Waiver Wire Pick-Ups Week 3: Lightening Strikes For Tolbert

Many injuries have happened so far this year, but there are plenty of players to make up for it. Players like Ryan Grant, Reggie Bush, Knowshon Moreno and Ryan Matthews have all taken blows and on the shelf right now. Performance has also been a big factor in replacements as well. We have already seen Kevin Kolb, Jason Campbell, Matt Moore and Trent Edwards all lose their starting jobs. Michael Vick has been a goldmine for people that took a shot on him on the wire. Here are the best waiver-wire pick-ups for week three:

1. Mike Tolbert (RB SD)- Ryan Matthews sprained his ankle last week and is doubtful for week three. Tolbert had 82 yards and two touchdowns stepping in for Matthews last week. He will get the start and faces a weak Seattle defense. Pick him up and plug him into your lineup.

2 and 3. Laurence Maroney and Correll Buckhalter (RB DEN)- Knowshon Moreno pulled his hamstring in practice and is out for at least two weeks. Moroney is the favorite to start, with Correll Buckhalter also getting some touches. Both backs are worth picking up for some spot starts.

4. Aaron Hernandez (TE NE)- Tom Brady targeted Hernandez plenty of times last week with Randy Moss and Wes Welker held in check by the Jets defense. This week he faces a Bills defense that just gave up four catches for 101 yards to Jermichael Finley. Hernandez is worth a start if your tightend or flex option is shaky.

5. Mercedes Lewis (TE JAX)- Lewis is off to a strong start this year. Lewis has 101 yards and two touchdowns through two weekss. Lewis has become the second option for David Garrard through the air and has been very productive. He is worth a pickup for a starter, bye week fill-in or as a flex option.

6. Kyle Orton (QB DEN)- Orton has been playing like a top fantasy quarterback thus far. Orton has 603 passing yards and three touchdowns in two games and now has another favorite weapon in Demaryius Thomas. He's worth a pick-up if your starter is struggling or as a bye-week fill-in.

7. Demaryius Thomas (WR DEN)- Thomas stepped up big last week in his first game of the year. He had eight catches for 98 yards and a touchdown. He showed great rapport with Kyle Orton and looks like a nice find for the Broncos. Pick him up immediately.

8. Jason Snelling (RB ATL)- Michael Turner hurt his groin last week, but Snelling filled in nicely with 186 combined yards. He is at least a pickup for Turner owners as a handcuff, but needs to be owned in all leagues in case Turner gets hurt again.

9. Kevin Walter (WR HOU)- Andre Johnson was injured late in the game last week and Walter became Matt Schaub's top option. Walter is especially valuable in ppr leagues after he hauled in eleven catches for 144 yards. Pick him up if he's available, because he has the upper hand over Jacoby Jones as the second option for Schaub.

10. Louis Murphy (WR OAK)- Murphy clicked with Bruce Gradkowski last week and with Gradkowski earning a start this week, he's worth a pickup. Murphy had six catches for 91 yards and a touchdown last week and looks to be a viable option in the Raiders passing game right now.

Week 2 Predictions: Can Ahmad Be Stopped?

Week one was unpredictable as usual, but owners cannot panic after one week. Who saw Andre Johnson and Matt Schaub having mediocre weeks? Who saw Arian Foster having a career week? Who saw David Garrard throwing for three touchdowns? Week one always sends owners into panic mode even though it's only one week. If you were an unfortunate owner of Ryan Grant, hopefully you got Brandon Jackson or made a trade to make up for the loss. Injuries happen in the NFL and owners need to make up for the injuries with trades or waiver-wire pick-ups and not panic.

Who is my start of the week this week? Well he goes up against possibly the worst run defense in the NFL. He is a rising star and has a firm grip on his starting job in a powerful offense. His name? Ahmad Bradshaw. The Colts watched last week as Foster ran for 231 rushing yards and three touchdowns. Foster owners were drooling and jumping for joy. This week Bradshaw gets his chance to roll over the Bob Sanders-less Colts defense. Prediction: 110 rushing yds 1 td 4 recs 50 yds

This brings us to my sit of the week. He is going to be stuck on an island against the best shutdown cornerback in the NFL. He has been moaning about a new contract to the media. He is on one of the most explosive offenses in the league. His name is Randy Moss. He is going up against the New York Jets and that means he has a date with Darrelle Revis. Revis shuts down every top receiver in the league and this week will be no different. Moss picked a bad week to talk about his contract. Prediction: 3 recs 30 yds

Week one predictions:
PIT@TEN
Prediction: PIT 14 TEN 10
The Steelers won doing what they do best last week and that's playing smash mouth power football. They also played great defense against Matt Ryan's Falcons. The Steelers defense looks like a fierce and physical unit once again and owners of any Titans skill position players besides Chris Johnson need to look at other options. The only Steelers players I would trust would be Rashard Mendenhall and Hines Ward.
Boom: H. Ward, R. Mendenhall, C. Johnson, Steelers defense, Titans defense
Bust: V. Young, M. Wallace

BAL@CIN
Prediction: BAL 14 CIN 9
The Ravens shut Rex Ryan and the Jets up and they intend to do the same thing to Terrell Owens and Chad Ochocinco. Ray Rice should get back on track after going against the best defense in the league. I would avoid all other Ravens offensive players besides Anquan Boldin. Flacco hasn't had a great history against the Bengals. I would keep my expectations in check for Bengals players this week although Carson Palmer could pick apart the Ravens secondary if he gets time to throw. he has a solid hsitory against them too. Benson had two great games against the Ravens last year, but they will look to stop Benson first.
Boom: R. Rice, A. Boldin, C. Palmer, C. Ochocinco, T. Owens, Ravens defense, Bengals defense
Bust: J. Flacco, D. Mason, C. Benson
Sleeper: J. Gresham

PHI@DET
Prediction: PHI 27 DET 14
The Kevin Kolb era has gotten off to a brutal start and the Michael Vick era has begun. If Vick plays great the next few weeks, he may start the rest of the eyar after Kolb suffered a concussion. Vick will start this week and possibly the next few weeks at least. Upgrade all your Eagles starters this week and the Lions need a downgrade with Matthew Stafford out for at least six weeks.
Boom: All Eagles starters, C. Johnson
Bust: J. Best
Sleeper: T. Scheffler

AZ@ATL
Prediction: AZ 14 ATL 24
Derek Anderson is the most inaccurate starting quarterback in the league, but owners of their receiving core need to deal with it. Larry Fitzgerald will get his numbers no matter who is throwing him the ball. Steve Breaston is looking like he's going to have a big year if Anderson targets him early and often. The Falcons had a rough game against the Steelers last week, but they can do that to anybody. Expect a big bounce back this week and start all Falcons position players with confidence.
Boom: L. Fitzgerald, S. Breaston, M. Ryan, M. Turner, R. White, T. Gonzalez
Bust: Cardinals defense, B. Wells, T. Hightower
Sleeper: L. Stephens-Howling

MIA@MIN
Prediction: MIA 14 MIN 24
Brett Favre's second season with the Vikings got off to a tough start last week. He looked rusty and he had no chemistry with any wide receiver other than tight-end Visanthe Shiancoe. Look for a bounce back this week and for Greg Camarillo to get more involved. The Dolphins offense is a question mark other than Brandon Marshall. They did not look very good against the Bills and they won't be able to run much this week.
Boom: B. Favre, A. Peterson, V. Shiancoe, P. Harvin, Vikings defense, B. Marshall
Bust: R. Brown, R. Williams, C. Henne, Dolphins defense, B. Berrian
Sleeper: G. Camarilllo

KC@CLE
Prediction: KC 20 CLE 14
The Chiefs looked much improved and very impressive last Monday night. This offense and special teams look very solid right now. They put new toy Dexter McCluster to good use after he returned a 94-yard punt for a touchdown. I'd use Jamaal Charles and Dwayne Bowe with confidence and would stay away from most Browns players right now. They are all risky starts.
Boom: J. Charles, D. Bowe, Chiefs defense, M. Massaqoui, P. Hillis, J. Harrison
Bust: Browns defense, J. Delhomme, M. Cassel
Sleeper: D. McCluster

TB@CAR
Prediction: TB 14 CAR 17
This won't be a pretty game as both teams are in rebuilding mode and neither showed very much promise week one, even though the Bucs were able to hold off the Browns. Carolina's quarterback situation is a mess after M. Moore suffered a concussion week one and will have to trot out the young rookie Jimmy Clausen. Steve Smith might have trouble this week. Look for the Panthers to rely on their running game against a weak Bucs run defense. Both Panthers running-backs look like great starts.
Boom: D. Williams, J.Stewart, Panthers defense, M. Williams, K. Winslow
Bust: S. Smith, C. Williams
Sleeper: S. Stroughter

BUF@GB
Prediction: BUF 13 GB 31
I would not want to be in the Bills' shoes this week. This looks like a massacre on paper. The Bills offense is in an absolute flux and against a top defense in the Packers, things won't get better this week. Avoid all Bills players this week. Brandon Jackson gets his first start to shine this year and the matchup couldn't be any better. The Bills run defense is one of the worst in the NFL. The Packers offense should explode.
Boom: All Packers
Bust: All Bills
Sleeper: J. Jones

CHI@DAL
Prediction: CHI 14 DAL 27
The Cowboys are angry and they will take it out on the Bears. The Bears were lucky to win last week after the awful call on the Calvin Johnson touchdown catch. Matt Forte was the big positive from last week and expect him to be heavily involved every week. The Bears wide-receivers are hard to predict from week to week, but I would use Johnny Knox every week. Jay Cutler is in for a rough week after the Cowboys basically shut down the Redskins last week Use all Cowboys offensive players with confidence against a weak bears defense. It's tough to use any Cowboys running-back since nobody knows who will step up from week to week. Marion Barber and Felix Jones are nothing but flex players.
Boom: All Cowboys, M. Forte, J. Knox
Bust: J. Cutler, D. Hester, Bears defense
Sleeper: G. Olsen

SEA@DEN
Prediction: SEA 14 DEN 17
The Seahawks surprised many by slaughtering the San Francisco 49ers last week. They will probably come back down to Earth this week. The Seahawks offense is tough to rely on since there are no juggernauts or stars on it. There are some solid players like Mike Williams, John Carlson and the rejuvenated Matt Hasselbeck. Kyle Orton should have a big week since the Broncos defense forces this team into shoot-outs. Knowshon Moreno looked solid last week and should be in for another nice week against a mediocre Seahawks defense. Use any Broncos receiver at your own risk since who knows who will step up each week.
Boom: M. Williams, M. Hasselbeck, J. Carlson, K. Orton, J. Gaffney, E. Royal, K. Moreno
Bust: Both defenses
Sleeper: D. Butler

STL@OAK
Prediction: STL 21 OAK 20
Both teams looked bad last week, but this is a fantasy owner's dream with two bad defenses. Steven Jackson should go off for a huge week and Mark Clayton could as well. The Raiders were shutdown last week, but get a friendly matchup here. Zach Miller should have a huge week as well as both Raiders running-backs.
Boom: S. Jackson, M. Clayton, L. Robinson, J. Campbell, Z. Miller, D. McFadden
Bust: All Raiders receivers
Sleeper: D. Amendola

JAX@SD
Prediction: JAX 21 SD 31
The Jaguars offense looked improved, but their defense still gives up too many big plays. Philip Rivers and company should be licking their chops this week. Expect huge numbers from the Chargers. Stay away from David Garrard, but Maurice Jones-Drew, Mike Sims-Walker and Mike Thomas should all have solid weeks.
Boom: All Chargers, MJD, M. Sims-Walker
Bust: D. Garrard
Sleeper: M. Thomas

NE@NYJ
Prediction: NE 17 NYJ 14
The Jets looked pathetic last Monday with crucial penalties, turnovers and mental mistakes. It is tough to rely on any Jets offensive player until they prove themselves. Tom Brady and Wes Welker should be fine, but everybody else is a question mark. Start the defense with confidence though. This may be an ugly game like last Monday night's game.
Boom: T. Brady, W. Welker, Patriots defense
Bust: R. Moss, all Jets
Sleeper: J. Edelman

HOU@WAS
Prediction: HOU 20 WAS 14
The Redskins won last week, but they didn't look very good in the process. It was more of the Cowboys mistakes then them proving anything positive. I wouldn't use any Redskin other than Chris Cooley and Santana Moss. The Texans are always a fantasy force and now with Arian Foster, it's even better. Start the big three (Schaub, Johnson and Foster) and look for Jacoby Jones to have a nice week. Owen Daniels is being limited due to his injury so find somebody else this week if you can.
Boom: M. Scahub, A. Johnson, A. Foster, Texans defense, S. Moss, C. Cooley
Bust: D. McNabb, C. Portis, K. Walter
Sleeper: J. Jones

NYG@IND
Prediction: NYG 21 IND 24
This is supposed to be the Manning bowl, but Ahmad Bradshaw has something to say about that. If Bradshaw does even close to what Foster did last week, Eli Manning won't have to throw as much. Upgrade Bradshaw and don't expect too much from the Giants wide-receivers if Bradshaw goes off. The Colts offense lives and dies through Peyton Manning so start all your Colts with confidence every week.
Boom: E. Manning, A. Bradshaw, S. Smith, H. Nicks, All Colts
Bust: Nobody
Sleeper: B. Jacobs

NO@SF
Prediction: NO 21 SF 24
The 49ers were awful in there season debut, but signs point to a bounce back this week. They are at home and Mike Singletary lit into his team after last week. They have the offense to keep up with the Saints and it should be high scoring. Start all your studs here.
Boom: All Saints, V. Davis, F. Gore
Bust: M. Crabtree, both defenses
Sleeper: D. Henderson

Waiver Wire Pick-Ups Week 2: Vick's Giving Kolb Nightmares

Week one always sends owners into panic-mode if their team doesn't perform well. You see guys that some people had as break-out performers or sleepers get dropped after a disappointing week one. You have to ask yourself if it's worth dropping a guy you had faith in to draft after the first week of the season. As you might recall, guys like Miles Austin and Sidney Rice didn't have their coming out party until mid-season. If you must make a move whether it's because of an injury or disappointment, then here is my list of guys you should target on the waiver-wire:

1. Brandon Jackson (RB GB)- Ryant Grant sprained his ankle and the injury could put him out of action for multiple weeks. Enter Brandon Jackson, who will take over as the lead running back in an explosive Green Bay offense. They also have some tasty match-ups coming up: BUF, @CHI, DET and @WAS. He also had a solid game against a tough Eagles defense: 63 rushing yds on 18 carries and 2 receptions for 12 yds. Those are some easy match-ups and he needs to be added in every league, even if you are not a Ryan Grant owner.

2. Mark Clayton (WR STL)- Clayton always underachieved in Baltimore, but is now rookie Sam Bradford's favorite target after just one week. He had a huge week one with ten catches for 119 yards. If Clayton can become the Rams most reliable receiver every week, he will be worth using most weeks. He can at least be a match-ups play you can plug in when the match-up is right. Go get Clayton.

3. Mike Thomas (WR JAX)- Now that defense put most of their attention on Mike Sims-Walker, Thomas is getting his chance to shine. He had a busy week one, grabbing six catches for 89 yards. If David Garrard can continue to have success through the air, Thomas will be a viable wr3, wr4 or a flex play. It's definitely worth finding out if the Jaguars can continue their solid passing efforts of week one and Thomas has the talent to continue it.

4. Darren McFadden (RB OAK)- Chances are he was probably drafted on his name alone, but if there's that slight chance he is floating on the wire, he needs to be scooped up. McFadden had a huge week one: 95 rushing yds 6 recs 55 yds one td. Even if Michael Bush comes back this week, McFadden will be worth using against the lowly St. Louis Rams defense. Even if he is a bye-week fill-in or a match-ups play guy, he is worth picking up.

5. Mercedes Lewis (TE JAX)- Lewis was heavily involved in the Jaguars passing attack last week and he is definitely worth picking up if you are weak at the tigh-end position or need a bye-week replacement. Lewis was a red-zone target of Garrard as he had two tds with two catches for 31 yards. Pick him up if you need a tight-end.

6. Peyton Hillis (RB CLE)- The Browns still have no faith in Jerome Harrison. Hillis started the last game and had a decent game: 41 rushing yds 1 td 4 rec 24 yds. Hillis may end up stealing the majority of the touches in this offense if he can keep up this kind of success. It's worth picking him up to find out.

7. Mike Williams (WR SEA)- Williams quickly made an impact with his new team with four receptions for 64 yards and barely missed a touchdown. Williams has become a favorite target of Matt Hasselbeck and will continue to be involved in the offense. Grab Williams and watch him flourish as a Seahawk.

8. Mike Williams (WR TB)- This is the other Mike Williams, but he is a rookie. The Bucs offense isn't anything special, but Williams looks like Josh freeman's go-to wide-receiver. Williams is at least worth grabbing as a match-ups guy or a bye-week fill-in. he had a solid week one: 5 rec 30 yds 1 td.

9. David Garrard (QB JAX)- Garrard is worth picking up as a back-up QB or if you are an owner of a shaky qb. He can exploit bad defenses and with the emergence of Mike Thomas and Mercedes Lewis, he can be a solid back-up. Garrard is also durable so you can count on him staying healthy.

10. Michael Vick (QB PHI)- If Kevin Kolb is out this week or multiple weeks with his concussion, Vick will be a solid match-ups play. He had an outstanding game against a top defense in the Green Bay Packers. If you are a Kolb owner, Vick is a must-add. He gets to play the pathetic Lions defense this week and he will shred them if he gets the start. After that, the Jaguars are up next and if he starts he will also shred that defense. Vick might yet have some value this year and will at least give Andy Reid a quarterback controversy.