romo, Alex Smith, David Carr, Trent Green, Chad Pennington, Phillip Rivers, Steve McNair, Matt Leinart, Aaron Brooks, Charlie Frye, Damon Huard, Brad Johnson, Seneca Wallace, Mark Brunell, J.P. Losman, Bruce Gradkowski, Vince Young, Joey Harrington
Tony Romo looked solid against a decent Panthers defense on Sunday night and should be a pretty good play going forward against the right defenses. He’ll struggle at times, but he has a load of weapons, so he should succeed against moderate to poor defenses…Seneca Wallace exceeded expectations and appears to be a good option for Matt Hasselbeck owners…Steve McNair returned and torched the Saints for three TD (two passing, one rushing). It’s hard to utilize McNair as anything more than a fill-in because he could get knocked out of a game at any time…Trent Green has been practicing and may return to the starting lineup this week, though Damon Huard has done a fine job of holding down the fort…Aaron Brooks is also getting closer to returning, and the Raider passing game could use a shot in the arm. There’s no guarantee that Brooks is the answer, however.
RUNNING BACKS
Wali Lundy, Leon Washington, Mike Bell, Travis Henry, Maurice Jones-Drew, Justin Fargas, Cedric Benson, DeAngelo Williams, Maurice Morris, Jerious Norwood, Michael Turner, Brandon Jacobs, Najeh Davenport
Wali Lundy has his second straight strong outing, turning 23 touches into 149 yards. He has proven he is the best back on the roster and should continue to get most of the touches. It’s important to keep in mind that Ron Dayne was seeing most of the short-yardage work…Mike Bell took advantage of Tatum Bell’s turf toe and rumbled for 136 yards on 15 carries. The other Bell was never able to get anything going. If Tatum continues to struggle with an injured toe, look for Mike to carry the load…DeAngelo Williams is getting close to returning and if DeShaun Foster can’t stay healthy, Williams will see an increase in value. If an impatient owner cut Williams after his injury, now would be a good time to pick him up…LaMont Jordan is struggling with a bad back, and wasn’t able to carry the full load on Sunday. Backs are notoriously dicey injuries, so if Jordan isn’t able to get it going, Justin Fargas will be the man, though the Raiders rushing offense has been pretty pathetic thus far.
WIDE RECEIVERS
Chris Henry, Doug Gabriel, Mike Furrey, Jerry Porter, Mark Clayton, Wes Welker, Eric Parker, Marty Booker, Bryant Johnson, Marcus Robinson
The Bengals activated Chris Henry this week and he made an immediate impact, catching five passes for 81 yards and a score. He is especially valuable as insurance for Chad Johnson or T.J. Houshmandzadeh owners…Doug Gabriel has grown into the #1 WR role for the Patriots. Over the last two weeks, he has caught eight passes for 128 yards and a score, becoming a decent spot starter for fantasy owners…Bryant Johnson was a big disappointment this weekend, catching only one pass for nine yards against a Green Bay defense that has been horrible against the pass. Things are very bad in Arizona and I don’t expect any of the players will be dependable fantasy starters in the near future.
TIGHT ENDS
Desmond Clark, Owen Daniels, Alex Smith, David Martin, Eric Johnson, Jerramy Stevens, Courtney Anderson
Desmond Clark and Owen Daniels both had huge games on Sunday and shouldn’t be on the waiver wire much longer…David Martin turned in a nice game for the Packers, picking up where Greg Jennings left off. As long as Jennings is out, look for Martin to get lots of looks from Brett Favre, who is willing to throw to anyone if they’re open (or even if they’re not).