QUARTERBACKS

Assuming Mark Brunell and Josh McCown aren’t on your waiver wire, you may be looking for other options at the quarterback position. Here are a few guys that might be able to help.

Jamie Martin, STL – Marc Bulger was knocked out of the Monday night game with what is being called a “bruised shoulder.” That type of injury doesn’t sound particularly good, but he could be back next week. If he is going to miss any time, Jamie Martin will be a hot pickup. His numbers in relief were pretty good and the Rams have a QB-friendly offensive system, so he should be a good fantasy start until Bulger comes back.

Kelly Holcomb, BUF – I mentioned Holcomb in last week’s column and he performed pretty well on Sunday, throwing for 172 yards and two TDs. Considering the Bills got the win, I don’t see Holcomb going to the bench anytime soon and with WRs Eric Moulds and Lee Evans at his disposal, he will continue to put up decent numbers.

Chris Simms, TB – Well, Brian Griese’s season is over with a torn ACL and MCL, so that means Simms gets a chance to start. With a big lead Sunday, he wasn’t asked to do much (6/10, 69 yds), but he will soon have lots of opportunities to make plays. He’s the son of Phil Simms and was highly regarded coming out of high school, but has yet to make a splash in the NFL. This is his chance.

Matt Schaub, ATL – I mentioned Schaub in last week’s column and Vick re-injured his knee. Schaub is a nice play at QB depending on his matchup. He looked great against New England two weeks ago.

Jeff Garcia, DET – When Garcia is ready to play, he’ll be Detroit’s starter – that’s my guess, anyway. Harrington hasn’t been impressive and Garcia has a lot of history with HC Steve Mariucci. He should improve the Lions’ passing attack.

RUNNING BACKS

I mentioned Antowain Smith and Patrick Pass in last week’s column and both players were effective on Sunday. Assuming Corey Dillon returns after the bye week, Pass’ value should come back to Earth, but Smith has value as a #3 RB in most leagues.

Anthony Thomas, DAL – Surprisingly, Thomas got a load of carries (21) when Julius Jones was unable to play Sunday. Most pundits were predicting a lot of opportunities for Tyson Thompson, but HC Bill Parcells decided that Thomas should carry the load. I suspect Jones will be back next week, but if he isn’t, Thomas would be a decent fill-in.

Aaron Stecker, NO – Stecker and Antowain Smith split carries for the Saints. Stecker looks like he will be used more as the Saints try to come from behind in every game, but Smith will vulture goal line carries. Stecker is fairly valuable in leagues that reward one point per reception.

Chris Perry, CIN – Perry had a big receiving game Sunday, catching nine passes for 45 yards and a touchdown and continues to be a thorn in the sides of Rudi Johnson owners everywhere. He’s the reason that I didn’t draft Rudi in any leagues (save one, where I promptly traded him for Domanick Davis). Johnson will still get most of the carries but isn’t catching the ball much (8 receptions compared to Perry’s 27). It’s tough to like Perry’s value going forward, but if Rudi were to go down, Perry’s value would skyrocket.

Greg Jones / Alvin Pearman, JAX – The Jaguars surprised many by giving Jones 18 carries when Alvin Pearman was supposed to carry the load in Fred Taylor’s place. Jones responded with 77 yards and a score. If Fragile Fred misses anymore time, Jones appears to have the edge for the job after his performance Sunday. Pearman was the bigger factor in the passing game, catching five passes for 35 yards, but didn’t do much (22 yards) on the 15 carries he was given.

WIDE RECEIVERS

Doug Gabriel, OAK – Keep an eye out for news on the injury to Randy Moss, because if he misses any time, Gabriel will be the main beneficiary. On Sunday he caught five passes for 84 yards and made a couple of nice catches.

Brandon Jones, TEN – Drew Bennett is going to be out for two weeks with a broken finger, and Jones should become McNair’s go-to WR. On Sunday, he caught 5 passes for 82 yards. Don’t expect those numbers for the rest of the season, but he should be a decent fill-in for the next couple of weeks at least.

Justin McCareins, NYJ – There was a Justin McCareins sighting on Sunday. After getting blanked by Tampa Bay the week before, McCareins caught five passes for 116 yards against the Bills.

Jabar Gaffney, HOU – With Andre Johnson out with a calf injury, Gaffney caught 10 passes for 87 yards. If Johnson misses more time, Gaffney could be a nice pickup, especially in leagues that reward one point per reception.

TIGHT ENDS

Heath Miller, PIT – The rookie has played well in the last two games, catching eight passes for 108 yards and two scores. With Hines Ward out with an injury, Miller is getting a lot of the underneath stuff, and should post decent numbers until Ward returns (and maybe after).