Small sample sizes can often mask what players are actually capable of doing, for better or worse. If a guy plays over his head for three games, fantasy owners go nuts and start drinking his Kool-Aid. If he struggles for three games, owners cut bait and offer him in trades for 50 cents on the dollar. After nine weeks of the NFL season, season numbers are starting to weed out imposters and exposing players for what they really are.

Just like in baseball, hot streaks don’t change who a player fundamentally is. DeAngelo Williams came out of nowhere to score three touchdowns in Week 5, but does that change a fact that he is undersized and incapable of shouldering a heavy work load? Willie Parker found paydirt three times in Week 1, but does that mean his touchdown-scoring woes are officially behind him? Read more »

Something happened as we crossed the halfway point of the 2008 season. After weeks of scavenging for boring, low-impact bye-week and injury replacements, opportunities were served up on golden platters for Week 10. Brady Quinn, Ryan Torain and Jamaal Charles are just a few of the high-ceiling players getting their first chances to start, giving fantasy owners more meaningful transactions to ponder on a shortened week.

Quinn may be the next big thing in Cleveland. He may fall flat on his face and lose the job to Derek Anderson once again. The unknown is exciting and sure to draw attention from owners in most leagues, likely making him the object of most of their affection. He has a strong matchup against Denver on Thursday, but only three days to prepare for his first career start. Read more »

We all know that an opportunity lost for one fantasy owner is an opportunity gained for another.
But, in the last few weeks, opportunities lost in the form of Tom Brady, Tony Romo or Matt Hasselbeck have yielded far lesser opportunities in Matt Cassel, Brad Johnson, Charlie Frye and Seneca Wallace.

All of these guys demand waiver wire consideration, but can they serve any purpose to fantasy teams other than acting as warm bodies during bye weeks? The answer, in most cases, is a resounding “not really,” but help has to come in any form an owner can get. Read more »

Current and former Bears are among the most desirable players on waiver wires this week, with quarterback Kyle Orton generating major buzz with a second straight career day. One of the beneficiaries of Orton’s stellar play has been punt-returner-turned-receiver Devin Hester, who has found paydirt in each of the last two weeks. Meanwhile, former teammate Cedric Benson finds himself in a good situation in the Cincinnati Bengals backfield.

Orton is surprisingly the most explosive quarterback available in most fantasy leagues. Few would have predicted that he would throw seven touchdown passes over any three-game stretch during the season, but he has over Chicago’s last three.

Reclamation project Marc Bulger is also a good pickup after being announced as the Rams starter for the rest of ‘08. JaMarcus Russell has quietly been better than expected, making the former No. 1 pick an intriguing pick as a bye-week fill-in. Read more »