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Fantasy Football 2011: Waiver Wire Scoops & Rest of the Season Rankings

By mikegallagher Updated
It took half a season, but Arian Foster is back atop the fantasy rankings.
It took half a season, but Arian Foster is back atop the fantasy rankings.


What a crazy weekend. The NFL was ravaged by injuries in all the areas that matter for fantasy teams. The biggest blow had to be Tim Hightower suffering a torn ACL, which ended his season. Hightower was playing well in the game and Sunday will mark the first game he has missed as a pro. Earnest Graham also tore his Achilles' heel and leaves the Bucs with a huge void at tailback. However, the news on LeGarrette Blount is that there's a chance he can return after their bye. Stay tuned.

There were also a slew of injuries that figure to cost some players a game or more including: Beanie Wells (knee), Willis McGahee (hand), Santana Moss (hand), Darren McFadden (foot), Matt Stafford (knee and ankle), Matt Ryan (knee), Mark Ingram (heel), Marshawn Lynch (back), and Joseph Addai (hamstring).


That's enough bad news, let's switch towards the future after the jump:

If you're newer to Fake Teams, I do rest-of-the-season rankings every four weeks. All of the injuries didn't make it easy, but these rankings go all the way to 200 and include quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers and tight ends (no kickers, D/ST or IDP). The rankings are also based on standard scoring (no PPR and no no bonuses). The idea of these rankings is to help you evaluate the waiver wire and also construct some trades.

You'll also notice that I put a handful of players in bold. Those are the players that would usually have a paragraph about them in traditional Waiver Wire Scoops. The best part is not only are we telling you who to add, but it gives you an idea of which players you might want to cut to acquire them.

If you're not in a standard, you can ask me any question your heart desires on Twitter @MikeSGallagher. Trade, player to add, player to drop, you name it. I answer every question. Even if you just want reassurance on an add/drop, feel free to contact me.

Rank Player Comment
1 Arian Foster Does it even matter that he hasn't had his bye yet?
2 Adrian Peterson A monster game against the Pack speaks volumes
3 Aaron Rodgers Still waiting for him to finish with a 158.3 passer rating
4 LeSean McCoy He's the total package on what should be an effective offense. Already had his bye
5 Calvin Johnson Megatron's owner should be very happy Stafford is only DTD
6 Darren McFadden It sounds like he's going to be OK, but it's a reminder of his fragility
7 Ray Rice Maybe this is an overreaction, but what an ugly game on MNF
8 Matt Forte Pay that man
9 Tom Brady Already with his bye and Hernandez helps his value for deeper throws
10 Maurice Jones-Drew Patchwork offense line getting the job done for yards; TDs not quite there
11 Mike Wallace 60 Minutes should be getting the Moss treatment with over-the-top help
12 Drew Brees 4 incomplete passes and 5 TDs on SNF. Wow
13 Fred Jackson BUF's O-line is getting push on the line of scrimmage and F-Jax has tremendous vision
14 Cam Newton Seriously which QB besides A-Rod, Brady and Brees is better than Cam?
15 Hakeem Nicks Eli arguably having his best year and Nicks is a direct beneficiary
16 Michael Turner He should be higher, but I'm fearful of age catching up to him down the stretch
17 Chris Johnson 2.9 YPC? CJ2.9
18 Wes Welker He has some work to break Marvin Harrison's 143-catch record
19 Greg Jennings It's almost to a point that it doesn't matter how many receivers A-Rod has
20 Andre Johnson Texans shouldn't need to rush him back after the big win @ Tennessee
21 Steve Smith He's your current leader for receiving yards (Welker did have a bye though)
22 Rashard Mendenhall He's not healthy right now
23 Ryan Mathews Chargers might use him in more creative ways after Sunday's loss
24 Frank Gore The health concerns are very scary; SF is a legit contender
25 Stevie Johnson Bills D (or lack thereof) should keep Bills with uptempo O
26 Roddy White Julio figures to be a bit of a hindrance
27 Vincent Jackson If you don't think Revis is D-MVP, watch SD @ NYJ again
28 Larry Fitzgerald Cardinals can't block long enough for Kolb to get the ball down the field to Fitz
29 Ahmad Bradshaw Don't expect Jacobs to get his old load back right away, if at all
30 Matthew Stafford Stafford reminded us why he slipped in drafts; he's DTD though
31 Miles Austin I feel like he should be a little bit higher, but Witten in the RZ hurts him slightly
32 Michael Vick The bye figures to help Vick quite a bit
33 Jeremy Maclin More targets, receptions and scores than...
34 DeSean Jackson The big-play ability is certainly nice though
35 Steven Jackson He can look pretty good on days he's healthy
36 Shonn Greene He looks like a whole new back since the New England game
37 Dez Bryant If he could play the 2nd half of games the same as the 1st, he'd be 20 spots higher
38 Tony Romo Why the hell wasn't Sunday's game a thrill ride? That's Romo's M.O.
39 Cedric Benson The best pal to an elite defense is a good running game
40 Jimmy Graham Not sure how anyone can even argue he's not the best TE
41 Daniel Thomas The Dolphins are horrible, yet their O-line is actually decent for run blocking
42 Ben Roethlisberger Take away the game from the opener and he's having a career year
43 Darren Sproles It's almost exhausting just watching him run
44 Phillip Rivers He has to be the biggest disappointment for QB. Worse than Vick
45 LaGarrette Blount Graham out of the picture could make him RB1 material
46 Dwayne Bowe Still not sure if the Chiefs are a good team
47 James Starks The Pack pass to set up the pass
48 Jason Witten He's almost always Romo's 1st read when it comes to scoring 6
49 A.J. Green He's a mini Calvin on the fade routes
50 Brandon Marshall 22 targets in his last 2 games with Moore at the helm
51 Jahvid Best Every back from this point comes with risk
52 Jackie Battle 16 carries on Sunday, he's still a bit under the radar
53 Tim Tebow TIM TEBOW TIM TEBOW TIM TEBOW TIM TEBOW TIM TEBOW TIM TEBOW TIM TEBOW
54 Jonathan Stewart Cam Newton is the goal-line back
55 Marques Colston His value is soaring right now
56 Jermichael Finley He's one of the main reasons why Packers look so unstoppable
57 Ryan Torain Beware of ACL and make damn sure you have The Helucopter
58 Mark Ingram The minor injury the least of his worries
59 DeAngelo Williams So why did they pay him all that money?
60 Mike Tolbert Mathews keeps getting little dingers
61 Beanie Wells Good news that he might only miss 2 weeks
62 Ryan Grant Not sure if McCarthy is trying to keep him fresh
63 Julio Jones Julio should be out by the schoolyard after the bye
64 BenJarvus Green-Ellis For all your attorney needs dial 1-800-PASSING-O
65 DeMarco Murray It was the Rams, but could anyone see Felix doing that? Didn't think so
66 Santonio Holmes He hasn't had a 100-yard game since Week 11 of '10
67 Percy Harvin Ribbed for your opponent's pleasure (if you own him)
68 Antonio Gates The smart money says he'll miss another game
69 Matt Schaub A 147.7 passer rating sans Andre is pretty impressive
70 Brandon Lloyd The Rams used him in all sorts of scenarios; might gain more value w/o Danario
71 Felix Jones High-ankle sprains bring low value
72 Mario Manningham Team-high 8 targets last game + Gilbride calling Cruz inconsistent= Super Mario
73 Anquan Boldin Flacco's ugly game is scary
74 Jordy Nelson The GB receivers form like Voltron
75 Nate Washington Some people might cut him after no production.... Patience
76 Pierre Garcon At least everyone knows the Colts will be playing from behind
77 Willis McGahee He's only going to miss a couple games
78 Eli Manning Keeping his turnovers down has gone a long way
79 Montario Hardesty 33 carries is quite a statement
80 Aaron Hernandez He's Brady's deep threat
81 Vernon Davis He has a pretty nice schedule
82 Ryan Fitzpatrick Bills reportedly trying to sign him shows he's here to stay.
83 Michael Bush RUN DMC owners have to have him
84 Mike Williams 11 targets on Sunday
85 Matt Ryan People shouldn't be raving about Ryan's ankle not hurting, just a minor hyperextension
86 Marshawn Lynch At least his job is safe
87 Roy Helu The Helucopter needs to be owned in all leagues
88 DeMaryius Thomas 10 targets and a TD? Sold
89 Josh Freeman He put it up 51 times on Sunday
90 Greg Little He seems like a lock to be the WR1 now
91 David Nelson We'll see how the Bills use him coming off the bye
92 Knowshon Moreno Lance Ball got some carries
93 Reggie Wayne It's hard to believe he was a 2nd-round pick in some leagues
94 Fred Davis The Washington receiving corps is depleted with Moss out 5-7 weeks
95 Delone Carter He is showing flashes and figures to be solid down the stretch
96 Antonio Brown He jumps up about 20 spots with bad news on Hines
97 Rob Gronkowski He's a TD machine
98 Ben Tate Tate, Helu and Bush are the triad of ultimate handcuffs
99 Owen Daniels I thought he'd do better with Andre out
100 Maurice Morris Mo Mo not a guy you want to start on a regular basis
101 C.J. Spiller Some interest with his 6 catches Week 6; a great handcuff
102 Dustin Keller It was refreshing to see the Jets get the vertical passing game going vs. SD
103 Alfonso Smith The Cardinals will have to run the ball to keep defenses honest
104 Jay Cutler He's a different QB this year
105 Stevan Ridley He's the most talented back on NE
106 Brandon Pettigrew A couple big drops on Sunday
107 Deion Branch 4 pass catchers on NE in the top 107
108 Darrius Heyward-Bey It's amazing what going over the middle can do for a receiver
109 Michael Crabtree He & Antonio Gates have the scariest feet in the NFL
110 Mark Sanchez Can the scoreboard at MetLife say Visitors 35 Jets 0 all the time? Much better under pressure
111 Kendall Hunter Only a handcuff
112 Ladainian Tomlinson An illness cost him from getting more touches vs. the Bolts
113 Sidney Rice Does he need T. Jackson so save his value? Did you just read that sentence twice?
114 Bernard Scott 1 start=value
115 Brandon Jacobs He's practicing again
116 Lance Moore Looked like he was going to get a ton of snaps in the preseason, but didn't happen
117 Malcom Floyd Rivers needs to get well soon
118 Danario Alexander Move up 20 if he's OK, down 20 if he's out for multiple weeks
119 Jabar Gaffney The heavy favorite for targets among WR
120 Reggie Bush Forget trading him for a pizza, he's worth about 2 packets of ranch
121 Pierre Thomas Move him up 30 if Ingram misses time
122 Keiland Williams Younger and heavier than Morris
123 Sam Bradford He has a capable receiver now
124 Early Doucet He has been consistent and is taking advantage of double teams on Fitz
125 Marion Barber He gets some GL touches and is a handcuff for the oft-used Forte
126 Jerome Simpson Jerome leads the Bengals in sacks.. Get it?
127 Devin Hester Big game Week 6 and 9 targets Week 7
128 Kellen Winslow 11 targets and a TD in London Town
129 Steve Breaston 9 targets following 2-TD game
130 Eric Decker He and Tebow were not on the same page
131 Emmanuel Sanders Despite more scores, Brown is the guy
132 Joseph Addai Hamstrung
133 Jared Cook He has some momentum and might lead the team in TD with CJ2.9 struggling
134 Jacoby Ford The bye week should help Palmer with his receivers
135 Plaxico Burress SELL SELL SELL!!!!
136 James Jones Too many mouths to feed
137 Christian Ponder Everyone (including me) thought MIN reached, but he looks good so far
138 Toby Gerhart It feels like Minnesota is running AD into the ground
139 Dallas Clark Yuck
140 Jermaine Gresham Surprising how good Dalton is outside of the numbers
141 Mike Thomas A new QB can hurt just about any WR
142 Dezmon Briscoe Freeman leaned on him quite a bit
143 Robert Meachem The forgotten man in New Orleans
144 Michael Jenkins Maybe he and Ponder have something. Can make a case he should be up 30 spots
145 Deji Karim MJD healthy, but Deji figures to be featured should something happen
146 Tony Gonzalez He's 2nd on receptions all time
147 Davone Bess 12 targets vs. the Broncos
148 Matt Hasselbeck Matt quarterbacked about as well as his brother analyzes
149 Torrey Smith He's a homeless person's version of Mike Wallace
150 Victor Cruz All signs point to a severe drop
151 Javon Ringer Honestly, would you be surprised if CJ2.9 gets hurt?
152 Cadillac Williams He's not the most durable, he's still a handcuff for a frequently injured RB
153 Joe Flacco Nice game, brah
154 Jake Ballard He's on a roll and is becoming a nice option behind Nicks in the red zone
155 Brandon LaFell He could be passing Naanee sooner rather than later
156 Evan Moore He might not need to split duties with Watson for a while
157 Santana Moss You probably have to cut him in just about all formats
158 Ricky Williams Remember the rumors of Ricky being the goal-line back?
159 Braylon Edwards He's practicing (plan accordingly)
160 Lance Ball He might actually split carries with Knowshon
161 Phillip Tanner Dallas is running out of running backs
162 Kregg Lumpkin Pretty sure the Bucs wouldn't dare give Lumpkin a full load
163 Jacquizz Rodgers It looks like he passed Snelling for RB2
164 Isaac Redman Mendy might not be healthy, but Redman probably won't be featured in any scenario
165 Danny Woodhead It should be interesting to see what the Pats do with snaps for backs
166 Doug Baldwin There are more Baldwin brothers than Seattle points from Sunday
167 Leon Washington He might get some action if Beast Mode is inactive
168 Roy Williams Roy isn't doing the hook 'em horns anymore
169 Jeremy Kerley Jerry Kerl and Sanchez have a nice rapport
170 Jacoby Jones He might be a decent play without Andre
171 Greg Olsen Cam loves to stretch the field
172 LaRod Stephens-Howling He gets a bigger bump for leagues that count return yardage
173 Heath Miller Possibly more red-zone looks without Hines
174 Nate Burleson He's the third option at best
175 Andy Dalton Red Rocket
176 Justin Forsett He has been a feature back before
177 Niles Paul New guys are fun, right?
178 Carson Palmer He has so much speed around him
179 Matt Cassel He has the ability to taste Dwayne Bowe
180 Joe McKnight He'll have value if LT or Greene go down
181 Dion Lewis The Philly backfield is made from bits of real Pitt Panther
182 Daniel Fells Wrote about him 2 weeks in a row and he scored in 1st game with Tebow
183 Anthony Armstrong To all you non-believers in Gaffney.. Especially you, Tom Jackson!
184 Arrelious Benn Goose egg
185 Devery Henderson I traded Henderson for Ben Tate (I have Foster) 5 weeks ago
186 Johnny Knox He might bust out, he might be useless
187 Brent Celek Had a TD in his last game
188 Donald Brown Most of the time it's not a good idea for NFL teams to go RB in the 1st round
189 John Beck They're real and they're Beck-tacular
190 Greg Salas Hawaii product might jump up 5-0 spots with another good game
191 Dexter McCluster So much for that idea
192 Damian Williams He got the wind knocked out of him on Sunday
193 Taiwan Jones Almost don't want him to play a lot so we don't have to hear Berman's stupid name for him
194 Jason Hill This clown actually said Revis was "overhyped"
195 Vinsanthe Shiancoe Tight ends are a young QB's best friend
196 Brian Leonard He might get 8 touches on Sunday
197 Naaman Roosevelt He had a big TD vs. NYG
198 Lance Kendricks He's not dropping the ball as much; only 1 target on Sunday
199 Leonard Hankerson The WR2 will be a situation to watch
200 Alex Smith You wouldn't know he has tiny hands for a QB based on SF's record

Thanks for reading! If you can't get enough fantasy football don't forget to follow me on Twitter @MikeSGallagher for up-to-date info and plenty of instant analysis on Sunday. Post your comments below as well.