Half way through the season and I'm actually rather excited to say that we made it though a whole week with hardly any injuries! Woo!
Some moves have been made however and we all know that every week brings new talent. Lets take a look at some of the best waiver wire pickups going into Week 9.
Chris Ogbonnaya, RB, Cleveland Browns
Peyton Hillis is still dealing with a hamstring injury and his backup Hardesty left the game Sunday after just two carries. I would not be shocked to see Ogbonnaya get the start and majority of carries this week as the Browns go up against the team that cut Ogbonnaya earlier this year, the Houston Texans.
The Texans are giving up less than 100 on the ground per week, but that number has gone up with Houston defensive injuries. The Browns have been having little success in any form of offense this year, but you have to believe that Ogbonnaya will be wanted to get back at his former team.
I don't expect huge stats out of him, but if you have bye week problems or have been playing a subpar player in past weeks, Ogbonnaya might be worth the pickup. He is my favorite waiver wire pickup this week.
Darrius Heyward-Bey, WR, Oakland Raiders
Alright, we know that Carson Palmer had a bad first impression against the Chiefs in his first week in a Raiders jersey, but hear me out. Palmer had been in the offense for less than a week, he was up against a tough defense, and he was cold after not playing for nearly a year.
I'm not saying that Palmer is going to break out any time soon, but we can expect for him to get the ball in the air a little better coming off his bye week as he has had time to study the offense and throw to his receivers. Oakland will be playing at home against Denver, a team that has been giving up some big plays this season.
Heyward-Bey is leading the team with 27 receptions, 13 more than their second best receiver. He is their big play threat and gets the targets each week. He is already owned in over half the leagues, but if he has been riding your bench or is still on the wire, you might want to snatch him up. This game has some big play potential if you are hurting for it.
Sam Bradford, QB, St. Louis Rams
Bradford is also owned in over half of all fantasy football leagues, but at a pretty surprisingly low percentage of 53. Now is the time to snatch him up.
After Steven Jackson's Week 8 performance, opposing defenses know that they need to watch this run game. This will open up the pass more for Bradford. The Rams have also been bitten by the injury bug, which hurt Bradford early in the season. Expect that to change.
Bradford is coming off injury and able to play with one of the top WRs of 2010 in Brandon Lloyd. Lloyd is by far the best receiver that Bradford has even thrown to in the NFL and should open up a lot of options for last year's Offensive Rookie of the Year.
I expect Bradford to be a climber from here to the end of the season. Bradford will be against Arizona in Week 9, the third worst passing defense in the league.
Brent Celek, TE, Philadelphia Eagles
I'll bite on his performance in Week 8. It has a lot to do with the defensive coverage from the Cowboys, but Celek made the most of it, pulling in 7 receptions for 94 yards and a score.
This is Celek's first trip to the top of the TE heap, but it could hangover in to Week 9 when the Eagles stay at home to face the Bears on Monday night. Chicago is giving up the most points in the league to tight ends.
If the Bears provide the same pressure to the outside of the field like the Cowboys did, expect another big night for Celek. He doesn't have year-long potential, but he is a good bet in Week 9.
Oakland Raiders Defense
A handful of delicately owned Defenses are facing good matchups this week. My favorite would have to be the Oakland Raiders (13% owned). The Raiders will be playing at home against the Denver Broncos who gave up 28 (depending on the league you're in) points to the Detroit Lions defense last week.
While Tim Tebow might be putting up decent numbers in fantasy football, he is embarrassing when it comes to actually playing NFL games. His yardage comes when the team is already down in the fourth quarter. He has been sacked a staggering 14 times in just two weeks. He is failing at getting the ball down the field. The entire Denver offense is in trouble and owning the Raiders this week will allow you to capitalize.
Other Defenses that I like in Week 9: Cardinals, Bills, Chiefs and Rams.
Hey,
ReplyDeleteShould I drop any of Torain, Helu, D Thomas, M Ryan for any of these guys: F Jones, Bradford, Starks, Hillis?
My starting QB is Romo and my starting RB are McCoy and MJD so this is for backups and keeping players off of other people's rosters.
Thanks!
What do you think about picking up Atlanta's D?
ReplyDeleteHey, Percy Harvin is sitting out there in my league. Do you think he will end up being the best receiver in MINN going forward or should I go for Jenkins who is also out there? Also, Ive got a lot of byes this week so im kind of embarrassed to ask this but would you go with Crabtree or Jon Baldwin from the chiefs, who looks like hes finally making an impact, for this week?
ReplyDeleteI really like KC's defense this week after watching them against the Chargers. Granted the Chargers are slipping... Flowers, Hali, and Johnson were all playing their best football, and they have an even better matchup against the worst passing team in the NFL.
ReplyDeleteDoubt you'll start anyone but Romo unless he goes down. I'd imagine that Matt Ryan is the best backup there, so I'd hold on to him. Torain should be a good bet from here out, too, so I'd like to see him on your roster still.
ReplyDeleteI'd say that Helu is the most expendable. Hillis hasnt done much and that offense is awful, so I would probably go for Starks ahead of anyone else you have listed.
Again, you aren't going to start these guys, but my gut would point to that being the best move.
Had a little trouble gauging ATL. They haven't really done much to impress me so far this year, but the matchup is a good one. I currently have them sitting at 11... but they have the opportunity to put up their highest point total this week against Indy. I like the call.
ReplyDeleteHarvin is probably the best bet going forward. He showed this last week that he can get the job done. I like Jenkins but he is far more of a gamble. Harvin is someone you can count on for more consistency.
ReplyDeleteCrabtree is surprisingly high in my rankings. I think that he could turn some heads this week against Washington. It's his turn. Baldwin did have a good game, but I am pretty hesitant to play someone who has just one great week in the middle of the season. I'd roll Crabtree. I still like Breaston ahead of Baldwin.
They are definitely a good call this week. They didn't make my short list just because the other teams are less owned. I have them sitting at number nine this week, but it could definitely be higher. They did look great against the Chargers. Flowers is something special.
ReplyDeleteThanks! I know these are backups but you never know.
ReplyDelete