Author: John Paulsen (Page 827 of 937)

The byes start this week, so be sure you don’t sleep on your starting lineup. Post your fantasy football questions here.

The RB pickings continue to be pretty slim on the wire, but there are probably a few decent options at the other positions. This weekend, Jerricho Cotchery and Marques Colston proved that last week’s performances weren’t flukes, while Rex Grossman had a career day against the Lions. Here is a list of players that may be available on your league’s waiver wire.

QUARTERBACKS

Chad Pennington, NYJ
Pennington probably isn’t out there on too many waiver wires, but he’s a great option at QB for teams with a weakness in that area. In two games, he’s thrown for 625 yards and four touchdowns against only one interception. In Laveranues Coles and Jerricho Cotchery, he’s got two very good wideouts to work with (not to mention two of the more difficult names to spell). The Jets will be playing from behind much of the season, so most weeks you can expect 200+ yards and a TD or two from Pennington.

David Carr, HOU
Like Pennington, Carr is probably not on your waiver wire, but he’s worth a look if he is there. After a big game against the Colts last week, Carr is up to 427 yards and four TDs on the year and seems to be playing better. It’s not clear if he can keep it up, but like the Jets, the Texans will be behind a lot this year and Carr has two good receivers to throw to in Andre Johnson and Eric Moulds.

Jon Kitna, DET
Kitna is at the helm of a Mike Martz offense that should be productive. So far, he’s thrown for decent yardage (459) in two games, but hasn’t yet found the endzone. That said, he has faced two of the best defenses in the league in Seattle and Chicago, so an easier schedule in the upcoming weeks might provide better results.

Rex Grossman, CHI
Grossman followed up a pretty good showing against Green Bay with an excellent game against the Lions, throwing for 289 yards and four touchdowns in a 34-7 win. The Bears drafted Grossman to be their franchise quarterback and so far this season, he’s playing like one.

Alex Smith, SF
Over the last two weeks, Smith has thrown for 521 yards and two touchdowns, and looks light years ahead of where he was at this time last season. He has three pretty good weapons in Frank Gore, Vernon Davis and Antonio Bryant, and should provide decent backup numbers the rest of the season.

Charlie Frye, CLE
Frye didn’t exactly light it up against the Bengals. The young QB threw for 244 yards and two interceptions, but rushed four times for 10 yards and a score. The Browns are going to live and die with Frye, so expect him to put up some decent numbers in garbage time as the team will be constantly trying to catch up.

RUNNING BACKS

Ladell Betts, WAS
What’s going on with Clinton Portis’ shoulder? That’s the million-dollar question in Washington. Joe Gibbs said that Portis was experiencing pain in a different part of the shoulder, and maybe I’m jumping to conclusions, but that doesn’t sound very good. You should snatch Betts up if he’s available.

Samkon Gado, HOU
So much for all the Wali Lundy hype. After he acquired Gado and Ron Dayne, Gary Kubiak said they were going to use a RBBC, and they did, splitting 20 carries this way: 11 for Dayne, six for Lundy and three for Gado. Only Gado was actually productive, turning those three carries into 36 yards. I think he’s got the best chance of becoming the man, though the RBBC will probably continue for a few more games.

Ron Dayne, HOU
I don’t really recommend putting any faith in Dayne, who has seemingly squandered every opportunity he’s had over the past several years. But Kubiak acquired him for a reason, and was already familiar with the back from his years in Denver. He may develop into the starter, so he’s worth a roster spot if you have room.

WIDE RECEIVERS

Jerricho Cotchery, NYJ
Cotchery proved Sunday that last week was no fluke. He caught six passes for 121 yards, including a 71-yard TD catch. He has been targeted 17 times in the past two weeks and will continue to be a large part of the Jets’ offense. They’ll be behind quite a bit this season, so Cotchery will have a lot of balls thrown his way. If he’s still out there, be sure to add him to your roster.

Marques Colston, NO
Colston is another young receiver that is making the most of his opportunity. With Donte Stallworth gone, Colston has moved into the starting lineup opposite Joe Horn and has the confidence of Drew Brees, who has targeted him 17 times. Through two games, he has eight catches for 107 yards and two scores. Not bad for a rookie.

Reggie Williams, JAX
Williams followed up a 6-47-1 effort last week with an 8-95 performance against the Steelers on Monday night. The Jaguars are looking to get him the ball with the short stuff, which makes him especially valuable in PPR leagues. Williams might just be tapping into that potential that made him the ninth overall pick in 2004.

Bernard Berrian, CHI
Berrian hasn’t been targeted a ton (nine in two games), but he’s been productive, catching six balls for 138 yards and two scores. I’m not sure that the Bears will keep up this production through the air, but Berrian seems to be the second best WR on the roster after Muhsin Muhammad.

Patrick Crayton, DAL
Crayton hasn’t done much this season, but if Terrell Owens misses any games, he stands to benefit. The Cowboys’ bye is next week, so T.O. has two weeks before his next game. He’s expected to miss 2-4 weeks for recovery, so it’s unclear if he’ll really miss any time.

Chris Henry, CIN
After putting up dismal numbers in the first game (1 catch for –5 yards), Henry bounced back in a big way against the Browns, catching five passes for 113 yards. As long as T.J. Houshmandzadeh continues to miss time, Henry has decent WR2 value.

Drew Carter, CAR
Speaking of guys filling in for an injured starter, Carter has caught nine passes for 96 yards with Steve Smith out for the last two games. Once Smith comes back, Carter will have minimal value, but he’s a decent spot starter with Smith out.

Chad Jackson, NE
Jackson missed much of the preseason with a hamstring injury, but caught two passes for 42 yards and a score on Sunday. With the way that Tom Brady spreads the ball around, New England WRs are notoriously undependable, but Jackson is the most athletic of the group.

TIGHT ENDS

Desmond Clark, CHI
I mentioned Clark last week, and after Sunday’s nice game, he’s now caught 10 passes for 162 yards and a score. He obviously has the confidence of his QB, as he only trails Muhammad by one (14 to 13) in targets on the season. Anyone looking for TE production should add Clark immediately.

Terrell Owens broke his right ring finger and needs surgery. He’s going to be out 2-4 weeks, but with Dallas’ bye in Week 3, he may not miss any games. If he is out more than two weeks, the roles of Terry Glenn and Patrick Crayton would likely increase…Kevan Barlow should start in Week 3. He hasn’t been great, but he’s been more effective than Derrick Blaylock and is a servicable RB3…Aaron Brooks is scheduled to have an MRI on his shoulder. The Raiders are on bye next week, but if Brooks is healthy, he would get the start in Week 4. I’m not sure that the bye week could come at a better time for the Raiders, who are in serious trouble just two weeks into the season…Rod Smith reportedly suffered a concussion against the Chiefs. This is his third in the past year, so it would be wise to keep an eye on Smith’s status this week. Once 30+ year-old players start suffering multiple concussions, they are often scared (wisely) into retirement. It’s not worth playing if permanent brain damage is a distinct possibility…The Denver post is reporting that Jake Plummer might be out as QB for the Broncos sooner rather than later. After playing well the last two years, Plummer has looked pretty awful this season and needs to get the ship righted against a good New England team if he has any hope of finishing the season. The Broncos have Super Bowl aspirations, and I’m not so sure rookie Jay Cutler can get them there, but the same could be said about Plummer…Joshua Cribs replaced Kellen Winslow on third downs on Sunday. This is a curious move after Winslow’s solid play in the first game. Don’t you want your athletic pass-catching tight end on the field in passing situations? Maybe there’s something else (disciplinary?) going on here…Reggie Brown injured his hamstring on Sunday. It’s not clear how serious the injury is. Brown has two touchdowns on two catches this season. While that’s quite the pace, Brown owners were expecting more production outside of the redzone this season…Don’t be surprised if Joseph Addai is starting for the Colts at some point in the next few weeks. He’s shown ability that Dominic Rhodes has not, and is a good pass blocker for a rookie.