Quarterbacks:
Cam Newton — Panthers ($6 FAAB value)
What a rookie debut! Granted, it was against a porous Arizona defense while playing from behind for most of the game, but Newton lit up the Cardinals for a rookie record of 422 yards. He looked poised and confident, which are good signs moving forward. I would be wary of overpaying for him, though. For example, do not drop a good running back or wide receiver for him. On a similar level, do not shell out $15+ for him in FAAB. It was a great debut, but expect some regression as teams figure him out and he plays better defenses. Unless you are in a dire, Peyton Manning-like situation, of course.
Ryan Fitzpatrick — Bills ($8)
The Bills’ starter lit up a Kansas City defense that was pretty good against the past last year, albeit Eric Berry’s injury did not help. Fitzpatrick was in last week’s waiver wire, but he is worth listing again because he is worth the second mention. Buffalo has a pretty good offense, and like I said last week, Fitzpatrick tossed 23 touchdowns in just 13 games last year. The same cannot be said about two of his AFC East counterparts, Mark Sanchez and Chad Henne. The Bills also have a somewhat-favorable schedule, facing the Bengals, Redskins, Cowboys, Titans, Broncos, and injury-depleted Giants this season.
Chad Henne — Dolphins ($3)
There were fourteen quarterbacks who exceeded 300 yards passing last week. How many went over 400 yards? Four. Henne was one of them, to go along with Newton, Drew Brees, and record-setting Tom Brady. Not only did he throw for 416 yards, but he ran for 59 and a touchdown. Granted some of that was in garbage time as the Dolphins were trying to come back from a 21-point deficit, but the Dolphins quarterback looks like he has turned a corner in his third season as a starter. I had him in last week's waiver wire as well, but his Monday night performance merited another listing. Henne is well worth a look if you need depth or a spot starter.
Running Backs:
Cadillac Williams — Rams ($9)
Steven Jackson played two snaps and, unsurprisingly, injured his quadriceps on one of them — his 47-yard TD scamper. Enter Cadillac Williams, to the tune of 140 total yards. The porous middle of the Eagles defense was a big reason why the Rams had so much success at the running back position, but that is a lot of yardage for a guy who has looked pretty bad the last couple of seasons. With Jackson likely out for week two, Williams becomes a big pickup. He makes a good fantasy handcuff for when S-Jax does return, but Williams is a viable RB2 for week two and beyond if Jackson misses significant time. If you are a Jackson owner, you might want to pay a little extra.
Ben Tate — Texans ($8)
Chances are Tate was snapped up last week while Arian Foster’s playing status was in limbo, but he is a must-have waiver pickup this week if he is available, especially for Foster or Derrick Ward owners. With both Foster and Ward on the injury list, Tate instantly becomes a fantasy starter. The trouble for Foster owners is determining what will happen to him once he returns — if Tate winds up having a huge game against a good Dolphins defense, then Foster might find himself in more of a time share. Ward was the pickup last week, but Tate is the man this week. The mitigating factor is that Indianapolis does not have a good rush defense, and that Foster and Ward will eventually return, but if you need a spot starter this week or Foster insurance, bid away.
Wide Receivers:
Devery Henderson / Robert Meachem — Saints ($3 / $5)
Marques Colston injured his collarbone and will be out at least four weeks. In other news, the sun rose in the east this morning and the economy still stinks. Where does this leave other Saints receivers? The reality is that Lance Moore and Jimmy Graham benefit the most by Colston’s injury, once Moore returns, but you should go out and get either Henderson or Meachem. Henderson was targeted nine times to Meachem’s eight in the Saints’ opening night loss to the Packers, but Meachem was on the field for more snaps. He also possesses the better upside, so go that route if he is available.
Mike Sims-Walker / Greg Salas — Rams ($3)
Assuming he is available in your league, MSW will be a good pickup off the waiver wire. With Danny Amendola’s injury, Sims-Walker may well take over the slot role for the Rams, a position Bradford likes to target often. He was only targeted four times for one catch, but MSW should be the biggest beneficiary from Amendola’s absence. Salas has been the better rookie than Austin Pettis for the Rams thus far this year, and he should also benefit fromAmendola's absence. Salas could be St. Louis' version of Davone Bess, a fellow Hawaii product. Sims-Walker is more of a home run threat, hence better in standard leagues, while Salas operates closer to Amendola's role, thus the better PPR pickup.
Jerome Simpson — Bengals ($3)
Last year’s late-season bloomer was targeted the most amongst Bengals receivers last week, catching four passes for 44 yards. Rookie Andy Dalton seems to like throwing to Simpson, making him a decent waiver wire pickup if he is available. The Bengals offense is not going to scare many people, but they have some talent at receiver and tight end. Hopefully Dalton’s wrist injury is nothing major, but Simpson is a good pickup as a starter on that team.
Brian Hartline — Dolphins ($2)
Hartline caught 47 of Henne's 416 passing yards to go along with a touchdown this past week on seven targets. He is the WR2 on a Dolphins offense that suddenly seems potent, and he is Henne's best downfield threat. With the attention teams will have to pay Brandon Marshall and Reggie Bush, Hartline will find some space in this offense.
Tight Ends:
Evan Moore / Benjamin Watson — Browns ($3 / $4)
Moore was also in last week’s waiver wire, but since nobody listened, I put him in again. He had a good opening week, and Colt McCoy seems to have picked Moore as a big red zone target. Moore is 6’6” and has been lined up wide a lot for the Browns, a huge mismatch for smaller cornerbacks. Watson, meanwhile, had an even better week than Moore. Both are going to be heavily involved in this Browns offense, and McCoy will be looking their way a lot considering they do not have a lot of weapons at wide receiver.
Jermaine Gresham — Bengals ($4)
Gresham was an afterthought this past draft season, going undrafted even as a TE2 in many leagues. He should ave grabbed the attention of fantasy owners this past weekend with a nice game. Gresham was just behind Jerome Simpson with eight targets, catching six of them for 58 yards and a touchdown. That wound up being one of the better fantasy weeks amongst tight ends. Do not expect that performance out of him on a weekly basis, but there has been a buzz around him since training camp started and it seems to have spilled onto the regular season.
Questions and comments are always welcome via Twitter – @PFF_Alex.
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