The "12-Pack" Waiver Wire Report

With Week 1 of the NFL Season in the books, and the Kevin Ogletree feeding frenzy is over, I present to you my top 12 (pack) of waiver wire notes wrapping up week 1 of the NFL season...

(1) Kevin Ogletree - Okay, by now you've submitted your waiver claim on him in your respective league, since his breakout game vs. the defending Super Bowl Champ Giants, but some are still not completely convinced, so he's still available in some leagues. Why? Well, the Giants were the walking wounded in the secondary vs. Dallas, and the attention paid to Dez Bryant and Miles Austin certainly helped Ogletree's numbers. But hold up, and hear me out...

Laurent Robinson exploded onto the fantasy scene last year as a surprise WW pickup after a lackluster and injury riddled start to his career. Why was he effective? Romo's WRs were dinged up (sound familiar?), and he was in sync with Romo...much like Ogletree. So, if you drop your 15th pick-scrub-WR/TE/RB to catch lightning in the bottle, why not? Very little risk in that type of acquisition.

(2) Pick up C. J. Spiller in 10 team leagues - Full disclosure, I was never a big fan, still not a big fan. However, when Fred Jackson got rolled up early against the Jets (it's being reported as an LCL sprain) Spiller won the workload lottery. The upside? He's a pass catching RB with good edge speed, and the Bills should be down by plenty this year, especially if the shellacking they took from the Jets is any indication. Downside? If the Bills are down a bunch, teams will blitz heavily, and Spiller will be picking up blitzes and not catching a ton of bubble screens. If he's out there, get him now as a decent flex/low end RB2.

(3) Trade for Matt Stafford - I'm not familiar with the bridges in Detroit, but I'm sure there were plenty of Lion's fans lined up to hurl there bodies into the drink after Stafford's brutal numbers vs. the mediocre (if not improved) Rams defense. A three interception day kept the game close, and may cause some owners to freak out a little. I wouldn't mortgage the farm for him, but this will likely be the lowest his value will get this year.

(4) Pick up Matt Hasselbeck - Jake Locker jammed up his shoulder after he made a tackle following a fumble (by Nate Washington) and subsequent return by Patrick Chung. Locker left the game (Pats did have the game in hand by then) and was seen having his shoulder wrapped and iced. Kenny Britt returns week 2, and with Kendall Wright and Jared Cook looking great early on, Hass could put up nice numbers if called on in relief. Worth a handcuff for sure if Locker is your QB1.

(5) Trade for Chris Johnson - I may be one of the few directing you to do such a thing, after such a pathetic performance by CJ K-Car, but the Pats run defense is legit. A big reason why Belichick traded up for Hightower and Jones was their ability to stop the run, and it's already paying big dividends. Someone in your league has had enough after being burned by Johnson last year followed by a disappointing week 1 return. Offer up a sell high candidate (Alfred Morris comes to mind) and enjoy softer matchups going forward.

(6) Like I was saying: Sell high on Alfred Morris. Yeah, he scored 2 TDs, but can you really trust Shanahan? I can't. It's probably a good bet to sell high on the RB-Du Jour in Washington until someone in your league catches on to "Shanahanigans." Again, SELL HIGH, actually get something for him and you'll be doing yourself a favor.

(7) Don't take the bait on the Jets or the Rams passing games - The Bills were terrible on offense and defense. Are the Jets better than people think? Yes...on defense. Trust me, Sanchez won't do this every week. If he's on your waiver wire, leave him there to rot, you'll thank me in two weeks. As for the Rams, Stafford coughing up the rock thrice, should have given the Rams plenty of ops to score, and they still managed to only put up 23 in a loss to the Lions. Always bet on the bigger passing games in fantasy, these are not those passing games.

(8) Don't lose your shit on the Green Bay offense: The Niners are as stout as the Guinness factory on defense, and Aaron Rodgers will take what he gives them...which wasn't much. He was able to connect with Cobb early and often, but I wouldn't expect the same next week when they face the Bears. I mean, when you have Nelson and Jennings, why would your favorite targets be Randall Cobb, Finley and James Jones? Because Rodgers takes what you give him. Simple.

(9) The Rashad Jennings window is shut...almost: Well, I couldn't have been more wrong about MJD's workload, but in my defense Jennings was injured and gave way to MJD seeing a bigger role after returning to week 1 action sans training camp. Jones-Drew looked better in the 2nd half, but it wasn't enough to elevate his team to victory. That said, it's his starting job once again, so you're probably better off trading Jennings to the MJD owner as a handcuff for some upside bench depth, or dropping him altogether for a waiver wire claim like Dexter McCluster.

(10) How about that Niners offense? Well, I wouldn't get too excited just yet. I still think this team's identity is on the ground, but it's starting to balance out a bit in the passing game. Oddly enough, Alex Smith kept pace with Aaron Rodgers (which isn't saying much, because it was more Smith-like than Rodgers-like). Smith did face a more forgiving defense, but Crabtree, Davis and Moss all have value in this offense, but it just may be spotty week to week for fantasy purposes.

(11) Yes, Russell Wilson is still worth rostering as your QB2: Despite an oddball finish to the ARZ/SEA matchup, there was plenty to like about what Wilson did vs. a very solid Cardinal defense. He did show he's an unpolished gem with some poor touch on some key throws, but he showed a nice rapport with Sidney Rice and will be better served in a more ideal matchup where he can exploit defenses with his mobility.

(12) Jon Dwyer should be the lead back in Pittsburgh, and you should trade for him: Won't cost you much, but clearly Mendenhall is not healthy, Redman stinks, and Rainey is too small to hold up to a regular workload. Unless Todd Haley want to collectively fuck fantasy owners once again, sans lube, then you should be targeting him in all of your leagues.