Week 11 Waiver Wire Report

Waiver Wire Report, post-week 11:

Who’s hot this week on the wire? Players are dropping all over the field, and some players we wouldn’t think of as roster worthy a couple weeks ago are now moving into becoming potential starters. Not Tyler Palko, but there are plenty of waiver targets.

Strong Pickups:

RB Kevin Smith: Let’s bypass the 3 TDs and 200+ yards from scrimmage, for a moment, because the Panthers D made Chris Johnson look good the previous week. The Lions have great matchups going forward, not a scary one in the bunch. The only worry in the situation is Stafford’s health. And then we get back to his talent. He’s a good runner and pass catcher. Go get him.

RB Joe McKnight: Way back in a waiver wire column, I pushed Bilal Powell as a deep dive. Shonn Greene was a dud, and LT was not enough to rely on. Well, Joe McKnight turns out to be the backup RB with value for the Jets. With the starters nicked up, it will be McKnight and Powell in week 12, and McKnight is the better play until proven otherwise.

WR Percy Harvin: I know he’s not on your waiver wire, but he might be the second best RB on this team after Peterson. And you can play him out of the WR slot. Love that. Go get him.

QB Rex Grossman: He’s not terribly talented. The 2011 Redskins are not a great situation, and the schedule is only fair. That’s three strikes against Rex, so why is he a strong buy? Despite those strikes, Rexy is always swinging for a home run. If your league does not penalize for INTs, Grossman has some value, and he had top-5 stats for week 11. I doubt you were riding Cutler to a playoff berth, but if you lost him this week, Rex is his best replacement

RB Dexter McCluster: I’m putting McCluster here again. I don’t like him as much with Tyler Palko in the lineup, but he still has more value than the rest of the RBs in KC.

WR Riley Cooper: No one in the pre-season was looking at the Vince Young to Riley Cooper hookup as a fantasy force, but there it was in the fourth quarter on Sunday night.

WR Donald Driver: Not done yet. If Jennings is dinged up, Driver is the beneficiary for his targets. Put him on the bench if you have depth, but if you need a starter, he does get his share of looks from Rodgers recently.

Marginal Additions, Matchup Plays & Lottery Tickets:

QBs in this order:

• Matt Moore – Great play against Oakland in week 13, Buffalo in week 15, and the Patriots in week 16. Probably have to bench him against Dallas next week though.
• Matt Leinart – Pure Lottery Ticket. Only take him if you have a credible guy to start, but he might have value from the bench. We just don’t know, but the situation around him is very good, particularly if Andre Johnson returns healthy.
• Vince Young – Showed that he still has the talent, but Vick might be back as early as this week. And the matchups after the Patriots are very tough. He could be a solid one-week spot start in week 12, if you need it. Maybe he is the other half of the Matt Moore committee, for those of you who need help.

RB Toby Gerhart: Gerhart could be a spot start for the Vikings in relief of the dinged up Adrian Peterson. While he is not nearly as talented, he will get about half the carries and be a marginal fantasy starter as long as Peterson is out.

RB CJ Spiller: As a guy who played WR this year, Spiller has marginal PPR value. With Fred Jackson nursing a calf injury, Spiller becomes a borderline fantasy start in any scoring system. Jackson’s injury does not seem long term, so Spiller’s shelf life is limited.

WR Chaz Schilens: Not a great talent, not a great situation, but with the guys ahead of him suffering from injuries, he does have an opportunity. Unlike the speedy Raiders WRs, Schilens is a possession guy, which is a change of pace for Palmer.