Waiver Wednesday: The Hot 8
This is an admittedly weak list of sorts mostly because at this point I have already uncovered most of the impact free agents that you guys are now adding to your rosters and using to win you games. At this point in the season, the waiver wire starts to become less about upside and more about instant impact. Therefore, you'll be seeing me recommend some really iffy players at least on the surface but usually these guys will have premium matchups or opportunities right away. On this weeks Hot 8 however, I have included 2 players who I really want you guys to watch out for over the remainder of the season. These are guys who won't make an impact quite yet but may be poised to do so in weeks #14-17 which may be after your leagues waiver move deadline.
STARTABLE RIGHT NOW
1) LaDell Betts -- RB -- Redskins -- I like Betts a lot and at this point I actually rate him as a better RB than Clinton Portis. Portis has lost a step, become too much of a character and hates his coach so much that he's become barely usable even when healthy. Portis will be taking at least a week off after being knocked unconscious early in last weeks game. Betts takes over the feature RB role and should be a decent low RB2 this week. Betts runs hard and picks up good yardage after contact. He also is a threat out of the backfield which is good for PPR leagues. Best of all there is nobody else to steal carries away from him so make sure he is your top priority if you need a RB this week.
2) Bo Scaife -- TE -- Titans -- That's right, Bo Scaife is startable this week. He has always been Vince Young's favorite target since their college days together and that hasn't changed a bit. Since Young has taken over, Scaife is the only Titans TE to see any significant playing time. Though he's only caught 6 passes in the past two weeks, he's also been targeted 14 times, dropped 2 catches and had a short TD pass called back for holding last week. I think Scaife is a very solid start in week 10 against the Buffalo Bills as Vince Young stays away from the Bills ball hawking defensive backs.
PROCEED WITH CAUTION
3) Chris Chambers -- WR -- Chiefs -- I am the only person I know who actually liked Chambers fit in K.C. Now, in no way do I expect him to be the TD machine he was in his first game with the team, but I do believe he offers a decent second option opposite Dwayne Bowe for Matt Cassel and this pass heavy offense. Guys like, Bobby Wade, Mark Bradley, Terrence Copper and Lance Long are below mediocre as far as skill level goes and Chambers at least offers experience, size and good hands when he does get the ball. People have overreacted to what happened to him in San Diego. He isn't quite the receiver he was in his Miami days, but he isn't a total lost cause either. He can become a solid flex option here in Kansas City and may just play well enough to be back with the Chiefs in 2010.
4) Chaz Schilens -- WR -- Raiders -- Is this the week Schilens finally comes back? Yeah I think this time we will see the big man back on the field. I honestly believe that if Schilens would have not broke his foot in the last week before the season, JaMarcus Russell wouldn't suck this bad. Schilens is an incredible talent who possesses all the skills you want in a WR. The only questions that linger are can he stay healthy and can Russell get him the damn ball? If so, you will be getting yourself a pretty darn good WR for the stretch run.
5) Josh Freeman -- QB -- Buccaneers -- Freeman had himself a big first start in the NFL but I must warn everybody that he is still a long term project. Freeman is going to be erratic as a passer for the foreseeable future but will make some plays with his legs that will keep his fantasy points very close to respectability. I recommend taking a shot on him as your QB3 if you have deep enough rosters. He has a few decent matchups remaining on the schedule and even if you don't start him you don't want one of your opponents to pick him up and beat you with him now do you?
6) Kolby Smith -- RB -- Chiefs -- My buddy and Fantasy Football Tonight co-host Ted "Hawkeye" Schuster loves Jamaal Charles and is telling anyone who will listen that he's the impact RB you want for the rest of this season. But what I saw on Sunday was Kolby Smith not only getting a bit more playing time but also receiving all of the red zone carries for the Chiefs. Charles is a good pass catcher and has blazing speed but also is a notorious fumbler and is obviously not trusted anywhere near the goal line. Smith is going to be a factor in the K.C. backfield and may be worth an end of the roster flier right now. I wouldn't get my hopes up for him necessarily but if you are in need of RB help there are worse options than Kolby Smith already on fantasy rosters.
BOOM or BUST
7) Brandon Gibson -- WR -- Rams -- Another player you probably won't hear about anywhere but on The Hot 8. Gibson was a 6th round pick of the Eagles in this years NFL draft and was traded at the deadline for LB Wil Witherspoon. Gibson is a very talented WR and would have been a possible first day pick if he'd have left Washington St. after his junior year. Instead, he stayed in school and his stock plummeted as the team took a major nose dive and thus his production tumbled. Gibson is a professional WR in many ways. He has natural instincts and mechanics that just cannot be taught. He has a nose for the football and adjusts his body real well to make difficult catches look easy. He has above average height and speed for an NFL WR and is very strong to fight off even the most aggressive defensive backs. I strongly believe in this kid and his pro potential going forward. Whether that happens this season or not I cannot say. But he is in a great situation here in St. Louis to at least get some looks this season. The team obviously must see what I see in him or they would not have paid such a high price to acquire him. Don't be surprised to see him starting for the Rams by season's end.
8) Louis Rankin -- RB -- Seahawks -- I almost put Rankin in The Hot 8 last week when the Seahawks let go of Edgerrin James but figured I had at least another week or two before the glut of fantasy football band wagon jumpers even knew his name. Leave it to loyal reader and listener, Corey Benjamin (CB31 for those who know!) to ruin that for me last week when he brought up Rankin during my LIVE Seahawks game chat right here on Fantasy Football Search. This kid is the real deal. As we've learned with the Titans Chris Johnson, speed kills in the NFL and Rankin has plenty of it. I first learned of Rankin's NFL prospects when my Chicago Bears sent some scouts out to work him out before the draft and eventually brought him in for a visit to Halas Hall. When he wasn't drafted, Rankin had a choice of several invitations to camp and he chose the Oakland Raiders. In his first preseason game with the Raiders Rankin took the ball and busted something like a 60 yard TD run on his first carry. He was eventually cut and hooked onto Seattle's practice squad for the beginning of the season. I am pretty sure that my beloved Bears started sniffing around and forced the Seahawks to protect Rankin and thus cut Edgerrin James loose. Rankin nearly busted 2 kickoffs for touchdowns in the game against the Lions last week but got caught once by a diving arm tackle and another time by the kicker. He is an explosive player who deserves your attention right now. I wouldn't use a roster move on him quite yet (COREY!), but keep watching for Rankin's playing time to increase. It is possible that he gets some serious action in the final few weeks of this season and I will bet you anything that he puts up numbers.
That is The Hot 8 for this week. What do you guys think? Agree? Disagree? Leave your comments below or email me at thefantasyscout@gmail.com
Hear Jeff Mans every Tuesday & Sunday Morning on Fantasy Football Tonight.
STARTABLE RIGHT NOW
1) LaDell Betts -- RB -- Redskins -- I like Betts a lot and at this point I actually rate him as a better RB than Clinton Portis. Portis has lost a step, become too much of a character and hates his coach so much that he's become barely usable even when healthy. Portis will be taking at least a week off after being knocked unconscious early in last weeks game. Betts takes over the feature RB role and should be a decent low RB2 this week. Betts runs hard and picks up good yardage after contact. He also is a threat out of the backfield which is good for PPR leagues. Best of all there is nobody else to steal carries away from him so make sure he is your top priority if you need a RB this week.
2) Bo Scaife -- TE -- Titans -- That's right, Bo Scaife is startable this week. He has always been Vince Young's favorite target since their college days together and that hasn't changed a bit. Since Young has taken over, Scaife is the only Titans TE to see any significant playing time. Though he's only caught 6 passes in the past two weeks, he's also been targeted 14 times, dropped 2 catches and had a short TD pass called back for holding last week. I think Scaife is a very solid start in week 10 against the Buffalo Bills as Vince Young stays away from the Bills ball hawking defensive backs.
PROCEED WITH CAUTION
3) Chris Chambers -- WR -- Chiefs -- I am the only person I know who actually liked Chambers fit in K.C. Now, in no way do I expect him to be the TD machine he was in his first game with the team, but I do believe he offers a decent second option opposite Dwayne Bowe for Matt Cassel and this pass heavy offense. Guys like, Bobby Wade, Mark Bradley, Terrence Copper and Lance Long are below mediocre as far as skill level goes and Chambers at least offers experience, size and good hands when he does get the ball. People have overreacted to what happened to him in San Diego. He isn't quite the receiver he was in his Miami days, but he isn't a total lost cause either. He can become a solid flex option here in Kansas City and may just play well enough to be back with the Chiefs in 2010.
4) Chaz Schilens -- WR -- Raiders -- Is this the week Schilens finally comes back? Yeah I think this time we will see the big man back on the field. I honestly believe that if Schilens would have not broke his foot in the last week before the season, JaMarcus Russell wouldn't suck this bad. Schilens is an incredible talent who possesses all the skills you want in a WR. The only questions that linger are can he stay healthy and can Russell get him the damn ball? If so, you will be getting yourself a pretty darn good WR for the stretch run.
5) Josh Freeman -- QB -- Buccaneers -- Freeman had himself a big first start in the NFL but I must warn everybody that he is still a long term project. Freeman is going to be erratic as a passer for the foreseeable future but will make some plays with his legs that will keep his fantasy points very close to respectability. I recommend taking a shot on him as your QB3 if you have deep enough rosters. He has a few decent matchups remaining on the schedule and even if you don't start him you don't want one of your opponents to pick him up and beat you with him now do you?
6) Kolby Smith -- RB -- Chiefs -- My buddy and Fantasy Football Tonight co-host Ted "Hawkeye" Schuster loves Jamaal Charles and is telling anyone who will listen that he's the impact RB you want for the rest of this season. But what I saw on Sunday was Kolby Smith not only getting a bit more playing time but also receiving all of the red zone carries for the Chiefs. Charles is a good pass catcher and has blazing speed but also is a notorious fumbler and is obviously not trusted anywhere near the goal line. Smith is going to be a factor in the K.C. backfield and may be worth an end of the roster flier right now. I wouldn't get my hopes up for him necessarily but if you are in need of RB help there are worse options than Kolby Smith already on fantasy rosters.
BOOM or BUST
7) Brandon Gibson -- WR -- Rams -- Another player you probably won't hear about anywhere but on The Hot 8. Gibson was a 6th round pick of the Eagles in this years NFL draft and was traded at the deadline for LB Wil Witherspoon. Gibson is a very talented WR and would have been a possible first day pick if he'd have left Washington St. after his junior year. Instead, he stayed in school and his stock plummeted as the team took a major nose dive and thus his production tumbled. Gibson is a professional WR in many ways. He has natural instincts and mechanics that just cannot be taught. He has a nose for the football and adjusts his body real well to make difficult catches look easy. He has above average height and speed for an NFL WR and is very strong to fight off even the most aggressive defensive backs. I strongly believe in this kid and his pro potential going forward. Whether that happens this season or not I cannot say. But he is in a great situation here in St. Louis to at least get some looks this season. The team obviously must see what I see in him or they would not have paid such a high price to acquire him. Don't be surprised to see him starting for the Rams by season's end.
8) Louis Rankin -- RB -- Seahawks -- I almost put Rankin in The Hot 8 last week when the Seahawks let go of Edgerrin James but figured I had at least another week or two before the glut of fantasy football band wagon jumpers even knew his name. Leave it to loyal reader and listener, Corey Benjamin (CB31 for those who know!) to ruin that for me last week when he brought up Rankin during my LIVE Seahawks game chat right here on Fantasy Football Search. This kid is the real deal. As we've learned with the Titans Chris Johnson, speed kills in the NFL and Rankin has plenty of it. I first learned of Rankin's NFL prospects when my Chicago Bears sent some scouts out to work him out before the draft and eventually brought him in for a visit to Halas Hall. When he wasn't drafted, Rankin had a choice of several invitations to camp and he chose the Oakland Raiders. In his first preseason game with the Raiders Rankin took the ball and busted something like a 60 yard TD run on his first carry. He was eventually cut and hooked onto Seattle's practice squad for the beginning of the season. I am pretty sure that my beloved Bears started sniffing around and forced the Seahawks to protect Rankin and thus cut Edgerrin James loose. Rankin nearly busted 2 kickoffs for touchdowns in the game against the Lions last week but got caught once by a diving arm tackle and another time by the kicker. He is an explosive player who deserves your attention right now. I wouldn't use a roster move on him quite yet (COREY!), but keep watching for Rankin's playing time to increase. It is possible that he gets some serious action in the final few weeks of this season and I will bet you anything that he puts up numbers.
That is The Hot 8 for this week. What do you guys think? Agree? Disagree? Leave your comments below or email me at thefantasyscout@gmail.com
Hear Jeff Mans every Tuesday & Sunday Morning on Fantasy Football Tonight.
posted by Jeff Mans at
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