Week 9 Waiver Wire: Curtis Brinkley and Other Players to Avoid

The San Diego Chargers were forced to deploy third-string running back Curtis Brinkley during their 23-20 overtime loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday night.

The 26-year-old made the most of his opportunity, rushing 10 times for 43 yards and a touchdown, while adding three catches for 24 more yards. Despite those nice numbers and the fact that fellow running backs Mike Tolbert and Ryan Mathews are dinged up, Brinkley is one of several players you should avoid adding this week.

After the game it was reported that Brinkley had suffered a concussion and it is highly unlikely that he will be cleared for Sunday's home matchup with the Green Bay Packers. Even if Brinkley is cleared, there is a good chance that both Tolbert and Mathews will be available on Sunday anyway. Tolbert's hamstring should be closer to 100 percent by Sunday and Mathews didn't go to the locker room after injuring his groin last night, which means it probably isn't severe.

If both guys are out, fullback Jacob Hester could see the majority of the team's carries as he did in Week 5 against the Broncos when both Mathews and Tolbert left the game early. 

Just avoid Brinkley at all costs right now; there are far too many red flags surrounding him.

Another guy to steer clear of is Arizona Cardinals backup running back Alfonso Smith. Smith was a popular pick for an add when Beanie Wells hit the injured list with an banged-up knee a few weeks ago, and now that Wells has said he expects the injury to bother him all season, some have suggested that Smith could be a go-to option. 

Wells had almost no burst against the Ravens on Sunday but showed real toughness in gutting out a performance of 83 yards and a touchdown. Still, he can't perform at that level on a bum knee forever and the Cardinals may consider shutting him down. If that happens Smith will again be a popular option, but don't buy into the hype.

Smith went undrafted out of Kentucky and there is a reason. He's a one-speed back and on 26 carries this year he has just 90 yards, which is an average of 3.5 yards per carry. He's not worth the investment even if he does take over for Wells.

When the Dallas Cowboys put running back Tashard Choice on waivers last week, most experts expected someone to take a chance on the 26-year-old out of Georgia Tech. The Redskins claimed him and have brought him in to compete for carries with starter Tim Hightower out for the season with a torn ACL.

But this weekend Choice isn't expected to play after pulling his hamstring in practice with the Cowboys last week. While he may eventually be in the tailback rotation, Roy Helu and Ryan Torain will continue to handle those duties for now. Head coach Mike Shanahan has a knack for getting a lot out of his backs, so Choice might be an option in a few weeks.

For now, avoid him, since he won't bring you any impact in the short term.