Weeding through those unwieldy waiver wires requires a keen eye and a quick trigger. Thus, Waiver Wire Wonders provides a weekly snapshot of players worthy of consideration who should be available on a good portion of league waiver wires.It looks like we have the makings for some steamy waiver wire action as Week 9 provided a host of interesting plays. In the "one man gathers what another man spills" department, we saw a perennial backup step in as a fantasy big shot suffered a concussion, a couple of forgotten old-timers break out for their new teams, a couple of deep-on-depth-chart overachievers make a name for themselves, and we even saw a Lion play a good game. With the trade deadline looming, waiver wire moves get even more important down the stretch, so stay on your toes. Let's go.
More Fantasy Football: Week 9 Top Performers | Sunday Wrap-Up
Ladell Betts (RB, Redskins) -- After starter Clinton Portis suffered a concussion, courtesy of Atlanta defensive backs Chevis Jackson and Thomas DeCoud, Betts stepped in and performed admirably, gaining 70 yards and a touchdown. Using fellow veteran Brian Westbrook -- who suffered the same fate two weeks ago -- as a benchmark, we can assume that Portis may miss a game or even two, so Betts makes a solid add for the short term. Plus, if Betts continues to play well as he did Sunday -- essentially outperforming anything Portis has done thus far in 2009 -- he could earn himself a bigger role upon Portis' return.
Earl Bennett (WR, Chicago) -- The Chicago receiving corps has yet to produce a real reliable fantasy option, but in a desperation shootout with Arizona, Bennett became the main benefactor. As a result, Matt Forte got just five carries to Jay Cutler's 47 pass attempts. The Bears obviously never want to play this type of game and need to get back to the ground game, but, nevertheless, Bennett came up big with seven catches and 93 yards. He might make a decent spot start in games that look pass-happy, but it's difficult to forecast which team will come out for Chicago on a weekly basis. Basically, only the deepest leagues need apply here.
Laveranues Coles (WR, Bengals) -- Here's a name we haven't heard much this year. While Coles only had 16 catches for 155 yards and three touchdowns coming into this week, he caught six passes for 72 yards including a nice 32-yarder against Baltimore. Coles does not represent a screaming buy, but the chemistry with Carson Palmer seems to be finally brewing, so keep an eye on him. Coles is in his twilight years, but he is a great receiver who always seems to make his way into fantasy starting lineups one way or another. I think we will see more of Coles in the second half of this season.
Chris Chambers (WR, Chiefs) -- Here's another one from the halls of the fantasy annals. After packing up and heading east to Kansas City just last week, Chambers wasted no time finding his place in the offense -- providing an immediate two-touchdown spark. Maybe this is finally the right home for Chambers, but going all the way back to his Miami days, he has always been one of fantasy football's most unreliable receivers, right up there with Lee Evans. In total, Chambers caught three passes for 70 yards with the two scores in a nicely played game by Matt Cassel.Josh Freeman (QB, Buccaneers) -- In the surprise of the day, the Bucs ousted the Packers 38-28 and rookie Josh Freeman broke out with three touchdown passes, despite throwing only 31 times. In his first NFL start, the rook out of Kansas State led the league's last remaining winless team to a victory against one of the NFL's better secondaries. This bodes well for Tampa Bay in general and keep an eye out for potentially better numbers from the team's backs and receivers.
Laurence Maroney (RB, Patriots) -- The twisty Patriots backfield looks a tad more stable as Maroney got 20 carries, the most by a single Patriots back this season, and picked up 82 yards and a touchdown. Take note though, the Pats still used Kevin Faulk for the passing game as Maroney caught zero passes to Faulk's four, which limits the upside for Maroney. Regardless, if you lack depth and can still get him, Maroney makes a good pickup.
Jason Hill (WR, 49ers) -- The 49ers are not making anyone's life easier as far as wideouts go. First, Josh Morgan was supposed to be the guy, then it looked like Michael Crabtree was finally panning out. Sunday, some random named Jason Hill goes out and catches two touchdown passes. He totaled four receptions and 50 yards on the game. This was the first Hill sighting on the season, so let's wait and see if he shows up again before getting too excited. Frankly, the 49ers have too many damn receivers (Crabtree, Bruce, Morgan, Battle, Hill, Spurlock, Jones), so its doubtful anyone will ever have that significant of an impact. I hear Charles Rogers is available, maybe they have room for one more?
Robert Meachem (WR, Saints) -- Here's another one in a similar situation: good receiver on a team with a lot of good receivers. Sunday, Meachem racked up 98 yards on five catches with a touchdown. The problem for Meachem is that, despite playing on one of the best passing offenses in the history of the world, he competes with Marques Colston, Devery Henderson, Lance Moore, Jeremy Shockey and Reggie Bush. There's such a thing as too much good company in this case. In deep leagues, he makes a decent bench add, particularly as a lot of people need to start transitioning away from the Indianapolis also-rans (i.e., Pierre Garcon and Austin Collie). Brandon Pettigrew (TE, Lions) -- It really looked like the Lions were on the way to win No. 2 behind a breakout game for Pettigrew. The surprise first-round draft pick made the front office look good for once as he caught seven passes for 70 yards and a touchdown. Pettigrew looks like a good choice for players struggling to fill a void left by Chris Cooley or Owen Daniels. I'm going to try to add him right now.
