Bruno Boys Fantasy Football

With another week of fantasy football in the books, it means it's time to look at the Week 7 Waiver Wire. When looking back at the slate of games entering the weekend, it didn’t appear that there were too many appealing matchups. Then the games started and we were treated to incredible finishes by St. Louis, Arizona, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Houston and Minnesota. In fact, the Eagles scored a whopping 23 points in the fourth quarter against to beat the 49ers by a final score of 40-26.

And in case you were wondering, the Detroit Lions and the Cincinnati Bengals are still winless and it appears both teams will be fighting it out for the top draft pick in April. Enough with that talk, lets cut to the action, as the Bruno Boys bring to you their weekly Waiver Wire article.

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QUARTERBACK

Matt Ryan (Atlanta Falcons)

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan is a rookie now only by experience. Ryan has been making steady improvement all season. The last three weeks the team has asked him to pass more and Ryan has passed the test, throwing for 653 yards, three touchdowns and just one interception while completing 60.8 percent of his passes.

Take a look at the remaining schedule for the Falcons and you’ll see that they have games left against weak passing defenses in Oakland, New Orleans, Denver, St. Louis and Minnesota. Ryan would make for a fine backup in any league and the more experience he gets, the better he will be.

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RUNNING BACKS

Dominic Rhodes (Indianapolis Colts)

Starter Joseph Addai and backup Mike Hart left the Colts’ 31-3 win over the Ravens and it was Rhodes that came in for them. Rhodes rushed 25 times for 73 yards and one touchdown against one of the toughest run defenses in the league. Rhodes is back in Indianapolis after two disappointing seasons in Oakland and he couldn’t be happier. The veteran is a perfect in the Colts run offense as his great vision allows him to play well on the stretch plays the team so often likes to run.

The injury to Hart’s knee looks like it may be a bad one so don’t expect him back anytime soon. In the post game press conference, head coach Tony Dungy said he expected Addai would be alright for next week’s game at the Green Bay Packers, but we all know that hamstring injuries are kind of weird in the way that it takes them forever to heal. If Addai can’t go, Rhodes is definitely worth a pick up.
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Ray Rice (Baltimore Ravens)

Starter Willis McGahee just cannot seem to stay healthy. McGahee had to leave in the third quarter and didn’t return. Rice, not Le'Ron McClain. did most of the work for the Ravens after McGahee left and rushed six times for 23 yards and caught seven passes for 64 yards. That’s pretty good production for less than two quarters of work. No word has been given on McGahee’s injury or if he’ll be ready to play next week at the Miami Dolphins but at this point, to expect him to play a full game isn’t realistic.

If McGahee is out, Rice is more than an adequate backup and would make for a decent play at the flex position if you have some running backs on byes. Still, make sure to monitor this situation closely.

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WIDE RECEIVERS

Devin Hester (Chicago Bears)

With Brandon Lloyd out, Devin Hester got the start at wide receiver and was solid in catching six passes for 87 yards. He was the most targeted receiver by quarterback Kyle Orton and with such a solid performance he can expect to get more time at receiver, especially considering how dangerous he is in the open field. The Bears are going to continue to go to Hester as he is already four receptions away from his season high of 20, set last year.

As long as Lloyd is out, Hester is is playing his way into a decent fantasy football wide receiver option and he should be considered a WR3 in most format.

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Matt Jones (Jacksonville Jaguars)

Jones entered the league raw as a receiver but with loads of potential. Most figured he would’ve tapped into that potential sooner, but nonetheless Jones is finally a fantasy football option. Having started all six games so far, Jones has already caught 30 passes for 338 yards and one touchdown. He’s caught five or more passes in all but one of those game, so it’s clear he’s going to continue to emerge as the favorite target for David Garrard in the Jaguars passing game.

His size (6’6”, 218 lbs.) makes him a natural red zone target so he should catch a few more touchdowns. Jones makes for a good backup and a decent spot starter in any league and we can't help but overlook the fact that he's on pace for 95 receptions.

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TIGHT END

Vernon Davis (San Francisco 49ers) 

The Mike Martz offensive isn’t conducive to using tight ends, so it took the 49ers a few games to learn how to utilize Davis. Entering the game last week with the Philadelphia Eagles, Davis had caught just five passes in five games. Against the Eagles he caught six passes for 75 yards, so it appears San Francisco realized it needs to get the ball to Davis who arguably the teams best receiver.

Expect the 49ers to continue to use Davis more and more as they move him around the field between tight end and the slot but for now, he should only be considered in deeper leagues. Still, he is a good guy to use while hot, though the 49ers Week 7 matchup against the New York Giants isn't ideal.

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KICKERS

Josh Brown (St. Louis Rams)

Now that the St. Louis Rams have proven they can score, Brown becomes fantasy football relevant. Against the Washington Redskins, Brown was 4-for-4 on field goals with a long of 51, and he hit his only extra point attempt.

Brown was always one of the better kickers while he was a member of the Seattle Seahawks and he should continue to get work, as the Rams’ struggles on offense produce stalled drives and field goal opportunities.
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Taylor Mehlhaff (New Orleans Saints) 

Any kicker on teams with good offensive units merit consideration and that’s the case with this undrafted rookie out of Wisconsin. Mehlhaff became the Saints’ kicker after the team placed Martin Gramatica on injured reserve with a groin injury. In his first NFL game, Mehlhaff was 2-for-3 on field goals with a long 44 and hit all four extra point attempts.

We strongly feel that Mehlhaff will finish the season with a high number of points behind the Saints powerful offense, thus making him a fantasy option in all formats.
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WATCH LIST

Dan Orlovsky, QB, Detroit Lions
Ahman Green, RB, Houston Texans
Kevin Smith, RB, Detroit Lions
Cedric Benson, RB, Cincinnati Bengals
Ladell Betts, RB, Washington Redskins
Pierre Thomas, RB, New Orleans Saints
Maurice Morris, RB, Seattle Seahawks
Harry Douglas, WR, Atlanta Falcons
Donnie Avery, WR, St. Louis Rams
Demetrius Williams, WR, Baltimore Ravens
Jordy Nelson, WR, Green Bay Packers
Marcedes Lewis, TE, Jacksonville Jaguars
Alex Smith, TE, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Dave Rayner, K, Cincinnati Bengals
Sebastian Janikowski, K, Oakland Raiders
Dan Carpenter, K, Miami Dolphins

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