Fantasy Football 2011 Waiver Wire: Week 3

If your fantasy league is anything like mine, the free agent pool is pretty shallow right now - filled with a bunch of "what ifs" and "never-will-bes." That said, there are a couple of a guys worth looking at, especially if lost someone to injury in week two.

Dexter McCluster, RB, Kansas City
With Chiefs RB Jamaal Charles out for the season with a torn ACL, Kansas City and fantasy owners are searching for a replacement. The guys best-equipped to replace Charles is McCluster. While Thomas Jones will likely get more carries at first, I see McCluster as the guy with more upside. However, despite his big play potential, he doesn't have the frame to withstand the every-down pounding of a featured back. I'm not sure McCluster is a fantasy starter right now, but he worth a roster spot, especially for Charles owners.

Roy Helu, RB, Washington Redskins
The more touches Helu gets the more he looks like an emerging NFL running back. Helu played much of the second half in Sunday's win over the Arizona Cardinals and looked solid in relief of Tim Hightower. I'm ready to say Helu should replace Hightower as the starter in Washington, but if Hightower get injured or his fumbling problem returns, Helu will be an exceptional replacement. Stash him on your roster now before his value gets too high.

David Nelson, WR, Buffalo Bills
After a ten catch performance in week two, Nelson is officially on the fantasy football radar. So far this season, Nelson has 14 catches for 149 yards and a touchdown. The Bills have quietly become a very good offensive team with a solid quarterback in Ryan Fitzpatrick. Nelson gives the Bills a nice complementary wide receiver opposite Steve Johnson. Nelson is big (6'5") slot receiver who will see his fair share of targets this season. Nelson is more valuable in PPR leagues than in standard leagues.

Denarius Moore, WR, Oakland Raiders
After a sensational preseason, Moore (pictured) proved he's no fluke by catching five passes for 146 yards and a touchdown against the Buffalo Bills. Moore took advantage of his opportunity to play with Jacoby Ford and Darrius Heyward-Bey inactive on Sunday. Moore looks like a guy who's the most ready to be a fantasy starter. Even when Ford and Heyward-Bey return to the field, the Raiders would be dumb to keep Moore on the sidelines (draw your own conclusions on that one).

Eric Decker, WR, Denver Broncos
Much like Moore, Decker took advantage of his increased playing time with Denver's top wide receivers on the sideline. Decker caught five passes for 113 yards and two touchdowns with WRs Brandon Lloyd and Eddie Royal both nursing groin injuries. It looks like Lloyd (Denver's top target) will be back this week, but Royal could be out for several more weeks. With Royal out, Decker will likely start opposite Lloyd and he's a good option for fantasy owners. My one concern with Decker is he has a history of injuries, so use him now.

Matt Hasselbeck, QB, Tennessee Titans
If Cam Newton or Ryan Fitzpatrick are still available in your league, pick them up immediately, if those guys aren't available go with Hasselbeck. The former Seattle QB has found his groove in Tennessee, a lot sooner than most expected. Hasselbeck dazzled in week two, torching the Baltimore Ravens for 358 yards and a touchdown (he threw two TDs in week one). With defenses focused on stopping RB Chris Johnson, Hasselbeck should find plenty of space to get the ball to WRs Kenny Britt and Nate Washington. If you're (really) desperate for a QB, Hasselbeck is you guy (especially the next two weeks: vs. Denver and at Cleveland).

Fred Davis, TE, Washington Redskins
I told you to pick-up Davis last week after his five catches for 105 yards in week one. Davis followed that up with a week two performance that included six catches for 86 yards and a touchdown against the Arizona Cardinals. Look for Davis to play a big role in the Redskins offense this year, especially with TE Chris Cooley playing with an injured knee. If you're league requires you start a tight end, Davis needs to be on your roster. Even if your league doesn't require a tight end, Davis is a solid waiver wire option (again) this week.

2011 Fantasy Football: Tuesday Takeaways

Every Tuesday The Source takes a look back at the weekend (and Monday night) that was in the NFL. Here are The Source's ten takeaways from week two.

1) Kansas City is the latest franchise to enter the Andrew Luck sweepstakes. The Detroit Lions destroyed the Chiefs on Sunday 48-3. The worst part of that loss for the Chiefs, their all-world running back Jamaal Charles (pictured) tore his ACL and is done for the season. If you're looking for a replacement for Charles, here's a list of guys in line to replace him for the Chiefs (in order of pick-up): Dexter McCluster, Le'Ron McClain and Thomas Jones.

2) Cam Newton is great for fantasy football owners, but not so good (yet) for his real team. In two games, Newton has thrown for over 800 yards and has four total touchdowns (3 passing/1 rushing). While those numbers are great for fantasy, his three interceptions Sunday against the Green Bay Packers doomed the Panthers again. Newton may not be ready to lead Carolina to close-game victories, but he's ready to lead your fantasy team. If he's still on the waiver wire, pick him up.

3) The future looks bright in Cincinnati after rookie quarterback Andy Dalton nearly led his team to victory over the Denver Broncos on the road on Sunday. Dalton looked in command most of the game, especially at the end. Fellow rookie A.J. Green was spectacular as well catching 10 passes for 124 yards and a touchdown (which was amazing by the way). Dalton also found a groove late in the game with WR Jerome Simpson, who caught 4 passes for 136 yards. Dalton is the opposite of Newton right now, good for his team, but not necessarily for you fantasy team. As for Simpson, give him a long look if you need a wide receiver replacement. If you have Green, make sure he's in your lineup weekly.

4) Mike Tolbert, Ryan Mathews, Mike Tolbert, Ryan Mathews - this is going to be a tough to sort out all season. Tolbert was great in week one, Mathews was great in week two, that makes for a fantasy football dilemma. The thought after week one was that Tolbert would be the lead man in San Diego. However, after a dud of a performance Sunday against New England, Tolbert isn't the clear-cut favorite anymore. Mathews looked like the better runner in week two, he ran tough, he was more decisive and he caught the ball nicely. Tolbert still has value, but after watching him get stuffed (multiple times) at the goalline and lose a costly fumble, one can only wonder if the pendulum has swung back in Mathews' favor. Keep both in your lineups this week as the Chargers host the lowly Kansas City Chiefs.

5) MVP voting after two weeks: 1) Tom Brady 2) Everyone else

6) The Buffalo Bills erased an 18-point first half deficit on their way to a 38-35 victory over the Oakland Raiders on Sunday. The Bills are now 2-0 this season and QB Ryan Fitzpatrick is the main reason for the early success. Fitzpatrick is the most underrated quarterback in the NFL and now has a seven touchdowns on the year (30 TDs in his last 15 games). Fitzpatrick has brought stability to Buffalo's offense and he's made a star out of WR Steve Johnson (and maybe WR David Nelson and TE Scott Chandler). Fitzpatrick turns 29 in November so his career still has some legs. The Bills need to do the right thing and reward Fitzpatrick with a new contract for his solid play. Fitzpatrick has several good fantasy match-ups coming up, against teams with shaky pass defenses. That's good news for Johnson, Chandler and Nelson (who you should be picking up this week). Side note about the Bills: RB Fred Jackson is leading the NFL in rushing. Their offense is pretty good.

7) The Minnesota Vikings are off to a 0-2 start, but don't blame WR Percy Harvin. The team's most talented wide receiver has played well this year, despite being on the field only a fraction of the snaps as his fellow (less talented) wide receivers. ESPN1500's Tom Pelissero did his weekly breakdown of the Vikings game and the tape doesn't lie - Harvin is being grossly under-utilized by the Vikings. According to Pelissero, Harvin played just 30 of the team's 68 offensive snaps in Sunday's 24-20 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. That means that Harvin was on the sidelines (55% of the plays) more than he was on the field (45% of the plays). Despite his lack of playing time, Harvin still led a below-average wide receiver group in catches and yards (7 catches for 76 yards). Also according to Pelissero's report, Harvin's not being used in the red zone either, in fact the numbers are much worse. Against the Bucs, Harvin was on the field for just three out of the Vikings 17 red zone snaps. It doesn't take a genius to figure out the Vikings need to get Harvin on the field more, which is good news for Vikings fans considering early returns suggest new Vikings offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave is not a genius.

8) The Green Bay Packers have the offensive fire power to outlast most opponents, but their defense has some major flaws. A year after ranking near the top of the league in total defense, the defending champs are near the bottom after two weeks this year. They're giving up nearly 500 yards a game and they've surrendered back-to-back 400-yard passing games to start the season (Drew Brees and Cam Newton). Things won't get easier for the Packers after it was revealed this week that Pro Bowl safety Nick Collins will miss the entire season with a neck injury. The Packers defense is still a solid fantasy play because of their big play potential, but in reality, they have major issues.

9) It's time to show some respect to Dallas Cowboys QB Tony Romo. After getting lambasted by virtually every fan and member of the media after the Pokes week one loss to the New York Jets, he led his team to victory over the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday with a broken rib and a punctured lung. Physicians will tell you, doing anything with a punctured lung can be potentially life-threatening. So let's back-off Romo a little bit and give the guy his due. If you have him on your fantasy team you'll want to monitor his progress throughout the week and prepare for him to be out. Just because he played through the pain Sunday, doesn't mean he'll be good to go Monday night against the Washington Redskins.

10) The Tennessee Titans gave in to RB Chris Johnson's demands for a new contract, but he's hardly repaying them on the field. In the first two weeks, Johnson has 77 rushing yards on 33 carries, that's a 2.3 yard average and to make matters worse for Johnson owners, Titans head coach Mike Munchak now says he wants back-up RB Javon Ringer to get more touches. There are two ways to approach this situation if you own Johnson in your fantasy league: 1) Stand pat and hope he regains his form or 2) trade him. I recommend holding on to him - but only because his trade value is so low right now.

2011 Fantasy Football: Week 2 NFL Preview

It happens every year, and I'm guilty of it, fantasy football owners jump to conclusions after just one week. While there are some situations that become more clear once real football starts (i.e. Mike Tolbert > Ryan Mathews, James Starks > Ryan Grant), it's too soon to consider your season a disaster just because Matt Ryan melted in Chicago or Chris Johnson ran like a guy who's still holding out.

As you're watching the games this weekend, here are five things to keep your eye on. They aren't the sexiest topics and Terry and Howie won't be tackling them on Sunday morning, but they might just give you an advantage in your fantasy league going forward. And really, that's what's most important.

The Atlanta Falcons offense vs. Philadelphia
Falcons QB Matt Ryan threw for over 300 yards in Atlanta's opening weekend loss to Chicago, but failed to toss a touchdown. Ryan also looked shaky in the pocket throwing an interception and losing a fumble. I'm sure if the Bears defense is that good or if I've overstated Ryan's fantasy value. One thing I noticed from the cheapseats (and again, maybe it was the Bears defense) was the Falcons offense needs to get more creative and less conservative. I'd like to see Ryan force the ball downfield more to Roddy White and Julio Jones. Also, ten carries for Michael Turner won't cut it. He's the guy who helps the passing the most. When he's running well defenses are on their heels. Again, all this may have been the result of Chicago's defensive scheme - that's why I want to see this game this week.

Greg Salas replaces Danny Amendola in St. Louis
I'll be watching this game primarily because it's the only game on TV at the time. St. Louis and the New York Giants play on Monday night and I'll be watching to see if Rams rookie Greg Salas (pictured) can be a PPR machine like Danny Amendola was before his elbow injury. Amendola suffered an elbow injury in week one that could keep him out a couple of a weeks (six weeks was the last I read). If Salas can fill that slot role for St. Louis, he has value in PPR leagues. More importantly I want to watch this game to see if the Rams passing offense can get on track. QB Sam Bradford looked like a lost man on the field throwing for 188 yards and zero touchdowns. The Rams have a brutal schedule ahead, a ton of injuries and an offense that is still new. I want to see how they respond against a very good Philadelphia team.

Cam Newton vs. Green Bay's defense
Newton threw for 400 yards in week one and the Packers gave up 400 yards through the air in week one to Saints QB Drew Brees. This match-up intrigues me for a couple reasons, first, I want to see how Cam Newton handles the Packers' complex defensive schemes. You can count on Packers defensive coordinator Dom Capers to mix-up coverages and personnel to try and confuse the rookie QB. If Newton can handle the Packers pressure and keep the Panthers close in this game, then I have high hopes for the young man. The Packers are much better than the Arizona Cardinals who Newton torched last Sunday. The other reason why I'm interested in this game is because the Packers defense showed very little resistance against a very good New Orleans offense in week one. I want to see if the Saints were that good or if the Packers were that bad. Sunday's game at Carolina should provide us with some clarity.

Cincinnati's WRs
This is probably the least sexy topic of the bunch, but I want to see what Cincy's WR Jerome Simpson and rookie A.J. Green do this week against the Denver Broncos. Simpson led the post-Chad Ochocinco/Terrell Owens/Carson Palmer-era Bengals with nine targets in week one and could be a PPR league sleeper. As for his running mate Green, he was quiet for most of the last weekend's game until the third quarter when caught his only pass (4 total targets), a 41-yard game-winning TD (from QB Bruce Gradkowski not Andy Dalton). In Green's defense he was being covered most of the afternoon by Cleveland's Joe Haden, who's one of brightest young cover corners in the league. I want to see if Dalton and Green can establish a rapport - and maybe the rookie duo can connect on their first pass.

Rex Grossman and the Washington wideouts (and tight end)
Rex Grossman is a poor man's Eli Manning, at least when it comes to his standing in the court of public opinion. Not sure why people dislike Grossman so much, especially when you consider in his last four games (including the three he started last season), he's thrown for more than 280 yards per game on average and two touchdowns. This week, Grossman and the Skins face an Arizona defense that got shredded by a quarterback who is nine months removed from kissing the Waterford Crystal football after leading Auburn to a national championship (Cam Newton's line vs. AZ: 422 yards passing, 3 TDs (2 pass/1 rush). Grossman is a sneaky fantasy play this week, but I'm more interested to see which one of his receivers he targets the most. Santana Moss led the way with 8 targets (6 catches for 76 yards), Jabar Gaffney was next with 7 targets (3 catches for 54 yards) and Fred Davis, who looks like a real player, had 6 targets (5 catches for 105 yards). These are all guys you should look at in PPR leagues, Moss and Davis should be considered in most standard leagues as well.

2011 NFL Schedule: Week 2

SUNDAY, SEPT. 18  (All Times ET) 
Kansas City at Detroit  1:00 PM
Baltimore at Tennessee  1:00 PM
Cleveland at Indianapolis  1:00 PM
Oakland at Buffalo  1:00 PM
Tampa Bay at Minnesota  1:00 PM
Chicago at New Orleans  1:00 PM
Jacksonville at NY Jets  1:00 PM
Seattle at Pittsburgh  1:00 PM
Arizona at Washington  1:00 PM
Green Bay at Carolina  1:00 PM
Dallas at San Francisco  4:05 PM
San Diego at New England  4:15 PM
Cincinnati at Denver  4:15 PM
Houston at Miami  4:15 PM
Philadelphia at Atlanta  8:20 PM

MONDAY, SEPT. 19
St. Louis at NY Giants  8:30 PM