The Wire – Week 7: Shiancoe on the Move

Here are our waiver wire candidates for week seven. As usual, you’ll find players who are either [Startable], a [Stopgap] to get you past a BYE or injury, [Worth a look] and spot on your bench, or [One-week-wonder]s who don’t warrant a roster spot, so you make your roster moves accordingly. You’ll also see the percent owned in parenthesis (and if you see an asterisk by the players name, it means they’re on a BYE this week.)

This week there are again a ton of receivers on the list, with many of them not worth a roster spot at the moment (but you’ll still want to keep an eye on them.) At the other positions though, you can see that the talent is getting pretty thin, so keep that in mind when putting in your waiver claims. We start with one of Brett Favre’s favorite red-zone targets…

Tight Ends
  • [Startable] Visanthe Shiancoe, MIN (77%) – With two touchdowns on Sunday, Shiancoe has graduated from being a Stopgap to being very Startable in my books.
  • [Startable] Jermichael Finley, GB (47%) – Finley now has 11 catches for 182 yards and a touchdown in his past two games. Expect Aaron Rodgers to continue looking the athletic tight end’s way in future weeks (against a relatively easy schedule.)
  • [Startable] * Tony Scheffler, DEN (21%) – His numbers are similar to Finley’s over the past two games and he’s now a viable option on fantasy teams with Orton looking his way often.
  • [Worth a look] Zach Miller, OAK (42%) – He’s back on here after this week’s performance, but don’t expect the same production from week-to-week. He’s only worth starting if you have very little options at tight end.
  • [One-week-wonder] Jeff King, CAR (0%) – Two touchdowns, but very little yardage.
Quarterbacks
  • [Startable] * Kyle Orton, DEN (81%) – With two touchdowns in each of the past three games, Orton should at least be the backup on one team in every league out there.
  • [Worth a look] Shaun Hill, SF (32%) – I only list Hill here because it’ll be interesting to see what the addition of Michael Crabtree does to this offense. Do not use him in the near future unless you absolutely have to.
  • [Worth a look] Chad Henne, MIA (17%) – He looked good going into the BYE week, but now he has a few solid defenses on the schedule.
  • [Worth a look] Julian Edelman, NE (4%) – Just kidding! But he might qualify as a quarterback in your league and he could put up a few points each week (in case you start Mark Sanchez or something!)
  • [Stopgap] Matt Cassel, KC (66%) – His numbers aren’t going to blow you away, but he’s a decent play if you’re really in a bind and need a few points from the position.
Running Backs
  • [Worth a look] Beanie Wells, ARI (49%) – Although he seems to have developed a fumbling problem, the coaches are still trying to increase his workload as the weeks go by to see what he can add to a stagnant running game. He’s worth a look if you have little depth at the position.
  • [Stopgap] Jamal Lewis, CLE (71%) – He had a terrible time running the ball against the Steelers, but he’s still the starter and should get plenty of carries as long as the game remains competitive.
  • [Stopgap] Mike Bell, NO (51%) – It looks like Bell will assume the role of touchdown-vulture in the offense, which isn’t good news for Pierre Thomas owners. Bell could be a BYE week fill-in withe hopes that he can score a touchdown or two for your team.
  • [Stopgap] Laurence Maroney, NE (40%) – I’m pretty sure this game was an anomaly, with Maroney taking advantage of a Sammy Morris injury and snowy conditions to run all over the Titans. He might be worth a start this week if you need RB help, but after that his value probably sinks back to pre-Week 6 level.
  • [Stopgap] Justin Fargas, OAK (13%) – He didn’t do anything special (87 yards rushing), but as long as the Raiders can keep games close, it’s obvious that they like running the ball and you might have a use for him on your team.
Wide Receivers
  • [Startable] Steve Breaston, ARI (75%) – He should be owned in most leagues anyways, but with Anquan Boldin hurting himself on Sunday, Breaston should be prepared for a potentially increased role this week.
  • [Startable] Sidney Rice, MIN (75%) – With his 176 yard performance against the Ravens, Sidney Rice has solidified himself as a WR2/3 candidate for the rest of the year (unless something changes dramatically.)
  • [Startable] Hakeem Nicks, NYG (54%) – In the past three games his completions have increased and he’s found the endzone each time. Along with Steve Smith and Mario Manningham, Nicks now makes for a very startable option in a much improved Giants passing game.
  • [Startable] Lance Moore, NO (40%) – It looks like Moore has continued right where he left off last year after returning from injury this week. Drew Brees looked his way often and he found the endzone, so I’m ready to start him confidently once again.
  • [Worth a look] Eddie Royal, DEN (75%) – If your league awards for kick/punt returns, then Royal is startable. Otherwise, he’s probably not worth the trouble until he can prove himself in the passing game
  • [Worth a look] Michael Crabtree, SF (72%) – Crabtree should get his first start this coming week, so get out your popcorn!
  • [Worth a look] Mohamed Massaquoi, CLE (38%) – I told you last week not to give up on Massaquoi. As long as the Browns can put together some semblence of offense, Massaquoi should put up some decent numbers.
  • [Worth a look] Austin Collie, IND (70%) – The Colts play the Rams this weekend…making Collie a great start.
  • [Worth a look] Jeremy Maclin, PHI (76%) – Maclin played the “Massaquoi vanishing act” this week, with one catch for a measely six yards against the Raiders. Expect him to bounce back in a big way against Washington in week 7.
  • [Worth a look] Mike Wallace, PIT (26%) – He’s been good for about two catches and 50 yards the past few weeks. I expect his numbers to increase as the season goes on and he makes for a decent WR3/Flex play right now.
  • [Worth a look] Anthony Gonzalez, IND (52%) – Gonzo will be back from injury soon and it’ll be interesting to see how he fits into the offense. Will he take back the WR2 role from Garcon/Collie right away?
  • [Worth a look] Jacoby Jones, HOU (28%) – Only useful in league’s that award for return yardage.
  • [Worth a look] Joshua Cribbs, CLE (21%) – See Jacoby Jones.
  • [Worth a look] Malcom Floyd, SD (2%) – Hasn’t been all that consistent that year, but he’s a big target for Philip Rivers. Just keep an eye over the next few weeks to see if he keeps getting looks.
  • [Worth a look] * Mike Thomas, JAX (1%) – asdf
  • [Stopgap] * Torry Holt, JAX (77%) – Holt has almost 200 yards in his past two games and gets plenty of looks on a consistent basis from his quarterback.
  • [Stopgap] Antonio Bryant, TB (68%) – He’s not going to do anything special in this offense, but he might be worth a spot-start given the match-up (not this week against the Patriots though!)
  • [Stopgap] Andre Caldwell, CIN (38%) – Caldwell has been pretty consistent this season and has even more value in a league that awards for kick returns.
  • [Stopgap] Earl Bennett, CHI (36%) – He hasn’t found the endzone yet, but Cutler still throws his way with some consistency and is good for 3-8 points each week.
  • [One-week-wonder] Dennis Northcutt, DET (12%) – Nortcutt saw more reps with Calvin Johnson out (knee injury.) Don’t expect that this will be a regular thing.
  • [One-week-wonder] Robert Meachem, NO (11%) – WAY to inconsistent for my liking. If he can get his reception numbers up to three or four a game I may re-evaluate his spot on this list.
  • [One-week-wonder] James Jones, GB (1%) – IF he catches the ball, it’s usually a deep one, but his risk is far higher than his reward at this point.
  • [One-week-wonder] Laveranues Coles, CIN (35%) – If you take away the touchdown, it was just one more disappointing game for one of the off-season’s disappointing acquisitions.
  • [One-week-wonder] Lee Evans, BUF (65%) – Evans was inconsistent to begin with, but now with the quarterback position in question, who knows how erratic he’ll be.
  • [One-week-wonder] Sammie Stroughter, TB (1%) – One week is not enough to prove that Stroughter is a viable fantasy option…especially with the questions marks surrounding the quarterback position in Tampa Bay.