Skin Chooser
| WIRED UP! Week 4 |
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| Written by Eric Cunningham | |
| Friday, 28 September 2007 | |
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Week 4 marks the beginning of the BYE weeks. It’s crucial to your team’s fantasy success that you have the quality depth to account for losses of star players. Here at The Whiz, we don’t want to see you fill your rosters with just any warm body; we want you to have a quality player ready to step in at a moment’s notice. Here are the premier waiver wire additions this week: QUARTERBACK Brian Griese, CHI Almost assuredly, Griese will be running a ball control offense for Chicago who will continue to rely on defense and special teams to make the big plays. Griese has one reliable target (Bernard Berrian) and question marks everywhere else. But, his job security is what makes him more attractive than other waiver quarterbacks. Griese is taking the helm of a Super Bowl contending team. Expect a lot of hand offs to Cedric Benson and maybe a shot in value to TE Greg Olsen. 200 yards passing and 1 TD is a reasonable mark for Griese to reach on a weekly basis. David Carr, CARAny quarterback with a receiver like Steve Smith should hold some value. Carr is likely to step in this week since Jake Delhomme is still trying to shake an elbow injury, making him the one reaping the benefits. Against a defense like Tampa Bay that has proven to be more formidable than imagined, Carr could still have a successful outing. I expect 200 yards and a TD which is not too bad for a bye week filler. Daunte Culpepper, OAK Culpepper should be getting the start this week in Oakland and it could be a great one. Lamont Jordan has been one of the best backs in the game so far and should continue to get the brunt of the work taking the pressure off of Culpepper. I wouldn’t expect a lot of yards, but they could go to the air in the red zone. Miami has given up 4 passing touchdowns so far while only picking off 2 passes. Trent Edwards, BUFJ.P. Losman did the hard work, getting through Denver, Pittsburgh, and part of New England, but now Edwards will reap the benefits. Buffalo’s schedule will get easier as the season progresses, and this week they get the New York Jets at home. With a full week of preparation, expect Edwards to improve significantly. Losman should be back in 2-3 weeks, so he’s a short term fill-in, but don’t be afraid to use him this week. RUNNING BACKBrian Leonard, STL This is, undoubtedly, the most sought after player on waiver wires this week. Any time a star back like Steven Jackson goes down with an injury the back up gets picked up across the board. I’m much more hesitant about Leonard than others, but if you own Jackson he’s a must have. Poor quarterback play and an injury plagued offensive line won’t help him any, but you can bet that he’ll be getting almost all of the carries until Jackson returns. In the fantasy realm, opportunity is all you can ask for.Kenny Watson, CIN I like Watson a little bit more than I do Leonard. He’s in a much stronger offense, and will bring an improve speed burst to the run game. Rudi Johnson has been ruled out for this week’s game, and team even signed former Indy cast-off DeDe Dorsey just in case. I expect Watson to see the lion’s share of carries against a stout New England defense, and wouldn’t expect him to lose too many carries to Dorsey moving forward if Johnson’s injury lingers longer than expected.Sammy Morris, NE Tiki Barber owners hated Brandon Jacobs. Now, Laurence Maroney owners should hate Sammy Morris. Morris is going to get 90% of the red zone carries in New England. The other 10% will go to Heath Evans. Morris is absolutely worthy of owning in all formats, especially the TD heavy scoring systems.Ron Dayne, HOU Dayne has been able to practice this week and was even removed from the injury report. Look for him to get the start, with Samkon Gado in relief as needed. Dayne should be able to run on the Falcons, who are currently ranked 25th against the run.Alvin Pearman, SEA In deeper leagues, Pearman could provide some fantasy production as Shaun Alexander’s back up. With Alexander playing with a broken wrist and Maurice Morris unlikely to suit up for a third straight week, Pearman could get some work. Keep him in mind as a last second plug in.Vernand Morency, GB Another deep league option is Green Bay’s Morency. With Brandon Jackson’s availability still up in the air, and limited help from last week’s waiver wire addition DeShawn Wynn, Morency could make an appearance. This week he practiced on Wednesday and Thursday making it the first time he practiced on consecutive days since his knee injury occurred. Against Minnesota, he’s not a great match up, but he’s definitely worth an add-and-see.WIDE RECEIVERS Dwayne Bowe, KCThe San Diego defense is still a tough match up, but with Larry Johnson virtually ineffective, the Chiefs are going to have to air it out. Bowe, Kansas City’s first round draft pick this year, has been impressive of late leading the team’s wide receivers with 17 targets (3 in the red zone). Rookie WRs are always a crap shoot, but he seems to be worth the gamble. Nate Washington, PIT Hines Ward is another big name that’s hampered with an injury. With Roethlisberger and the Steelers’ offense starting to go to the air a little more often, Washington could be a valuable pick up for this week’s match up against a soft Arizona defense. Muhsin Muhammad, CHI Maybe this is just wishful thinking, but with Grossman out of the driver’s seat, Muhammad may actually be a factor again. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Griese look his way a few times on Sunday. TIGHT ENDJeff King, CAR King’s in the top ten in tight end receiving yards and has a touchdown. I’m not sure why he isn’t owned in more leagues. In the Carolina offense, where Steve Smith is the only true weapon, King is flourishing way under the radar.Greg Olsen, CHI See Muhammad, Mushin and Griese, Brian. New quarterback means new hope all around. They’re not going to turn into the 2000 Rams, but there might actually be offensive value in the Windy City now.Steve Heiden, CLE With Kellen Winslow, Jr. suffering from a partially dislocated shoulder, Heiden could step in and vulture a touchdown. Don’t expect a lot of targets or yardage, but he could be an intriguing option for Derek Anderson in the red zone.KICKER Kris Brown, HOU He’s 5 for 5 on FGs, 9 for 9 on XPs, and going into a dome. Without Andre Johnson, Houston could have a few more stalled drives that will turn into opportunities for Brown.
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