NFL Fantasy Football Waiver Worthy Week 9: Buy'em or Deny'em

There were some surprising performances from Week 8, but does that mean the players are worth owning?  Let’s take a look:

LeGarrette Blount – Running Back – Tampa Bay Buccaneers

I mentioned him as a sleeper for Week 8…

I had him as a player to buy in last week’s Waiver Worthy column…

Plus, he delivered in a big way, rushing for 120 yards and two touchdowns.  Needless to say, if he happens to still be available in your format you should grab him as quickly as possible.  He has overtaken Carnell Williams as the lead back and has the potential to be usable in all formats.

Verdict – Buy ‘Em

Jon Kitna – Quarterback – Dallas Cowboys

Despite throwing four interceptions, Kitna showed that he still can throw the ball (379 yards and a touchdown) and has a good rapport with all of his receivers.  He got Miles Austin (seven receptions for 117 yards), Dez Bryant (seven receptions for 84 yards) and Jason Witten (10 receptions for 97 yards and a touchdown) all into the mix.  Roy Williams was not that impressive, but we all had an idea that that may happen after Week 7.

The interceptions were not all entirely his fault and with the weapons he has and the promise he showed, he looks like he has potential value moving forward.  In two-quarterback formats he’s certainly a must own.  In one-quarterback leagues, he’s probably best served as an emergency option, but one that could have value depending on the matchup.

Verdict – Buy ‘Em

David Garrard – Quarterback – Jacksonville Jaguars

Did anyone see this type of performance coming (17-of-21, 260 yards, 4 TD, 0 INT and rushed for a TD)?  It is the third time this season he’s thrown at least three touchdowns in a game, so I guess we all should have had some type of idea.  Of course, he only threw three TDs in a game twice in 2009 and had never thrown more then three.  In fact, prior to this season he had thrown for three TDs in a game just four times.

The offense is supposed to be built around Maurice Jones-Drew and the running game.  Jones-Drew did run for over 100 yards, he just wasn’t able to find the end zone.

The team still lacks a true threat on the outside, despite the performance by Michael Sims-Walker (eight receptions for 153 yards and a touchdown), who is among the most inconsistent receivers in the league.  This was also the first time this season that Garrard threw for over 200 yards.  Outside of two-quarterback formats, he’s just not worth depending on.

Verdict – Deny ‘Em

Troy Smith – Quarterback – San Francisco 49ers

With Alex Smith injured, Troy Smith came in and performed as well as anyone could have expected.  He managed the offense (12-19, 196 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT and a rushing TD), leading San Francisco to victory.  With the way he performed, it wouldn’t be a complete surprise to see Troy inherit the starting job, at least for now.

The team has some big weapons, so as he becomes more acclimated there is a good chance that he starts to perform better and better.  Of course, you have to think that the team is going to be oriented towards the run and defense, meaning Smith’s numbers may never be overly impressive.  He only has value to those in two-quarterback formats.

Verdict – Deny ‘Em

Jerricho Cotchery – Wide Receiver – New York Jets

There was a time where Cotchery was the Jets' top receiver, but those days are long behind him.  This is a run-oriented offense and when they pass the ball, it’s likely to go to Braylon Edwards, Santonio Holmes or Dustin Keller.  It’s nice to see him post good numbers (four receptions for 89 yards), but he has no value to fantasy owners.

Verdict – Deny ‘Em

Brandon Gibson/Danny Amendola/Laurent Robinson – Wide Receiver – St. Louis Rams

The Rams wide receiving corps has been hit extremely hard by injuries, leaving these three to battle it out at this point.  They all produced, at least somewhat, in Week 8.  Gibson had six receptions for 67 yards.  Amendola had six receptions for 28 yards and a touchdown.  Robinson had five receptions for 33 yards.

Now, tell me who was most impressive and who will be the go to guy from here on out?  Can’t do it?  Exactly.

Verdict – Deny ‘Em

Delanie Walker – Wide Receiver – San Francisco 49ers

He showed a good rapport with new quarterback Troy Smith, leading the 49ers in yards (85) and receptions (five).  However, it’s hard to imagine him consistently being the go-to guy, with Vernon Davis and Michael Crabtree already in place.  Give Smith time to work with them, and they will quickly become the feature in the offense (all behind Frank Gore, of course).

Verdict – Deny ‘Em

Keiland Williams – Running Back – Washington Redskins

With Ryan Torain being forced from the game with a hamstring injury, Williams got a chance to take over in the backfield and looked decent in the process (six carries for 25 yards and a touchdown).  There was a chance that Torain returned, however, and with the Redskins bye week coming up you would think that he will be able to return to the field.

With the way Torain has played, he’s not going to lose his job if healthy, so I wouldn’t go crazy for Williams at this point.  The only people who should be grabbing him are those who are in the deepest of formats and Torain owners looking for a handcuff.  Of course, this all changes if a more serious injury diagnosis is revealed.

Verdict – Deny ‘Em

Nate Washington – Wide Receiver – Tennessee Titans

Kenny Britt went down in the first quarter of yesterday’s game, yet the Titans’ passing attack didn’t completely shut down.  Washington erupted for four catches for 117 yards and a touchdown.

Unfortunately, can we really trust him to continue posting strong numbers?  In the prior three weeks he had managed just one catch per week for a total of 40 yards.  When Britt’s healthy, he’s going to be the main receiver, so I wouldn’t bother trusting Washington unless you were desperate.

Verdict – Deny ‘Em

Brandon Tate – Wide Receiver – New England Patriots

When the Patriots traded Randy Moss you knew they were going to be forced to get many new faces involved in the passing game.  Wes Welker is still the lead man and Deion Branch is going to have his moments, but Tate is going to be the guy utilized to stretch the field. 

With Tom Brady throwing the ball, that certainly makes him an intriguing option.  He’s not going to be usable on a weekly basis, but he’s certainly worth owning if you need some depth in your receiving corps.

Verdict – Buy ‘Em

What are your thoughts on these players?  Who would you pick up?  Who would you avoid?

Make sure to check out our Week 9 rankings:

• Top 25 Quarterbacks
• Top 40 Running Backs
• Top 60 Wide Receivers
• Top 20 Tight Ends
• Top 15 Kickers
• Top 15 Defenses
• Start ‘Em or Sit ‘Em
• Sunday Sleepers

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