Another exciting week has nearly wrapped itself up and the waiver wire appears to be alive and well, especially for Week 11.
To wrap up a few things:
- Matthew Stafford has a fractured finger in his throwing hand, details to come.
- DeSean Jackson is public enemy number one in Philadelphia after his unrelenting whining over his contract extension
- The Jets, Broncos, Cardinals, 49ers and Vikings all have some interesting waiver wire option for you to explore, so let's find out who they are.
Lance Ball - RB - Denver Broncos: There is an interesting development happening in Denver right now with their running back situation.
BOTH Knowshon Moreno and Willis McGahee are injured (Moreno knee - McGahee, hamstring) which opened a nice little door for Broncos third stringer Lance Ball, who looked anything BUT a third stringer rushing for 96 yards on 30 carries.
Knowshon is already expected to miss this week, and even if McGahee is able to start, the Broncos will still deploy Ball in committee fashion.
With this performance, he (Ball) could even wind up a nice RB2 with or without McGahee in the mix.
Jeremy Kerley - WR - New York Jets: The 22 year old from TCU had his third straight game with 4 catches, and this time around he was good for 79 yards on those grabs.
Kerley has been a featured "secret weapon" in the Jets passing game, and it appears that Sanchez is starting to trust in him, but I would still err on the side of caution here.
If you can afford the roster space then I would say grab him and watch if he grows, but if you are in a deeper format, I would grab him now if you are in need of a PPR receiver with a ton of upside moving forward.
Early Doucet - WR Arizona Cardinals: Ya know, in real life a Cardinal would never beat an Eagle if they were to throw down...or would it?
Early Doucet finished Sunday's contest against the Eagles with just two catches and a TD, but that is only a fraction of the overall story here, and if you are in a deeper format with WR needs, Doucet may be your guy.
Doucet has 10 catches for 122 yards and three TDs in his last four games, and even against the best defenses in the league, the Cardinals still find a way to get him involved, especially in the red-zone.
Doucet is going to be an up and down type of player, but at this point it is getting harder to ignore him, especially as a WR 3 of FLEX play.
Kendall Hunter - RB - San Francisco 49ers: The past week or two, Frank Gore owners have been dealing with spotty play from their star running back out of San Francisco due to his lingering ankle injury he's been battling, but now owners are going to have to add a nice knee injury to that issue.
Gore sat out or nearly the entire second half of Sunday's win over the New York Giants, and Kendal Hunter was the primary fill-in back, and if you're in a pinch, Hunter could be a nice grab in deeper formats.
Hunter rushed six times for 40 yards, a single touchdown with a single catch for four yards, and even if Gore is a go next week (questionable right now) Hunter is still figure to scarf up half the work load at minimum, making him a possible low-end RB 2.
Devin Aromashodu - WR - Minnesota Vikings: In case anyone didn't know, Aromashodu led all Vikings receivers with snaps played against Carolina (61) despite only catching two balls for 21 yards.
This is along the lines of what I expected if Bernard Berrian were to ever be removed, but many owners might not trust the low catch total, which is something that could change TONIGHT in Green Bay.
You have the choice here to either take a wait and see approach, or run out and grab him, but I would suggest wait and see since Aromashodu isn't likely to be scooped up be anyone which is a shame because if he gets going tonight, he has three cream puff matchups going forward to take advantage of in Oakland, Atlanta and Denver.
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Greg: Ray wrapped up most of the waiver-wire options that are likely left on your wire. Keep in mind that going into Week 11, the pickings right now are going to be terribly slim. Guys like Reggie Bush and Roy Helu have likely been gone for weeks now. We'll do our best to give you the best available options possible, but most of the guys who had some subtle fantasy value this past weekend simply aren't worth picking up.
Here are some of the guys who I think may still have some sort of value:
Eagles QB Vince Young - During his Monday press conference, Andy Reid revealed that Michael Vick suffered two broken ribs against the Cardinals. Close to being knocked out of the playoffs completely, the Eagles may have to turn to Vince Young to lead the team Sunday night against the Giants. Young already has a tough matchup, but it doesn't make it any easier with Jeremy Maclin likely out with a hamstring and shoulder injury. Young could make a decent QB2/Flex option with his rushing yards.
Chiefs QB Tyler Palko - Matt Cassel could be done for the year if he needs to undergo surgery for an injured hand. Palko doesn't really have much in the way of stats, so it's hard to recommend him as anything more than an option in the largest of leagues, even in a favorable matchup against the Patriots in Week 11. He did look decent in relief against the Broncos, going 5-of-6 passing for 47 yards.
Chiefs RB Dexter McCluster - McCluster racked up 93 total yards and chipped in 6 catches against the Broncos. McCluster is one of those guys who is going to look decent one week and then like crap the next, so I can't advise him as anything more than a flex option in larger leagues. The Chiefs offense is pretty much a mess right now.
Browns RB Chris Ogbonnaya - I had figured Ogbonnaya would be able to muster up some fantasy points against a suspect Rams Defense. He managed to rack up 90 rushing yards, while also catching 2 passes for another 19. The Jaguars Defense will prove to more of a challenge if Ogbonnaya has to start again in Week 11. He's flex material at best.
Raiders WR Denarius Moore - Moore was sleeper supreme on my draft rankings. But because the coaching staff had continued to use Darius Heyward-Bay (Most likely because of Al Davis), Moore never had much chance to shine. All that changed Thursday night against the Chargers after he and Carson Palmer hooked up for 5 receptions, 123 yards and two touchdowns against the Chargers. Moore could be hit-or-miss, but he is definitely worth an add going into Week 11.
Titans WR Damian Williams - With Tennessee's running game starting to open up a little bit more, Williams has become a stronger receiving options in recent weeks. He managed five catches for 107 yards with a touchdown against the Panthers and has improved on his route running. He won't be a true fantasy commodity, but he could be just good enough as a WR3 in the coming weeks.
Eagles WRs Steve Smith/Jason Avant - With the news that Jeremy Maclin has a very good chance of missing Week 11, Jason Avant figures to get the start across from DeSean Jackson, who is expected to play after being a surprised bench against the Cardinals. Smith is an intriguing option as well. Even with Michael Vick ailing, Smith still managed to catch 5 passes for 47 yards. Keep in mind that owners should temper expectations if Vince Young winds up starting.
Chargers WR Vincent Brown - Starting in place of an injured Malcom Floyd (hip), Brown has made the most of his chances. In two games, Brown has accumulated 9 catches for 176 yards and a score. Floyd sat out of Monday's practice, making it a good bet that Brown starts again against the Bears in Week 11. He is a must add in all formats.
Colts TE Jacob Tamme - If this was a Manning-led Colts offense, I would be more excited about Tamme's fantasy prospects, but he is going to be hit or miss. Dallas Clark is expected to miss the next three weeks with a lower-leg injury, so Tamme could be worth a look. He did catch six passes for 75 yards in Sunday's loss to the Jaguars.
