Week 11 Waiver Wire: Matt Leinart and 5 Players Who Will Be a Steal

The 2011 NFL season continues to see star players, such as Matt Schaub and Willis McGahee, go down to injury making it pretty rough on fantasy football goers.

We, as fantasy football goers however, need to be prepared for when injuries hit our squads so we make sure to install the right substitutes to maximize our chances of winning.

We have identified five players who need to be on your radar this week, as your scouring the dried-up free-agent lists in your leagues.

Matt Leinart (Owned in 0.7 percent of ESPN.com leagues)

If you need to pick up Matt Leinart, there is a pretty good chance you’re beyond desperation mode at this point.

It’s a tough call, but what do you do?

On one hand, he hasn’t thrown a pass in a game since 2009. On the other hand, he will have Arian Foster and Ben Tate to check the ball down to.

He’s also getting Andre Johnson back after this week’s bye.

Tight ends make great safety nets for QBs who get thrown into the mix unexpectedly, and they have one of the league’s best in Owen Daniels.

This is the week to pick him up too, since they’re on a bye. People tend to stay away from players who are on bye weeks, which makes him ripe for the picking.

John Skelton (0.8 percent)

John Skelton just threw for 315 yards and three touchdowns against the likes of Nnamdi Asomugha, Asante Samuel and Dominique Rogers-Cromartie, albeit when it really seems like these guys and the rest of the Philadelphia Eagles defense just aren’t comfortable with each other.

He’s also making sure Larry Fitzgerald is involved in the passing game. In two games as a starter, Skelton targeted Fitz 25 times for a total of three touchdowns.

Fitz only had two touchdowns in seven games with Kevin Kolb as a starter.

Lance Ball (5.7 percent)

Lance Ball was inserted into the lineup when Knowshon Moreno went down for the season with a torn ACL and Willis McGahee left the game early with a hamstring injury.

In their absence, Ball was handed the ball 30 times for 96 yards—that's five more carries than he had all season up to that point.

I can’t imagine the Denver Broncos having Tim Tebow only throw the ball eight times again, but it won’t be more than 20.

With the Broncos facing the New York Jets on Thursday night, it’s just not enough time for McGahee to be fully healthy.

He may play some, but the bulk of the carries will go to Ball.

Kendall Hunter (15.7 percent)

Matt Miaocco of CSNBayArea.com is reporting that Frank Gore’s injury is just a slight bruise, and he will be ready to go this Sunday.

However, with the San Francisco 49ers so far ahead of all other teams in the NFC West and all but assured a division title, don’t be surprised if you see Kendall Hunter’s role in the offense increase.

Jim Harbaugh isn't going to risk getting is best offensive weapon injured with such a comfortable lead.

Take note, Gore owners. Hunter is someone you may want to pick up for the stretch run.

Damien Williams (3.4 percent)

Damien Williams is producing quite well for the Tennessee Titans as the fill-in No 1 receiver.

He’s racked up touchdowns in consecutive weeks now and piled up 141 yards receiving over that span.

It looks like he and Matt Hasselbeck have formed a nice vibe with each other, and Hasselbeck feels comfortable with him, making him someone you should have on your bench to add depth.

Check out more of Brian Dezelske's articles.

Brian can also be found at Out of My League, where he compiles fantasy football rankings each week.

Follow Brian on