Stash or Trash tells you whether a prospective fantasy football pickup (or drop) is worthy of your roster spot.It's getting to be that time of the football season when depth charts are rewritten in pencil, with an eraser handy, due to a plethora of circumstances. A player outside of the limelight may just be turning it on to become a force to be reckoned with. Or maybe injuries are beginning to take their toll and players who weren't counted on early will need to step up and perform.
Whatever the reason for a players' rise to prominence, if he's going to perform he needs to be on your fantasy football roster. It's that time of year to start stashing these upstart weapons -- one may turn into fantasy gold.
Mike Wallace, Steelers - Wallace has a couple of things going for him, the first being he's very young. This makes the 23-year-old rookie from Ole Miss very attractive in Dynasty Leagues. His 368 yards receiving and two touchdown catches this season make him a solid selection from the waiver wire in just about any league. The Steelers are now a passing team and Wallace has speed to burn. With that speed, Pittsburgh is looking at him more and more as a deep threat and Wallace is starting to see a few plays each week designed specifically to get him in the end zone. If a guy like Ben Roethlisberger in an offense like Pittsburgh's is making it a point to get Wallace in the end zone every week, you should make it a point to get Wallace onto your roster. Verdict: Stash
Anthony Gonzalez, Colts - Any receiver who gets to run routes for Peyton Manning could potentially have value for your fantasy team. The problem is that Gonzalez hasn't been able to to recover from his knee injury and get back onto the field. We thought he was going to get back on the field this week and possibly play, but he's now officially been ruled out for Week 8. I've heard buzz from some of the media guys around the Colts that speculate that it could be a while before we see Gonzalez on the field. And when he does get back, it may take a few weeks to get back into a rhythm with Manning. At this point in the season you may want to find a receiver who is actually in a position to make it into the game and score you some points. Verdict: Trash
Shonn Greene, Jets - With the unfortunate season-ending injury to Leon Washington, someone needs to step in and take responsibility for some of the tasks Washington took care of. Washington returned kicks, he had some Wildcat duties, and he was a fantastic change of pace, No. 2 running back. Greene isn't going to return kicks or play a part in the Wildcat offense, but he will get the majority of the carries that went to Washington. Greene is a big, bruising style rusher who will be an asset in short yardage situations and near the goal line. Don't expect him to outperform Washington and the numbers he was putting up, but he will be of value in fantasy circles. Verdict: Stash
Alex Smith, 49ers - The San Francisco passing attack hasn't been anything special this season, and that's probably putting it nicely. There are, however, a few signs of life emerging. Smith has taken over as quarterback and that's important for two huge reasons. Smith has built a rapport with rookie Michael Crabtree who is proving he had a reason to hold out. If Crabtree continues to progress like he's doing now, he'll turn into a star and could elevate Smith's fantasy value in the process. Vernon Davis is also turning into an extremely reliable receiver. He has 15 receptions in his last three games and four touchdowns. Smith should flourish throwing the ball to these two fresh targets. Verdict: Stash
