Fantasy Football 2011: Week 10 Waiver Wire Scoops and Rest of the Season Rankings

The title of this piece was intentionally lengthy to help represent the vast amount on information that you're about to receive! OK. Ya got me. That's a bunch of B.S., but I can assure you there is probably more useful stuff in today's article than you may find for the rest of the week.

We usually do the ROS action every month, but with the fantasy playoffs approaching quickly, we're going to give it a try again today. These are rankings that would basically serve as a cheat sheet if you were drafting today for the rest of the season. So they're not ROS ranking per se, because I'm taking into account guys that will serve as band-aids (or adhesive bandages, if you're anti Johnson & Johnson) such as Laurent Robinson. There are also a large number of handcuffs mixed in and might be higher than you expected. Some of these backs may be completely useless, while there's a chance that they're the next DeMarco Murray. It's worthy noting the reason why I'm so high on grabbing handcuffs is because the depth charts are already figured out and I feel a fantasy bench should be loaded with upside. The rankings including quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers and tight ends. You will also find quite a bit underneath the rankings as I explains why some of the new crop of waiver-wire adds have some value.

You can follow me on Twitter @MikeSGallagher for tons of updates throughout the week and plenty of instant analysis on Sunday. You can also ask me things like, "Mike, should I cut Greg Little for Laurent Robinson in my PPR league?"

Waiver Wire Scoops

Quarterback
Carson Palmer- The Raiders are quickly coming back to Earth after their ugly loss to the Broncos on their home turf. Oakland allowed two 100-yard rushers in Tim Tebow and Tim Tebow Willis McGahee. This is nothing new for the Raiders since they were 29th agains the run in 2010 and now after Sunday's dud, they're back in the 29th spot on this season. I mention this deficiency because it's going to be tough for the Raiders to stay in games and maintain a run-first mentality when they're trailing in the second half. Therefore, Carson Palmer might have a lot on his plate and could be leaned on more than originally thought. As far as performance goes, yesterday is really the best true barometer for what kind of value Carson might have in that offense. The most impressive stat is that he had a very high YPA of 9.5. The three picks were the big boo-boo on his stat line which kept his QB rating at a pedestrian 79.7. This was his second game in a row with three intereceptions, but one would think he would cut those down in the near future. Just for fun, if Carson didn't throw those picks his QB rating would have been a Rodgers-like 115.4. In summation, Carson should have some very nice upside thanks largely due to the deep threats and favorable schedule.

Bottom Line: Carson should be owned in most 10-team leagues as a solid backup with upside.

Christian Ponder- Ponder is back from his bye and in case you forgot, he had some success in his first two starts against the Packers and Panthers. Ponder was proficient predominately by passing for an average 17.5 fantasy points in ESPN standard leagues.The FSU product gets Green Bay next, then he gets a ton of games indoors with a some favorable matchups. The athleticism could help his value in the rushing department as well.

Bottom Line: Rookies are fun, but remember that Ponder has 28 in his backfield. He's a decent backup to have in 14-team leagues.

Matt Moore- You might be surprised to know that Matt Moore had the highest quarterback rating of any player yesterday with his stellar 147.5. Yes, that's even higher than Rodgers' unbelievable 145.8. Moore was in a groove the entire game and was executing his passes down the field for the "shot plays" as well as completing the ball on the shorter routes for 12 first downs (compared to three rushing first downs for the team). The Fresno State product is equipped with one of the best red-zone targets in the league in 6-foot-5 Brandon Marshall. Moore and Marshall hooked up eight times (on 11 targets) for 106 yards. The Dolphins have some tough games coming up, but they do get to take on the suddenly soft Buffalo Bills at home in Week 11.

Bottom Line: Matt Schaub and Drew Brees owners might consider grabbing Moore for Week 11. He should be owned in some 14-team leagues.

Running Backs

Roy Helu- I've been saying Helucopter is a must-own back ever since Tim Hightower, so I really hope you took my advice and he's on your roster. His 14-catch game was a franchise record by breaking the record of Art Monk, former Tecmo Bowl stud.

Bottom Line: What the Helu you doin'? He's going to likely be the best player to have value that isn't 100-percent owned and owners should use all of their FA dollars or top priority to get him.

Chris Ogbonnaya- Pat Shurmur announced that both Montario Hardesty and Peyton Hillis have been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Rams. The Rams have the 32nd-ranked run D at a robust 153.6 YPG. Chances are if you're an Ogbonnaya owner, he's not exactly in your good graces following Sunday's stinker. OGB had just 28 yard on 13 carries with one catch (on one target) for 13 yards. The former Longhorn also lost a fumble on his first carry. The Browns really don't have much else to go with at tailback and Ogbonnaya will be a decent flex in my Running Back Rankings on Wednesday. Although he had some happy feet and lacked vision in the loss as well.

Bottom Line: Ogbonnaya should be owned in all leagues.

Kendall Hunter- Frank Gore had an X-ray on his gimpy ankle and it came back negative. However, this does serve as a reminder that Gore is one of the most fragile backs in the league and he could go down at any moment. Hunter already gets a nice portion of snaps, but he's usually in on passing downs and isn't utilized as much as an offensive weapon at this point.

Bottom Line: Hunter is one of several handcuffs that should be owned for his upside. He would have tremendous value should the oft-injured Gore go down again.

Joe McKnight- The Jets went to McKnight in the red zone a couple times on Sunday even before the game in Buffalo got out of hand. McKnight dominating with his performance in special teams (leading the league in yards per return) and the Brian Schottenheimer has worked him into the offensive scheme. McKnight hasn't done much to this point with only a 2.8 YPC and he didn't do much better even against Buffalo's soft front with 27 yards on nine carries. McKnight will share time with Greene and Tomlinson, so if either one goes down, he could have some value.

Bottom Line: Greene owners in deep leagues might want to grab McKnight.

Thomas Clayton- Clayton was mentioned by me a couple times on Twitter over the weekend and in my Running Back Rankings as a desperation play in very deep leagues and it's setting up nicely for him on Sunday against St. Louis. As discussed above, Chris Ogbonnaya didn't do much in his starting role and he made it abundantly clear that the Texans cut him for a reason. Clayton was no Jim Brown either with just five carries for 10 yards in the loss. I wouldn't be completely shocked if Clayton gets more carries than OGB. OGB got much better blocking and Clayton had really no chance on any of his five totes.

Bottom Line: It'll take some guts and a deep league to consider putting Clayton on your team, but the matchup and opportunity are there for him. 14-team league owners could do worse.

Wide Receiver

Jacoby Ford- Let me just get this out there: I have been very fond of Jacoby Ford since the end of last year and he was one of the guys I had to have. On Sunday he showed those glimpses with his five catches for 105 and a score. Ford was targeted six times and it looked like five of those six targets were Carson Palmer's first read. Furthermore, Ford had Champ Bailey on him for the majority of the game, so he should be able to get open and grab Carson's attention more often than the six targets might indicate. Hue Jackson also said earlier in the year that he could envision Ford catching 80 balls as the top receiving option on the team, so he clearly has the coach in his corner as well. Ford's big play ability make him a very intriguing player to acquire for any owner unsure about any WR on his/her roster.

Bottom Line: Ford's upside make him a player that should be owned in all leagues.

Laurent Robinson-There's not a lot of analysis needed here. Miles Austin is going to miss the next 2-to-4 weeks with a strained hamstring. Robinson and Dez Bryant will be the starting flanker and split end in two-wide sets whiles Miles heals. Robinson has five catches and a score in back-to-back games, so he has clearly seperated himself as the full-time replacement of Austin. The Illinois State alum should have some nice matchups with Drayton Florence (Buffalo), Josh Wilson (Washington) and Sean Smith (Miami) over the next three weeks.

Bottom Line: Most fantasy owners should have an affinity to a WR2 on a passing offense and Robinson fits the bill. Dez Bryant's inconsistencies also make Robinson worth owning in all 12-team leagues.

Denarius Moore- While Jacoby Ford gets the nod here for being the top grab, the former Volunteer should also garner your attention with his 12 targets against the Broncos. In Week 7, Moore only had five targets compared to Heyward-Bey's 11. Coach Hue Jackson denied that DHB was "benched" because of personnel reasons, but with a new quarterback and Al David no longer around to  encourage the team to give the former seventh pick in the draft a long look, it could be a changing of the guard once again.

Bottom Line: Moore should be owned in 12-team leagues.

Earl Bennett- Roy Williams and Devin Hester couldn't catch a cold and on Monday Night Football Bennett pretty much proved he has the best hands of any receiver on the team. He and Cutler were teammates at Vanderbilt and were on the same page all night. In fact, Cutler gave him a shoutout on his Twitter account. There's a whole like to like here and you can make a case for Bennett to be the top claim this week.

Bottom Line: Nobody has been able to seize the WR1 spot on Chicago and maybe its Bennett's turn. He's a flyer in most 12-team leagues.


Austin Pettis- Just when it looked like Greg Salas was putting together a solid rookie season, he breaks his fibula. On top of that, the Rams might be without their usual starting flanker, Danario Alexander, for a game or two with a hamstring issue after a setback last week. Both Pettis and Brandon Gibson saw more snaps, but Pettis gets the nod here for being a bit of an unknown and possibly being a deep threat to complement Brandon Lloyd. They get the Browns and I'd expect Cleveland to keep Joe Haden on Lloyd for the whole game, which could create some advantageous spots for Pettis

Bottom Line: The Rams are running out of receivers and Pettis is the next in line; feel free to give him a shot in 12-team PPR leagues.

Leonard Hankerson- Hankerson drew the start in what turned out to be one of the most pathetic passing performances we've seen all year. The Redskins did not throw the ball more than 16 yard through the air the entire game.

Bottom Line: He might be something, he might be nothing. So goes the life of rostering rookies.

Vincent Brown-Brownie looked pretty good on Sunday with six targets, four catches and 79 yards. He could be on the upswing with Malcom Floyd not healthy and showing some good speed and route-running ability.

Bottom Line: He gets the Thursday Night Football game against the Raiders, so at least we'll know the status of Malcom Floyd right away. He's worth a flyer in 16-team leagues.

Tight End

Jake Ballard-He's another guy that I have written about multiple times and should have been started by savvy owners vs. the Patriots.

Bottom Line: He's a low-end TE1 in 10-team leagues with some upside.

Jared Cook- The targets are coming for Cook as he got eight on Sunday. Nate Washington going down also helps his value.

Bottom Line: Cook was a must-grab player for me and it's shaping up quite well for him now that Tennessee is running out of receivers. He's a decent guy to grab by all owners in need of a tight end.

Jacob Tamme- It's Tamme Time! Dallas Clark might miss the rest of the season with a leg injury. Tamme takes over at tight end, but this time he doesn't have Eli's brother throwing him the ball.

Bottom Line: Cook and Ballard have higher upside and Tamme should be left for the desperate folks.

Defense

St. Louis- You might be surprised to know that one of the best fantasy defenses has been the St. Louis Rams. Coach Spags has turned them around a bit with a big win over the Saints and having a good showing before Patrick Peterson had one of the highlights of the year. They get to take on the hapless Browns and Colt McCoy is going to get a ton of pressure put on him. If you're desperate, give it a shot. There are about 12 other defenses I'd play over the Rams, by the way.

Don forget you can always ask me whatever you want on Twitter and I'll get back to you as soon as I can. You can also post your comments and questions below.