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.

Tony Romo owners: Don’t get depressed. It’s no fun to lose your star QB, but of all the positions in fantasy football, QB is one of the easiest to mask/fix. If you don’t already have a capable backup, target two decent QBs that look to have a fairly easy combined schedule and form your own midseason QBBC.

Chad Henne (59.7)
Henne has averaged 289 yards and 1.8 TD in the last four games, and Brandon Marshall and Davone Bess are a pretty good pair of wideouts to throw to.

Matthew Stafford (21.9)
Stafford should return in Week 8 and has several good matchups (WAS, NYJ, BUF, DAL, NE) over the next five weeks.

Ryan Fitzpatrick (5.3)
I thought Fitzy might struggle against the league’s 3rd-ranked pass defense, but that didn’t happen (374 yards, 4 TD, 2 INT). The Bills’ defense is pretty bad so he’ll have to throw, throw and throw some more, and Lee Evans and Steve Johnson are coming on. The schedule isn’t great, but after Week 7…does it matter?

Jon Kitna (0.1)
Kitna had a few good fantasy years in his day and he’ll take over as the starter or as long as Tony Romo is out. The Cowboys have a ton of offensive weapons, so he could be a serviceable starter.

Matt Cassel (37.8)
True, he looked brutal early in the season, but he has five TDs and zero picks in the last two games, and another easy matchup against the Bills in Week 8.

Josh Freeman (16.5)
Steady as she goes: Freeman has at least 212 yards or two TD passes in five of six games this season. And the one bad game was against Pittsburgh. With Arizona and Atlanta up next, Freeman is a decent spot starter in the short term.

Sam Bradford (29.4)
He didn’t throw for a lot of yards, but the rookie tossed two more TDs to give him a total of nine in seven games. A bad matchup with the Panthers awaits in Week 8, but things get a lot easier after his Week 9 bye.

Matt Hasselbeck (21.5)
With just four TDs in the last five games, Hasselbeck has little upside, but he can get you through a rough patch if he has a decent matchup.

Matt Moore (1.2)
Who is this guy? Moore looked terrific against the 49ers, and if rookies David Gettis and Brandon LaFell can grow up quickly, Moore could turn into a solid QB2.

Jason Campbell (4.7)
He filled in admirably and if he keeps winning, he could stick as the starter even when Bruce Gradkowski comes back.

Colt McCoy (2.3)
After a 281-yard, one-TD outing against the Steelers, McCoy only threw for 74 yards against the Saints. It just goes to show that the Browns are going to play conservative when they have the lead.

Max Hall (1.6)
He was replaced after a blow to the head, but Ken Whisenhunt says he’s still the starter if healthy. This is a situation to avoid if you can.

Donald Brown (56.6)
Joseph Addai might be out for a while and, if healthy, Brown is the odds on favorite for RB1 duties in his place. He should be a viable RB2 as long as Addai is out.

LeGarrette Blount (1.1)
With Earnest Graham sidelined for Week 7, Blount ran for 72 yards on 11 carries. There is reason to be excited about Blount’s production against the Rams, who came into Week 7 allowing 4.0 ypc, but Carnell Williams looks like the third-down back and who knows what Graham’s role will be when he returns. Blount is definitely worth a pickup, but he’s not a no-brainer to lead the Bucs in carries the rest of the way.

Willis McGahee (60.0)
He started to hit waiver wires after a goose egg in Week 6, but it looks like the Ravens just held him back so that he wouldn’t get injured in case they were able to trade him before the deadline. But he has scored a TD and received at least 10 carries in three of the last four weeks.

Danny Woodhead (28.1)
He didn’t match his Week 6 totals, but he still gained 52 total yards and touched the ball 11 times. He also led all Patriot RBs in snaps, by a pretty wide margin, so clearly the Pats see him as more than just a third-down specialist. He should be owned in most leagues, especially those with PPR formats.

Chris Ivory (45.1)
Pierre Thomas’s ankle injury continues to linger, and Ivory may remain the team’s primary ball carrier in the short term. But Reggie Bush should be back this week and will take a few (or a lot) of those touches away. Throw in a brutal matchup with the Steelers and, well, there you have it…

Mike Hart (1.7)
He’ll likely back up Donald Brown if Joseph Addai is out (as expected). Brown has been struggling with a hamstring injury, so Hart could be thrust into a starting role if Brown were to tweak it again.

Derrick Ward (3.2)
Ward has a TD in three straight games and is the primary backup to Arian Foster, who has been dealing with a knee injury.

Kenneth Darby (1.5)
Surprise! Steven Jackson had surgery on his finger. He may very well play in Week 8, but if you are an S-Jax owner or are desperate for a starter this week, Darby is worth a flier.

Ladell Betts (2.3)
Betts value will probably plummet upon Reggie Bush’s return, but he has scored at least 9.6 points in PPR leagues in each of the last four weeks.

Steve Johnson (14.5)
He now has five TDs in his last four games and posted 8-158-1 against a very good Ravens defense. He’s on pace for 67-992-13 this season, so if you’re still not on board, it’s time to take Johnson and the rest of the Bills’ passing attack seriously.

Mike Williams 2.0 (58.9)
He’s been solid all season and is on pace for 75-973-8.

Mike Williams 1.0 (60.5)
After just seven catches from Weeks 2-4, Williams 1.0 has exploded for 21 catches in the last two weeks. He is clearly Matt Hasselbeck’s favorite target.

Davone Bess (19.5)
How is this guy still available in more than 80% of fantasy leagues? He has posted 25-285-3 over the last four games. He should be owned in all PPR leagues.

Eddie Royal (60.2)
He has a bad hamstring, so he’s not startable right now. Not a bad guy to stash, however.

Vincent Jackson (53.1)
He can play starting in Week 12, just in time to get ready for your fantasy playoffs. If you have a strong team and can afford to stash him, do so.

Danny Amendola (19.1)
After 19 targets in Week 5, Amendola has been targeted just 10 times in the last two games. That’s enough to stay on the PPR radar, but he’s going to need 7-8 targets a game to become the next Wes Welker.

Anthony Gonzalez (3.3)
There was a report over the weekend that Gonzalez re-injured his ankle, but he says that it’s untrue and that he’ll be good to go for Week 8. If so, he’ll slide into the slot and take over Austin Collie’s role (while getting some of Dallas Clark’s work as well).

David Gettis (0.2)
Brandon LaFell (0.1)
The rookie duo erupted in Week 7 to the tune of 8-125-2 (Gettis) and 6-91 (LaFell). Color me skeptical, but if Matt Moore can keep it up, they could be useful in fantasy leagues. Gettis has the edge, with 18 catches on the season to LaFell’s 11. And don’t forget Steve Smith 1.0 is back and relatively healthy again.

Mario Manningham (47.6)
He has been boom or bust this year and would blow up if anything happened to Hakeem Nicks or Steve Smith 2.0.

Dexter McCluster (12.4)
The Chiefs are starting to use McCluster like the Vikings use Percy Harvin. Todd Haley thinks he’s the best route-runner on the team and his nine touches in Week 7 were his highest of the season.

Jordan Shipley (2.5)
The odds are that Shipley’s 6-131-1 outing against the Falcons will be his best fantasy line of the season. But he’s back on the PPR radar after 10 catches in his first two games.

Nate Burleson (27.7)
10-106-2 in the last two weeks. I’m not sure what to make of Burleson, but his upcoming schedule (WAS, NYJ, BUF, DAL, NE) is outstanding.

Mike Thomas (10.3)
Thomas has been the Jags’ most consistent WR this season…until Week 7. I think his goose egg against the Chiefs was more of a function of his QB (Todd Bouman) than anything else. I wouldn’t cut him in PPR leagues unless there was a clearly better option available.

Blair White (0.3)
White is next up if the oft-injured Anthony Gonzalez gets hurt again. Lots of upside here with Austin Collie and Dallas Clark sidelined.

James Jones (1.7)
4-65 in Week 5, 0-0 in Week 6, 4-107 in Week 7…such is the life of the Packers’ WR3. Jones is a starter-caliber WR in the NFL, and as long as Donald Driver is hobbled, he should be a decent start in PPR leagues.

Steve Breaston (53.0)
He’s almost back. He had 14 catches in his first three games before the injury, but Arizona’s QB situation is scary.

Jacoby Jones (30.0)
Jones returned from a calf injury to post 4-45 in Week 6. (Kevin Walter didn’t register a catch.) Jones looks like the Texans’ WR2, but we don’t know for sure.

Patrick Crayton (4.3)
Craig Davis (3.5)
They’re filling in for Vincent Jackson and Malcom Floyd, and only have (PPR) value in the short term.

Deon Butler (2.5)
He has been productive given his chances. If only Hasselbeck would look his way more often.

Louis Murphy (37.1)
Murphy has re-injured his clavicle and only seems to be productive when Bruce Gradkowski is playing QB. It may be time to cut bait if a better option presents itself.

Brandon Pettigrew (9.2)
Pettigrew has 32 receptions in his last five games, and he’s available more than 90% of fantasy leagues. Go figure. My only concern is whether or not Matthew Stafford will look his way as often as Shaun Hill did.

Heath Miller (53.5)
After a pretty nice (2-50-1) Week 6, Miller was relatively quiet (3-33) against the Dolphins. He has a very nice upcoming schedule, however.

Owen Daniels (52.5)
Is. He. Finally. Back? 8-124 on 12 targets in his last two games.

Todd Heap (31.0)
6-108-3 over the last two weeks will get Heap back on the fantasy radar, and quick. He has a bye this week and a pretty favorable schedule down the stretch.

Benjamin Watson (41.7)
After 22 receptions in his previous four games, Watson managed just 1-18 against the Saints. He’ll probably join Colt McCoy on his ups and downs.

Tony Moeaki (31.9)
Moeaki didn’t do much with great matchups in the last two weeks. After 23 targets in his first four games, Matt Cassel looked his way just six times in Week 6 and Week 7.

Jeremy Shockey (59.6)
He’s lost a step, but is dependable around the goal line. That means it’s either boom or bust (relatively speaking) with Shockey.

Greg Olsen (62.3)
Now that Jay Cutler is back, Olsen is a serviceable TE2 again.

Jermaine Gresham (10.5)
26 catches on the season is nothing to sneeze at, but Jordan Shipley is going to steal some of those short looks.

John Carlson (19.7)
I like him, but he had just one catch on six targets against the Cardinals. The upcoming schedule is pretty nice, however.

Kevin Boss (10.8)

Tony Scheffler (3.6)
Stafford seemed to like him a lot before the injury, so maybe they’ll pick up where they left off.

Andrew Quarless (0.7)
Caught a TD against the Vikings (sort of) and just missed on a fake FG big gainer.