Fantasy Football Waiver Worthy Week 12: Buy'em or Deny'em

Eric StashinNov 22, 2010

There were some surprising performances from Week 11, but does that mean the players are worth owning? Let’s take a look:

Mike Goodson – Running Back – Carolina Panthers

With DeAngelo Williams having been placed on IR and Jonathan Stewart still on the sidelines from a concussion, Goodson received his second start and was impressive. He had 22 carries for 120 yards and added five receptions for 31 yards.

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Stewart had been ineffective, even when he was healthy, averaging just 3.0 yards per carry (208 yards and one touchdown on 69 carries). He hasn’t had more than 43 yards in a game, despite having as many as 14 carries in a game.

With what Goodson has shown the past two weeks, despite the Panthers having no passing game to speak of, you have to think that he’s earned the lead back duties.

While he did fumble the ball twice this past week, the Panthers have little reason not to continue feeding him the ball and letting him learn on the job.

With the opportunity for him comes potential for fantasy owners, meaning he’s worth owning in all formats.

Verdict – Buy ‘Em

Keiland Williams – Running Back – Washington Redskins

Clinton Portis actually drew the start with Ryan Torain still out of action, but he once again suffered an injury, ending his day prematurely.

Williams got the bulk of the carries from that point, picking up 68 yards on 23 carries (and six receptions for 27 yards).

Torain is battling a hamstring injury, and the fact is that he has not outperformed Williams by much this season.

On 91 carries, Torain has 391 yards (4.3 yards/carry) and three touchdowns. They are fine numbers, but it is far from a lock that he returns to lead back duties once healthy.

If you are a Torain owner, you should definitely handcuff yourself with Williams, just in case.

Even if you’re not, the idea of Williams taking over lead back duties makes him worth stashing as a depth option, if you have room on your bench.

Verdict – Buy ‘Em

T.J. Houshmandzadeh – Wide Receiver – Baltimore Ravens

He’s a big-play receiver for Joe Flacco, picking up two catches for 79 yards and a touchdown in Week 11. One of the receptions went for 56 yards, his longest play since 2004 (62-yard reception).

With Ray Rice, Anquan Boldin, Derrick Mason and Todd Heap in the mix, it’s hard to imagine Houshmandzadeh becoming a featured option in the offense.

He hasn’t had more than three receptions in a game and chances are that isn’t going to change.

Verdict – Deny ‘Em

Nate Burleson – Wide Receiver – Detroit Lions

With Jahvid Best hurt, as well as falling behind in the second half, the Lions employed a pass-first attack. Three players had at least nine targets: Burleson, Calvin Johnson and Brandon Pettigrew.

Burleson finished the day with seven receptions for 97 yards and a touchdown. It’s the second time in the past three weeks that he’s had at least 90 yards receiving. It’s the fourth time in his last six games that he’s had a touchdown.

It’s the fourth time in his last five games that he’s had at least six receptions. In other words, he has become a very productive second receiver, as defenses focus on Johnson.

At this point, he has developed into a usable option for those in three-wide receiver formats.

Verdict – Buy ‘Em

Steve Breaston – Wide Receiver – Arizona Cardinals

He led the team with 12 targets, while Andre Roberts & Larry Fitzgerald each had 11.

It’s not hard to dismiss the potential value of Roberts. He’s the third receiver behind Breaston and Fitzgerald, and in an offense that is not pass-heavy and doesn’t have a trustworthy quarterback, it’s impossible to use him.

As for Breaston, he’s now had at least 90 yards in three of the past four games. The only negative is that he hasn’t been able to find the end zone in that span, but the fact that he’s producing makes him worth considering in deeper formats.

Verdict – Buy ‘Em

Nate Washington – Wide Receiver – Tennessee Titans

It’s obvious that Randy Moss is still being incorporated into the offense, as he had no receptions on just three targets. Washington was the benefactor, with five receptions for 119 yards.

How long can we really expect that to continue? Plus, you have to remember that this is an offense centered on Chris Johnson, even if both quarterbacks were healthy (Vince Young left Sunday’s game with a thumb injury and Kerry Collins is battling a calf injury).

Especially now, with a rookie quarterback primed to take over, it’s hard to trust him.

Verdict – Deny ‘Em

Joel Dreessen – Tight End – Houston Texans

He’s stepped in for the injured Owen Daniels and looked good against the Jets with four receptions for 106 yards and a touchdown.

Of course, the Jets secondary is a daunting task for any receiving corps, and they held down both Andre Johnson (4 receptions for 32 yards) and Kevin Walter (2 receptions for 16 yards).

That’s not going to happen in most weeks, meaning Dreessen isn’t quite as likely to produce.

With how unpredictable tight ends are to begin with, he’s not worth the gamble, especially with the potential of Daniels retaking his job when healthy.

Verdict – Deny ‘Em

Sidney Rice – Wide Receiver – Minnesota Vikings

It was his first action of the season and it showed, as he had just three receptions for 56 yards despite being targeted 10 times.

There’s little doubt that he and Brett Favre will get on the same page sooner or later, and it’s obvious that Favre wants to get him fully integrated into the offense.

With the talent that we all know he has, he’s a must-own if you have the room on your bench to keep him stashed. He’s not worth playing right now, but in a few weeks, he easily could develop into a must-play option.

Verdict – Buy ‘Em

David Gettis – Wide Receiver – Carolina Panthers

One big play will do a lot to skew a player’s numbers, won’t it? An 88-yard touchdown catch helps to make his numbers look usable (2 receptions for 92 yards and a touchdown), but you can’t expect him to do that very often.

Coming into the week, he had just 23 catches for 308 yards and two touchdowns.

Given the unknown that the Panthers quarterback position has become, there’s no way you can trust him at this point. If he’s never going to play, what’s the point?

Verdict – Deny ‘Em

Rusty Smith – Quarterback – Tennessee Titans

He appears in line to take over the starting role for Tennessee, as Vince Young was injured and has also been criticized for his behavior (click here for the nfl.com report).

Regardless, at this point, once Kerry Collins is healthy, it is going to be his job.

Smith’s time is going to be limited, and it also is hard to imagine the rookie being overly successful in the role.

Verdict – Deny ‘Em

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

Make sure to check out Rotoprofessor’s Week 12 Rankings: