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.
