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.
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.
