Waiver Wire: Bottom of the QB barrel
Quarterback play just keeps getting worse as the season goes on. And it doesn't help when two of the best Fantasy options go down in Week 9 with another potential star getting hurt Monday night.
Kyle Orton (ankle) could miss four games after being hurt against Detroit, and Matt Schaub (knee) could miss a month after getting injured at Minnesota. They rank in the top 12 Fantasy quarterbacks in a standard-scoring league and have played well of late. Then, Monday night at Washington, Ben Roethlisberger hurts his shoulder and leaves the game, putting his status for Week 10 in doubt.
Here's how bad it's been for Fantasy owners when it comes to quarterbacks, whether due to poor play or injury: A total of 10 teams (New England, Cincinnati, Houston, Tennessee, Kansas City, Dallas, Detroit, Minnesota, Seattle and Tampa Bay) have started at least two quarterbacks this season, with Kansas City and Seattle using three starters. Chicago, San Francisco and Cleveland are about to join the list this week with Grossman replacing Orton, Shaun Hill starting after J.T. O'Sullivan was benched and Brady Quinn replacing the benched Derek Anderson. The Lions also are going to three quarterbacks with newly-signed Daunte Culpepper (4 percent) expected to start for the injured Dan Orlovsky (thumb).
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| Kyle Orton was becoming a Fantasy savior until an ankle injury knocked him out in Week 9. (US Presswire) |
Since you've probably missed out on Chad Pennington (85 percent owned on CBSSports.com), Matt Ryan (78 percent), Marc Bulger (71 percent) and Jeff Garcia (67 percent) already, the five best quarterbacks likely available are Gus Frerotte (39 percent), Joe Flacco (20 percent), Shaun Hill (12 percent), Tyler Thigpen (8 percent) and Sage Rosenfels (2 percent). They aren't great, but they could be helpful.
Start with Frerotte, who is coming off his best Fantasy outing this season with 182 passing yards, three touchdowns and one interception against Houston. This was his first game with less than 200 passing yards, but it was his best touchdown total of the year.
Frerotte does have a problem with turnovers since he has eight touchdowns and eight interceptions for the season. But he also has an elite wide receiver in Bernard Berrian and solid complementary parts in Sidney Rice, Bobby Wade and Visanthe Shiancoe. Frerotte has some tough matchups ahead but could be worth starting in Week 10 against Green Bay, in Week 14 at Detroit and in Week 15 at Arizona.
Flacco has shown dramatic improvement the past three weeks against Miami, Oakland and Cleveland. Against the Browns, Flacco had 248 passing yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. He hasn't thrown an interception in three weeks. Ravens offensive coordinator Cam Cameron has a good history with young quarterbacks, and Flacco is starting to prove his worth. He could be a good start in Week 10 at Houston and still has a good matchup in Week 13 at Cincinnati.
Hill is the wild card since he plays for offensive coordinator Mike Martz. Last year, Hill came on at the end of the season when Alex Smith and Trent Dilfer were hurt and played well with 501 passing yards, five touchdowns and one interception in four games.
Hill came on against Seattle in Week 8 and finished with 173 passing yards and a touchdown. He could work his late-season magic again, especially in good matchups at Arizona in Week 10 and against St. Louis in Week 11.
Thigpen, who we said to avoid last week, has played well since replacing the injured Brodie Croyle (knee) and Damon Huard (hand). He has three touchdowns and no interceptions in his past two games against the Jets and Tampa Bay and also caught a touchdown against the Bucs.
Thigpen might be the quarterback of the future in Kansas City and has two great weapons in Dwayne Bowe and Tony Gonzalez, which makes him an attractive option. He also faces some weak pass defenses in San Diego in Week 10, New Orleans in Week 11 and Denver in Week 14.
As for Rosenfels, he could have the most upside. Take away his fourth quarter collapse against the Colts in Week 5 when he fumbled away the game when Schaub was out with an illness, and he could be starting for the Texans now.
He rallied Houston against Minnesota with 224 passing yards, two touchdowns and an interception and has great targets in Andre Johnson, Owen Daniels and Kevin Walter. He will continue to throw, especially in Week 10 against Baltimore, Week 12 at Cleveland and Week 13 against Jacksonville.
And now we have Quinn, who is owned in 12 percent of leagues. He is being looked at as the savior in Cleveland, and he could be the savior of your Fantasy team. Add him this week against Denver on Thursday night.
If you miss on any of these quarterbacks, Kerry Collins (26 percent), Byron Leftwich (1 percent) and Grossman (1 percent) should be available. Collins has yet to pass for 200 yards in a game this season, and we know about Grossman's history. Leftwich rallied the Steelers against the Redskins with 129 yards and a touchdown and could be useful against the Colts in Week 10.
In case you haven't noticed ... It's time to add Patriots running back BenJarvus Green-Ellis. With Sammy Morris (knee) and LaMont Jordan (calf) out, Green-Ellis has done a great job sharing carries with Kevin Faulk, who is owned in 76 percent of leagues. While Faulk has more Fantasy value because of more touches, Green-Ellis has scored a touchdown in each of the past three games. It doesn't sound like Morris and Jordan are coming back soon, so add Green-Ellis if he is still out there and hope he continues to find the end zone. He is only owned in 40 percent of leagues.
Each Monday we will highlight players who might be available in your league and whether you should consider picking them up off waivers based on their recent performances. The players chosen are based on the percentage of ownership in CBSSports.com leagues.
Add 'Em
Greg Camarillo, WR, Miami
Owned: 35 percent of leagues
Week 9: Had 11 catches for 111 yards at Denver.
Analysis: Camarillo has been the best receiver for the Dolphins and had a career game against Denver. The Dolphins don't have an elite receiver, but Camarillo has been serviceable playing with Chad Pennington. Camarillo is great in leagues where receptions count with at least four catches in all but one game. And he has four games with at least 60 receiving yards. The problem is he's only scored one touchdown, but Pennington is playing well and it's a good thing to have his favorite receiver as a reserve on your Fantasy team.
Ray Rice, RB, Baltimore
Owned: 31 percent of leagues
Week 9: Had 21 carries for 154 yards and three catches for 22 yards at Cleveland.
Analysis: Willis McGahee dressed but didn't play against the Browns because of a sprained ankle, but this could be the changing of the guard for the Ravens. Rice has played well the past three games prior to Week 9 with at least 50 total yards against Indianapolis, Miami and Oakland. McGahee will likely return in Week 10 at Houston, but Rice continues to be a factor and would be a great flex option going forward in a shared role with McGahee. If for some reason McGahee misses extended action, Rice could be a No. 2 Fantasy running back in all leagues.
Ryan Torain, RB, Denver
Owned: 48 percent of leagues
Week 9: Had three carries for 1 yard against Miami.
Analysis: Torain saw his first action of the season against the Dolphins after being out with an elbow injury. The Broncos plan was to use Torain in the second half of the year, and he could help their ground game. Look for Torain to get increased carries in the next few games and start to make an impact in December. But he should be added now in case his progress is accelerated. The Broncos couldn't run against the Dolphins and are in desperate need of an upgrade at running back, which could come from Torain. He will likely start now that both Michael Pittman and Andre Hall are on injured reserve.
Jamaal Charles, RB, Kansas City
Owned: 12 percent of leagues
Week 9: Had 18 carries for 106 yards against Tampa Bay.
Analysis: Kolby Smith is expected to miss the rest of the year with a knee injury, which means Charles will start with Larry Johnson out again for Week 10. Johnson continues to be disciplined by the Chiefs, which means Charles is the starter and an immediate must add. He's the future in Kansas City once Johnson's days are over, which may be sooner rather than later.
Avoid 'Em
Peyton Hillis, RB, Denver
Owned: 0 percent of leagues
Week 9: Had seven catches for 116 yards and a touchdown against Miami.
Analysis: Hillis is this week's version of Patrick Cobbs and Leonard Weaver as reserve running backs or fullbacks who have a good game receiving out of nowhere. Prior to this game, Hillis had one catch for 4 yards. He is low on the depth chart for touches and likely won't have a game like this again. It's safe to ignore Hillis in all leagues.
Koren Robinson, WR, Seattle
Owned: 1 percent of leagues
Week 9: Had four catches for 105 yards and a touchdown against Philadelphia.
Analysis: Robinson scored on a 90-yard catch against the Eagles. Take away that play and his outing against Philly resembles the rest of his production for the season with three catches for 15 yards. None of the receivers in Seattle are worth owning at this point, including Bobby Engram. The passing game is a mess right now with Matt Hasselbeck (back) out, so keep Robinson on the waiver wire.
Derek Stanley, WR, St. Louis
Owned: 0 percent of leagues
Week 9: Caught one pass for 80 yards and a touchdown against Arizona.
Analysis: Welcome to the NFL, Derek Stanley. The second-year receiver made his first NFL catch on the highlight-reel touchdown against the Cardinals. Now return to the bench, at least for Fantasy owners. Donnie Avery and Torry Holt are the only receivers worth owning for St. Louis. It's not like Stanley is going to turn into a quality Fantasy option in the near future.
Others to monitor ...
Brent Celek, TE, Philadelphia
Owned: 1 percent of leagues
Week 9: Had six catches for 131 yards at Seattle.
Analysis: Celek started for the injured L.J. Smith, who was out with a concussion. If Smith misses extended time, which has been known to happen in his career, then Celek could have increased Fantasy value. But for now keep an eye on what happens with Smith before adding Celek to your Fantasy team. This was also a career game for Celek, who came into the game with eight catches for 83 yards on the season.
Shaun McDonald, WR, Detroit
Owned: 3 percent of leagues
Week 9: Had five catches for 65 yards and a touchdown at Chicago.
Analysis: The reason McDonald isn't an immediate add is because of the quarterback situation in Detroit, where Daunte Culpepper could replace Dan Orlovsky as the starter. That could change some things, but right now McDonald has emerged as the No. 2 receiving threat for the Lions behind Calvin Johnson. Because Johnson commands so much attention, McDonald could continue to play well. He has 11 catches for 133 yards and a touchdown in his past two games and has emerged as the beneficiary with Roy Williams now in Dallas.
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