Waiver Wire Pickups - Week 11

QUARTERBACKS

Marc Bulger, STL, Highly Recommended – Bulger might not even be available in your league but if he is, feel free to go and get him. Bulger threw for 302 yards and a pair of touchdowns in Sunday’s upset win at New Orleans and was pretty damn efficient too, going 27-of-33 on pass attempts. Bulger played poorly earlier in the season and has some strikes against him like the fact that he always manages to get hurt and St. Louis has a banged up offensive line. There is plenty to like about Bulger, however. Bulger lines up with some of the best skill players in the league and the Rams have several favorable matchups over the final seven games. Do not expect Bulger to post numbers like he has in the past, but he can more than help your fantasy team down the stretch.

Brodie Croyle, KC, Slightly Recommended – Croyle took over for Damon Huard in Sunday’s loss to Denver and ended up going 17-of-30 for 162 yards with an interception. Huard is a smart and accurate quarterback, but he lacks some of the skills that Croyle has, including mobility and a strong arm. Croyle is slightly recommended because he has some upside and Kansas City does have a couple of downfield threats in Tony Gonzalez and Dwayne Bowe. Coach Herm Edwards just named Croyle the starter for this week so if you’re desperate for a quarterback, he is probably available for you. Croyle’s real value is in keeper leagues, however, because he most certainly will be the team’s starter in 2008.

Kyle Boller, BAL, Not Recommended – Boller is a better quarterback than Steve McNair, but that does not mean you should pick him up. Boller replaced an ineffective McNair in Sunday’s loss to Cincinnati and finished 6-of-8 for 89 yards with an interception. Boller can make plays down the field and is very mobile, but tends to be erratic and often fails to feel the pass rush. No official word has been made, but one would assume that Boller will start this week. Regardless, stay away from Boller because even if he were a perfect quarterback, Baltimore has a vanilla offense and lacks playmakers at wide receiver.

Rex Grossman, CHI, Not Recommended – Grossman relieved an injured Brian Griese in Sunday’s game at Oakland and tossed the game-winning touchdown pass to Bernard Berrian in the fourth quarter. Grossman had the starting job at the beginning of the season, but struggled and gave way to Griese in Week 4. Grossman has a strong arm and throws a nice deep ball, but he is inaccurate on most throws and does not have a great feel for the game. There is no guarantee that Grossman will start next week but even if he does, do not go near him until he puts together a couple of good games.

RUNNING BACKS

Greg Jones, JAC, Not Recommended – Jones touched the ball just four times in Sunday’s win at Tennessee, but he scored twice on a couple of short touchdowns. Jones was a big part of Jacksonville’s offense a couple of years ago, but suffered a serious knee injury in 2006 and has not been involved much this season. The Jaguars have a lot of depth at running back, LaBrandon Toefield was used as a short yardage back a few weeks ago, so Jones won’t see enough touches to be much of a factor. Jones might be worth a pickup in deeper touchdown-heavy leagues, however.

Antonio Pittman, STL, Not Recommended – Pittman was somewhat of a factor in Sunday’s win at New Orleans, carrying the ball seven times for 53 yards. Pittman is not recommended, however, for obvious reasons. The main reason being St. Louis has Steven Jackson and he appears to be healthy again. It is interesting to note that Pittman had five more rushes than Brian Leonard, who started a bunch of games when Jackson was out with a groin injury. Pittman has a lot more speed than Leonard so coach Scott Linehan was probably looking to add some zip to the offense. As long as Jackson is healthy, there is no other running back on the Rams worth owning. But Pittman might have a little more upside than Leonard because of his superior speed if you’re looking for Jackson insurance.

Kolby Smith, KC, Not Recommended – Smith was supposed to be a factor in Kansas City’s offense with Larry Johnson’s foot injury, but that was not the case in Sunday’s loss to Denver - Priest Holmes had 20 carries while Smith had just two. Holmes was not all that effective with only 65 yards, but the breakdown of work is a significant sign that Smith probably won’t be involved any time soon. Johnson’s injury could be somewhat serious, there are various reports, so Smith only has value in deep leagues where you are able to stash him on your bench.

WIDE RECEIVER

James Thrash/Keenan McCardell, WAS - Not Recommended. I figured I'd lump these two and save myself from having to do write-ups on both guys. Although they combined for 9 catches, 118 yards and 3 TD's, their combined age is almost 70, they are both extremely inconsistent at this point in their careers, and have no business on your roster...

Chris Henry, CIN - Highly Recommended. THIMD has been telling you to grab him for weeks, and although he's probably gone in most leagues, he's one of the few players worth wasting your waiver spot on this week. Palmer clearly loves the guy, as he had more yards than both Ocho Cinco and Housh in his first game of the year...

Mark Clayton, BAL - Recommended. Clayton was pretty highly touted in the preseason, but has been a huge disappointment to fantasy owners in the first half of the 2007 season. He did have a big game yesterday, catching 8 passes for 107 yards. Although it was only against the Bengals (who actually won anyways), Clayton is worth taking a chance on if you have a roster spot for him...

Justin Gage, TENN - Not Recommended. Because the Titans were trailing the entire game, Vince Young actually had to throw the ball this week, and Gage was the main beneficiary, catching 7 passes for 90 yards and a TD. Even with the nice game, I just can't bring myself to recommend any WR on the Titans at this point...

Ruvell Martin, GB - Not Recommended. Martin rewarded the 3 fantasy owners from Wisconsin that started him this week with 4 catches, 57 yards, and 2 TD's. But considering that he's behind Driver, Jennings, Jones, and maybe even Koren Robinson, I'd stay away. As a side note, Favre looked like Tom Brady circa 2006, completing passes to 10 different Packers in the laugher against the Vikes...

DJ Hackett, SEA - Highly Recommended. THIMD has been pimiping this guy for weeks, so I'll I'm going to say is that if he's available, get him immediately...

TIGHT END

Bryan Fletcher, IND - Not Recommended. Fletcher stepped in for Dallas Clark and had 8 catches for 55 yards against the Bolts Sunday night. Although the 8 catches were nice, he'll probably be on the bench again next week as Clark is expected back against the Chiefs for Week 11...

Leonard Pope, ARI - Recommended. Now that the bye weeks are done, Pope probably won't make his way onto your team unless your starting TE goes down with an injury, but it is clear that he is becoming a red zone favorite of Kurt Warner, with 5 catches for 52 yards and 2 TD's in the win against DET.

Alge Crumpler, ATL - Slightly Recommended. Remember this guy? A top 10 TE for years, Crumpler fell off the face of the earth this year, between injuries, Vick, and a tough time grasping Petrino's playbook, but he did catch 2 balls for 39 yards and a TD this week. I wouldn't run out to grab him, but he's definitely one to monitor the next couple of weeks...

Daniel Graham, DET - Not Recommended. "Stone Hands" Graham did catch a TD this week, but only caught one other pass the entire game. Playing a TENN defense that will be fired up after the loss to the Jags in Week 11, there are far better options out there...