Waiver notes: Aromadoshu, won’t you?
Read a tweet by @razzball Sunday that totally echoed what I’ve been thinking for a while – Devin Hester should focus on kick returns.
He’s shown flashes as a receiver, but he’s a complete game-breaker when his electric return game is a factor.
Enter Devin Aromashodu, a third-year receiver out of Auburn. With Hester nursing a calf injury, Aromashodu caught eight of his 12 targets for 76 yards and a TD. He’s available in 99.9 percent of ESPN leagues, but more importantly, gives the Bears another offensive weapon.
Johnny Knox also scored a TD, he made five catches for 83 yards on seven targets. He’s not as available (61% of leagues).
Aromashodu’s the more interesting play here because we’ve seen Knox’s game. We know where it goes. Aromashodu impressed in his first big opportunity. Dynasty-leaguers should make an effort to get him. For redrafters who need help at WR, he’ll probably be one of your better waiver options this week.
We, like all those opposing defenses, all know how much Cutler’s going to have to throw the ball with that club struggling as bad as it is right now.
Who else might provide a boost from the waiver wire realm this week? Let’s take a look:
Chris Jennings – Had 73 yards on 20 carries and managed a 10-yard TD run. He’s available in 98% of leagues but plays for the Browns and won’t have the luxury of playing the bumbling Steelers again this season.
Garrett Hartley – The kicker for the Saints available in 86% of leagues? He had two field goals and two extra points this week. He missed one extra point, but he’s going to be a top-5 kicker the rest of the way. Go get him.
Matt Bryant – Ok, he’s no Garrett Hartley, but Bryant is making the Falcons forget about Jason Elam. He had three field goals and two extra points against the Saints. He’s available in 99.8% of ESPN leagues.
Michael Jenkins – Had three catches for 82 yards and a TD. More importantly, Chris Redman likes throwing to him. It’s Jenkins’ third consecutive game with 76 or more yards and he’s owned in only 5.1% of leagues.
Mike Hart – Had nine carries for 28 yards. Got some love in the Twitterverse, and apparently he was taking goal-line carries from Joseph Addai. He’s highly available, but it’s not time to pick him up yet.
Jason Snelling – He’s only available in about half of fantasy leagues, but as long as Michael Turner is out, Snelling’s a flex play. He had a TD and 92 total yards against the Saints on Sunday.
Jamaal Charles – Somehow he’s still available in more than 20% of ESPN leagues. Charles has scored a TD in each of the last three games and four of the last five. Against the Bills on Sunday, he amassed 143 yards on 20 carries, scored two TDs and made seven catches on eight targets.
Kevin Faulk – He’s not going to get you 100 yards rushing or receiving, or a TD every week, but he could be a cheap somewhat productive flex player if you are needy in that department. And he’s available in 94% of fantasy leagues. This week he had a rushing TD and 58 yards rushing on 10 carries.
Jay Feely – Yes, this is the kicker edition of the Monday update. Feely made four field goals – including a 49-yarder and a 40-yarder – and booted two extra points. He’s available in almost 70% of ESPN leagues, and as long as Kellen Clemens is helming the Jets, expect them to stall out a lot.
Chad Henne – Surprisingly, Henne got little love in the weekly projections at a lot of sites today. The Dolphins were facing the Jaguars. Henne wasn’t great, but he ran for a TD and completed 21-of-29 passes for 220 yards. He threw a pick and didn’t have a TD pass, but he’s a legit NFL QB, especially with no wildcat. Available in almost 95% of leagues
Greg Camarillo – After Davone Bess had a 100-yard receiving game last week, Camarillo comes out and has a 100-yard performance this week. Camarillo caught all seven targets for 110 yards. He’s available in 99.5% of leagues. I can’t guarantee 100-yarders week after week, but maybe Henne starts using him more, making him a flex play for you in the playoffs.
Willis McGahee – Oh, Willis, back in the update, huh? Where have you been? Yes, you’re 76 yards on 12 carries looks great, but let’s not forget you get them against the Browns. Leron McClain scored a TD, too. They even made Troy Smith look good.
Julius Jones, Justin Forsett, Ryan Moats and Chris Brown – This quartet took up most of the space in the backfield for the Seahawks-Texans game. I saw most of the crew mentioned as potential lineup savers and flex plays on sites. They combined for 115 yards and a TD on 32 carries. Bottom line: You don’t want to have to rely on running backs for these teams. If it’s worth anything, Moats was the most effective of the bunch, rushing for 43 yards and the lone TD on 10 carries. He’s available in about 80% of ESPN leagues.
Quinton Ganther – Scored twice and amassed 93 total yards. He was a smart waiver/free agent add for a lot of players, but he’s still available in 72% of ESPN leagues. He’s the Redskins starter at running back. He shouldn’t be that available.
Darren McFadden – So for a few moments at the beginning of the Raiders-Redskins game, McFadden looked like someone Chinstrap Ninjas should recommend. He finished with 84 yards receiving, including a 48-yarder. Unfortunately, that play came before Bruce Gradkowski blew out both his knees. With JaMarcus Russell calling plays, no Raider should start in a fantasy lineup.
Leonard Weaver – Hey, it was whispered here last week, but not many people took advantage. Know who the Eagles most effective running back was AGAIN this week? Yep, Weaver. He had 33 yards on nine carries (3.7 average) and scored a TD. He’s only owned in 1.1% of leagues. When Westbrook’s out, it’s Weaver’s backfield not McCoy’s.
Hakeem Nicks – Not totally available (only in 45% of leagues), but he did cement his starting status with a 110-yard-and-a-TD performance. He could have had two other TDs.
Kevin Boss – Set a season-high in receptions, matched his second-best yardage performance with 70 and scored a TD against the Eagles on Sunday. He’s available in more than half of all ESPN leagues. He’s a legit fantasy starter, so he’s an upgrade for a couple teams out there.
Who did we miss? Who are we wrong about? Let us know in the comments.
[...] Fantasy assassins « Waiver notes: Aromadoshu, won’t you? [...]