I just lost one of my fantasy football leagues by a half point because Donovan McNabb and Mike McMahon couldn’t complete a pass to Brian Westbrook or L.J. Smith during the Eagles’ final two drives. Making matters worse, in the same game, I chose to bench one of my waiver wire recommendations from last week, Sam Gado (who had 108 yards and 3 TDs on Sunday), in favor of my first round pick in the league, Kevin Jones. I also started Smith over McMichael, and would have won with Randy in the game. How’s that for a double-kick to the nuts?

Let’s see who hot on the wire this week:

RUNNING BACKS

J.J. Arrington, ARI – Arrington got twice as many carries as Marcel Shipp against the Lions and also scored, so this may indicate that he’s Denny Green’s choice for the starting job. The Cardinals can’t run, so he’s not all that valuable, but he is a starting RB that will get some opportunities, so if you are desperate at RB, he might be worth a look.

Heath Evans, NE – Dillon left the game after a single play and Evans, a FB, took over at RB and carried the ball 18 times for 84 yards. It’s tough to know when Dillon will be back, but if he and Patrick Pass continue to miss time, Evans could be a good fill in.

Adrian Peterson, CHI – Cedric Benson is out three to six weeks with a knee injury and Thomas Jones is recovering from bruised ribs, so Peterson will have value until TJ can play (which might be as soon as this week).

WIDE RECEIVERS

Matt Jones, JAX – Jones finally had a breakout game, catching five passes for 117 yards and a TD, giving him three TDs in the last four games. If Ernest Wilford misses any more time due to injury, Jones’ value would increase.

Brian Finneran, ATL – Over the past two weeks, Finneran has caught 12 passes for 142 yards. He hasn’t been dependable though, putting up goose eggs in the prevous two games. His numbers fluctuate with Michael Vick’s questionable accuracy.

LeRon McCoy, ARI – It appears that McCoy is the second option in the passing game with Anquan Boldin and Bryant Johnson out with injuries. He may have some short-term value, depending on the status of these two guys.

Ike Hilliard / Edell Shepherd, TB – With Michael Clayton missing the game with a knee injury, Hilliard saw eight targets to Shepherd’s four. Shepherd did more with his opportunities, catching three passes for 87 yards and a score. If I had to guess who would do more over the next few weeks, I’d say Hilliard.