Waiver Wire: The one big get after Week 1
Unknown wide receivers were among the many hot topics in Week 1, which is understandable when Kevin Ogletree and Stephen Hill each get over 20 Fantasy points. You would have probably expected 20 Fantasy points combined for each for the season -- if you even heard of them at all.
Plenty of Fantasy owners are ready to spend a huge chunk of their bid points on Ogletree and Hill, especially when expected stud receivers like Wes Welker, Hakeem Nicks and Greg Jennings didn't even combine for 10 Fantasy points. Welker had one point, and Nicks and Jennings had three each -- don't panic, they'll be fine.
But while you should add Ogletree and even Hill, which we'll outline below, the one free agent to spend big on is running back Alfred Morris. He should be the most coveted waiver wire addition if he's still available in your league.
We had many quality receiver performances in Week 1, and receivers are easy to find throughout the season. But after losing Fred Jackson (knee) to an injury Sunday at the Jets and already being without Ryan Mathews (shoulder), you want to grab talented running backs when they are available. And Morris showed he has plenty of talent in Washington's upset victory at New Orleans.
Even Mike Shanahan can't deny Morris should remain his starting running back -- for now. As long as that continues he should be owned -- and potentially started -- in all leagues.
Editor's note: Must add is for players worth adding in all leagues. Maybe add is for players worth adding in 14-team leagues or larger. Desperation add is for players worth adding only if you're, well, desperate. The ownership percentage listed is how many leagues that player was owned in the previous week for CBSSports.com.
Quarterbacks
Must add: Alex Smith, 49ers (67 percent)
Maybe add: Ryan Fitzpatrick, Bills (65 percent), Mark Sanchez, Jets (16 percent), Blaine Gabbert, Jaguars (11 percent)
Desperation add: Matt Cassel, Chiefs (29 percent)
The breakdown: Smith may never turn into a Fantasy stud, but he could be a quality No. 2 Fantasy quarterback. He did a nice job against the Packers with 21 Fantasy points in Week 1 with touchdowns to Randy Moss and Vernon Davis. ... Like Smith, Gabbert's upside is probably limited, but he also should benefit from an upgraded receiving corps this year. The Jaguars will throw the ball more effectively this season, and Gabbert had touchdowns to Cecil Shorts and Marcedes Lewis against the Vikings, finishing with 22 Fantasy points. ... Sanchez kept Tim Tebow in a reserve role with 26 Fantasy points against the Bills, but I'm not sold on him keeping his job all season. Still, he was a Top 12 Fantasy quarterback last year and started this season off with a great performance. ... Fitzpatrick still managed 19 Fantasy points with three interceptions and should improve, but he can't keep turning the ball over. He now has 19 interceptions in his past 10 games. ... Cassel had 18 Fantasy points against the Falcons, but his value is minimal, even as a backup in deeper leagues. He needs more from Dwayne Bowe (three catches for 53 yards) to be more consistent.
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Running backs
Must add: Jacquizz Rodgers, Falcons (68 percent), Alfred Morris, Redskins (56 percent), Kendall Hunter, 49ers (36 percent), Jonathan Dwyer, Steelers (31 percent)
Maybe add: Knowshon Moreno, Broncos (9 percent)
Desperation add: Tashard Choice, Bills (1 percent), Shaun Draughn, Chiefs (0 percent), LaRod Stephens-Howling, Cardinals (0 percent), Joique Bell, Lions (0 percent)
The breakdown: Morris is the player to add this week in all leagues, and he's worth spending at least 30 percent of your bid points. He led all running backs with 28 carries and finished with 21 Fantasy points against the Saints. I still expect Roy Helu and Evan Royster to play prominent roles this season since we're talking about Shanahan after all, but grab Morris now while he's hot, especially with a matchup against the Rams this week. ... Michael Turner had 11 carries for 32 yards against the Chiefs. Rodgers had nine touches (seven carries, two catches) for 35 yards. The Falcons are a passing offense, and Rodgers' playing time is only going to increase. ... The running back to own in Pittsburgh right now is Dwyer. He had 54 total yards against the Broncos, while Isaac Redman had 27. Until Rashard Mendenhall (knee) returns you can count on Dwyer's playing time to increase. … Be ready for Hunter to play in a featured role if Frank Gore ever gets hurt. He's worth stashing. ... Moreno, not Ronnie Hillman (49 percent), is the No. 2 running back in Denver and should be owned ahead of Hillman except in keeper leagues. Moreno scored a touchdown against the Steelers. ... Bell, Draughn and Stephens-Howling have too many players ahead of them on the depth chart to matter, despite scoring touchdowns in Week 1.
Wide receivers
Must add: Danny Amendola, Rams (70 percent), Brandon LaFell, Panthers (68 percent), Randall Cobb, Packers (48 percent), Alshon Jeffery, Bears (45 percent), Kevin Ogletree, Cowboys (5 percent)
Maybe add: Mike Williams, Buccaneers (68 percent), James Jones, Packers (23 percent), Stephen Hill, Jets (13 percent), Dexter McCluster, Chiefs (8 percent), Rod Streater, Raiders (6 percent), Andrew Hawkins, Bengals (0 percent), Aldrick Robinson, Redskins (0 percent)
Desperation add: Andre Roberts, Cardinals (3 percent), Donald Jones, Bills (1 percent), Donnie Avery, Colts (1 percent), Cecil Shorts, Jaguars (0 percent), Brandon Gibson, Rams (0 percent), Jeremy Kerley, Jets (0 percent)
The breakdown: Ogletree is not going to become the next Laurent Robinson, who scored 11 touchdowns for the Cowboys last season, as long as Dez Bryant, Miles Austin and Jason Witten are healthy. He took advantage of a weak Giants secondary and Witten being less than 100 percent in Week 1. But he still has the potential to be a No. 3 Fantasy receiver, especially after seeing 11 targets. I'd spend 15 percent of my bid points on him. ... I like Ogletree better than Hill simply because of his quarterback. Hill also saw fewer targets than Santonio Holmes, who will remain the best receiver on his team. If Hill plays well against the Steelers this week then he'd be worth adding across the board. ... Amendola is back at 100 percent, and he had five catches for 70 yards against the Lions. You might see that stat line a lot this year. ... LaFell and Cobb were two of my favorite sleepers this year. LaFell had 12 Fantasy points at Tampa Bay, and Cobb had nine targets for nine catches and 77 yards. He has more upside than James Jones, who will be inconsistent once Jennings and Jordy Nelson get going, but Jennings is dealing with a groin injury. ... Jeffery had 14 Fantasy points and will benefit with plenty of single coverage opposite Brandon Marshall. He's an elite talent with an elite quarterback in Jay Cutler. ... I'm not buying Shorts until I see more from him once Justin Blackmon and Robinson get going. ... Aldrick Robinson could see a boost in value if Pierre Garcon (foot) is out. The same goes for Donald Jones with David Nelson (knee) out. ... McCluster and Hawkins have increased value in PPR leagues. McCluster had six catches for 82 yards against the Falcons, and Hawkins had eight catches for 86 yards against the Ravens. They are worth adding now in those formats. ... I'd like to see Williams bounce back, but he had just two catches for 12 yards and a touchdown against the Panthers. I need to see more. ... Streater had four catches for 27 yards and a touchdown against San Diego and will continue to benefit with Denarius Moore (hamstring) and Jacoby Ford (foot) out.
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Tight ends
Must add: Coby Fleener, Colts (70 percent), Kyle Rudolph, Vikings (58 percent), Martellus Bennett, Giants (38 percent), Marcedes Lewis, Jaguars (21 percent)
Maybe add: Heath Miller, Steelers (33 percent), Scott Chandler, Bills (13 percent), Dennis Pitta, Ravens (2 percent)
Desperation add: Kevin Boss, Chiefs (2 percent), Clay Harbor, Eagles (0 percent)
The breakdown: After doing nothing in the preseason, Fleener had six catches for 82 yards against the Bears. Andrew Luck showed plenty of trust in him as the No. 2 receiving threat behind Reggie Wayne with 10 targets. ... Rudolph is going to be a quality weapon for Christian Ponder and had five catches for 67 yards on seven targets. He should emerge as a red-zone threat. ... Bennett scored a touchdown against the Cowboys and should emerge as the No. 3 receiving threat for the Giants behind Nicks and Victor Cruz. ... Lewis had more touchdowns in Week 1 than he did in all of 2011. Remember, he had 10 touchdowns in 2010 and could definitely have a bounce-back year. ... Miller has never been a consistent threat and Chandler got off to a hot start last year. I'd be in a wait-and-see mode with those two tight ends. ... Pitta is interesting, and he led the Ravens with five catches for 73 yards and a touchdown against the Bengals. Unfortunately, it will be Pitta for one week and Ed Dickson another. Be patient with these guys and see how it goes in another week or two.
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