Week 10 Waiver Wire: Sam Bradford and Players You Shouldn't Bring Back Just Yet

Matchups and injuries are the driving force in decisions made about starting lineups in fantasy football.

The temptation of bringing back a player who was benched the previous week can overtake rational thinking.

It could be an injured player who is a game-time decision or a more conservative pick at a certain position that isn't good enough to score against any team he faces.

It's a dangerous prospect for your fantasy football team, but have no fear.

Here are some players fantasy football owners shouldn't bring back just yet.

Sam Bradford

It's been a rough year for Sam Bradford.

He's taken numerous sacks behind a bad offensive line, battled injury because of it, and on top of all that trouble, most of his receivers couldn't catch either.

It's enough to make any quarterback look bad, but with a new No. 1 receiver, Bradford might be on the right track.

Still, that's no reason to start a guy who has only gotten into the end zone three times this season, despite a noticeably low three interceptions. Bradford may not score like a more experienced quarterback, especially facing the Cleveland Browns top-ranked pass defense.

If you have Steven Jackson like I do, then try to start him twice against the Browns terrible run defense.

But I'd stay away from Bradford.

Darren McFadden

Like Sam Bradford, Darren McFadden has battled his fair share of injuries this season. McFadden was one of the top rushers in the NFL when he got hurt, and as a result the Oakland Raiders have slipped without him.

McFadden should be back this week, but there's no telling how much he will get the ball if he isn't 100 percent. At this time, nothing's certain about his status for Sunday.

If he barely makes the game, expect the carries to be very little and look for Michael Bush amongst the free agents in your fantasy league.

Bush has nearly broken the 100-yard mark each of his last two weeks and has proven he can catch the ball out of the backfield and get in the end zone doing so.

Alex Smith

With the Browns having the top-ranked pass defense in the league, Alex Smith took a seat on most benches in fantasy football last week.

Smith has had a careful season for the San Francisco 49ers. Careful won't get you points in fantasy football.

The conservative nature of his game will make it less likely he'll score often, especially against a New York Giants defense that just shut down Tom Brady and the New England Patriots top-ranked pass offense last week.

Smith hasn't done much scoring the entire season anyway, with 10 touchdowns and two picks for a 7-1 team, he has done just the bare minimum necessary to help the rest of his talented team win games.

This week, you might be better off with one of those former late first- to second-round quarterbacks available.

Andre Johnson

You may be excited to hear that Andre Johnson is coming back within another week or two, but I wouldn't get on that band wagon just yet.

Johnson reportedly had a good work out on Monday, but that in no way assures his status for Sunday. It's not even certain he'll be ready to practice yet. 

I'm never a fan of these maybe will, maybe won't scenarios because usually at most it means the guy will have limited looks in the game.

That spells trouble for an important position in fantasy. The chance is too great to be one of those people without a score registered at a position.

You're best off looking for a different receiver who you know will be playing and more importantly be targeted.

Hakeem Nicks

Losing Hakeem Nicks last week for many fantasy owners was like losing your best player. Nicks' steady stream of double-digit consistency has been a huge bonus for fantasy owners.

Nicks is still being examined by his trainers and evaluated, but his uncertainty does raise concerns about this week.

Expect Nicks to not be much of a factor considering Eli Manning still threw for 250 yards and two touchdowns without him in the Giants' 24-20 win over the Patriots.

The G-Men have no reason to rush him back and risk losing him for more time later in the season. Manning will be fine throwing to Victor Cruz, Mario Manningham and Jake Ballard another week.

That means you need to start looking for another receiver to take his place.

Ahmad Bradshaw

Because Ahmad Bradshaw is owned by most fantasy football teams, we'll keep the Giants theme going.

Bradshaw's status, like Nicks', is still in doubt at this point in the week. We'll know more when his official status is listed on the injury report this Thursday.

That means most likely, Brandon Jacobs will get his shot to keep carrying the load for New York. Jacobs did run for 72 yards and a touchdown, as well as catching the ball out of the backfield.

With that type of production, Bradshaw won't be hurried back. Expect minimal carries at best and a low-scoring performance from the Giants' injured running back.

You'd be better off starting Jacobs if you have the chance.