Week 4 Waiver Wire: Torrey Smith and Other Emerging Players

It seemed so easy. I had Philip Rivers starting against the lowly Chiefs. As I'm checking my lineups, I hear an expert on TV warn against starting Eli Manning or Joe Flacco. "Nice." That was my exact thought. The team I was playing against started Philip Rivers. Fast-forward eight hours later and I'm wondering where it all went wrong. Rivers had only 6 points. Flacco had 27, to lead all QB's in this league.

Some variation of that tale is being told all over the country this morning. As it is every Monday morning. As we head into Week 4, it's time to start thinking about the future. Bye weeks begin in Week 5. Injuries are rampant at every position. If there ever was a year to have depth on your roster, this is it.

Once again there were a few Waiver Wire Superstars this week. I got stuck in a tough spot in Week 3 where I had to choose between Dane Sanzenbacher, Preston Parker or Torrey Smith. I went with Preston Parker because it's a PPR league that awards points for return yardage. Ooops. Now we once again have to figure out which of these players are for real and which were just one-week flukes.

These players should have value throughout the rest of the season:

QB

MARK SANCHEZ (NYJ) - It's time to start paying attention to Sanchez. He's thrown for two TD's in each of his first three games, exceeding 300 yards twice. The Jets haven't been able to run the ball as effectively as they would like, leading to increased passing attempts for Sanchez. Dustin Keller has continued to improve and Santonio Holmes has gained the consistency to be an elite WR. Sanchez isn't a guy you start every week, but he's probably one oft he better back-up QB's in fantasy right now.

JOE FLACCO (BAL), ELI MANNING (NYG) & RYAN FITZPATRICK (BUF) - If any of these players are available, they are worth adding in all but the most shallow of leagues. In a season where fantasy starters are dropping like bad Puff Daddy (Diddy?) albums, QB's of this caliber shouldn't be hanging out on the waiver wire, especially with the bye weeks approaching.

RB

JONATHAN STEWART (CAR) - Contract or not, Stewart is obviously the best RB in Carolina these days. If somebody cut him, pick him up now. He should be owned in all leagues. He has more carries than DeAngelo Williams on the year. He needs to be owned.

DARREN SPROLES (NO) - Sproles should be owned in ALL PPR leagues.

RYAN GRANT (GB) - We can slow down the rush to crown James Starks king of the Green Bay backfield. Sure, I'd still rather own Starks in a PPR league. But Grant had 17 carries for 92 yards against a tough Bears defense. Starks had 11 carries for 5 yards and lost a fumble. And remember, a Starks injury would push Grant too "every week starter" status in fantasy. If somebody dropped Grant in your league, pick him up.

KENDALL HUNTER (SF) - Much like Michael Vick, the Frank Gore injury we were waiting for showed up right away. Not to mention the fact that Gore isn't even averaging 4 yards-per-carry (YPC) this season. Hunter led the NFL in rushing during the preseason and looked good in relief of Gore, scoring the game's only TD. Hunter is worth adding both as a possible starter in Week 4 (vs. the Eagles bottom-3 rush defense) and for the long-term. Gore owners NEED to own Hunter. It's important to note that Hunter got ALL of the 49ers carries after Gore went out. Dixon got zero.

MICHAEL BUSH (OAK) - McFadden appeared to be banged up at the end of the game in Week 3, but he said that he's fine. But Bush did score a TD for the second straight week anyway. We can stress enough how good Bush could be if McFadden went down. Probably not quite as good as McFadden. But still top-15 RB good. And with Bush working at the goal line, he could wind up being a decent flex play in deep leagues during the bye weeks. This is the kind of player you want on your bench.

MONTARIO HARDESTY (CLE) - He filled in for a sick Peyton Hillis in Week 3, totaling 67 yards on 14 carries. His injury history is scary, but the Browns are committed to running the ball as a team. Hardesty should be owned by Hillis owners. Hardesty is worth adding with the bye weeks coming up. We need to see how the Browns deploy him with Hillis healthy.

WR

TORREY SMITH (BAL) - Let's be clear about this. Smith is a deep-threat WR. We're talking more DeSean Jackson than Derrick Mason here. Smith will rotate with Lee Evans when Evans returns from his injury. So his targets will be inconsistent. But after seeing his potential on Sunday, it's going to be hard for the Ravens coaches to NOT call Smith's number a few times per game. He's worth adding if you have the bench space. But this absolutely was his best game this season. You'll need to see consistent production for another week or two before you even consider starting him.

LANCE MOORE (NO) - Lance Moore looked healthy and led the Saints in targets. Moore should be owned in all PPR leagues, especially while Colston is out. You always want to own Drew Brees' favorite WR.

NATE WASHINGTON (TEN) - Ladies and Gentlemen, your 2011 Davone Bess! With Britt out for the season, Washington should lead the Titans in receiving targets. He should be a decent WR3 in PPR leagues for the rest of the season. If that sounds like something you can use, pick him up. Just don't expect him to come close to Kenny Britt's production.

DENARIUS MOORE (OAK) - Even with playing a decreased number of snaps, Moore managed to help fantasy owners. The snaps will increase. If Moore is still out there and you need a WR, what are you waiting for?

ANTONIO BROWN (PIT) - Brown saw eight targets in Week 3. More than any other Steelers WR. We all saw what Brown could do in the preseason. The return of Emmanuel Sanders hasn't negatively impacted Brown. He's not going to be a consistent every-week option, but he's talented and targeted. That's a good guy to have on your bench.

TE

GREG OLSEN (CAR) - Olsen almost broke out in Week 2, having a TD called back on a penalty and dropping another. No such problems in Week 3. Olsen tied for second in the league amongst TE's in Week 3 with 10 targets. Despite the presence of Jeremy Shockey. Olsen is a low-end TE1 with a bit more value in PPR leagues. With injuries to Gates and Hernandez, Olsen should certainly be owned in all but the shallowest of leagues.

JARED COOK (TEN) - Sure you're digging a bit deeper here. But in the preseason, the thinking was that Cook would lead the Titans in receiving if Kenny Britt wasn't available. Well here we are. Kenny Britt won't be available. I'm not picking up Cook and starting him next week, but I'm picking him up. He has elite-TE ability, he just needs the targets. And they could be coming soon.

These players should have some short-term value that could help your fantasy team:

QB

MIKE KAFKA (PHI) - Early reports have Mike Vick out until after the Eagles bye in Week 7. It's time for Vick owners to make other plans. After Kafka threw two INT's on Sunday, fans are screaming for Vince Young. Look for Kafka to get the first shot at replacing Vick. Young is still working through a lower-body injury and was active for the first time in Week 2. Not to mention that the Eagles offense is notoriously difficult to learn giving Kafka the edge with his experience in the system. Vince Young is probably worth a speculative pick-up in really deep leagues, but I'm going with Kafka first. The Eagles next three opponents are the 49ers, Bills and Redskins. I'm at least starting the Eagles QB vs. the Bills.

RB

ALFONSO SMITH (ARI) - The Cardinals quickly figured out that there was a reason that the Bears cut Chester Taylor. He's not very good anymore. Smith took over in the second half vs. the Seahawks and gained 54 yards on 17 carries. The 17 carries is the important number. If Beanie Wells misses Week 4, look for Smith to start vs. a Giants team that just got gashed by LeSean McCoy in Week 3.

BERNARD SCOTT (CIN) - As reported last week, Cedric Benson has been suspended for three games beginning in Week 4. Bernard Scott will start for the Bengals in those three games. Last time Scott started for Benson, he averaged 18 touches-per-game. During those three games the Bengals play the Bills, Jaguars and Colts. Any questions?

WR

VICTOR CRUZ (NYG) - He might be worth adding in deeper leagues regardless. But if Mario Manningham were to be out again next week, Cruz would be worth starting. He might even be worth it if Manningham plays. The Giants face the Cardinals next week who are among the league leaders in passing yards allowed.

STEVE SMITH 2.0 (PHI) - Jeremy Maclin looks like he will not play for the Eagles in Week 4. This opens the door for Smith to replace Maclin in the lineup, at least for one week. No matter who is at QB, Andy Reid will throw the ball. And then throw it some more. Smith could be a decent one-week play if you need a fill-in, especially in PPR leagues.

BRANDON GIBSON (STL) - As long as Danny Amendola is out, Gibson will be Sam Bradford's preferred receiver. If you need an option in a deep PPR league, you could do worse. You can cut bait as soon as Amendola returns.

TE

SCOTT CHANDLER (BUF) - It always hard to roll with a player with just two catches in each of his two previous games. But he's found the end zone each week anyway. In Week 4 Chandler goes up against a Bengals team that just got torched by Vernon Davis in Week 3. And gave up a TD to both Evan Moore and Ben Watson in Week 1.

These players probably won't help your fantasy team:

QB

MATT HASSELBECK (TEN) - Reports have Kenny Britt suffering a season-ending knee injury. With him goes the Titans passing game. Having Nate Washington as your featured WR won't get it done. It's a shame, Hasselbeck would've been a player to add if Britt was healthy. Most likely we've seen his best games of the season already.

COLT MCCOY (CLE) - McCoy has shown he can be an efficient NFL QB. But he's not going to help your fantasy teams very much. Call him a homeless man's Josh Freeman. McCoy should get you about 220 passing yards and 1 passing TD every week. But his ceiling is 250 passing yards and 2 TD's. He's just a bye week fill-in at best.

RB

CHESTER TAYLOR (ARI) - Do. Not. Want.

WR

CHAD OCHOCINCO (NE) - This was his chance, with Aaron Hernandez out. Ochocinco responded by dropping a perfectly-thrown pass from Tom Brady. In a game where Hernandez was out and Deion Branch didn't have a catch, Ocho was still a non-factor. Look for that to continue.

TE

JAMES CASEY (HOU) - Almost all of his Week 3 production came on one long TD catch. Nothing to see here folks.

JEFF KING (ARI) - Ladies and Gentlemen, your 2011 Dante Rosario! Moving along.

See, there are players available. There's hope. Even at 0-3, you're still in this thing. My favorite fantasy football team ever was a team that I took from 1-5-1 to deep into the playoffs. Just keep building the best team you can and hope that you catch some luck. Because if you play the highest-scoring team in your league every week, it's pretty much impossible to win. Just like it's almost impossible to lose if you play the lowest-scoring team every week. So just hope you're somewhere in the middle if you can't get really lucky.

Feel free to comment and let me know what I screwed up and anything you liked. You can do the same on Twitter. Good luck to everybody in Week 4.