Week One Waiver Wire Pickups Sep 10, 2008 | More

Welcome back to the Waiver Wire report. As always your comments, suggestions and arguments are welcome. Each week we'll attempt to talk about some players that either through performance or depth chart moves, warrant at least a check of your league to see if they are available to be picked up.  Winning a fantasy football title doesn't end on draft day, and it certainly is more than submitting a weekly lineup.  You have to be active every week to make sure you have an edge over your competition.  Each waiver wire selection is crucial, especially this time of year!

We'll also attempt to dig deeeep through the depths and point out a few players to you in dynasty leaguers that might be worth adding to your roster. In a dynasty league, you need to be looking very low on the NFL depth charts. We'll see if we can't find a few diamonds in the rough that might help you out in the future. 

Week 1 saw many players go down to injury, including three quarterbacks. The Tom Brady situation in New England is a clear illustration of the differences between NFL football and fantasy football. In the NFL, it isn't cost effective to have two top quarterbacks on the same roster.  Teams that have a star at quarterback like New England, Dallas and Indianapolis can't afford to spend a lot of money on a decent backup. But for the fantasy owner like ourselves, not only can we have two or more decent quarterbacks on our roster, it is a must if we want to win a championship. 

So good luck, and let's get right into it!

Smokin' Hot
TE Anthony Fasano, Mia
Let's see here: Chad Pennington can't throw the ball more than 20 yards, the Dolphins don't have much at wide out ... this is a recipe for tremendous success for the tight end. Fasano was clearly Pennington's favorite target over David Martin, so look for Fasano to potentially become one of the elite fantasy producers in 2008. 

WR Eddie Royal, Den
The rookie was the go-to-player in the Broncos Monday night offense, and he didn't disappoint, going for 146 yards and a TD before Denver took their foot off the gas pedal.  While the Denver passing game won't be going up against the Raiders every week, look for Royal to be a weekly contributor and solid WR2 for your fantasy team. 

QB Kurt Warner, Ari
I'm putting Warner in this category because I think you need to ride this wave while you can.  Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald are top wide outs, so Warner should be able to put up good numbers. I do have some concerns about the pass protection in week one against a weak opponent, but if Warner can keep on his feet, he should excel as a low-end starter or solid backup fantasy quarterback. 

PK John Kasay, Car
Yes, that's right, we've got a kicker in the Smokin Hot category!  Kasay has always been reliable and the Panthers are a team that will be getting into field goal range a lot this season.  Four kicks, including two in the 40+ range, in week one should elevate him to be a solid starting fantasy kicker. 

Solid Pickups
TE Dante Rosario, Car
Even without his game-winning catch at the final gun, Rosario was having a very solid game.  Add on that TD catch to bring his totals to 96 yards and a TD, and, well that's a pretty good effort from a TE.  Unfortunately, it sounds like he sprained a foot and is questionable for Week 2, but keep an eye on him and if possible, grab him and stash him on your bench. 

WR Matt Jones, Jax
Finally!  With Jerry Porter on the sideline, Jones stepped up with an impressive six catches for 80 yards stat line in week one. Given the talent at wide out for the Jaguars, a hard working Jones is probably the best option in the air. I expect similar 6/80 numbers out of him on a weekly basis. 

RB Tim Hightower, Ari
The rookie has been impressive when on the field – so much so that it looks like the Cardinals are going to not only trust Hightower with the goal line carries, but also get him on the field in passing situations.  Arizona will continue to find ways to get him on the field and get him the ball, so take a close look at picking up the rookie. 

RB Pierre Thomas, NO
The Saints youngster has clearly moved ahead of Deuce McAllister on the depth chart.  Anytime you can add a backup RB to your roster, you should do so, especially those Reggie Bush owners out there. 

RB Jerious Norwood, Atl
It's too bad the Falcons can't play against the Lions every week! I don't expect 14 carries for 93 yards and a TD on a regular basis, but Norwood could be regularly in the mix enough to be a RB3 or flex in your starting lineup. 

QB Matt Cassel, NE
Believe it or not, the NFL and New England Patriots will continue to play games without Tom Brady.  Cassel will be the starter for the Patriots for the rest of the season, so that in itself warrants waiver wire consideration. No, New England won't ask Cassel to do the same things they asked of Brady, conservative will be the word .... he'll have Randy Moss and Wes Welker catching the ball so it's not out of the question to expect around 200 yards and a couple of TDs per week. 

On the Radar
QB Matt Ryan, Atl
Many fantasy owners shied away from the rookie on draft day, taking a wait and see approach. Now we've seen, and it looked pretty good. Again, too bad the Lions can't be the opponent on a weekly basis! The Falcons are committed to playing Ryan, and there will be some bumps in the road, but you could do worse for a backup fantasy QB. 

TE Bo Scaife, Ten
I'm not as high on Scaife as others are, especially with Alge Crumpler ahead of him on the depth chart. That said, 100 yards from a tight end is a number that can't be ignored. Keep an eye on Scaife and the Titans passing situation in the coming weeks. 

TE Randy McMichael, StL
Perhaps the lone bright spot for the Rams in week one was the play of McMichael, catching five balls for 77 yards. The Rams operate an offense that is friendly to the tight end, so look for McMichael to be involved on a weekly basis. 

Running Backs, New England
This seems like as good a place to discuss this situation as any. Simply put, there are too many guys in the mix here for anyone to put up enough fantasy numbers to warrant consideration for your starting lineup, and that includes Laurence Maroney. Sammy Morris and Maroney got equal time on the ground (10 carries), with Morris also catching five passes.  LaMont Jordan was on the field quite a bit, and with Kevin Faulk back in week two from suspension, that muddles things even more. Yes, the Patriots will be more conservative, and they will be running the ball more. Unfortunately, Bill Belichick has shown in the past that he'll rotate as many guys as possible through the position, virtually ruining the fantasy value of all of them. Forced to choose, I'd stash Sammy Morris since he's more established in the system and is involved in the passing game, but if possible, look elsewhere and save yourself the frustration. 

Deep and/or Dynasty Only
WR Hank Baskett and Greg Lewis, Phi
I have a hard time sorting thru the wide outs for the Eagles. Lewis was good for five catches and 104 yards, while Baskett was good for two catches and 102 yards and a TD. I'm not impressed, or maybe convinced is the better choice of words here. These guys pretty much rotated 50-50 during the game, and unless Donovan McNabb throws for 300+ yards on a weekly basis, I can't see how either of these guys will be worth considering as a fantasy starter. Dynasty owners, grab and stash and hope that an injury situation opens the door for one of these guys to be full time players. 

TE John Carlson, Sea
We continue to dig deep into the tight ends – here with Seattle's entry. Carlson opened the season catching four passes for 52 yards, but with Jeb Putzier also in the mix, it's not likely that Carlson would be consistent enough to be a fantasy starter. 

QB Kerry Collins, Ten
There are conflicting reports as to what is going on with Vince Young, but the consensus seems to be that Young will be out for 2-4 weeks. That opens the door for Collins to start; certainly this is not a long-term solution for the fantasy owner, but for the fantasy owner counting on Young, it's a good idea to find roster space for Collins. 

RB Le'Ron McClain, Bal
With McGahee out in week one, McClain shared time with rookie Ray Rice, with McClain rushing 19 times for 87 yards. That should be enough to get him on your dynasty radar. 

RB Shaun Alexander, FA
Yes, we're digging pretty deep here, and I'm guessing that the dynasty owner of Alexander is still holding onto him (I am), but if he's available, he might be worth considering.  With week one in the books, teams that sign him now won't have to guarantee his salary for the season.  And let's be honest, there are plenty of NFL teams that could use a quality running back (hello Cincinnati!). Of course, that would assume that Shaun Alexander still is a quality running back and the jury is clearly still out on that ....