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.
Ryan Fitzpatrick (33.3)
If it seems like Fitzy’s sheen has worn off a little bit, it has, but only because he’s hit the rough part of his schedule with games against the Ravens (whom he torched), Chiefs and Bears. His schedule is pretty favorable the rest of the way and the Bills are bad enough that he’ll always be throwing.
Josh Freeman (43.8)
With two TDs against the Falcons, Freeman now has thrown at least one TD pass in seven of his eight games. His matchup this week against the Panthers isn’t great, but at least it’s at home. Things are shaping up quite nicely down the stretch with a very nice W14-16 schedule (WAS, DET, SEA).
Vince Young (59.4)
He’s having trouble staying healthy, but with Randy Moss in town, Young shouldn’t be hamstrung by the loss of Kenny Britt. Schedule-wise, things look great, with WAS, HOU (x 2) and JAX on tap down the stretch.
Matt Cassel (34.6)
Cassel has tossed eight TDs in the last four games and his schedule is very favorable in the short-term (DEN x2, ARI, SEA over the next four weeks).
Sam Bradford (27.8)
Fantasy-wise, the rookie has been terrific all season and now has 11 TDs in eight games. The schedule looks pretty nice down the stretch, but I wonder if his lack of weapons is going to come back to bite him.
David Garrard (27.3)
When last we left him, Garrard was tossing four touchdowns against the Cowboys while running for a fifth score. He has HOU and CLE in the next two weeks, so he’s definitely startable in the short-term.
Jon Kitna (13.4)
Boy I was expecting bigger things from Kitna, who has struggled to execute Jason Garrett’s offense. He isn’t being helped by the Cowboys’ anemic running game and with the Giants on tap, I’d steer clear for now.
Chad Henne (58.4)
After a nice five-game run where he threw eight TDs against six interceptions, Henne has zero scores and four picks in his last two games. With Tennessee and Chicago up next, he’s not looking like a strong start.
Jason Campbell (8.7)
As the Raiders head into their bye, Tom Cable is left with a decision. Does he bench Campbell after he led Oakland to three straight wins? Or does he give the reins back to Bruce Gradkowski? With the Steelers up after the bye, I’d wait a while and let this one sort itself out.
Matthew Stafford (40.4)
If healthy, Stafford is probably the best QB available out there on a reasonable amount of waiver wires. He has six TDs over the last two weeks, but obviously his shoulder injury in Week 9 is a big concern. He had an MRI on Monday and won’t need surgery, but he could be out a while. Update: MLive is reporting that he may miss the rest of the season.
Derek Anderson (3.3)
Anderson should only be used under the most dire of circumstances. One look at his game log and it’s easy to see that he should not be trusted.
Colt McCoy (2.1)
McCoy has a couple of tasty matchups (JAX in W11 and BUF in W14) and a few scary ones, but he’s okay as a spot starter.
Troy Smith (1.9)
Smith has a pretty nice schedule so if he continues to play solid football, he should be able to keep the starting gig.
Jimmy Clausen (0.9)
Matt Moore is out for the season. My heart goes out to anyone who has to pick up Clausen.
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Shaun Hill didn’t look particularly sharp against Buffalo last week, but we’ll write that up to being a little rusty after the layoff. He still finished with 323 yards and a score, so it’s not like he was a big disappointment. This week, he faces the Cowboys, who have given up an average of 2.2 pass TDs per game this season…I wouldn’t say that I trust Mark Sanchez, but against the Texans’ terrible pass defense (301 yards, 2.4 pass TDs allowed), he’s bound to finish with nice numbers. Besides, he has accounted for five TDs (three pass, two rush) in the last two games, so he’s playing pretty well…What Jon Kitna and the Cowboy offense did in a tough matchup last week against the Giants has renewed my faith. The Lions are mediocre against the pass, but I suspect that this one might be a shootout. Kitna should have a nice fantasy day.
