The All Waiver-Wire Team
10/26/2007
Paulsen Home / Sports Channel / Bullz-Eye Home
Every fantasy football season has a few players who go largely undrafted in August, but emerge into solid starters as the season wears on. Last year, guys like Maurice Jones-Drew, Marques Colston, Ladell Betts, Mike Furrey and Tony Romo started the season as fantasy afterthoughts but by season’s end, they were valuable fantasy contributors.
We’re almost at the midseason point, so let’s take a look at the guys who have already emerged as good fantasy starts along with a few guys who have the potential to do so over the second half of the season.
Note: In parenthesis, I’ve listed the current positional rank in Antsports’ High Performance Scoring System.
QUARTERBACKS
Derek Anderson, Browns (QB3)
It didn’t take long for Anderson to move past incumbent starter Charlie Frye (10 pass attempts and one pick, to be exact), and once he took the reins, he never looked back. In five starts, Anderson is throwing for 262 yards and 2.6 TD and rushing for 0.4 TD per game. The Browns’ bad defense almost guarantees that Anderson will have to pass a ton to keep up, and in Braylon Edwards and Kellen Winslow, he has some nice targets to throw to. It’s going to be tough to keep up this pace for the rest of the season, but if he does, he’s looking at 3989 yards and 37 TD. As long as the Browns stay competitive, it doesn’t look like we’ll see Brady Quinn anytime soon.
David Garrard, Jaguars (QB16)
Before being knocked out of the Jags’ week 7 game against the Colts, Garrard was on pace to throw for 3420 yards and 19 TD. Are those amazing numbers? No, but they’re pretty good for a guy who wasn’t selected on draft day. Reports say he’ll miss the next three to four weeks with a high ankle sprain, but he should be a solid backup and spot starter down the stretch.
Brian Griese, Bears (QB20)
301 yards and 2 TD per game. These are not numbers you expect from the Bears’ starting quarterback, especially if his name is Brian Griese. The QB has been solid in each of his four starts and looks like a good fantasy play going forward. Moreover, his play has increased the value of Muhsin Muhammad, Greg Olsen and Desmond Clark.
RUNNING BACKS
Derrick Ward, Giants (RB11)
Since there’s such an emphasis on the position on draft day, it’s tough to pluck a good RB off the waiver wire, but Ward fits that description. When Brandon Jacobs went down in week 1, Ward took over, racking up 467 total yards in four games. Jacobs is back in action and Ward is dealing with an ankle injury, so his success may be short-lived, but there’s no denying his value over the first half of the season.
Earnest Graham, Bucs (RB18)
When Carnell Williams went down with a season-ending knee injury, Graham (not Michael Pittman) was the guy to take over. Over the last five weeks, he’s posted 397 total yards and three scores, including last week’s monster 32-touch, 191-yard effort against the Lions. The Bucs acquired Michael Bennett last week, but Graham looks like the starter in Tampa.
WIDE RECEIVERS
Roddy White, Falcons (WR16)
In his first two seasons, White was plagued by erratic QB play and his own spotty hands, but in his third year, he has emerged as a viable go-to receiver for the Falcons. He’s still not terribly consistent, but a lot of that has to do with the Atlanta passing game. His numbers against Carolina (7 receptions, 127 yards and 1 TD) and New Orleans (8 receptions, 110 yards and 1 TD) show his tremendous potential. He’s on pace for 75 catches, 1211 yards and five scores. That’s not bad for a guy who wasn’t picked on draft day.
Bobby Engram, Seahawks (WR20)
With Deion Branch, D.J. Hackett and Nate Burleson on the roster, it was hard to get excited about Engram’s prospects this season. He has always been a good possession receiver, so his value is enhanced in PPR leagues, but no one was expecting him to be on pace for 78 catches, 1070 yards and 5 TD at this point in the season. Hackett is on his way back, so Engram’s upside is limited, but he’s established himself as a viable WR3 in PPR leagues.
Kevin Walter, Texans (WR23)
Along with Andre Davis (WR34), Walter has stepped in to fill the void left by Andre Johnson and his (seemingly) never-ending knee injury. Walter has been on fire the last four weeks, racking up 29 catches for 401 yards and a score. He’s probably not going to catch a ton of touchdowns, but he’s a nice start in PPR leagues and is a dangerous yardage threat as long as AJ is out.
TIGHT ENDS
Donald Lee, Packers (TE12)
Heading into the season, most fantasy owners thought Bubba Franks was the top TE target in Green Bay, but Lee has proved them wrong. He has caught at least three passes in each of the Packers’ six games and is on pace for a 59-catch, 720-yard season. Those numbers aren’t going to blow anyone away, but thus far he’s outscored Todd Heap, Vernon Davis and Alge Crumpler.
WATCH OUT FOR...
Jesse Chatman, Dolphins
With Ronnie Brown, fantasy football’s most productive running back, out for the season, the spotlight turns to Jesse Chatman who pushed Brown for the starting job in training camp. He has already missed some time due to injury, but if he can stay on the field, Chatman should have a nice second half of the season. The team may try to get Patrick Cobbs or Lorenzo Booker more involved, but Chatman looks to be the man in Miami, at least for now.
Kenton Keith, Colts
The big fantasy news coming out of the Colts/Jags Monday Night tilt is that Tony Dungy wants to get Keith more involved in the running game. This means that he will likely split carries with Joseph Addai, which hurts Addai’s value. This makes Keith a decent flex play going forward, though there is no telling how each guy is going to do week-to-week. If Addai were to go down again, Keith’s value would skyrocket.
Selvin Young, Broncos
Once the news broke about Travis Henry’s drug test, there was an initial rush to the waiver wire for Young, who is set to take over once Henry’s suspension begins. For his part, Henry has delayed the process by appealing the results of the test in court and with the NFL. Assuming the results are valid, it’s only a matter of time before Young takes over, and once he does, he should be a solid RB2 for the stretch run.
Send questions and comments to jpaulsen@bullz-eye.com.