Here is the first edition of The Wire, our weekly waiver wire list. The Wire is organized into four categories: Get ‘em in there, Pick up and hold, Stopgaps, and Pretenders. “Get ‘em in there” are the players worth of a start right away, while “Stopgaps” are the players who will get you through a short-term injury or bye week. “Pick up and hold” is just what is sounds like and “Pretenders” are those players who might have had one good week and immediately picked up in every Yahoo Public league out there…don’t waste a roster spot and waiver claim on them. As it’s early in the season, this list is fairly long at the moment because a bunch of undrafted players come away with some unexpected stats. As the season progresses though, the law of averages will come into play and the cream will rise to the top, so this list will get shorter and more useful. Anyways, here are some players to check out as we move into week two of the fantasy football season:

Get ‘em in there

  • Carnell “Cadillac” Williams, RB, Buccaneers – While he might not run for 97 yards and a touchdown every week in this running-back-by-committee system (especially once Earnest Graham decides he’s warmed the bench enough), it looks like Cadillac is healthy once again and should put up decent numbers as long as he stays that way. He makes for a good RB3 candidate to keep in rotation during tough match-ups, bye weeks and injuries.
  • Jeremy Shockey, TE, Saints – The difference between Shockey and Ben Watson is that we know Shockey is capable of putting up the kind of numbers he did this weekend on a consistent basis if he can keep his head on straight and stay healthy. He won’t get the most yardage of any tight end out there, but he’s always a threat in the red-zone, something you want from the TE spot on your roster. With the Saints passing game already running on all cylinders, Shockey makes a decent play as your teams tight end…as long as you’re not replacing Gates, Witten, etc.

Stopgaps

  • Davone Bess, WR, Dolphins – Bess won’t get a lot of touchdowns, but he should rack up receptions as Pennington uses him heavily in the short passing game. He’s a decent play depending on the
  • Washington DEF – They get the honor of playing St. Louis this weekend, who were blanked by the Seahawks on Sunday. Enough said.
  • Mike Bell, RB, Saints – If no one needed his services during week one, there is a chance that he’ll be a free agent still. Until Pierre Thomas comes back and regains the top spot in the Saints rushing game, Bell has fantasy value.
  • Kevin Kolb, QB, Eagles – Although the team has signed Jeff Garcia, it looks like Kolb will be the quarterback for the Eagles this weekend against the Saints if McNabb doesn’t play. Kolb wasn’t anything special in the preseason, but if you’re struggling to find a startable quarterback and you want to gamble…
  • Ricky Williams, RB, Dolphins – Williams will get a few carries each week and the team has no problem using him in the passing game and around the goalline. Ronnie Brown is still the main man in Miami though.
  • Fred Jackson, RB, Bills – I’m not sure if he’s a free agent in your league, as he should have been handcuffed to Marshawn Lynch in the draft, but if he is he’s worth a pickup until Lynch returns. Even then, he should continue to get a decent amount of work as long as he remains productive. He makes a decent flex play for your team while Marshawn is out.

Pick up and hold

  • Joe Flacco, QB, Ravens – Flacco had a great first game, throwing for over 300 yards and three touchdowns, but he needs to show me one or two more good performances before I go plugging him into my lineup. Grab him as your backup if you had the likes of Jake Delhomme, Chad Pennington or Brady Quinn on your bench.
  • Nate Burleson, WR, Seahawks – Looks like Burleson will be one of the top targets in the Seahawks passing game, with seven receptions for 74 yards and a touchdown on Sunday. Not a bad guy to add to your bench to provide some depth.
  • Patrick Crayton, WR, Cowboys – Looks like Crayton is the primary deep threat in the Cowboys offense, reeling in four catches for 135 yards and a score. The touchdown was an 80 yard bomb, so don’t expect that every week, but he’s still getting some attention from Romo and could help your team out if you’re in a bind.
  • Todd Heap, TE, Ravens – Is this the resurrection of Heap? Let him put up at least two weeks worth of stats before you sticking him into your lineup.
  • Mark Clayton, WR, Ravens – Seems that everyone on the Ravens saw a boost in their numbers this weekend. Is Flacco maturing rapidly or did he get lucky? If the passing game continues like it did this weekend, Clayton should see a lot of looks.
  • Devery Henderson, WR, Saints – He’s one of the main deep threats in the Saints passing game, but don’t expect 103 yards and a touchdown every week (remember, they were playing the Lions.) If he can become more consistent, he might be worthy of a start at some point in the season.
  • Robert Meachem, WR, Saints – Same as Henderson.
  • Antwaan Randle El, WR, Redskins – While he ended up third on the WR depth chart coming into the season, he was Jason Campbell’s favorite target (other than Chris Cooley), catching seven passes for 98 yards. Probably worth a bit more in PPR leagues.
  • Justin Gage, WR, Titans – When the Titans decided to throw the ball, Gage was the primary target. Don’t expect a touchdown every week, but if the ground game is held in check, expect Tennessee to air it out frequently and Gage get a lot of looks.
  • Kenny Britt, WR, Titans – The rookie had a great game, catching four passes for 85 yards, including a 57 yard bomb. He will most likely provide the deep threat for Tennessee this season and is a good candidate for a keeper league.
  • Laurent Robinson, WR, Rams – Possibly the lone bright spot in the Rams disaster this weekend. Make him prove his consistency before you add him to your roster.
  • Louis Murphy, WR, Raiders – He seemed to be one of JaMarcus Russell’s favorite targets, but as a rookie it’ll be interesting if he can stay consistent. Once Chaz Schilens returns, will he still be the go-to guy in the passing game? Too many questions now to put him in your lineup.

Pretenders

  • Benjamin Watson, TE, Patriots – As a Patriots fan I have to give Watson props on last night’s game, but I can’t recommend you pick him up yet. He’s always had the potential, but consistency was never one of Watson’s strong spots.
  • Mark Sanchez, QB, Jets – As a Patriots fan I have to recommend you don’t add Sanchez to your roster…I mean, I’d wait to see what he can do against the Patriots this weekend before making any rash decisions on the rookie. If you’re in a keeper league, he has more value of course.
  • Brandon Stokley, WR, Broncos – He had a single once-in-a-lifetime catch and has no fantasy value until Kyle Orton can prove that he even knows how to throw the ball to his primary receivers (Brandon Marshall and Eddie Royal.)
  • Miles Austin, WR, Cowboys
  • Robert Royal, TE, Browns
  • Mario Manningham, WR, Giants – I’m not convinced that this won’t be a revolving door in terms of which receiver catches a touchdown each week. Once one of them can become a consistent threat, I’ll think about adding them to my roster.
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