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.
Tony Romo owners: Don’t get depressed. It’s no fun to lose your star QB, but of all the positions in fantasy football, QB is one of the easiest to mask/fix. If you don’t already have a capable backup, target two decent QBs that look to have a fairly easy combined schedule and form your own midseason QBBC.
Chad Henne (59.7)
Henne has averaged 289 yards and 1.8 TD in the last four games, and Brandon Marshall and Davone Bess are a pretty good pair of wideouts to throw to.
Matthew Stafford (21.9)
Stafford should return in Week 8 and has several good matchups (WAS, NYJ, BUF, DAL, NE) over the next five weeks.
Ryan Fitzpatrick (5.3)
I thought Fitzy might struggle against the league’s 3rd-ranked pass defense, but that didn’t happen (374 yards, 4 TD, 2 INT). The Bills’ defense is pretty bad so he’ll have to throw, throw and throw some more, and Lee Evans and Steve Johnson are coming on. The schedule isn’t great, but after Week 7…does it matter?
Jon Kitna (0.1)
Kitna had a few good fantasy years in his day and he’ll take over as the starter or as long as Tony Romo is out. The Cowboys have a ton of offensive weapons, so he could be a serviceable starter.
Matt Cassel (37.8)
True, he looked brutal early in the season, but he has five TDs and zero picks in the last two games, and another easy matchup against the Bills in Week 8.
Josh Freeman (16.5)
Steady as she goes: Freeman has at least 212 yards or two TD passes in five of six games this season. And the one bad game was against Pittsburgh. With Arizona and Atlanta up next, Freeman is a decent spot starter in the short term.
Sam Bradford (29.4)
He didn’t throw for a lot of yards, but the rookie tossed two more TDs to give him a total of nine in seven games. A bad matchup with the Panthers awaits in Week 8, but things get a lot easier after his Week 9 bye.
Matt Hasselbeck (21.5)
With just four TDs in the last five games, Hasselbeck has little upside, but he can get you through a rough patch if he has a decent matchup.
Matt Moore (1.2)
Who is this guy? Moore looked terrific against the 49ers, and if rookies David Gettis and Brandon LaFell can grow up quickly, Moore could turn into a solid QB2.
Jason Campbell (4.7)
He filled in admirably and if he keeps winning, he could stick as the starter even when Bruce Gradkowski comes back.
Colt McCoy (2.3)
After a 281-yard, one-TD outing against the Steelers, McCoy only threw for 74 yards against the Saints. It just goes to show that the Browns are going to play conservative when they have the lead.
Max Hall (1.6)
He was replaced after a blow to the head, but Ken Whisenhunt says he’s still the starter if healthy. This is a situation to avoid if you can.
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Even though Bronco fans weren’t very happy with him after last week, I’m still a (fantasy) fan of Kyle Orton (#4), who faces a 49er defense that was torched by Matt Moore, David Gettis and Brandon LaFell last week. Throw in a gimpy Knowshon Moreno and I think Orton will have a big day…With Tony Romo out for most of the rest of the season, Jon Kitna (#7) takes over the Cowboys’ dynamic offense. The defense can’t really stop anyone, so no matter how much Dallas wants to run the ball, Kitna is going to have to make some plays, and he proved he could be a good fantasy QB when he was in Detroit. Besides, the Jags have given up a league-leading 16 pass TDs this season…First game back? No worries for Matthew Stafford (#12) who looked great in preseason and had a bye week to prepare. The Redskins have had trouble stopping the pass this season…Need a sleeper/waiver wire-type guy? David Garrard (#18) should have a good game against a Cowboys defense that is reeling after getting sliced and diced by Eli Manning last week.
