Waiver Wire: Health crisis at quarterback
For those of you with Peyton Manning, Drew Brees, Brett Favre and the handful of other healthy, successful quarterbacks this year, enjoy it. Because there are some owners in your league scrambling as we speak.
Tony Romo is the latest quarterback to go down. He's expected to miss four weeks with a broken pinkie in his throwing hand, although it will only be three games with Dallas having a bye in Week 10.
You can add Romo to the list of quarterbacks selected as a starter and now injured, according to their average draft position on CBSSports.com. He joins Tom Brady (knee), Carson Palmer (elbow) and Matt Hasselbeck (knee) as being done for the season or missing games due to injury.
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| Owners will be hard pressed to replace Tony Romo's 14 TDs. (Getty Images) |
Some backup options have thrived like Kurt Warner, Philip Rivers and Aaron Rodgers. But still, with the bye weeks upon us, quarterback pick ups are crucial.
Brad Johnson will start for Romo, and he's only owned in 1 percent of leagues on CBSSports.com. But Johnson probably isn't going to help your Fantasy team much even if he does have great weapons in Terrell Owens, Jason Witten and Marion Barber.
We thought the same thing about Matt Cassel with Randy Moss and Wes Welker, and that hasn't worked out too well. The Cowboys next three games are against St. Louis, Tampa Bay and the Giants before their bye, so only consider using Johnson this week against the Rams.
If you miss on Johnson, there are some quality quarterbacks available on the waiver wire.
It might be too late to add Matt Schaub (84 percent), Kyle Orton (82 percent) or David Garrard (77 percent), but grab them immediately if they are still out there. All three are playing well right and would be good replacements for Romo.
If not, look at Matt Ryan (42 percent), Gus Frerotte (37 percent) and Chad Pennington (44 percent). All three are coming off good outings in Week 6, especially Ryan.
He passed for 301 yards and a touchdown against the Bears and continues to do a good job avoiding pressure (no sacks against Chicago). He also showed nice touch on his passes while involving everyone with Roddy White (nine catches for 112 yards and a touchdown), Harry Douglas (five catches for 96 yards) and Michael Jenkins (four catches for 58 yards) playing well.
Ryan has now thrown a touchdown in all three home games. We'll see if his solid play starts to translate on the road, but this is a good game for Ryan going into the bye in Week 7.
Ryan has some good matchups ahead at home against New Orleans and Denver in Weeks 10 and 11. He also has a favorable road game at Oakland in Week 9.
Frerotte is facing the same Bears defense Ryan just had this week. In Week 6 against Detroit, Frerotte passed for 296 yards, one touchdown and one interception. He now has passed for at least 200 yards in all four starts and is connecting well with Bernard Berrian, who will face his former team this week.
It appears like Frerotte will keep it up and can be an emergency replacement, especially this week.
Pennington passed for 284 yards, two touchdowns and one interception at Houston. He has done well adjusting to the "Wildcat" formation and playing with inferior talent at wide receiver in Greg Camarillo and Ted Ginn.
Pennington has passed for at least 225 yards in four of five starts this year with five touchdowns and two interceptions. He has a tough matchup in Week 7 against Baltimore, but the Ravens just allowed three passing touchdowns against Peyton Manning.
Some other quarterbacks who could be worth adding based on their matchup this week are Trent Edwards (65 percent), Kerry Collins (23 percent) and Jeff Garcia (18 percent). Edwards plays host to San Diego, Collins is at Kansas City and Garcia, who just passed for 173 yards and a touchdown against Carolina in place of injured starter Brian Griese (elbow), faces Seattle.
It's been a rough year for quarterbacks, so feel lucky if your starter is still standing tall and playing well. Otherwise, you are dealing with guys like J.T. O'Sullivan and Cassel and keeping your fingers crossed on a weekly basis.
In case you haven't noticed ... It's time to add Colts running back Dominic Rhodes. This is another example of why you should handcuff your top running back with his backup because Joseph Addai (hamstring) was hurt against the Ravens. Colts coach Tony Dungy didn't think Addai's injury was serious, but Rhodes proved he could handle the load when Addai left the game. Rhodes, who is owned in 25 percent of leagues, had 25 carries for 73 yards and scored the first rushing touchdown against the Ravens this year. If Addai is out for Week 7, Rhodes would start at Green Bay, which is a great matchup for him.
Each Monday we will highlight players who might be available in your league and whether you should consider picking them up off waivers based on their recent performances. The players chosen are based on the percentage of ownership in CBSSports.com leagues.
Add 'Em
Warrick Dunn, RB, Tampa Bay
Owned: 56 percent of leagues
Week 6: Had 22 carries for 115 yards against and caught three passes for 18 yards against Carolina.
Analysis: Dunn continues to steal carries from starter Earnest Graham. Dunn had 16 carries in Week 4 against Green Bay and 11 carries in Week 5 against Denver and has rushed for 252 yards the past three games. Graham has 35 carries for 181 yards the past three games, but he scored two touchdowns. Graham volunteered to play fullback against the Panthers with Bryan Storer getting hurt, which gave Dunn more carries. If that continues, Dunn could be a useful No. 3 Fantasy running back, although Graham will still score the touchdowns.
Devin Hester, WR, Chicago
Owned: 53 percent of leagues
Week 6: Caught six passes for 87 yards at Atlanta.
Analysis: Hester appears to have figured out how to play wide receiver. He now has 14 catches for 180 yards and two touchdowns the past three games and has developed a solid rapport with Kyle Orton. As Orton continues to improve, so will Hester, so pick him up if you need help at receiver. He is running solid routes and has started making plays besides just running fly patterns. And in leagues where you get points for return yardage, Hester just keeps looking better and better.
Brandon Stokley, WR, Denver
Owned: 49 percent of leagues
Week 6: Caught three passes for 29 yards and a touchdown against Jacksonville.
Analysis: Stokley left the game against the Jaguars with a head injury after scoring the touchdown, so keep an eye on his status. But if he's healthy and Eddie Royal (ankle) and Tony Scheffler (ankle) remain out, Stokley will continue to be the No. 2 option for Jay Cutler behind Brandon Marshall. Stokley now has 16 catches for 161 yards and two touchdowns the past three games. He has a solid matchup in Week 7 at New England and should continue to play well if his head is OK.
Avoid 'Em
Patrick Cobbs, RB, Miami
Owned: 0 percent of leagues
Week 6: Had three catches for 138 yards and two touchdowns at Houston.
Analysis: It was a nice game for Cobbs, who scored on the deep pass off the "Wildcat" formation and a screen pass. It won't happen again, and Cobbs is the No. 3 running back behind Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams. Look for Cobbs to play a role on a trick play again at some point this year, but don't consider adding him unless Brown and Williams get hurt and miss significant time.
Vernon Davis, TE, San Francisco
Owned: 43 percent of leagues
Week 6: Had six catches for 75 yards against Philadelphia.
Analysis: Davis went from a starting option before the season to being released in the majority of leagues. Don't consider adding him again at this point because he played well against a team that has struggled with tight ends all year. Prior to his game against the Eagles, Davis had five catches for 87 yards on the season and was being outplayed by backup Delanie Walker. For Davis to have any Fantasy value in the future he needs to leave San Francisco.
Malcom Floyd, WR, San Diego
Owned: 0 percent of leagues
Week 6: Caught three passes for 75 yards and a touchdown against New England.
Analysis: Floyd played well with Chris Chambers (ankle) out and has been good for a few red zone targets for the Chargers the past four years. But Floyd had no catches coming into this game, and even if Chambers is out for an extended amount of time, don't expect Floyd to play like this again. He didn't start for Chambers (Craig Davis did), and Vincent Jackson, Antonio Gates and LaDainian Tomlinson will continue to be the top targets for Philip Rivers.
Others to monitor ...
Donnie Avery, WR, St. Louis
Owned: 4 percent of leagues
Week 6: Had four catches for 73 yards at Washington.
Analysis: Part of the offensive woes for the Rams has been finding a second receiver opposite Torry Holt. Avery has dealt with injuries to start his rookie season, but he appears healthy now. He has 10 catches for 119 yards the past three games, and the Rams have high hopes for Avery, which is why he was the first receiver taken in the 2008 NFL Draft. If he continues to play like this, add him and use him toward the end of the season.
Ahman Green, RB, Houston
Owned: 26 percent of leagues
Week 6: Had eight carries for 41 yards and one catch for 2 yards against Miami.
Analysis: Green continues to take carries away from Steve Slaton, who had 15 carries for 58 yards against the Dolphins. Green looks healthy the past two weeks against Miami and Indianapolis and has 20 carries for 88 yards over that span. Houston coach Gary Kubiak said Slaton will continue to start, but Green will share carries. And if Slaton hits the rookie wall at some point, Green could see more touches and increased Fantasy value.
Marcedes Lewis, TE, Jacksonville
Owned: 8 percent of leagues
Week 6: Had three catches for 64 yards and a touchdown against Denver.
Analysis: Lewis now has four catches for 88 yards and two touchdowns in his past two games. David Garrard is fond of Lewis, who remains one of the more consistent targets for the Jaguars given their problems at receiver. If Lewis can continue making plays like this, he would be a quality starting tight end in all leagues. Hopefully, Garrard will keep looking in Lewis' direction, and he will remain a red zone target.
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