POWERHOUSE Pick-Ups Week 11

Week 10 is officially in the books. Unfortunately the week was highlighted by an injury to mega-stud rookie Adrian Peterson. He looks to be down and out for a number of weeks. As always, we’ll keep you posted on that. Hey, at least we don’t have bye weeks to worry about anymore.

On to this weeks pick-ups.

Quarterbacks

Brodie Croyle, Kansas City- Herm Edwards will do anything to get his offense going and has named Croyle his starter for week 11. I personally think Croyle is below average at best, but with his new starting gig in KC, I guess he’s worth keeping an eye on. Stay away…for now.

Running Backs

Chester Taylor, Minnesota- Adrian Peterson injured, ummm…I think we have heard this before. Peterson tore his LCL, and is already ruled out for week 11. Word out of Minnesota is that he could be out for up to six weeks. In wake of Peterson’s record setting pace, many owners cut ties with Chester Taylor. Be sure to get a claim in for him. He runs and catches really well and has relatively fresh legs. Brad Childress loves to run the ball and that won’t change now that Peterson is out. I love Taylor as a borderline RB1 this week vs. Oakland, and I see him as a solid RB2 as long as Peterson is out.

Maurice Morris, Seattle- As I suspected Shaun Alexander missed Monday nights match up hindered by a variety of injuries and old age. Morris started, and while he didn’t do much to distinguish himself, he was solid enough to keep the job if Alexander misses any more time. Morris is definitely worth a pick up.

Aaron Stecker, New Orleans- A recurring theme in New Orleans the last few weeks is Reggie Bush getting injured. A hip, a knee, a mild concussion; those minor injuries will add up over time. Be proactive, not reactive and pick up Stecker. He is a must handcuff for Bush owners and in the event of a Bush injury I think Stecker could make for a solid play when the match up is right.

Wide Receivers

DJ Hackett, Seattle- Had you listened to my advice last week you would have reaped the rewards of an 8 catch 101 yard TD performance last night. I know he won my match up for me late last night with his TD grab. He has quickly become Matt Hasselbeck’s favorite target, and I wouldn’t be too worried about the return of Deion Branch as he has never been much of a red zone threat. This is your last call on Hackett as he will be a hot commodity this week. I like him as a borderline WR2 going forward.

Chris Henry, Cincinnati- Another guy mentioned here previously. Henry didn’t waste any time producing upon return from his suspension with 4 grabs for 99 yards. He is as likely to score a touchdown as he is to get arrested, but while he is on the field he should be a good bet for solid production as a WR3.

Mark Clayton, Baltimore- A Raven wide receiver?? I know it’s a little shady. If you remember, Clayton was pretty hyped coming into the season after a solid sophomore campaign. If you believe in the 3rd year wideouts theory, as I do, he should have been in line for a breakout year. He began this season battling through a variety of injuries. He is finally healthy and coming off his best game of the season, 8 catches for 107 yards. The Raven quarterback situation is abysmal, that whole team is for that matter, but Clayton could have some value down the stretch. If you want a reserve WR with some upside, Clayton is your guy.

Tight End

LJ Smith- HE’S ALIVE!! Here is another guy with high hopes coming into the season and has battled injury since the preseason. Smith had his best game of the season, 4 catches 49 yards and a score, and should be a solid play while healthy. If you are in a tight spot at tight end give Smith a try.

Defense/ST

This just in…the Ravens and 49ers are terrible. Any DEF/ST playing against these teams is a lock for a bunch of sacks, turnovers, and absurdly low yardage totals against. If you are stuck without a dependable DEF/ST and are relegated to playing the match ups every week like me, have fun starting either STL @ SF or CLE @ BAL.

Hoop pick-ups coming later this week...I promise.

Waiver Wire - Week 4

Welcome to my first edition of "Waiver Wire". Each Tuesday I will post my "Waiver Wire", suggesting to you who you should pick up off waivers for that week.

Come on, let's be honest. The "Waiver Wire" articles are one of the most important things to have if you plan on winning that highly coveted championship! Don't believe me? Just ask last year's owners who picked up Marques Colston and Maurice Jones-Drew before anyone else in their league.

My "Waiver Wire" will work a little different the most. It will be cut into 3 sections. The first one will be for "Must Adds". These are the players I think you should add regardless of the league size or point system of the league you are in. Next will be the "Deep Additions". Now in this section I will name to you the players I think you should add if your in a deep league (12-16 people), or if your REALLY shallow at the position of the players I name. Last but not least will be the "Keep an eye on" section. This is exactly what it sounds like, players you should not add but make sure to keep on eye on for the next week or two to see what they do.

I will not be having a "Drop/Cut" portion until week 6 because I am a huge believer that you should not cut anyone you have drafted within the first 5 weeks (excluding players drafted in the last few rounds and players with long term injuries).

And with no further adieu, BlaZeN's Waiver Wire!

Must Adds

Brian Leonard- So much for Jackson being the 2nd "safest pick", Huh? With S-Jax's current injury (partially torn groin muscle), he should out for 2-3 weeks. Not to mention that groin injuries like that don't normally go away, this is an injury that could nag Jackson for the rest of the year.
In comes former Scarlet Knight from Rutgers, Brian Leonard. Yes, the white man with insane hops, who indeed jump OVER Fabian Washington. Leonard is by far the best FA pickup this week. He will get the start this week against the Cowboys. If you don't own Jackson, try trading Leonard to his owner. You should be able to get GREAT value for him. If you own Steven Jackson, you better go get the man ASAP and pray Brian can do something behind that swiss cheese line that Jackson was not able to do.

Kevin Curtis (AKA White Lightning) - Curtis is by far and away the best WR pickup this week. He absolutely torched the Lions secondary this week netting 221 yards, and 3 TDs on 11 catches. Umm... Reggie who?
Its looks now that it is Kevin Curtis who will be McNabb's favorite target this year, not Brown. Can anyone say Donte Stallworth Part 2 (the white version of course) ?

Ron Dayne- I've got to be honest... I'm shocked that Ahman Green made it THIS far into the season until getting hurt. The man has injury after injury after injury. Even if Green starts this week, I would still rather have Dayne on my squad over Stecker. Reason being, Green won't stay healthy, end of story. Dayne should be active in that Houston backfield all year.

Roddy White- Lets just hope this isn't another tease for us fantasy owners. White had 127 yards and a TD on 7 receptions, the TD came on a 69 yarder. I really wouldn't expect any consistent numbers from White but with Leftwich just waiting to take Harrington's job, expect his value to rise even more. Go grab him while you still can.

Aaron Stecker- If you think the Saints will hand the ball off to Reggie 20+ times you're highly mistaken. Stecker should get a decent amount of carries with Deuce out for the year. If Leonard, and Dayne are both gone go get this guy... Now.

Dwayne Bowe- It is now apparent with Eddie Kenninson's injury that the rookie out of LSU, Dwayne Bowe, is the best WR on that Chiefs squad. Too bad he has Damon Huard as his quarterback.
Bowe should keep getting looks and snaps so he should have decent numbers. Just don't expect him to be anything more then a spot starter at best. At least until he proves me wrong.

Kenny Watson- This waiver pick up looks a lot better to a Rudi Johnson owner then it does anyone else. That being said, Rudi played like straight dookie against Seattle this week and hurt his hammy. Hamstring injuries tend to linger when it comes to Running Backs. Cincy will play the very tough run D of the New England Patriots this week then have a bye week 6. I don't expect decent numbers for Watson, but if you have a low waiver priority, I'd put a claim on him and watch him slip by all the others. Then go and try to trade him to Rudi's owner (let's hope for your sake he didn't go get him yet).

Najeh Davenport- If you own Willie Parker go get Najeh, NOW! HE is probably one of the better handcuffs to have.

Owen Daniels- If he's still not owned in your league, better go get this guy. The amount of injuries for that Texans receiving core is getting utterly ridiculous.

Deep Additions

Sammy Morris- Did you know that Sammy Morris has 3 MORE total points this year then Maroney? Well now you know, go pick him up if you're shallow at RB.

Brian Griese- OK, enough already! How many times have we heard Lovie Smith stand up at the podium and say "Rex is our quarterback"? Too many times for me to count... Well I think he's finally gotten over his little Wrecks Grossman crush. I expect to see Griese get the start this week. If your in need of help at QB I'd seriously consider swooping him up before someone else does.

Brandon Jones & Marty Booker- Booker is the more consistent option, but Jones could put up a few really nice stat lines considering hes probably Tennessee's most talented WR. Booker could possibly be a decent spot starter at times, but I doubt he's becomes anything more than that.

Joe Jurevicous & Bobby Engram- Engram has had a nice start, and should be picked up if you're in DIRE need for a WR start this week or next. But don't expect him to keep this up. With Burleson and Branch ahead of him he probably wont get too many looks, consistently. Not to mention Hackett could be on his way back. Big Joe might have a decent week against the Ravens, considering they couldn't tackle two straight physical #2 WRs (Cotchery and then Boldin). What's Joe? A Big physcial #2, if you really need a WR this week give Jurevicous a thought, believe it or not... See what I did there.

Daunte Culpepper- With McCown now hurt, its Culpepper's time to shine (metaphorically speaking, because I highly doubt a QB in Oakland this year will "Shine"). You know that Daunte will get scooped up after this weeks start unless he bombs... Light at QB? Vote Pepper for President!

Jeff King- King has been a top 10 fantasy TE this year. Although I don't expect him to keep THAT up, he's still a decent add in a PPR league, and if your weak at TE.

Keep an Eye On

Earnest Graham- Obviously you cant ignore someone who scores 2 rushing TDs, but in no way should he be picked up this week. Hes in a backfield with Caddy Williams, and Micheal Pittman, so there's not many carries for him. And if you expect to see him get any goal line carries, uh, don't. That being said, definitely keep an eye on him. Gruden said after the game that he needs to find a way to use Graham more.

Maurice Morris- He's the backup to Shaun Alexander. The Shaun Alexander that has a cracked bone in his wrist and has a cast on his arm. I shouldn't even have to tell you to keep an eye on em.

Samkon Gado- Wait and see if Houston will give him any carries know that Green is banged up. Hes proven before that he can be a solid back in this league, so don't be surprised if they do give him a shot.

Demetrius Williams & Kevin Walter- Don't let one bad game scare you off. Keep an eye on Williams for sure. With Clayton's uncertainty when it comes to action, you never know what Williams will do in that offense. It also helps that he's probably the best chance at WR for getting a TD. Kevin Walters and Jerome Mathis are the only two healthy wideouts for Houston. Need I say more?

Marcedes Lewis- He has a bye this week, but the dude is super talented and it looks like he can become a Garrard favorite.

Hot Adds

Here's some hot adds heading into Week 3.

DeShawn Wynn - RB - Green Bay
Wynn is a must add, THE must-add player for the week. Allegedly, he'll be given the chance to be the feature back with Brandon Jackson struggling mightily. Realistically, you should temper your expectations...other than a long TD run against the Giants in Week 2, he failed to put up inspirational numbers. That said, every feature back in the NFL deserves to be owned.

Owen Daniels - TE - Houston
The loss of Andre Johnson should benefit Daniels nicely. He will take over as their best receiving option and should put up good numbers at home against the Colts.

Jacoby Jones - WR - Houston
This is the other guy getting hype about more targets due to the loss of Andre Johnson. Personally, I'll believe it when I see it. Jones will certainly get more looks, but I'm not convinced that he'll put up better numbers than he has so far this season. Also temper your expectations since Coach Kubiak claims that Kevin Walter is the only Texan WR guaranteed a starting position.

Shaun McDonald - WR - Detroit
The best #4 WR in the NFL. If the Lions continue throwing 50+ times per game, there's obviously plenty of catches to go around. The drawback here is that McDonald has likely already reached his ceiling. The possibility exists for him to pass Mike Furrey on the depth chart, although Roy Williams and Megatron will remain the top 2 options. On the other hand, the Lions throw more than any other team, and love to go 4 wide.

Anthony Gonzalez - WR - Indianapolis
After being The Invisible Man in Week 1, Gonzalez made some nice grabs in Week 2. That should go a long was in earning endorsement loving Peyton Manning's trust, gaining more looks. A WR3 in this explosive offense should definitely be owned, he could end up with similar numbers to Brandon Stokley's a few seasons back.

Dwayne Bowe - WR - Kansas City
In Week 2 he stole a TD away from Tony Gonzalez and caught another nullified by penalty. Someone other than Gonzo has to catch the occasional pass in KC with Kennison out.

Bobby Engram - WR - Seattle
Never exciting, but he puts up respectable numbers year after year.

Indianapolis Colts - Defense/Special Teams
They're going against a Texans team that has looked impressive thus far, but they will be without Andre Johnson, making the Colts a very nice play for Week 3.

Houston Texans - Defense/Special Teams
Tied for 4th for fewest points allowed (24). 19th against the pass, 3rd against the rush. 25th in sacks (2) isn't pretty, but they have the 6th most INTs (3). Those stats are from a small sample size and one of the games was against the Chiefs, but they certainly deserve to be watched.

Jeff Reed - K - Pittsburgh
Yup, a kicker. Hey, the top-scoring kicker has been a waiver addition the past couple seasons, and it appears as though Reed very well may be on that route in 2007.