Did you see “The Wizard” with Fred Savage? It’s this cheesy early 90’s movie with a climactic Nintendo showdown. Mario Brothers III was unveiled at the end. It was like, the future or something. I remember being so pumped about that game. In fact if you weren’t pumped about Mario Brothers III then I hate your face.
As I discussed last week “Sleeper Math” is changing with the season and will now focus on the best players to roster (mostly RB’s). It’s not easy to unearth diamonds in the rough this time of year but I’m up for the challenge. Waive goodbye to your backup Tight Ends, Quarterbacks, and marginal Team Defenses and say hello to no name running backs who might just win you a title (and be a ridiculously good keeper for next season).
Worth a Waiver Claim
Fred Jackson – Probably not available but get him if you can. Marshawn Lynch left Sunday’s game with a shoulder injury. Not sure what that means going forward other than Jackson’s value just shot up.
Rock Cartwright – No, I’m not talking about return yard leagues here people. Portis and Betts are ruled out for next week. There’s an outside chance that Cartwright could wind up starting for the rest of the season. In the meantime he’s going to get all the touches out of the backfield because he’s all there is.
Bernard Scott – He shouldn’t be on waivers but a lot of you out there have boneheads in your league. Clearly if he’s still available you should claim him. It’s unclear whether Benson will play this week against Cleveland.
Worth Grabbing in Free Agency (after Waivers clear)
Danny Ware – Jacobs got injured on Sunday. It’s tough to say what the extent of it will be. Regardless Ware is an excellent stash right now. He could be a big surprise to close out the season.
Brandon Gibson – Jones will be taking an extensive look at him in his Targets article tomorrow. He is getting the ball thrown A TON to him.
Maurice Morris – Kevin Smith had a good game but Morris is still worth stashing because he’s talented and Smith’s been injured this season.
Chris Jennings – He had just under 10 points in PPR this week. It’s miraculous that Jamal Lewis is still out there. If he gets hurt Jennings could find his way in to your starting lineup.
Lex Hilliard – I thought he’d get more touches in his first outing but I’m sure he’ll get more involved in the offense. Miami’s offense can easily support two productive running backs (as they’ve shown all season).
Mohamed Massoquoi – He’s probably not available in your league. If he is on Waivers I wouldn’t put a claim on him, personally. I do think he could be useful toward the end of the season but you shouldn’t need to slide him in there as a starter.
Darren MacFadden – I’m not that excited about him but if he’s a free agent I’d throw him on your bench and wait to see if he does anything.
Deep Sleepers/Stashes (Drop your Snuggies to pick them up)
Tyrell Sutton – He is drawing a lot of praise in Carolina. Unfortunately that backfield is really packed right now. If either Williams or Stewart goes down he could put up useful digits though- keep your eyes open.
Rashad Jennings – Not going to be a factor unless Maurice Jones-Drew gets hurt. If that happens, however, you’ll be glad you own Rashad Jennings.
Ryan Moats – It’s evident now that Slaton’s won his starting job back. Moats has once again become a stash. The good part is he showed that he can be productive when given an opportunity.
Jerious Norwood – I guess we’re just going to wait forever for him to get healthy. With Turner still out (more than likely) you could do worse than stashing Norwood just in case.
Brandon Jackson – Just when you think he’s irrelevant again… Jackson had 6 catches for 65 yards on Sunday (he’s a running back, not a receiver). If Ryan Grant goes down to injury he could be valuable. For obvious reasons he’s a better stash in PPR leagues.
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