Fantasy Football Week 12: Waiver Wire

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback, Donovan McNabb and Cleveland Browns quarterback, Brady Quinn were both benched in the middle of their respective games this past weekend.

Both are expected to retain their starting positions, but it will be interesting to see how each player responds. The benching of McNabb can’t help his fantasy value. On the other hand, the benching of Quinn may be what the rookie needs to show him he needs to be better.

In this week’s waiver wire, we’ve got a couple quarterbacks to look at in case you had McNabb or Quinn and now are looking for other options. We’ve also got a trio of running backs that could make good flex options in most leagues. So without further ado, here is Bruno Boys Fantasy Football Week 12 Waiver Wire.

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QUARTERBACKS

Chad Pennington (Miami Dolphins)

This past Sunday against the New England Patriots, Miami Dolphins quarterback Chad Pennington was 24 of 41 for 341 yards with three touchdowns and one interception. Pennington stepped up in a losing effort and showed there’s absolutely nothing wrong with his arm or shoulder.

It’s easy to be wary of Pennington because he’s a Dolphin and because he had injury problems in the past. But, Pennington’s healthy now and on a surprisingly decent team. He’s completing 66 percent of his passes and has 11 touchdowns to just six interceptions.

Another reason to consider Pennington is that he still has games left against weak defenses in St. Louis, San Francisco and Kansas City.

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Shaun Hill (San Francisco 49ers)

We were skeptical of San Francisco 49ers quarterback Shaun Hill because his first three games came against division opponents Seattle, Arizona, and St. Louis, none of which are good at defending the pass.

But, his performance against the Dallas Cowboys, in which Hill was 21 of 33 passes for 303 yards with two touchdowns and one interception showed that he can play after all.

So far, Hill has seven touchdowns against three interceptions in four games. He’s also completing 60.3 percent of his passes. Since this is still a Mike Martz offense, the quarterback has fantasy value as long as he doesn’t turn the ball over as much as J.T. O’Sullivan did. Hill is taking care of the ball well so far and stepped up against a good defense, so he’s worth considering in any sized league.

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RUNNING BACKS

Justin Fargas (Oakland Raiders)

Oakland Raiders running back Darren McFadden is healthy now, but is being eased back into action. Meanwhile, Justin Fargas has had three consecutive weeks of fantasy-worthy performances. In those games, Fargas rushed 63 times for 253 yards.

McFadden is the future and is undoubtedly more talented than Fargas. Still, as long as Fargas continues to receive 15 or more carries, which he should for at least the next two weeks, then he is worth considering, especially in deeper leagues.

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Kevin Smith (Detroit Lions)

The season didn’t start out too well for Detroit Lions rookie Kevin Smith. A lot of that had to do with the players around him and the decisions made by the coaching staff, but it wasn’t looking too good for Smith when he received single-digit rush attempts in three consecutive weeks near the middle of the season.

However, in the last three games Smith has rushed for 294 yards and one touchdown on 63 carries.

Since Smith starting receiving the majority of the carries in those three games, he’s been very productive. He has to face some tough run defenses still, like Tennessee and Minnesota, but he also gets a favorable matchup against the New Orleans Saints in Week 16.

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Maurice Morris (Seattle Seahawks)

After two huge games for Seattle Seahawks running back Julius Jones, it looked like Maurice Morris would be permanently relegated to back-up duty. But Jones can sometimes be inconsistent and after struggling two weeks ago against Arizona, he got just two carries this past week in a loss to Washington. At the same time, Morris got 14 carries and went for 103 yards. He also caught three passes for 10 yards and one touchdown.

Seattle has never been committed to either back as a starter this season, so it’s unlikely we’ve heard the last of Jones. For that reason, along with the fact that the offense is pretty bad, Morris should only be considered in deeper leagues for now.

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WIDE RECEIVERS

Isaac Bruce (San Francisco 49ers)

San Francisco wide receiver Isaac Bruce has had somewhat of a forgettable season given the career he’s had, but he was able to remind us of the receiver he once was with an amazing performance against Dallas.

In that game, Bruce caught eight passes for 125 yards and one touchdown, looking like a guy who still’s got some spring in his step.

Since he has been less than spectacular this season, Bruce isn’t a great option. But, with a new quarterback, who is playing a lot better than the old one, as well as a major shortage of receivers available on the waiver wire in most leagues, Bruce is worth consideration.

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TIGHT ENDS

Kevin Boss (New York Giants)

The first half of the season was a time to forget for New York Giants tight end Kevin Boss. In the first seven weeks of the season, Boss caught just six passes and one touchdown. Apparently Boss is making up for lost time because in the last five games he’s got 17 receptions for 181 yards and four touchdowns in four separate games.

Quarterback Eli Manning has found trust in Boss and should continue to target the tight end, especially in the red zone. With a tough schedule down the road, it’s more than likely that Manning will continue to look for Boss in favorable matchups. He should be considered in any size league.

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WEEK 12 WATCH LIST

Daunte Culpepper, QB, Detroit Lions
Fred Jackson, RB, Buffalo Bills
Derrick Ward, RB, New York Giants
Ahman Green, RB, Houston Texans
Carnell Williams, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Jamaal Charles, RB, Kansas City Chiefs
Harry Douglas, WR, Atlanta Falcons
Davone Bess, WR, Miami Dolphins
Ashley Lelie, WR, Oakland Raiders
Domenik Hixon, WR, New York Giants
Josh Reed, WR, Buffalo Bills
Bryant Johnson, WR, San Francisco 49ers
Jerheme Urban, TE, Arizona Cardinals
David Martin, TE, Miami Dolphins
Joe Nedney, K, San Francisco 49ers
Jason Hanson, K, Detroit Lions
Miami Dolphins DEF/ST
Carolina Panthers, DEF/ST

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