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      Waiver Wire Watch, Week 9: Where Jacob Tamme looks like a bona fide TE1

      November 2, 2010 /

      INDIANAPOLIS - SEPTEMBER 13: Jacob Tamme #84 of the Indianapolis Colts runs with the ball during the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Lucas Oil Stadium on September 13, 2009 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

      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 (30.5)
      I have been saying for weeks that fantasy owners in need of QB help should pick Stafford up and he delivered in his first game back throwing four TDs in a great matchup against the Redskins. His schedule is favorable down the stretch (though I don’t love him this week against the Jets, now that Darrelle Revis is healthy), so he should be a very capable starter over the second half of the season.

      Ryan Fitzpatrick (33.2)
      Fitzy’s line this week (223 yards, TD, INT) was rather pedestrian, but he also ran for 43 yards, which made for a decent fantasy day. He has a bad matchup this week (CHI), but he closes the season with three nice matchups (CLE, MIA and NE).

      Chad Henne (61.2)
      Henne’s surprisingly quiet output against the Bengals (217 yards, INT) broke a string of four straight productive starts where he threw for an average of 289 yards and 1.8 TD per game. The schedule over the next three weeks is rough (BAL, TEN, CHI), but after that things get a lot easier (OAK, CLE, BUF and DET over the last five games).

      Josh Freeman (26.8)
      Week 8 marked the fourth straight game where Freeman threw for 212+ yards and a TD. Plus, he gives you a few rushing yards as well (25 per game). The matchup this week (ATL) is pretty tantalizing and other than the Panthers in Week 10 and the Ravens in Week 12, Freeman looks like a nice start the rest of the way.

      Jon Kitna (15.8)
      I thought Kitna was going to play a lot better against the Jags. While he did throw for 379 yards and a TD, he also threw four picks. Going forward, the Cowboys’ defense looks brutal so Kitna should find himself throwing from behind with regularity. That could make for some nice fantasy days.

      Sam Bradford (28.3)
      No Mark Clayton? No Danario Alexander? No problem. The rookie just keeps playing solid ball and has now thrown five TDs and no picks in the last three games. He has a bye in Week 9, but his schedule thereafter (SF, ATL, DEN) is quite favorable.

      David Garrard (25.3)
      Would the real David Garrard please stand up? In the last three games he has finished, Garrard has averaged 200 passing yards and 3.0 TD per game. He has had a few terrible outings this season, but with Houston and Cleveland coming up after the bye (not to mention the Redskins in Week 16), he’s an interesting QB to be used as part of a committee.

      Matt Cassel (44.7)
      Cassel has had a good run the last three weeks, but both his TDs and his yards have decreased every game, which isn’t a particularly good sign. The Chiefs are a run-oriented team, so while Cassel is all right in certain matchups, he shouldn’t be counted on on a weekly basis.

      Jason Campbell (5.5)
      Campbell has thrown for 514 yards and four TDs in his last two starts, but if Tom Cable is to be believed, Bruce Gradkowski will retake his starting job upon his return. However, that could change if Campbell starts against the Chiefs and leads the Raiders to their third-straight win. The Chiefs are not a good matchup.

      Matt Hasselbeck (20.4)
      He was concussed in Week 8. Between that and his matchup with the Giants’ excellent pass defense, Hasselbeck should be avoided for the time being.

      Matt Moore (2.2)
      After a 308-yard, two-TD outing against the 49ers in Week 7, Moore threw for 194 yards, a TD and three interceptions against a pretty good Rams defense in Week 8. Next up are the Saints, which pretty much shut down Ben Roethlisberger this week. Steer clear if you can.

      Bruce Gradkowski (1.4)
      See Campbell, Jason.

      Colt McCoy (1.4)
      Unlike Bradford, who has been remarkably consistent for a rookie, McCoy has had his fantasy ups (281 yards, TD, 2 INT against the Steelers) and downs (74 yards against the Saints). Coming off his bye he has two nice matchups in his next three games (NE in Week 9 and JAX in Week 11), but he’s only fodder for the desperate.

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      Fantasy Football, NFL

      Did Childress waive Moss without first talking to Vikings?

      November 1, 2010 /
      NEW ORLEANS - SEPTEMBER 09: Head coach Brad Childress of the Minnesota Vikings reacts late in the second half the New Orleans Saints at Louisiana Superdome on September 9, 2010 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

      Brad Childress must be confused because apparently he thinks he’s Bill Belichick and has the authority to make big boy decisions without first consulting his bosses.

      According to NFL.com’s Jason LaCanfora, Childress informed Vikings players in a meeting on Monday that Randy Moss would be waived but apparently some within the Minnesota organization weren’t on board with their head coach’s decision. Furthermore, Moss hasn’t formerly be waived yet.

      Rut-roh.

      What was Childress thinking? He has the right to voice his opinion when it comes to the team’s 53-man roster, but this isn’t like cutting the No. 6 cornerback or a backup long-snapper. This was a major decision in which all of the Vikings’ brass should have been involved. You don’t just cut a player four weeks after the front office gave up a third round pick to acquire him. How stupid.

      When he heard the news, my cohort here at TSR John Paulsen asked me this via Skype: “Do you think Childress gets canned before Moss gets waived?”

      My response? “If the Vikings are smart – yes.”

      External Sports, NFL

      Shanahan says McNabb wasn’t physically fit enough to run two-minute drill

      November 1, 2010 /
      DETROIT - OCTOBER 31: Washington Redskins head coach Mike Shanahan watches the action during the game against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field on October 31, 2010 in Detroit, Michigan. The Lions defeated the Redskins 37-25. (Photo by Leon Halip/Getty Images)

      Mike Shanahan now has a new excuse for why he pulled Donovan McNabb with the game on the line Sunday in Detroit: Donovan didn’t have the “cardiovascular endurance” to stay on the field and run Shanahan’s two-minute offense.

      Come again? Shanahan is kidding right? This is all just one big joke that he and McNabb are in on and they’re eventually going to let everyone else in on it at some point, right?

      I don’t care if McNabb lost both of his legs and was throwing up profusely – there’s no way I’m taking him out with the game on the line and putting in Rex Grossman. I know McNabb has been rather average this year and that Grossman knows the offense better after playing under Kyle Shanahan in Houston last season but he’s still Rex freaking Grossman.

      Rex Grossman or Donovan McNabb? Donovan McNabb or Rex Grossman? *Makes the gesture of levels with both hands and moves them up and down.

      It’s Rex Grossman! Am I on another planet here? Are we in some alternate universe where Grossman led his team to multiple NFC title games and made six Pro Bowl appearances and McNabb was the former first round bust that couldn’t hold onto a starting job (or the ball) with the Bears despite leading them to the Super Bowl? I mean, come on – it’s Rex Grossman…Rex Grossman.

      How could McNabb be in good enough shape to play 95% of the game and rush for a team-high 45 yards, but not have enough “cardiovascular endurance” to operate the two-minute offense? Shanahan is full of s*&t. Either that, or he’s completely and utterly delusional.

      For the Redskins’ sake I hope it’s the former, although that would mean that their head coach has no faith in his starting quarterback.

      External Sports, NFL

      Breaking News: Vikings release Randy Moss

      November 1, 2010 /

      In rather shocking news, NFL.com’s Michael Lombardi is reporting that the Vikings have waived receiver Randy Moss.

      Or maybe it’s not shocking given what transpired following the Vikings’ 28-18 loss to the Patriots on Sunday. Moss essentially called out Brad Childress and the coaching staff for not listening to him more throughout the week while game planning to stop New England’s offense, then he waxed poetically about how much he missed the Patriots, then he didn’t even travel back to Minnesota with his teammates (he reportedly stayed in Boston with his family).

      I’d probably waive him too if I were in charge, just so he knew he wasn’t bigger than the team. That said, it’s only been four weeks since the Vikings acquired him for a third round pick and now they’re going to give up on him? I don’t care what he said or how big of a malcontent he is – that’s just not smart. Obviously they knew Moss had a penchant for being a headache and they still felt the need to trade for him in order to revive their dead passing game. But the minute he acted up, they dumped him and essentially sacrificed a third round pick for nothing.

      Don’t get this twisted – I’m not defending Moss. He completely disrespected the Vikings and it was embarrassing to watch him campaign for his return to New England just minutes after changing in Minnesota’s locker room. He’s too talented for a team not to pick him up on waivers, but why anyone would want this guy (who obviously hasn’t learned a thing since coming into the league) is beyond me.

      After all this, how great would it be if he wound up back in New England? The Patriots trade him to Minnesota for a third round pick and wind up getting him back four weeks later? You can’t make this stuff up. (Although initial reports are that the Dolphins and Seahawks are interested and the Patriots are not.)

      The Vikings are a complete and utter mess both on and off the field. Brad Childress has no idea how to handle big personalities like Moss and Brett Favre and will never be competent enough to lead his team to a Super Bowl. Favre has also showed his age and the team just dumped their biggest receiving threat. Unbelievable.

      For as banged up as they are, the Packers have a clear shot at the NFC North crown. The Bears are an overrated mess and the Vikings are essentially dead. The second best team in the division may actually be Detroit, which could climb back into the race with a couple of wins. (It’s a long shot I know, but it could happen.)

      Even given Moss’s comments after the game, this is pretty surprising. He has always been very moody, even for a prima donna wide receiver. He was targeted two or three times on Sunday and had a chance to make a play when he drew a pass interference penalty on a deep pass down the sideline. Once the flag was thrown, he still could have made an attempt on the ball but didn’t bother to dive.

      Moss is too talented to cut in most fantasy leagues, but there’s no telling what the rest of 2010 has in store. Someone will pick him up on waivers, so unless he lands back in New England, he’ll have to learn a new offense and show some effort if he hopes to garner a new contract after the season. All Moss owners can do is wait and see what happens to him this week.

      As for the rest of the Minnesota passing game, this is probably going to hurt Percy Harvin, who was flourishing over the middle while Moss was attracting a lot of attention along the sidelines. Harvin may see more targets but will likely be less productive. Visanthe Shiancoe gets a big bump as he becomes the team’s second-most reliable receiver. Greg Camarillo, Bernard Berrian and Greg Lewis should also have an opportunity to shine.

      On the whole, this hurts Favre, who has really struggled with Sidney Rice out of the lineup. Rice now becomes the wild card. If he can come back at full strength, there’s a chance that he’ll be able pick up where he left off last season. He’s worth a stash if you have the room. I wouldn’t cut a productive WR to acquire him, however.

      News, NFL

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