Waiver Wire Opportunities

The following players are mainly for those who are based in deeper leagues such as a 12 or 14 team format, or a league with keepers, not allowing the drafting of certain studs such as Adrian Peterson, Ray Rice, Chris Johnson, etc.
However, they are still definitely worth a look and pickup in regular leagues. The percentage owned is based on the ESPN fantasy football waiver wire. I also did not include players that my colleague writer and creator of this website, Brandon Berg included in his.

QB Chad Henne- Miami Dolphins (7.1%)- The NFL is now officially a passing league, where QBs hold much higher and weighted value than they did in the 2000’s. And what better way to demonstrate this point by witnessing Tom Brady throw over 500 yards in 48 attempts along with 5 touchdowns. But the real surprise was Brady’s opposing QB: Chad Henne’s unusually impressive 416 throwing yards in 49 attempts (YES, 49 attempts), along with 2 touchdowns and 1 pick. He even ran for 59 yards and a rushing touchdown. Chad Henne is a solid signal caller and his room for improvement this season is unquestionable as the 49 pass attempts clearly demonstrate Miami’s willingness to open the offense up more. And Henne’s performance only makes the shot callers on the Miami sidelines even more comfortable and confident in their decision. Pick him up while he’s still there; he’ll be a sure bet for a quality backup this season.

QB Ryan Fitzpatrick- Buffalo Bills (41.9%)- Fitzpatrick tied his career high in touchdown passes by throwing 4 in 25 attempts, along with 208 passing yards in 17 tries. His yardage was nothing special, especially when you see QBs dropping 400+ yard games in today’s game, but Fitzpatrick’s TD number cannot be ignored or seen as lucky since the Bills were going into Kansas City’s stadium against the spread and against safety Eric Berry, who is unfortunately endured a season ending ACL tear, and the 2010 breakout CB Brandon Flowers. Their surprising weapons such as Donald Jones and Scott Chandler seem to be additions to Fitzpatrick’s passing game, along with Stevie Johnson still looking like last year and showing he’s no one hit wonder. The wildcat formation may take away from him, but pickup Fitzpatrick if you’re in need of a solid backup QB.

RB Reggie Bush- Miami Dolphins (100%)- Was questioning whether or not to even put his name up here. Bush carried the rock 11 times for 38 yards but more importantly had 9 catches for 56 yards along with a TD. He was the same mediocre runner as he was in New Orleans but he excels in catching passes out of the backfield and his ability in the open field, as opposed to going through his tackles and guards, will make defenders miss. Daniel Thomas is still out with a hamstrung injury and those will always stay with the player, and the coaching staff wasn’t big fans of Daniel Thomas either. And Lex Hilliard took away goal-line carries and solely goal-line carries, so it seems the ex-USC Trojan deems the backfield as his.

RB Earnest Graham- Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0.9%)- It was actually surprising seeing Graham be efficient when catching the ball. He received the team-high 8 catches for 58 yards along with another team-high 6 rushes for 13 yards. Graham would not receive his opportunity to show off his skill if not for Tampa Bay’s willingness to use a RBBC (RB by committee). Graham has the potential to receive more touches than many thought, mainly in PPR leagues,but he’s still worth a look in standard formats.

WR Davone Bess- Miami Dolphins (43%)- Bess received 5 receptions for 92 yards against New England. He is used heavily in the slot and broke off for a few receptions on quality gains. QB Chad Henne and Brandon Marshall looked to finally be on queue with each other and this opens up the middle for Davone Bess, along with easing pressure since defenses will have no choice to bring more cover to the 6’6” giant Brandon Marshall. Pickup Bess with confidence as his season will get better and better.

WR Jacoby Jones- Houston Texans (8.0%)- With WR Kevin Walter (collarbone) being out this Sunday vs. Miami, Jacoby Jones will be the starting wideout opposite of Andre Johnson. Jones received 3 catches for 43 yards along with a punt return TD. Teams will clearly double, even triple the top WR in the league Andre Johnson (even though I still believe Calvin Johnson Jr. will produce more points this season). This will free up space for the speedy Jacoby Jones and if your league counts special team points, then it raises his stock even higher.

WR Eric Decker- Denver Broncos (1.1%)- Decker recorded 3 catches for 53 yards along with a 90 yard punt return TD. He has good upside if Orton continues to look his way. He came in 2nd on the team in receptions and yards behind Brandon Lloyd. Decker fits perfect as holding the WR2 load along with sure-footed Eddie Royal working the slot. With Brandon Lloyd’s breakout season last year, defenses will pressure him more so, perhaps not double, but definitely pay more attention to him. This ultimately frees up space for Eric Decker along with the punt return opportunities.

TE Ed Dickson- Baltimore Ravens (3.3%)- Dickson’s team-high 5 receptions for 59 yards along with a score over Pittsburgh raised some eyebrows. He was tied for 1st with a team-high 5 targets and he capitalized on every one. He outplayed fellow TE Dennis Pitta, who received only 2 receptions for 45 yards. Dickson is the more athletic and talented player, whereas Pitta only holds a small edge in blocking. They will both continue to play for a definite starting job, but even so, we have seen this method used elsewhere where 2 tight ends produce starting TE numbers, such as TEs Ron Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez in New England, or TEs Brandon Pettigrew and Tony Scheffler in Detroit. Dickson is a factor in the passing game, and definitely more of a threat than Pitta.