Popping The Cork

Week 16 was the week of the Equalizer in the NFL. Atlanta ruined the Carolina Panthers’ perfect season just two weeks after being dismantled 38-0 and set off champagne corks across southern Florida. The Redskins clinched the worst division in the NFL with a resounding win over Philadelphia, in Philly, and sealed Chip Kelly’s fate as he was forced to pack his bags and take a $3.4 million check back to the college ranks. Pittsburgh and Seattle showed that they are not unstoppable offensive forces and were huge upset victims at the hands of division foes, which knocked the Steelers out of position to control their own fate and are now big Bills fans going into this Sunday. And finally, the Packers continued to show that they are the worst 10-5 team that we have ever seen after getting punished in the desert by Arizona. One may argue that they would be best served to lose this weekend and hope that they draw Washington in the first round of the playoffs, but I seriously doubt that they can win that game. However, their odds are slightly better than meeting the Vikings for a third time or hosting Seattle.

Never, never, never overthink your playoff week roster decisions. Stick with the players that got you to your fantasy playoffs.

Performances that won/lost games:

• Anyone that benched Julio Jones couldn’t kick themselves hard enough as he made Carolina look like New Orleans last Sunday with a 9/178/1 day. This weekend, he does face New Orleans and may be targeted enough times to have a monster day and break records for the number of catches and yards in the regular season by a wide receiver.
• Rolling the dice and starting RBs Cameron Artis-Payne, Jay Ajayi or Christine Michael proved to be worth only slightly more that leaving a starting position unmanned. I understand that desperation leads to some irrational decisions, but don’t bench someone that you normally start weekly, such as Devonta Freeman, because of a matchup concern. Always get beat with your best hand.
• The Least Valuable Performance from last Sunday came from Ben Roethlisberger. I had him inked in for 30 points and he barely topped 3. He was really a killer for those owners who had him paired with Steelers receiver(s). It was reminiscent of 2014’s Week 16 performance by Andrew Luck versus the Cowboys. There was no reason to expect those performances so you just hope that your opponent suffers the same fate, such as starting Aaron Rodgers as his QB last week.

For those playing this week, many NFL teams are still in play as few have nothing to play for. Washington is one that can be expected to sit many players, at least for the second half if not for the whole game, as they are locked into the fourth playoff position in the NFC. Most other teams still are jockeying for their position, are looking to affect the playoff hopes/location of other teams or just want to finish the season with a win and hopefully use that to gain momentum into next season. As always, leagues running through week 17 should always consider our In-game Player Change option, at least for this week if not for the whole season, to help make line-up changes during the game for players who may only play a quarter or a half. If you are playing this week, you won’t have much competition roaming the waiver wire unless you are playing in a Total Points league. If you do need help, here are a few options to consider aside from players mentioned over the past few weeks such as QB Ryan Fitzpatrick, RB Karlos Williams/Mike Gillislee, WR DeVante Parker or TE Zach Miller:

QB: Sam Bradford (PHL) – the Eagles are a mess and their disastrous season is over, but, with a new coach coming in for next season, some guys will be trying to make a good final impression that carries over to the evaluation period leading into the 2016 season. The Giants defense is worse than Philly’s so I expect a shootout and some good numbers from Bradford. He has back-to-back 300+ yard games and there is no reason to expect less this week.

RB: Pierre Thomas (WASH) – Pierre makes his first appearance this season after finally making a difference coming off the scrap heap. As mentioned above, Washington will be resting starters so they should give Thomas the bulk of the workload out of the backfield, particularly in the passing game. He had 7 catches last week and faces a mediocre Cowboys’ defense this week.

WR: Keshawn Martin (NE) – The Patriots have a Bye locked up but do need to win, or Denver lose, to lock up the number 1 seed. That being said, I expect Martin to get a decent workload versus New England running out their injured WRs; Julian Edelman and Danny Amendola. Facing a terrible Dolphins defense, they could get Joey Galloway to suit up and I would consider picking him up and starting him.

TE: Zach Ertz (PHL) – The Giants’ pass defense gets torched by wide receivers and tight ends alike. If Ertz is available and you need tight end help, grab him. He is clearly Sam Bradford’s favorite target and will get a lot of passes thrown his way on Sunday.

NFL Playoff Chase

Fans love a good battle between multiple teams vying for the last playoff spots. There are 3 chase scenarios in play right now, excluding jockeying for positioning in the playoffs, and, sadly, only one of them truly bears watching. I have long railed against the ineptitude of the NFC East and would like to see that division excluded this year, but that can’t happen. So, Philly still controls their own destiny by winning out and reaching a magical .500 record (though 7-9 could still win it). That is the same squad that was dismantled at home by worthy playoff spot owner, Arizona. At least, they face Washington this week, which is their main competition in the race, though the putrid Giants have an outside chance. A tie would be a fitting final score. Last week had AFC South foes; Houston and Indy, doing battle in Indianapolis and the Texans won their first game there, unconvincingly, to seize control of the division. With a rotating band of journeyman starting QBs dealing with injuries, it is easy to see Houston limp across the regular season finish line and continue a pattern of watching division winners get pummeled at home by a superior wild card team. The last battle is far more exhilarating and heart-breaking at the same time. The Jets, Chiefs and Steelers are battling for the two AFC wildcard spots and none can afford to lose a game. It is a shame, but none of the three match up in the final two weeks so they could all win out and leave the 11-5 Jets on the outside looking in. It is sad that the NFL playoffs could easily feature two teams at 8-8 or worse as division winners and an 11-5 team without a playoff game. The Steelers made this chase all more exciting with a thrilling come-from-behind win over the top defense in the league. If the Steelers stay healthy, their offense is the most explosive in the league and can easily outpace the points that their mediocre defense allows and run the table….barring any injuries to the QB and RB positions. Fun times! Speaking of fun times, fantasy football joy was found last week in the advanced calculus numbers produced by QB Cam Newton, RB David Johnson and WR Antonio Brown (especially in PPR leagues). HUGE performances! Of course, there is always a flip side. Starting the likes of QB Aaron Rodgers, RB Eddie Lacy and WR Calvin Johnson ended the season of many fantasy trophy hopefuls. Speaking of huge days, how many people put 4-TD Danny Woodhead on their bench? Yep, me too. I had a premonition that San Diego was going to have a big day on the ground and started Melvin Gordon in a few leagues. I guess I read them tea leaves wrong, eh? Anyone who started Odell Beckham Jr were rewarded with a good day, especially considering that he had a goose egg at half and should have been bounced out of the game in Q3. That performance was embarrassing. No wonder countries that embrace soccer mock our game of football. For a team game, Beckham sure embraces ME over WE. Who is happy about the injuries to running backs in Seattle? Doug Baldwin, that is who. I thought Seattle gave him a big contract 2-3 years ago based on his production as a pro that far, but, he has more than made up for those lost days and then some. He hasn’t added as much to his future bottom line as QB Kirk Cousins has, but 10 TDs over 4 games is pretty remarkable and only done once in NFL history and it was by some guy named Jerry Rice. For those getting paid in fantasy football playoffs, it is time to bolster your rosters. At least you have minimal competition at this point in your league! QB Teddy Bridgewater (MINN) – assuming Kirk Cousins is taken in your league. If not, grab him. Philly’s pass D is horrible. Of course, Teddy’s competition is on par with the Eagles. The Bears are a shade better and he just tore them apart last week. With AP running on a sore ankle, I expect to see Minnesota take to the air a bit more this week as the Giants are a sieve. RB Christine Michael (SEA) – Michael embodies how everything is rolling for the Seahawks right now. Seattle booted him early this season and he failed to contribute to the backfields of Dallas and Washington and was dismissed only to return to Seattle and lead the backfield less than a week after signing. I had my doubts about Bryce Brown last week but I certainly didn’t expect much production out of Michael. With the way the Seattle passing game is going, their running plays are going against few men in the box so Michael should put up decent numbers the next two weeks. RB: Cameron Artis-Payne (CAR) – the Panthers drafted Payne this year but haven’t given him much opportunity to prove himself. With RB Jonathan Stewart out last week, he got the bulk of the work against a decent Giants run defense and did pretty good. I expect the Panthers to take it slowly with Stewart and save him for the playoffs so I expect them to dab on more Payne to see what he can deliver. WR Markus Wheaton (PITT) – Wheaton’s contribution early in the season was to primarily fill in a spot until WR Martavis Bryant returned from suspension and then to show up in the end zone and congratulate Bryant or Brown after a TD catch. Well, a few weeks ago, the Steelers noticed how he was always open and decided to share the receiving wealth a bit more and he has delivered. The Steelers will be playing pitch-and-catch versus Baltimore this weekend and Wheaton is in line for another nice day. TE Tyler Kroft (CIN) – in leagues that I lost Tyler Eifert in last week, I decided to give Vernon Davis one last chance. Ugh. WHY? His fourth quarter drop optimized why Kaep lost confidence in him in San Fran. I am done as well. Since Eifert is still in the NFL’s concussion protocol, it looks like Kroft will be lining up again this weekend. Rookies and little used QBs often call the tight end’s number often and QB AJ McCarron followed that pattern last week. Denver will be blanketing AJ Green and Marvin Jones this weekend so I expect an even higher Kroft usage.

NFL Week 13 Recap and Week 14 Waiver Wire

Good Lord, that MNF game between Dallas and Washington was a showcase in futility. There were more flags thrown than points for 58 minutes of it. It was fitting that it pitted two NFC East teams against each other. Last season, many folks talked about what a travesty the NFC South was and that it should not get a playoff bid. Well, I would take any of those 4 teams from last season against any of the NFC East teams this season. The NFC South would kick the crap out of them. The NFC East has NO Elite QBs, no RB1s or startable defenses and simply put, three players that are worth watching though Dez and DeSean get under my skin. Put Tampa in the playoffs over any of these duds. Since someone has to win the division, I am rooting for Dallas to win the division at 6-10 and maybe spur head a change that eliminates a division from playoff contention if under .500.

If the play on the field wasn’t turning my stomach enough, the recent NFL tie-ins with the field of entertainment certainly is. Making a big deal out of Coldplay playing the Super Bowl was gut-wrenching,  but seeing news about Jon Bon Jovi doing some kind of special tour for “Super Fans” really put me over the edge. True Super Fans are those who show up at daybreak on game day, drink morning beers and grill up lots of meat before attending the game to WATCH quality play on the field, bitch when it isn’t up to standards and remain optimistic about the team’s future in the face of seeing Blaine Gabbert throw a 71-yard game-winning TD to end your season. That Bears experience is found in many teams. I’m just citing personal experience that I know fans of other teams can relate to. Keep rappers, hair bands and whatever Coldplay is out of my NFL before you lose me.

Other Week 13 notes:

• Tom Brady has already led the Patriots in rushing yards in one game this year and now he is trying his hand at receiving yards! Any time he gets a chance to run, I love it. He makes me look like Usain Bolt.
• The Giants blew another fourth quarter lead and it coincided with bad play-calling and another killer Eli INT. The guy is an amalgam of Bad Jay Cutler and Matt Schaub. The meltdowns are as frequent as Lindsay Lohan’s.
• Lost in the buzz of a moon shot Hail Mary in Detroit was Green Bay going old school with RB Eddie Lacy and Alonzo Harris and punishing them for missing curfew. It was painful for us Eddie Lacy owners as he was Active and we had no knowledge of the coaching staff’s decision to punish him with bench time. Thanks for the zero, Eddie. RB John Crockett took advantage of the trust the coaching staff put in him with the 5 attempts he received. I recommend keeping an eye on his reps this week.
• Normally reliable Robbie Gould started off his birthday on Sunday by nailing 2 long field goals and then choked on his cake on the next 2; including what would have been the game-winner. Sunday was an all-around bad day for kickers.
• Week 14 is the last week that MFS will be running 4-Week Frenzy leagues (monthly fantasy leagues) as there are only 4 weeks left in the NFL regular season. Make sure to give those a consideration when signing up for your Daily or Weekly fantasy leagues.

90% of fantasy leagues are now slipping into the playoffs so less teams are scrambling for available players, which makes acquiring them a bit easier if you have injuries to deal with or are ready to finally cut some deadwood. Much of what is available this week has been there most of the year. There aren’t many new revelations.

QB: Jameis Winston (TB) – the offense is healthy and full of weapons, Winston is playing with great confidence and the Saints defense is coming to town. Winston gets a huge jump in the ranks this weekend and I start him over the likes of Philip Rivers, Matt Ryan and Derek Carr.

RB: James White (NE) – White burst onto the scene in Week 11 after Dion Lewis was lost to injury and was a hot commodity then, especially in PPR leagues. After a goose egg in Week 12, many impatient owners tossed him out and moved on. Their quick trigger finger is our gain as, in Week 13, White showed how important his role is in the Patriots gameplan, especially with their receiving corps decimated by injuries or ineptitude (see Brandon LaFell’s route-running gaffes).

RB: Bilal Powell (NYJ) – Powell is finally healthy again and back to being a complement to the pounding of RB Chris Ivory. Powell was a flat-out stud in PPR leagues last week on virtually no one’s team so it should be easy to add him if you have room and White is not available.

WR: Dorial Green-Beckham (TENN) – DGB is a true feast-or-famine receiver right now. He has the size to be a huge factor, especially in the Red Zone, but he is too raw to be trusted often by the coaching staff. He did score points with the coaching staff last week with his downfield blocking on Marcus Mariota’s 87-yard TD run. The Jets are not the best matchup for DGB, but he is worth a bench spot if you have one available.

WR DeVante Parker (MIA) – I recommended Parker last week and he delivered with a solid day which included a beautiful TD grab. The kid has mad skills and will put up solid numbers the rest of the season so grab him and start him if available in your league. He will tear up the Giants’ lack of a secondary this week.

TE Austin Seferian-Jenkins (TE) – ASJ broke out in a big way to start the season but then got hurt and has been out and a non-factor since. He is healthy again and the Bucs are pushing for a playoff bid. With TEs Martellus Bennett, Vernon Davis, Vance McDonald and Crockett Gillmore getting hurt, you may have a need for a new, big target and ASJ is it. If he is magically gone, you could consider Owen Daniels (DEN) or Zach Miller (CHI).

NFL Week 12 Waiver Wire

The most brilliant idea that the NFL and the television networks came up with was the ability for teams to withhold injury news until almost gametime. The reports that come out on Friday only lists the most obvious injuries and everyone else is Questionable until Sunday. If you are not paying attention, you took some big-time zeroes in Week 11. It was assumed that the Bears would not be playing Matt Forte though he practiced a bit. Alshon Jeffery was almost viewed the same and it wasn’t a big shock when he was Inactive. However, on the other side of the field, the Broncos only cited a finger injury for Emmanuel Sanders and made it sound like he would play so it hurt owners when he ended up Inactive. The biggest news was held until almost kickoff in Seattle where Marshawn Lynch was deactivated. He had the same reported injury the week prior and still played (and scored) so many Lynch owners were scrambling if they received the news before the game. HOPEFULLY, those owners have picked on my pleas to ALWAYS back up your studs. Thomas Rawls replaced Lynch and had the best fantasy day of the week. If you got the news during the game, I can only hope your league has our In-game Player Change feature turned on.

Speaking of changing players during the game, a few big RBs went down during their game; Devonta Freeman, Justin Forsett and Charcandrick West all left their games with injuries and did not return. Being able to swap in a different RB would have helped fantasy teams that started any of these players. This is a very under-utilized feature. Y’all know that you are paying attention to the games and wish you could make a player change when one of yours goes down.

Speaking of replacements such as Thomas Rawls and Spencer Ware, there were a number of scoring surprises on Sunday as Jameis lit up the Eagles and unowned players such as Brook Osweiler, J.J. Nelson, Ahmad Bradshaw, Kyle Rudolph, Tyler Lockett, James White, Patrick Dimarco and Vance McDonald put many points on the board. Players such as Doug Martin, DeSean Jackson, LeSean McCoy and Alfred Blue showed that you can’t believe always believe the projections as they had very nice days against stiff competition. All the hype about Darrelle Revis shutting down the T.J. Yates-to-DeAndre Hopkins connection was a mismatch in Hopkins’ favor. DeAndre consistently ran past Revis and would have had a monster day with a more accurate QB under center. Revis pulled the old trick used by uninterested housewives (“I have a headache”) and left the field with his head hanging low. It looks like global warming has caused water levels to rise and submerge Revis Island.

The NFL should investigate an unreported trade involving 2 sports since it is the only explanation I have for the Detroit Lions’ defensive resurgence. Before their Bye, they gave up 45 points to the low-flying Kansas City Chiefs. After their Bye, they have shut down the Green Bay Packers in Lambeau and the Oakland Raiders indoors in Detroit. They seriously had to have swapped players with one of the London Rugby Clubs cuz this makes no sense to me. Stacking Derek Carr, Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree in one of my leagues tanked me right to the lowest team total of the week.

Reminder: we have a slew of Daily and Weekly Fantasy Football Leagues open at various prices at http://www.maximumfantasysports.com/OpenLeagues.aspx.

I hope you have a good waiver priority or plenty of budget left in Bid leagues as this will be a very active week on the Waiver Wire. Thomas Rawls is excluded as he should have been handcuffed to Marshawn Lynch long ago. It sounds like Devonta Freeman is ok but grab RB Tevin Coleman if a Freeman owner foolishly didn’t add him.

QB: Brian Hoyer (HOU) – Hoyer returns from his concussion and gets to face the porous New Orleans’ defense at home. I like his matchup better than many other starters, such as, Philip Rivers and Matt Ryan.

QB Brock Osweiler (DEN) – that gust of wind from the West was the collective exhaling by Broncos fans as Osweiler showed that the team is in good shape under his direction. With Peyton in a walking boot, Osweiler will definitely be under center for at least a few more games.

RB: Javorius Allen (BAL) – Allen was more of a should-handcuff to Justin Forsett than a must so he is available in a majority of MFS leagues. Forsett is gone for the season, as is QB Joe Flacco, so Allen steps into a sure RB1 position with a lot of opportunity. He popped for 67 yards on Sunday after Forsett left and has the Browns on the slate this weekend and tallied another 48 on 5 catches, showing that he is ready to assume the same plays that Forsett has excelled in.

RB: Ahmad Bradshaw (IND) – Bradshaw has been putting points on the board by catches passes and scoring TDs, but he may be adding to his rushing tally with RB Frank Gore dinged up with a bad quad.

RB: Spencer Ware (KC) – Ware was in the right place at the right time when RB Charcandrick West was injured and left the game. With RB Knile Davis injured, Ware was next man up and delivered with 96 yards and two scores. It is unknown if West will be back this week or not but any West owner should roster Ware.

WR: Terrance Williams (DAL) – Dez is happy that Tony Romo is back under center, but Williams is downright giddy. He has been worthless since Romo was injured and had been tossed aside in almost every MFS league. He resurfaced for a 4/79/1 line and is definitely a matchup starter as Dez draws consistent defensive double-teams.

WR: Devin Funchess (CAR) – Funchess was expected to be a big part of Carolina’s offense this season after WR Kelvin Benjamin went down for the season. Unfortunately, the QB-turned-WR wasn’t ready for prime time and spent the first half of the season learning how to play NFL-caliber football. It appears that the Panthers think that he is ready as he was Targeted 8 times on Sunday and delivered a 4/64/1 line.

TE: Vance McDonald (SF) – it is difficult to count on anyone in San Fran but McDonald did post a 4/65/1 line last week and gets to further bond with QB Gabbert as Kaepernick is done for the year

TE: Vernon Davis (SF) – well, well, well, look who has popped his head out of the sand. After complaining about not being used since his trade, Vern got plenty of action thanks to a young QB and the fact that WR Emmanuel Sanders was Inactive. It is hard to guess if this will continue but a 6/68/0 line shows promise for a talented tight end.

TE: Crockett Gilmore (BAL) – Gilmore has quietly had back-to-back good games and will now have QB Matt Schaub throwing to him. While that is a big step down in talent, it should be a big step up in Targets as Schaub has routinely used his tight ends frequently over his career.

The Day of The Dog

Aside from the plethora of upsets on Sunday, you really only need to check out one stat to understand what a wacky day it was. After setting an NFL record for passing yards, Peyton Manning went colorblind and started throwing every pass to Chiefs’ defenders. He was pulled and ended the day with a career record and a passer rating for the game of 0.00. QB Kirk Cousins destroyed the Saints defense and had a perfect passer rating. In no universe could I ever envision that QB spectrum. At least the Saints finally had enough of DC Rob Ryan’s defensive “ingenuity”. His unit has been baaad for a long time so the release was far from a shock to anyone.

Sunday was jaw-droppingly crazy. Baltimore was probably ripped off in their game but they did put themselves in that position. The Giants game was another late shocker for the way it ended up unfolding. So many chances to ice the game and so many missed opportunities. In Green Bay, which really was the true shocker of the day, the Lions tried to outdo every game they have ever blown. They were saved by a Lions-like knuckler from Mason Crosby. Way to suck all drama out of that comeback, Mason. Yuck. The only thing worse than that kick is the Packers running game. Rodgers threw the ball 61 times. Unless this was a 6 quarter game or a blowout, that is FAR too many times to let the defense take shots at the only weapon the Packers seem to have this year. Losses to Denver and Carolina were reasonable, but losing at home to Detroit will make the whole franchise look in the mirror.

Other thoughts from Sunday:

• There could actually be two divisions won by teams under .500 this season. The AFC South is virtually a lock to have a champ under .500 and it may only take 6 wins to clinch the division.
• Yes, Father Time has caught up with Peyton Manning but how much is the loss of OC Adam Gase hurting him as well. Gase appears to have worked wonders with Jay Cutler in Chicago. Cutler has greatly reduced the number of bonehead turnovers that he normally commits and is directing the Bears back towards possible wildcard territory. I am sure HC John Fox, Gase and Cutler are all looking forward to kicking the Broncos while they are down this weekend.
• Is it any wonder that the Steelers have won so many titles over the years? That is one smart franchise. Sunday was a big win for them and probably wouldn’t have happened if they made Ben Roethlisberger Inactive as most people expected them to do. He was pressed into service right away when Landry Jones was hurt and he absolutely tore up the Browns. Michael Vick probably gets outplayed by Johnny Manziel. Anyone having In-game Player Changes turned on in their league should have been able to at least catch a 2nd half of his greatness unless they played a QB from Thursday night.
• The Dolphins have given up a safety in 3 straight games and are making it an entertaining streak. The latest entry started with a Damien Williams’ kickoff return. He muffed the kickoff deep in the end zone and ignored pleas to down the ball since it is legal to do so. Common Sense poked its head in around the 1-yard line and tripped him up when he tried to stop himself. He then hurt his ankle and was ruled down at the 1-yard line. That made the safety much easier for Philly. I’ll be watching this Sunday to see what inventive method they will use to extend their streak against the Cowboys.
• I believe that the only Survivor Pool winners from Week 10 were those who finally decided to use Carolina. My pool featured the remaining 4 players picking 4 different teams and all lost. So, they get a full redo. Sheer wackiness.
• Make sure to take advantage of MFS Daily and Weekly Draft and Non-Draft leagues at http://www.maximumfantasysports.com/OpenLeagues.aspx.

More injuries and more Bye weeks are taking their toll on lineups this week so it is back to the waiver wire again.

QB Jay Cutler (CHI) – surprisingly, Cutler is still available in 20% of our leagues and has been pretty consistent this season. He has had double digit points in every game that he has finished (he left the Arizona game early). If I need a QB plug-in this week, I am a bit worried about facing Denver’s defense, but I like Cutler more than Mark Sanchez, Kirk Cousins (expect a thud when he returns to Earth this week) and Brock Osweiler.

RB Matt Jones (WASH) – Jones has shown great potential through a few nice games this year but he is far from consistent. He is healthy right now and gets enough carries and receptions that he is worth a start if you need a fill-in.

RB Denard Robinson (JAX) - T.J. Yeldon suffered a foot injury against the Baltimore Ravens and it is not known if he can play on Thursday. If he can’t, there is no guarantee that Robinson will be the next man up. The Jags went with a RBBC earlier this year with Yeldon out but Robinson stepped in at this time last season and put up great numbers so, if you have to roll the dice, you could do worse.

WR Danny Amendola (NE) – the Patriots lost WR Julian Edelman for the remainder of the regular season and Amendola should see some of his workload. He doesn’t find the end zone as many times as Edelman, but the uptick in Catches is very nice in PPR leagues.

WR Kamar Aiken (BAL) – he didn’t do a lot on Sunday as the Ravens struggled all day, but he did get 15 Looks. Aside from tight ends (Crockett Gillmore and Maxx Williams), Aiken is the de facto possession receiver that is filling the Steve Smith Sr. role. At least he is in play. In non-PPR leagues, don't be afraid to give his running mate, WR Chris Givens, a look as well as he fits with QB Joe Flacco's desire to throw long.

TE Zach Miller (CHI) – you could grab either tight end from Baltimore or roll the dice on Miller. He topped a fabulous one-handed game-winning TD in San Diego by scoring twice in St. Louis, including a 87-yard TD. Needless to say, he seems to have won Cutler’s trust.

NFL Week 10 Waiver Wire

Another week in the NFL season has passed and more stars are falling than unbeaten teams. After 9 weeks, a record number of teams sit at 8-0. We did drop to three from four after Denver lost a squeaker in Indianapolis. However, the loss was much more costly for the Colts as Andrew Luck is out up to six weeks with a lacerated kidney and a partially torn abdominal muscle. Ouch. The Colts do reside in the only division that has every team under .500 so they can still weather the storm and make the playoffs. I suppose that is something. They are definitely looking like a one-and-done team though. The Panthers impressively beat Green Bay even if they let a vanquished foe have a late shot at a big comeback once again. New England and Cincy continue to roll with no challenge ahead. The Patriots did lose scatback Dion Lewis for the year though. You have to feel bad for the guy as he was having a great year out of nowhere.

Injuries did not stop there. Big Ben was dropped again and it is unsure how long he will be out. I would have loved to see him finish the game as WR Antonio Brown was having a game for the ages with 17 catches for 284 yards. LeSean McCoy is also an unknown on how long he is out with a shoulder injury. Both could be back this week. Hard to say. You need to prepare for the worst though. Multiple players (Teddy Bridgewater, Latavius Murray) had concussions and their return is always hard to predict since they have to pass stringent checks in the new protocol. Odd to see Wes Welker get signed after this recent spate of concussions. Other players did hit the gridiron and tried to play through injuries; Chris Ivory, Ronnie Hillman, and Eddie Lacy to name a few, with only Ivory playing effectively.

Back to an active Waiver Wire again this week. After harping on backing up your studs all year, it goes without saying that LeSean McCoy owners should have had Karlos Williams by now and Eddie Lacy owners should have James Starks. Players that should be sought after as new waiver wire meat are:

QB Marcus Mariota (TENN) - after missing a few games, Mariota came back and didn't miss a beat. Not only did he crush the hearts of those picking the Saints in Survivor Pools, but he rewarded faithful owners who rolled the dice on his start with 371 yards passing and 4 TDs with no INTs. Bear in mind that they face Carolina at home in week 10 though.

RB James White (NE) - yes, Branden Bolden took over when Dion Lewis went down this past Sunday but that was due to White being Inactive for the game. White did fill in when Lewis was out a few weeks ago and I am guess that White is the main benefactor in Lewis' injury. I really think that New England is going to see what he can do as he has not received consistent opportunities since being drafted. Of course, if he is not available and you have roster space, it wouldn't hurt to grab Bolden.

RB: Joique Bell (DET) - Bell has been long forgotten about this year and happily discarded by his original owners early in the year. Since the entire team has been a bust, I believe he shifts back to the RB1 position since he is finally healthy. It probably won't prove to be worth much in Green Bay this week, but could pay later dividends.

RB: Taiwan Jones (OAK) - as stated above, it is unknown if Murray will pass the concussion protocol this week so Jones is a speculative add. Murray doesn't quite fit into the backup-your-stud RB class unless you are in a very deep league so Jones is available in 90% of MFS leagues.

WR Devin Funchess (CAR) - Funchess was expected to be a project this year as a QB-turned-WR, but expectations went through the roof in pre-season when WR Kelvin Benjamin went down for the year. As expected, Funchess was not near ready to join the starting lineup. As recent as a week ago, HC Ron Rivera mentioned that Funchess' blocking must improve for him to be on the field for more snaps. Now, he did post a 3/71/1 line against Green Bay so it looks like he is ready to produce even if he is on the field for only half of the game.

WR Dorial Green-Beckham (TENN) - after 8 weeks of being ignored, Tennessee's new coach decided to see what kind of chemistry DGB had with his rookie QB and it looked good. Though he only caught half of his Targets, a 5/77 line is a promising start.

TE Garrett Celek (SF) - the Niners traded their long-time starting tight end and started a retread QB, got an upset win and put Celek on the map. Now, not every catch of his is going to be in the end zone, but 2-for-2 against Atlanta will keep him on the radar for down the road since he is on Bye this week.

TE Austin Seferian-Jenkins (TB) - ASJ burst onto the scene at the beginning of the season but then dropped off the map after getting injured. He should be back this week and makes for an interesting add if you need a tight end. QB Jameis Winston only has eyes for WR Mike Evans right now, but defenses are picking up on that so HC Lovie Smith should have plenty of plays ready for Austin if healthy.

The Bell Tolls For Thee

Week 9 was a constant head-turned in the NFL. If you were in front of multiple games, you were either turning your head to see a TD in New Orleans or turning your head to see another big name injury. Lots of TDs, injuries and surprising performances. It goes without saying that the biggest injury was to La'Veon Bell, which followed up Arian Foster's season-ending injury the week before. It was bad enough to have to wait out Bell's season-starting suspension, but now he is lost for the season at the halfway point. Not a fun injury to witness on many levels. I certainly hope you Bell owners wisely had backed him up with DeAngelo Williams. Always, Always, Always back up your studs. I didn't think I could stomach saying this before the season started, but could DeAngelo be a fantasy savior this season?

When it came to injuries, if you were away from the TV and jumped on the internet to see Aaron Rodgers' stat line from Sunday night, you HAD to believe that he was injured as well. Denver has been impressive this season but I am not sure if many of us thought that they would hold Colin Kaepernick to 77 yards passing let along Aaron Rodgers. On the flip side, Green Bay's defense has been solid this season, but they somehow allowed 340 yards passing to Peyton Manning while many were calling for Manning to bench himself. So much for the battle between 6-0 teams.

Another hot week on the ol' waiver wires and I am not including DeAngelo Williams:

QB Jameis Winston (TB) - I maintain that this is a Bye Week fill-in only since Jameis does have a tasty matchup against a steaming pile that is known as the Giants' defense that Drew Brees absolutely decimated on Sunday. Of course, no way it happens again with Winston but I sure as hell would be happy with half of Drew's point total if I have a QB hole to fill this week.

RB Jeremy Langford (CHI) - any Forte owner that left Langford off his team deserves to have him taken from him. No word has been reported on the exact condition of Forte's knee, but I think I would assume that he is out a game or two. Langford won no one over at the end of the Minnesota game with a crucial drop, but he should be a solid fill-in with Forte out.

WR Malcom Floyd (SD) - Floyd is the model for feast-or-famine in the fantasy world. He is mostly a fourth option, albeit a deep one, so he is not reliable on a weekly basis. WR Keenan Allen left the game at Baltimore with a kidney injury and it, sadly, turned out to be lacerated and a season-ender.

TE Heath Miller (PITT) - After toiling away with QB Michael Vick and Landry Jones leading the team, Big Ben returned last weekend and awoke Miller. Miller went for 10/105 on Sunday on 13 Targets. With Bell out, the Steelers will throw a bit more and Miller will stay actively involved. This week, they face the Raiders' "Tight Ends Aren't Receivers" defensive scheme that has allowed eight tight end TDs in seven games. 

TE Vernon Davis (DEN) - the happiest person about Davis' trade to Denver was Vernon. He goes to a winning team. I am skeptical that he gets used a lot more than he was in San Francisco, but it has to be an improvement, right? Meh. Manning is averaging 1 TD per game so let's not turn the clock back too far on Davis quite yet. He also needs to learn the playbook so I would let others race to grab him and look for TE Jordan Reed, Ben Watson or even Jacob Tamme first.

Decision Time

Another week, another list of players who are "game-time decisions". Life gets more difficult for us fantasy team owners as the NFL allows its coaches to play games with player injury statuses. Back in "the day", teams would release player statuses well in advance of their games. Not any longer. Teams are required to give a status on Friday, but it doesn't have to be accurate. So, if you own Percy Harvin, Jonathan Dwyer, Danny Amendola or any other player that is Questionable or Doubtful, you need to have a Plan B ready as soon as the teams release their Active/Non-Active player list 90 minutes before their game's kickoff. Of course, that isn't helpful if you are waiting on a decision for Owen Daniels or Antonio Brown since they are involved in the last two games of the week.

If that isn't bad enough, you have players that are on the proverbial short leash. Michael Vick seems to be on a play-by-play hot seat. He has felt like Barack Obama did on Tuesday night for quite some time; he still has the job, but over half the people who follow him are rooting for him to lose his job. If that isn't bad enough, in this world of social media, his brother, Marcus, has to chime in on his behalf on Twitter. In that respect, he can empathize with Ozzie Guillen and the trouble caused by his son posting opinions on Twitter. Truthfully, I don't have time, or interest, in Twitter as a reliable medium for news, but it is somehow a pipeline into mass media reporting. The downside of that for people like Marcus Vick is that it does expose shortcomings in one's ability to formulate proper 140-character English sentences. Marcus commits linguistic sins as quickly as Michael commits turnovers. At least they will be able to keep each other company after the season is over and neither one has a job to report to.

Though I believe Vick stays on the field as long as he stays healthy, I do believe you should keep an eye on these players this weekend and be ready to pull the ol' switcheroo if needed.

Percy Harvin - with a high ankle sprain, I would consider him Out. The Vikings are desperate for a win and may consider heavily taping Harvin up and letting him hobble onto the field. I wouldn't risk starting him unless you are in an In-game change league. Just ask those Jordy Nelson owners how happy they were to start him last weekend when he was activated just before the Packers-Cardinals game.

Antonio Brown - another ankle sprain. Since the Steelers have an easy matchup and plenty of receivers, do not count on him playing. If you don't want to listen, be sure to add Emmanuel Sanders to your bench to swap in on Monday night.

Darren McFadden - another ankle sprain, but he is listed as Out. Of course, he is not the poster child for durability, but you can use this as a benchmark for the players listed above. The Raiders will be chasing points in their game versus the Ravens (the Ravens tend to play much better at home than on the road) so I would have Marcel Reece on my squad if I need to replace McFadden this week.

Owen Daniels - with a bad back and a matchup in Chicago against the Bears, I would not wait until Sunday night to move Daniels to my bench. If you need a backup, get Brandon Myers from Oakland. I would have expected his ownership to skyrocket after he finally found the end zone (twice) last weekend, but it only moderately increased. Tight End is a deep position in fantasy football, but this guy is putting up starter numbers and should be added.

Other players with lots of availability that will be helpful if you need a fill-in are QB Ryan Tannehill (MIA), RB Joique Bell (DET), RB Shane Vereen (NE), RB Daniel Thomas (MIA), WR Danario Alexander (STL), WR Golden Tate (SEA).