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By Chris Goudey
Inspin.com/WagerWeb.com Contributing Writer
We are now in the fantasy playoffs, and for the most part you probably have your lineup pretty well set. After all, you’ve got a good enough team to have made the playoffs, so you probably have had many of the same players producing well for you all season. There are teams, however, that have had to scramble due to late-season injuries (McNabb, Ronnie Brown, LaMont Jordan, etc.) so you may need some continued lineup help. These players could be available on your waiver wire and would be decent starting players for you if you need that help:
Quarterbacks
There are a lot of QBs available on the waiver wire who have nice matchups this week. If you are a McNabb owner, these guys could be inserted in your lineup and should do just fine for you. I have them ranked in order of preference:
Jon Kitna, Detroit vs Green Bay
Jeff Garcia, Philadelphia vs NY Giants
Vince Young, Tennessee vs Jacksonville
Jay Cutler, Denver vs Arizona
Brad Johnson, Minnesota vs NY Jets
Alex Smith, San Francisco vs Seattle
Jason Campbell, Washington vs New Orleans
David Garrard, Jacksonville vs Tennessee
Running Backs
There probably aren’t many RBs left out there who could help you this week, but if you own Ronnie Brown (who is out again this week and probably for the season) and need some help, here’s who should be out there:
Sammy Morris, Miami – Morris had the best week of the season for a Miami RB, so he’s the No. 1 target at the position. He also has a great matchup against Buffalo this week.
Justin Fargas, Oakland – Fargas gets most of the carries now for the Raiders and has the speed to break a long one. He has a fantastic matchup this week against the Rams, so grab him if needed.
Artose Pinner, Minesota – The biggest fantasy surprise of last week was when Pinner got the start for the injured Chester Taylor and put up 125 yards and 3 TDs. Mewelde Moore and Ciatrick Fason were supposed to carry the load, but Pinner really came through. Taylor has said he’s going to play this week, but I’d grab Pinner just in case, especially if you own Taylor.
Arlen Harris, Detroit – Kevin Jones is out for the season, so Harris should become the featured back for the Lions. With a real nice matchup against Green Bay, Harris could put up some Pinner-like numbers.
Ron Dayne, Houston –Another big surprise last week was the re-emergence of Dayne as Houston’s main RB. Dayne put up 87 yards and 2 TDs and looks to be the guy for the rest of the year. He has a tough matchup this week against New England, but next week gets to face the Swiss cheese Indianapolis run defense.
Wide Receivers
Marty Booker, Miami – Booker has taken over as the No. 1 guy in Miami, as he has built a nice connection with Joey Harrington.
Marcus Robinson, Minnesota/Antonio Bryant, San Francisco: Minnesota and San Fran have the two best schedules against the pass in the next three weeks, and these are the No. 1 guys for those offenses.
Mark Clayton, Baltimore – Clayton has been up and down this year, but when he’s good, he’s very good. The Ravens will probably have to pass a lot against the Steelers, so he has a shot at a good game.
D.J. Hackett, Seattle – Darrell Jackson has been ruled out for the Thursday night game against the 49ers, so Hackett should step into his slot and do very well. He has a lot of speed, and the San Fran defense gives up a lot of passing yards.
Ronald Curry, Oakland – Curry has taken over as Aaron Brooks’ favorite target, and with Randy Moss being hurt, he should see plenty of chances against a soft Rams defense.
Tight End
Vernon Davis, San Francisco -- I had Davis on this list last week, and he put up 74 yards and a long TD against Green Bay. Look for more of the same this week against Seattle.
Ben Utecht, Indianapolis -- Starting TE Dallas Clark is out and even with Clark in the lineup, Utecht is getting a few looks per game. He should see his pass targets increase this week, and he could be a top-10 TE as long as Clark is out.
Tony Scheffler, Denver – Scheffler has really looked good since Jay Cutler took over for the Broncos. The two of them formed a nice connection in practice and have that rookie bond going.
Kickers/Defenses
As you know I’m of the mindset that kickers are pretty much a dime a dozen and you can do just fine playing matchups each week. For defenses, the best thing to do is check the schedule each week and try and get teams that are playing against teams with bad records, i.e. Houston, Oakland, etc..
Best of luck in the playoffs, and I hope you take the bragging rights (if not the money) for your league!
WagerWeb Football
Inspin.com/WagerWeb.com Contributing Writer
We are now in the fantasy playoffs, and for the most part you probably have your lineup pretty well set. After all, you’ve got a good enough team to have made the playoffs, so you probably have had many of the same players producing well for you all season. There are teams, however, that have had to scramble due to late-season injuries (McNabb, Ronnie Brown, LaMont Jordan, etc.) so you may need some continued lineup help. These players could be available on your waiver wire and would be decent starting players for you if you need that help:
Quarterbacks
There are a lot of QBs available on the waiver wire who have nice matchups this week. If you are a McNabb owner, these guys could be inserted in your lineup and should do just fine for you. I have them ranked in order of preference:
Jon Kitna, Detroit vs Green Bay
Jeff Garcia, Philadelphia vs NY Giants
Vince Young, Tennessee vs Jacksonville
Jay Cutler, Denver vs Arizona
Brad Johnson, Minnesota vs NY Jets
Alex Smith, San Francisco vs Seattle
Jason Campbell, Washington vs New Orleans
David Garrard, Jacksonville vs Tennessee
Running Backs
There probably aren’t many RBs left out there who could help you this week, but if you own Ronnie Brown (who is out again this week and probably for the season) and need some help, here’s who should be out there:
Sammy Morris, Miami – Morris had the best week of the season for a Miami RB, so he’s the No. 1 target at the position. He also has a great matchup against Buffalo this week.
Justin Fargas, Oakland – Fargas gets most of the carries now for the Raiders and has the speed to break a long one. He has a fantastic matchup this week against the Rams, so grab him if needed.
Artose Pinner, Minesota – The biggest fantasy surprise of last week was when Pinner got the start for the injured Chester Taylor and put up 125 yards and 3 TDs. Mewelde Moore and Ciatrick Fason were supposed to carry the load, but Pinner really came through. Taylor has said he’s going to play this week, but I’d grab Pinner just in case, especially if you own Taylor.
Arlen Harris, Detroit – Kevin Jones is out for the season, so Harris should become the featured back for the Lions. With a real nice matchup against Green Bay, Harris could put up some Pinner-like numbers.
Ron Dayne, Houston –Another big surprise last week was the re-emergence of Dayne as Houston’s main RB. Dayne put up 87 yards and 2 TDs and looks to be the guy for the rest of the year. He has a tough matchup this week against New England, but next week gets to face the Swiss cheese Indianapolis run defense.
Wide Receivers
Marty Booker, Miami – Booker has taken over as the No. 1 guy in Miami, as he has built a nice connection with Joey Harrington.
Marcus Robinson, Minnesota/Antonio Bryant, San Francisco: Minnesota and San Fran have the two best schedules against the pass in the next three weeks, and these are the No. 1 guys for those offenses.
Mark Clayton, Baltimore – Clayton has been up and down this year, but when he’s good, he’s very good. The Ravens will probably have to pass a lot against the Steelers, so he has a shot at a good game.
D.J. Hackett, Seattle – Darrell Jackson has been ruled out for the Thursday night game against the 49ers, so Hackett should step into his slot and do very well. He has a lot of speed, and the San Fran defense gives up a lot of passing yards.
Ronald Curry, Oakland – Curry has taken over as Aaron Brooks’ favorite target, and with Randy Moss being hurt, he should see plenty of chances against a soft Rams defense.
Tight End
Vernon Davis, San Francisco -- I had Davis on this list last week, and he put up 74 yards and a long TD against Green Bay. Look for more of the same this week against Seattle.
Ben Utecht, Indianapolis -- Starting TE Dallas Clark is out and even with Clark in the lineup, Utecht is getting a few looks per game. He should see his pass targets increase this week, and he could be a top-10 TE as long as Clark is out.
Tony Scheffler, Denver – Scheffler has really looked good since Jay Cutler took over for the Broncos. The two of them formed a nice connection in practice and have that rookie bond going.
Kickers/Defenses
As you know I’m of the mindset that kickers are pretty much a dime a dozen and you can do just fine playing matchups each week. For defenses, the best thing to do is check the schedule each week and try and get teams that are playing against teams with bad records, i.e. Houston, Oakland, etc..
Best of luck in the playoffs, and I hope you take the bragging rights (if not the money) for your league!
WagerWeb Football