Waiver Hawk: Week One

How to burglarize your waiver wire before anyone else gets a chance to.

The concept is simple. Snag the waiver wire pickups the week before they become hot so you do not have to luck out on the waiver wire.

Each week, I will predict NEXT week’s hot waiver wire pickups so you can snag them before they become a hot commodity.

The names are listed in order of value with the highest value first. It is up to you to decide if your league is deep enough to snag all of the players listed. Early in the season, there are some larger named guys that will be soon universally owned and need to be talked about now.

As the season progresses, there will be deeper and deeper pickups that will be discussed. Make sure you don’t miss this article each week to become the waiver hawk in your league.

Leon Washington, RB New York Jets. This is a no-brainer. Currently Leon is only owned in 56 percent of Yahoo! leagues. Leon is a must own after week one in all leagues. Look for Sanchez to use screens to get comfortable in the passing game and Leon will benefit as a result. Because the Jets play two of the best offenses in week one and two (HOU and NE), the Jets will be behind early and often. Look for the Jets to rely heavily on Leon early this season and it should continue throughout 2009.

Carnell Williams, RB Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Yes, he is now the starter. However, the majority of people don’t realize that he will receive the majority of carries. They will after next week. Tampa has said they will split their carries 2-2-1, although if Carnell stays healthy I think that will trend towards more of a 3-1 split and I do expect Cadillac to get the goal line carries. Tampa will show that he will be used extensively week one. Against popular belief, Tampa has the weapons to be a potent offense and their output could surprise. I expect New England to expose the Buffalo defense week one on Monday night football and many will target Cadillac to do it again week two.

Fred Jackson, RB Buffalo Bills. Fred is owned in only 49 percent of Yahoo! leagues. After having some injury issues this preseason, Buffalo showed that they trust Fred by cutting Dominic Rhodes. Buffalo has also shown they like to use the screens often with Lynch and it will not change with Jackson starting. Recently Buffalo traded their expected starting offensive tackle which shows they clearly have offensive line issues. Many times offensive line woes are solved with screen plays. Buffalo should be throwing often coming back against New England on Monday Night Football and Jackson should be targeted often. Jackson should be a hot commodity by week two as Buffalo faces a nice matchup in Tampa Bay.

James Davis, RB Cleveland Browns. Speculated by many, Davis will prove that he will be part of the running game against Minnesota. While I do not expect numbers against a stout Minnesota defense, Davis will still be used more than expected. By next week, Davis should receive some attention as a spot start in deep leagues with a nice matchup against the Denver Broncos. Cleveland’s best asset is their offensive line and could surprise many with their running game.

Earl Bennett WR, Chicago Bears. Bennett is owned in a mere 30 percent of Yahoo! leagues. This will change after week one. Chicago plays Green Bay in week one and I expect fireworks to be going off in this game on Sunday night. Chicago should throw quite a bit to keep up with a high powered Green Bay offense. Do not expect an Eddie Royal-type breakout but Bennett should be a household name after this week. Bennett could be great trade bait after week one as Chicago does not have as good of matchups in the upcoming weeks.

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