Fantasy: Waiver Wire

Quarterbacks:

Tim Tebow — Broncos ($15 FAAB value)

Tebow Time has arrived in the Mile-High City! With the switch being made official this morning, Denver fans' Chosen One becomes the waiver wire pickup of the week. While he had a rocky start when he entered the game against the Chargers last week, he almost led the Broncos to a come-from-behind victory, playing goal-line back as we all expected. He makes for a good fantasy option because of his skills as a rusher, and that threat opens up the field for other players around him. If you are in need of a quarterback, Tebow has the potential to put up some Cam Newton-like numbers.

Matt Cassel — Chiefs ($9)

Dwayne Bowe is on another touchdown run, and Cassel has had a couple of good fantasy weeks as a result. The caveat here is that they have come against the Vikings and Colts, who do not exactly have top notch defenses. He gets Oakland, San Diego, Miami, Denver, and New England after the bye, though, making him an interesting fantasy option through bye week season. With Bowe and Steve Breaston playing well, and a running game that has found new life, he may put up a few crooked numbers through November.

Matt Moore — Dolphins ($1)

For what it is worth, Moore is the starter in Miami for the remainder of the season. He came into the game against San Diego and had predictably average results. moore is not a good fantasy option, but if you are in a big, two-quarterback league, and you are desperate, here is your chance at the coveted quarterback.

Running Backs:

Jackie Battle — Chiefs ($5)

He came out of nowhere to lead the Chiefs in rushing last week, and suddenly the Chiefs look like they have a good offense. The salt? He was playing against the Colts, who have fallen back to earth as a rushing defense. Battle seems to have gained Todd Haley’s trust, but he is a special teams journeyman with a career 3.9 YPC average. Was the opportunity to start all he needed? Time will tell, but I still would not start any Kansas City running backs until one of them becomes consistent.

Stevan Ridley / Danny Woodhead — Patriots ($6 / $2)

Bill Belichick obviously hates fantasy football owners, putting Ridley on the field for just 13 snaps to BenJarvus Green-Ellis’ 61. After Ridley’s disappointing performance — we can attribute that to the Law Firm running like his job was on the line more than anything — I would bet Ridley can be found on the waiver wire again this week in many leagues. The same goes for Woodhead after injury forced him out last week, though his roler seems to have decreased from last year’s.

Delone Carter / Donald Brown — Colts ($2 / $1)

It looks as though Joseph Addai may be out with a hamstring injury, opening the door for his backups to get some playing time. Brown had a nice 4.8 YPC average against the Chiefs, but Carter got the touchdown. Who has the upper hand? Brown has not been very good since arriving in Indianapolis last year, particularly in pass protection. Carter was pegged as someone who could overtake Addai by midseason, but that talk has cooled with Addai performing well and Carter floundering a bit. I think Carter has better upside, hence he is worth more. The Colts play the Bengals and Saints next, though, so I would not take a chance on starting one of them unless you have limited options.

Wide Receivers:

Darrius Heyward-Bey — Raiders ($5)

Denarius Moore had been saved by late touchdowns in previous weeks, but he had no such luck in week 5 against the Texans. DHB, however, has been surprisingly good over the past couple of games, enough to warrant a look on the waiver wire. I am skeptical of his long-term prospects as he has not performed consistently well in the past, but he is the WR1 in Oakland and finally showing it.

Damian Williams — Titans ($8)

Hasselbeck seems to be warming to Williams, targeting him a team-leading 11 times against the Steelers. Ascending to the WR2 with Kenny Britt’s injury, Williams actually led Titans receivers last week with 67, one more than Nate Washington. With Hasselbeck having seemingly found the fountain of youth, he has become a good fantasy option.

Demaryius Thomas / Eddie Royal — Broncos ($1)

Both receivers are coming back from injury this week, and both figure to cut into Eric Decker’s playing time, particularly Royal. Thomas has been an injury-prone disappointment thus far, but he has some upside. I would not pick him up unless you have a deep bench or you are desperate for some depth, but Broncos receivers have been surprising this season. With Tebow’s ascension to starting quarterback, Broncos wide receivers are a bit of an unknown going forward.

Mark Clayton — Rams ($3)

Sam Bradford’s favorite target from last season looks to make his return in week 7, and I am here to help you get the drop on him early. Clayton was playing lights out last season until he tore his patellar tendon, a nasty injury. He is returning from that injury, so he is a bit of a risky proposition — he could come in and instantly produce, or it could take weeks to work him in to solid playing time. He amassed 22 catches on 37 targets in his first four games last season before his injury in the fifth, and Bradford might trust him even more upon his return considering how many drops his other receivers have made this season.

Kyle Williams / Ted Ginn, Jr. — 49ers ($1)

Just a week after establishing some fantasy relevance, Josh Morgan severely injured his ankle against the Buccaneers, opening the door for Ginn and/or Williams to contribute. If Braylon Edwards is still ailing, it seems Ginn will ascend to WR2 on the depth chart. Both he and Williams are speculative pickups, though, as Alex Smith is more of a game manager than fantasy enabler. Ginn, in particular, is a lottery ticket — the speedster has a chance to connect on a long touchdown pass, but the likelihood is small.

Doug Baldwin / Ben Obamanu — Seahawks ($3 / $2)

Baldwin had a fantastic +2.8 pass rating for his game against the Giants, and he rewarded his owners with a good fantasy game. He has had a couple of good games this season, but they came when receivers ahead of him on the depth chart were out with injuries. Despite Baldwin's catches increasing in each game, Obamanu still played more snaps than Baldwin and had a similarly good fantasy day against the Giants. Big Mike Williams should be back soon, which will cut into both their playing time.

Tight Ends:

Jake Ballard — Giants ($5)

Eli Manning is chucking the ball quite a bit, and Jake Ballard has reaped the rewards with a touchdown in each of the games. He is teetering on the precipice of fantasy irrelevance, though, with just three and four targets in those games — he is basically making the most of his opportunities in the red zone. Ballard is a nice surprise in a Giants offense that lost Kevin Boss, though, and he is worth a bye week or injury fill-in with Eli playing well.

Jared Cook — Titans ($9)

Cook did not have a great fantasy day against the angry Steelers, but he saw nine targets. Matt Hasselbeck seems to be getting more comfortable throwing the ball to Cook, who is seeing his playing time increase. Cook has always had upside, and if he still happens to be available he would make a great fill-in or backup if you need one.

Anthony McCoy — Seahawks ($1)

If you are in a two-tight-end league and desperate, McCoy could be a cheap answer. With Zach Miller possibly sidelined with a concussion, McCoy becomes the starter in Seattle. Of course, Seattle’s tight ends have not been producing. I only have McCoy here because of Miller’s injury, and the Seahawks are on a bye this week, so you may just be able to wait until next week to pick him up.

Fantasy: Waiver Wire - Week 6