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

We're three weeks into the season and there is absolutely no doubt that the value of some players has seen a drastic change. With that thought in mind, here's how I value all of the offensive players (QB, RB, WR and TE) in a standard scoring league. As usual, we're catering this to the deeper leagues since these rankings go all the way to 200.

You will also find a list of the suggested guys to add via the wire at the bottom of this page.

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Waiver Wire Scoops

Running Backs

Bernard Scott- Cedric Benson is facing a three-game suspension from the league for violating the NFL personal conduct policy. He is going to appeal, but nothing is guaranteed at this point. Scott would be thrust into a starting role and could flirt with touches in the high teens and close to 100 yards from scrimmage in his absence. Benson owners have to add him and he should also be owned in 12-team leagues.

Kendall Hunter- Early reports indicate that Frank Gore is "good to go" for this coming week. Even if that is the case, Hunter did get San Francisco's only TD on Sunday and is coming off a stellar preseason. He hasn't quite got the ball rolling just yet with only a 2.7 YPC, but now that the oft-injured Gore has a red flag raised, Hunter is a very desirable handcuff in deeper competitive formats.

Montario Hardesty- Peyton Hillis came down with the death flu or something which kept him off the field in Sunday's win. Hardesty stepped it up with 67 yards on 14 carries. Hardesty also showed his skills in the passing game with three catches for 19 yards. The Browns were all set to hand Brandon Jackson the third-down gig, but he has since been placed on IR. Hardesty has likely earned a role when Hillis returns and could eventually get to 10 touches per game in tandem. What's more, if you believe in the Madden curse, Hardesty might be your man.

Tashard Choice- Choice had a bone-headed play on Monday night by running out of bounds in the last minute or so of the game. Luckily for the Boys, they were able to pull out the victory. Felix Jones had a dominate game and had a season-high 115 yards on the ground. However, he did aggravate his shoulder injury and is probably going to be questionable for Sunday's game.

Alfonso Smith- Some people thought I was being a bit ridiculous when I wrote about Alfonso Smith when Ryan Williams suffered a torn patellar tendon. Well, Smith toted the rock 17 times for the Cardinals on Sunday without Beanie Wells in the lineup. The Kentucky Wildcat was on the practice squad last year and he does know the system better than Chester Taylor. Not to mention Chester Taylor can't endure a double-digit load for the duration of the season. Beanie Wells is expected to be healthy, but this guy has quite the rep for missing games. Smith is just a handcuff for now.

Stevan Ridley- BenJarvus Green-Ellis isn't an NFL-caliber back. The more and more he plays, the more and more evident it becomes. The Law Firm had a pathetic 16 yards on nine carries in the loss to the Bills. Meanwhile, Stevan Ridley had seven carries for 44 yards and was running behind his pads like a veteran. To be honest, I feel I have Ridley conservatively ranked and would probably take him over Green-Ellis. If your team is hurting for running backs, Ridley is a high-upside guy that could be well worth a stash.

Wide Receivers

Nate Washington- Mr. Washington steps into an ideal situation in Tennessee. The Titans are really going to want to stretch the field with Nate's speed to hopefully open up some running lanes. He needs to be owned in every single league.

Torrey Smith- Nothing grabs the attention of the fantasy world like three touchdowns in the first quarter of action. Smith became the first rookie ever to accomplish that feat and he will likely be plucked off the wire in every league. Lee Evans did not play, but he expects to be back soon. It's important to remember that the Ravens acquired Evans because they were worried about Smith, so don't get overly excited about Smith's prospects. You can go ahead and add him, but don't cut someone with proven value.

Steve Smith- Jeremy Maclin is dealing with a hamstring injury. Although it does sound like it is very minor, Smith could become a red-zone favorite and has a high upside.

Dane Sanzenbacher- Sanzenbacher has become one of Cutler's favorite targets in the red zone and he now has two touchdowns. The Chicago WR depth chart is an absolute mess and for all we know Sanzenbacher could emerge from this as the top option.

Donald Jones- David Nelson and Stevie Johnson will get most of the attention for Buffalo, and rightfully so, but Jones did rack up 105 yards receiving on five catches. He would likely have a huge role should something happen to Johnson or Nelson. Oh yes, Buffalo's offense is so good we're talking about WR handcuffs.

Tight Ends

Brandon Pettigrew- The Vikings were kind enough to throw Mr. Pettigrew a coming-out party. Such sweethearts. The Oklahoma State product torched the Vikings to the tune of 11 catches for 112 yards. Pettigrew would be a lot higher in these rankings, but the Lions have this bionic weapon known as Megatron that is a magnet for red-zone looks. BP has the upside to stash though.

Jared Cook- Cook has been a major flop thus far. The loss of Kenny Britt could inject some new life to his value. The Titans did line him up at the X, Y and Z in the preseason and will likely do so from this point forth. He has monster upside and is likely going to lead the team in red-zone targets.

Thanks for reading! You can post your comments below and I'll do my best to get back to you in a timely manner. You can also send me any questions or comments on Twitter @MikeSGallagher