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.
Matthew Stafford (22.7)
Shaun Hill has a broken arm, so the Lions are planning to bring Stafford back after the team’s Week 7 bye. His upcoming schedule is very favorable (WAS, NYJ, BUF, DAL, NE), so he should make an excellent backup/borderline starter for the stretch run.
Chad Henne (62.6)
Henne has thrown 2 TDs in each of the last three weeks. His schedule gets tougher before it starts to ease up in Week 12 (@ OAK).
Josh Freeman (13.8)
Yesterday on Twitter, I mentioned that Freeman is the master of the garbage TD. He has thrown for six scores in five games, and his schedule is pretty reasonable the rest of the way.
Matt Cassel (10.5)
It’s not so much Cassel’s play of late, which has been better. It’s more about how favorable his schedule is over the next several weeks. He has JAX, BUF, OAK, ARI, SEA and DEN twice. He makes a decent QB2 going forward.
Sam Bradford (30.3)
With Mark Clayton out, I don’t feel as good about Bradford as I did a couple of weeks ago. That said, his schedule starting Week 10 is pretty favorable.
Matt Hasselbeck (17.8)
Except for the St. Louis game, Hasselbeck has thrown for at least 220 yards and one TD or for two TDs in the four other games.
Ryan Fitzpatrick (5.6)
It’s tough to argue with seven TDs in the last three weeks, but his schedule gets pretty tough over the next three weeks (BAL, KC, CHI).
Kevin Kolb (58.4)
He’s playing well and a Week 7 matchup with the Titans isn’t bad, so if you need a spot starter, you could do a lot worse. But his long-term status as a starter is very much up in the air.
Bruce Gradkowski (2.5)
Gradkowski should be the starter once that shoulder is healthy. Hopefully, he’ll return this week in time for a matchup with the Broncos.
Alex Smith (15.9)
He has five TDs in the last two weeks and eight TDs on the season. His Week 7 matchup (@ CAR) isn’t the greatest, but things ease up down the stretch.
Colt McCoy (1.2)
Matt Moore (1.2)
Max Hall (1.0)
Trent Edwards (0.6)
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