Author: John Paulsen (Page 765 of 937)

Each week, I highlight a few players that you should target in waivers. I’ll use the ESPN league data when filtering players, so the only players eligible for discussion here are those that are available on the waiver wire of 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 talk about a player or two that are available in 90% of leagues for those of you in 12-team leagues or leagues with big rosters.

QUARTERBACKS

Matt Schaub (59.8) continues to excel in Gary Kubiak’s offense. Against Atlanta, he threw for 317 yards and a score. Moreover, he doesn’t seem to be too affected by the absence of Andre Johnson…David Garrard (37.7) is a top 15 QB and has established himself as a solid QB2 for fantasy purposes. He has a tough few weeks ahead of him, but after week 8, things even out…Chad Pennington (56.4) may have a rag arm, but he’s accurate and in Laveranues Coles and Jerricho Cotchery, he has one of the best WR duos to throw to…Derek Anderson (32.1) has produced as the starter and as long as the Browns don’t start losing consistently, he’ll probably keep the starting job. His schedule is on the tough side, but he has easy matchups in weeks 14-16…Jason Campbell (29.0) will be hurt by the short-term loss of Santana Moss, but this will give him an opportunity to get Chris Cooley more involved. Aside from a couple of tough matchups in weeks 8 and 12, his schedule looks pretty good…Joey Harrington (19.1) has thrown for 584 yards and four TD in the two weeks since the Falcons signed Byron Leftwich. If he keeps playing well, don’t expect Atlanta to bench him…Damon Huard (7.8) has improved his numbers in each of the first four games and is benefiting from the growth of rookie WR Dwayne Bowe. He is becoming a decent spot starter in bigger leagues…Brian Griese (12.3) could be worth a start in certain situations and looks to be a better fantasy player than Rex Grossman…Kelly Holcomb (0.8) was inconsistent against the Packers, but his final numbers (258 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT) weren’t bad…Daunte Culpepper (13.1) had a big game against his own team, but I think that had more to do with Miami’s piss poor defensive play than Culpepper’s ability to play the QB position. Who knows – this guy has always been an enigma…Trent Edwards (1.1) wasn’t bad against the Jets, but will have his ups and downs as the starter in Buffalo.

RUNNING BACKS

Despite Justin Fargas’ (0.4) big game, Dominic Rhodes (35.4) should be the big beneficiary if LaMont Jordan misses time with a back injury. He’s done with his suspension and has a week off to get acclimated…With Laurence Maroney fighting a groin injury, Sammy Morris (41.5) could become a valuable asset as the feature back for the Patriots. Even when Maroney is available, New England is using a committee approach and Morris is getting more than a few goal line carries…Carnell Williams is now lost for the year, so the Bucs will turn to Michael Pittman (14.9) and Earnest Graham (11.6) to fill the void. This looks like a RBBC going forward unless one guy really stands out…Selvin Young (7.9) filled in nicely when Travis Henry was dinged up, and would stand to benefit if Henry misses any time…Correll Buckhalter (10.4) was great in place of Brian Westbrook. Westy should be back next week, but if his abdomen injury lingers, Buck would be a solid RB2 for the duration…Kenton Keith (2.3) spelled Joseph Addai when he left the game with a shoulder injury. It doesn’t sound too serious, but owners should handcuff the two going forward…Leon Washington (40.0) scored against the Bills and could see more action if Thomas Jones continues to struggle…Brian Leonard (38.0) will continue to be the feature back in St. Louis as long as Steven Jackson is out, which could be for another 3-4 weeks…Kenny Watson (15.1) will fill in for Rudi Johnson, who is nursing a sore hammy. Rudi should be back next week, but hamstring injuries have a tendency to linger…Ron Dayne (15.9) is the main man in Houston as long as Ahman Green is out. Green has had knee problems in the past, so there’s no telling how long this one is going to keep him out. The swelling is down, so he should be back soon.

WIDE RECEIVERS

Antwaan Randle El (58.4) may see his targets increase over the next few weeks with Santana Moss out of the lineup…Shaun McDonald (48.3) continues to thrive in the Lions’ wide-open offense and should be picked up in all leagues. He’s averaging five catches for 67 yards and 0.8 TD a game…Rookie Dwayne Bowe (26.0) has 235 yards receiving in the last two games and has caught a TD in each of the last three games. He and Damon Huard seem to be getting more and more comfortable with each other…Bobby Engram (22.1) continues to represent nice value, especially in PPR leagues. As a bonus, he has caught a TD in each of the last two games…Roddy White (19.4) is playing well and is benefiting from the good play of Joey Harrington. Michael Jenkins (8.5) caught two TD on Sunday and is a reserve option in bigger leagues…Patrick Crayton (14.0) finally had a breakthrough game (7 catches, 184 yards, 2 TD) against the Rams. He has two good matchups over the next three weeks, so he could be used as a flex going forward…Rookie James Jones has caught at least four passes in each of the first four games. Playing alongside Donald Driver and Greg Jennings, he probably won’t have any monster games, but he has value in larger PPR leagues…Brandon Jones (13.4) has nine catches for 130 yards and a score over the last two weeks and is the closest thing to a WR1 that the Titans have…Nate Burleson (11.9) had a poor week 4, but should continue to have big weeks occasionally, at least until D.J. Hackett gets back…Bobby Wade (1.9) has caught at least four balls in each of the last three weeks, but doesn’t seem to be much of a threat to score. Meanwhile, Sidney Rice (1.7) made his presence felt against Green Bay, catching six passes for 75 yards and scoring on a great catch. He and Wade seem to be Kelly Holcomb’s favorite targets…Andre Davis (1.0) has performed well in Andre Johnson’s absence, catching nine passes for 187 yards and a score over the last two weeks. He should continue to thrive as long as AJ is out.

Carnell Williams is done for the year (at least) and LaMont Jordan was on crutches after the game with a bad back. Brian Westbrook and Javon Walker missed week 4 with nagging injuries. Fantasy rosters around the country are in flux, so if you have any questions, post them here.

Brian Westbrook is listed as questionable, but hasn’t practiced this week. He plays in the Sunday night game so owners have to decide whether or not to roll the dice if they don’t have Correll Buckhalter as insurance…Anquan Boldin missed practice again on Friday and will be listed as doubtful for Sunday’s game against Pittsburgh…Hines Ward is out for the Steelers, so expect Santonio Holmes to have a good game. Nate Washington also gets a bump; he’ll start in Ward’s place…Brandon Jacobs practiced this week, but doesn’t expect to play against the Eagles Sunday night. Derrick Ward will get the start, but Philly has a pretty good rush D, so be cautious…Kellen Winslow participated in a limited practice on Friday and should start on Sunday, but owners should make sure he is active prior to gametime…Brandon Jackson will probably miss Sunday’s game against the Vikings with shin injury…The news on Larry Johnson is a bit spotty. He didn’t practice on Thursday, but at press time there is no word about Friday’s practice. Michael Bennett would get the start if LJ can’t go…Calvin Johnson was limited on Friday and will be questionable going into Sunday’s game.

Thanks to a bout of food poisoning, my week 3 recollections are a bit hazy. However, I was able to glean a few useful tidbits for fantasy owners, including Ronnie Brown’s return to a feature role, Marion Barber’s arrival in Studsville and Tom Brady’s heist of Peyton’s QB crown. It’s all in my latest column.

Every week, I highlight a few players to start and a few players to sit at each position. I’m a firm believer in starting your studs, so I won’t tell you about how Carson Palmer or LaDainian Tomlinson has a tough matchup – just go ahead and start them. I’ll focus on the borderline guys – players you’ll only start under the right circumstances. It’s important to note that depending on your roster and situation, you may not be able to follow these recommendations. For example, if I suggest you bench a solid starter like Ben Roethlisberger, only do so if you have a clearly better option on your bench.

START ‘EM

QB: Chad Pennington has a nice matchup against Buffalo, who has yielded 286 yards and 2 TD per game to opposing QBs this season…Jeff Garcia is also a decent option for those in need of QB help. The Panthers have given up 252 yards and 1.7 TD per game through the air thus far…Everything is lined up for Brian Griese for his first start of the season. He faces the Lions, who have allowed a league-worst 296 passing yards per game this season, along with an average of 2 pass TD per game…At this point in his career, Steve McNair is a dicey start, but he has a great matchup with Cleveland. The Browns have given up an average of 263 passing yards and 3.7 pass TD in three games.

RB: Marshawn Lynch is a good start against the Jets, who have allowed an average of 121 yards and 1 TD on the ground in three games…Definitely start Thomas Jones against Buffalo – the league’s worst rush defense…He’s been spotty thus far, but Cedric Benson should be good for 90 yards and a score against a Detroit defense that is 23rd against the run and has allowed 2 rush TD per game.

WR: It seems strange, but the Ravens have been pretty mediocre against the pass (255 yards per game), and especially bad against opposing WRs. This means Braylon Edwards could be in for a big day…Dwayne Bowe is coming on and he’s facing a Chargers defense that has allowed 264 yards per game. He’s an option for those needing help at WR…Chris Chambers (vs. OAK), Wes Welker (@ CIN), Laveranues Coles and Jerricho Cotchery (@ BUF) all have favorable matchups this week.

SIT ‘EM

QB: Don’t count on much from Matt Leinart, who faces a Steelers defense that is on fire. He may also be reeling from being benched last week…Jay Cutler (@ IND) and Phillip Rivers (vs. KC) have difficult matchups this week…Be sure to stay away from Jake Delhomme if at all possible. Not only is he iffy to play, he faces a Bucs defense that is playing great right now; they’re allowing just 187 yards per game.

RB: Edgerrin James faces a Steelers defense that has allowed just 80 yards a game on the ground and has yet to allow a rushing TD…Rudi Johnson is out for Monday’s game against the Patriots, but you should also stay away from his backup, Kenny Watson. The Pats have yielded an average of just 74 yards on the ground and 0.3 rush TD per game…Jamal Lewis should be avoided, if possible. The Ravens are the league’s #1 rush defense (62 yards per game) and haven’t allowed a rushing TD yet this season.

WR: Those hoping for Andre Davis to produce again this week may be disappointed. Atlanta is 0-3, but they are pretty good at suppressing their opponents’ WRs…Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald are still startable, but they are up against a tough Steelers D. The entire Arizona passing game figures to struggle…For those of you that haven’t heard, Craig Davis is now “Buster” Davis. He had a nice game against Green Bay, but don’t expect him to do too much against the Chiefs, who have been surprisingly good against the pass (183 yards per game).

SLEEPER OF THE WEEK

Ron Dayne (@ ATL)
I’ve been burned by Dayne before (haven’t we all?) but he shouldn’t be a bad start for those desperate souls dealing with bye week issues. With Ahman Green out, he figures to be the main ball carrier and he has a favorable matchup against Atlanta, who has allowed 142 yards a game on the ground.

TOUGH SLEDDING

Larry Johnson (@ SD)
The LJ saga continues. He’s still worth a start (assuming he plays), but he has a tender hammy and he’s facing a tough Chargers defense that has only yielded 88 yards per game. But there’s good news for Johnson owners: his schedule lightens up considerably after week 5 and he has two great matchups in weeks 15 and 16. Let’s hope he lasts that long!