The Fantasy Football Sherpa

Yahoo! Sports recently hosted a fantasy football draft for the mayors of 11 well-known cities (a league commissioner from Yahoo! is also participating to give the league 12 teams).  Each team is required to start 1 QB, 2 RBs, 3 WRs, 1 TE, 1 K, and 1 D/ST.  The scoring system is fairly standard (4 pts per passing TD, 1 pt for every 25 yds passing, no points for a reception, etc.)

This contest is for a great cause - the winning mayor gets $15K to donate to the charity of his/her choice!  At the risk of receiving hate mail from 11 Chambers of Commerce, I decided it would be fun to predict the results of this contest using my projections from FantasyFootballSherpa.com.

Here are the participants (City, Mayor):

1. Buffalo (Byron Brown)
2. Green Bay (Jim Schmitt)
3. Kansas City (Mark Funkhouser)
4. Minneapolis (R.T. Rybak)
5. Oakland (Ron Dellums)
6. Oklahoma City (Mick Cornett)
7. Orlando (Buddy Dyer)
8. Pittsburgh (Luke Ravenstahl)
9. Sacramento (Kevin Johnson)
10. San Francisco (Gavin Newsom)
11. Tampa Bay (Pam Iorio)
12. Yahoo! (Oz?)

Pittsburgh is the defending Super Bowl champion - does that give Mayor Luke Ravenstahl an edge?  Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson is a former NBA star - would that knowledge of what it takes to be a successful pro athlete give him an edge?  8 of the 11 cities in the contest currently have NFL franchises - would that give their mayors an edge?

Here’s how I see the contest playing out (cities listed alphabetically by tier):

Leaders of the Pack

1. Buffalo
   • Strengths
     • starting RBs (LaDainian Tomlinson & Willie Parker)
     • starting WRs (Randy Moss, Braylon Edwards, Lance Moore)
     • D/ST (Philadelphia)
   • Causes for Concern
     • RB depth (Beanie Wells, LeSean McCoy)
   • Homer picks
     • QB Trent Edwards
2. Kansas City 
   • Strengths
     • starting RBs (Clinton Portis, Brian Westbrook)
     • starting WRs (Roddy White, Wes Welker, Jerricho Cotchery)
   • Causes for Concern
     • RB depth (Earnest Graham, Willis McGahee)
     • WR depth (Jeremy Maclin, Nate Burleson, Amani Toomer)
   • Homer picks
     • QB Matt Cassel
     • WR Amani Toomer (since cut)
     • K Ryan Succup
3. Oklahoma City 
   • Strengths
     • starting QB (Matt Schaub)
     • starting WRs (Andre Johnson, Calvin Johnson, Torry Holt)
     • RB depth (Donald Brown, Felix Jones, Darren Sproles)
   • Causes for Concern
     • starting RBs (Ronnie Brown, Darren McFadden)
   • Homer picks (N/A)
4. Sacramento
   • Strengths
     • starting QB (Matt Ryan)
     • starting RBs (Michael Turner, Adrian Peterson)
   • Causes for Concern
     • starting TE (Zach Miller)
     • WR depth (Deion Branch, Isaac Bruce)
   • Homer picks (N/A)

With a Little Bit of Luck

1. Orlando
   • Strengths
     • starting TE (Antonio Gates)
     • RB depth (Jonathan Stewart, Rashard Mendenhall, Julius Jones)
   • Causes for Concern
     • starting D/ST (Arizona)
   • Homer picks (N/A)
2. Pittsburgh
   • Strengths
     • starting WRs (Marques Colston, Dwayne Bowe, Hines Ward)
     • WR depth (Kevin Walter, Donnie Avery)
   • Causes for Concern
     • starting QB (Donovan McNabb)
   • Homer picks
     • WR Hines Ward

Stuck in the Middle

1. Green Bay 
   • Strengths
     • starting RB (Ryan Grant, Pierre Thomas)
     • starting WR (Steve Smith (Car), Anquan Boldin, Brandon Marshall)
   • Causes for Concern
     • WR depth (Steve Breaston)
   • Homer picks
     • RB Ryan Grant
     • K Mason Crosby
     • Green Bay D/ST
2. Oakland
   • Strengths
     • starting RBs (Brandon Jacobs, DeAngelo Williams)
     • starting TE (Tony Gonzalez)
   • Causes for Concern
     • starting WR (Santonio Holmes, DeSean Jackson, Donald Driver)
     • QB depth (Joe Flacco)
     • RB depth (Justin Fargas, Ricky Williams)
   • Homer picks
     • RB Justin Fargas
     • WR Darrius Heyward-Bey

Help

1. Minneapolis
   • Strengths
     • starting QB (Phillip Rivers)
   • Causes for Concern
     • starting TE (Visanthe Shiancoe) 
     • QB depth (Matt Hasselbeck) 
     • RB depth (Cedric Benson)
   • Homer picks
     • WR Bernard Berrian 
     • TE Visanthe Shiancoe
     • K Ryan Longwell
     • Minnesota D/ST
2. San Francisco 
   • Strengths
     • starting QB (Peyton Manning)
   • Causes for Concern
     • starting RBs (Frank Gore, Knowshon Moreno) 
     • starting WRs (Chad Ochocinco, Santana Moss, Percy Harvin) 
     • WR depth (Domenik Hixon)
   • Homer picks
     • RB Frank Gore
     • TE Vernon Davis
     • K Joe Nedney
3. Tampa Bay 
   • Strengths
     • starting TE (Chris Cooley)
     • starting D/ST (Pittsburgh)
   • Causes for Concern
     • starting QB (Ben Roethlisberger) 
     • starting WRs (Terrell Owens, Greg Jennings, Devin Hester) 
     • WR depth (Michael Clayton, Hakeem Nicks)
   • Homer picks
     • WR Michael Clayton
4. Yahoo!
   • Strengths
     • starting QB (Drew Brees)
     • starting TE (Owen Daniels)
     • WR depth (Anthony Gonzalez, Steve Smith (NYG), Joey Galloway)
   • Causes for Concern
     • starting RBs (Steven Jackson, Kevin Smith)
     • starting WRs (Roy Williams, Ted Ginn, Derrick Mason)
   • Homer picks (N/A)

In case you’re curious, you can view the rosters and current standings.

So, which mayor will be presenting an oversized check to their favorite charity when the champion is crowned?  With the usual caveats about the unpredictable nature of injuries and their ability to wreak havoc on the strongest of fantasy football rosters, my predicted winner is Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett.  Let the games begin!

The Sherpa

Fantasy Football Sherpa

The Fantasy Football Sherpa’s Blog

@fantasy_sherpa on Twitter 

Congratulations to those who advanced to the finals in your league’s playoffs as a result of the Week 15 games!  One more challenge to be met before you can be crowned champion of your league and have bragging rights for the next year (or at least until next year’s draft)!  Actually, two more if you happen to be an unfortunate owner with Reggie Bush in your starting lineup.  Since Bush has been placed on Injured Reserve and is done for the season, you’ll need to find a replacement.  Some of you may also be looking for free agents with more favorable matchups than those for the players currently on your roster.

Here’s a list of recommended free agent/waiver wire pickups who may be available in your league.  As was the case last week, any players on this list are just one-week recommendations at this point.

Quarterbacks

Seneca Wallace, Tarvaris Jackson, Marc Bulger, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Dan Orlovsky, Ryan Fitzpatrick, JaMarcus Russell.

Running Backs

DeShaun Foster, Kevin Faulk, Fred Jackson, Lamont Jordan.

Wide Receivers

Michael Jenkins, Bobby Wade, Ike Hilliard, Josh Reed, Davone Bess, Johnnie Lee Higgins, Sidney Rice, Chris Henry, James Jones.

Tight Ends

Heath Miller, David Martin, Billy Miller.

Kickers

Garrett Hartley, Joe Nedney, Josh Brown, Joe Nedney, Jason Hanson, Dan Carpenter, Connor Barth.

Defenses

Dallas, San Francisco, Cincinnati, Denver.

Until next time,

The Sherpa

Welcome to “meaningful December football” - congrats to those of you who’ve already qualified for your league’s playoffs, and good luck to those who are still in contention and need a final victory this weekend to get your foot in the door.  On the injury front there were several “big names” who went out with injuries this past weekend (both football-related and self-inflicted) - QBs Derek Anderson & Trent Edwards, and of course, WR Plaxico Burress.  Anderson and Burress are both out for the season - actually, Burress’ career may very well be over - even in the NFL there isn’t much of a market for 34-year-old ex-cons, which is what Burress would be if he is convicted of illegal possession of a firearm and serves 3 years in prison.  Still, chances are you weren’t relying heavily on any of the three at this point, so hopefully the impact on your fantasy team is minimal.

Just in case you need to add a player this week due to injury, suspension, or a bad matchup, here’s a list of recommended free agent/waiver wire pickups who may be available in your league.  I’ll give an indication of whether I believe these players should be picked up for just the short term (ST), for the long term (LT) (i.e. - the rest of the season), or as speculation plays (SPEC).  Short term recommendations are players who should help fantasy owners this week (due to injuries, benchings, suspensions, favorable schedules, etc.) but who will probably drop in value again in subsequent weeks.  Long term recommendations are players who have the potential to help their owners’ fantasy teams for the remainder of the current season.  Speculation plays are players who are unlikely to help your fantasy team this week (barring injuries, benchings, suspensions, etc.) but may have value later this season or in future seasons (for those in Keeper leagues).

Quarterbacks

Kyle Orton (LT), Daunte Culpepper (LT), Marc Bulger (LT), Kerry Collins (ST), JaMarcus Russell (SPEC), Ryan Fitzpatrick (SPEC), J.P. Losman (SPEC), Matt Schaub (SPEC).

Running Backs

Patrick Cobbs (SPEC), Jamaal Charles (SPEC), Tashard Choice (SPEC), Kenneth Darby (SPEC)

Wide Receivers

Davonne Bess (LT), Josh Reed (LT), Bobby Engram (LT), Shaun McDonald (LT), Bobby Wade (LT), Brandon Jones (ST), Justin Gage (ST), Brandon Stokley (ST), Malcom Floyd (ST), Steve Smith (SPEC), Amani Toomer (SPEC), Mark Clayton (SPEC), Reggie Williams (SPEC), Hank Baskett (SPEC).

Tight Ends

Donald Lee (LT), Heath Miller (ST), Billy Miller (SPEC), Daniel Graham (SPEC), Desmond Clark (SPEC), Marcedes Lewis (SPEC).

Kickers

Jay Feely (LT), Joe Nedney (LT), Josh Brown (LT), Robbie Gould (LT), Garrett Hartley (LT), Connor Barth (LT), Jason Hanson (LT), Dan Carpenter (LT).

Defenses

San Diego (LT), Dallas (ST), Washington (SPEC)

Until next time,

The Sherpa

Most fantasy football leagues have just one or two weeks left in their regular season.  At this point your team falls into one of three categories:  (1) those that have already clinched playoff berths, (2) those that are still in contention for playoff berths, and (3) those that must relish the opportunity to play spoiler the rest of the season.  No matter which group your team falls into, there’s still plenty of motivation to continue to scour your league’s free agent pool for late-season pickups.

Week 12 was relatively kind to fantasy team owners from an injury perspective - Dolphins’ WR Greg Camarillo and Browns’ QB Brady Quinn are out with season-ending injuries, but chances are you weren’t relying too heavily on either of them (especially Quinn).  The Redskins also cut former league MVP RB Shaun Alexander yesterday, but if you were relying on him to lead you to the fantasy promised land this season, then this blog probably won’t help you much.

Here’s a list of recommended free agent/waiver wire pickups who may be available in your league.  I’ll give an indication of whether I believe these players should be picked up for just the short term (ST), for the long term (LT) (i.e. - the rest of the season), or as speculation plays (SPEC).  Short term recommendations are players who should help fantasy owners this week (due to injuries, benchings, suspensions, favorable schedules, etc.) but who will probably drop in value again in subsequent weeks.  Long term recommendations are players who have the potential to help their owners’ fantasy teams for the remainder of the current season.  Speculation plays are players who are unlikely to help your fantasy team this week (barring injuries, benchings, suspensions, etc.) but may have value later this season or in future seasons (for those in Keeper leagues).

Quarterbacks

Shaun Hill (LT), JaMarcus Russell (LT), Kerry Collins (ST), Ryan Fitzpatrick (SPEC), Daunte Culpepper (SPEC), Derek Anderson (SPEC)

Running Backs

Patrick Cobbs (SPEC), Jamaal Charles (SPEC), T.J. Duckett (SPEC), Kenneth Darby (SPEC)

Wide Receivers

Davonne Bess (LT), Brandon Jones (ST), Justin Gage (ST), Michael Jenkins (ST), Bobby Wade (SPEC), Steve Smith (SPEC), Shaun McDonald (SPEC), Amani Toomer (SPEC), Ike Hilliard (SPEC), Jabar Gaffney (SPEC), Reggie Williams (SPEC).

Tight Ends

David Martin (LT), Billy Miller (SPEC), Heath Miller (SPEC).

Kickers

Ryan Longwell (LT), Jay Feely (LT), Josh Brown (LT), Robbie Gould (LT), Garrett Hartley (LT), Connor Barth (LT), Nick Folk (ST), Phil Dawson (SPEC), Neil Rackers (SPEC), Shaun Suisham (SPEC), Jeff Reed (SPEC), Joe Nedney (SPEC).

Defenses

Dallas (ST), Kansas City (ST), Denver (ST), Washington (SPEC)

Until next time,

The Sherpa

With the bye weeks now receding in the distance, there’s no reason (unless your rosters are frozen before your league’s playoffs start) to carry backups at Tight End, Kicker, or Defense.  You’re much better off speculating on a high-upside Quarterback, Running Back, or Wide Receiver.  Fortunately, options may still be available at each of these key positions.

Here’s a list of recommended free agent/waiver wire pickups who may be available in your league.  I’ll give an indication of whether I believe these players should be picked up for just the short term (ST), for the long term (LT), or as speculation plays (SPEC).  Short term recommendations are players who should help fantasy owners in the next few weeks (due to injuries, benchings, suspensions, favorable schedules, etc.) but who will probably drop in value again later in the season.  Long term recommendations are players who have the potential to help their owners’ fantasy teams for the remainder of the current season.  Speculation plays are players who are unlikely to help your fantasy team in the short run (barring injuries, benchings, suspensions, etc.) but may have value later this season or in future seasons (for those in Keeper leagues).

Quarterbacks

Shaun Hill (LT), Kerry Collins (ST), Ryan Fitzpatrick (SPEC), Daunte Culpepper (SPEC)

Running Backs

Patrick Cobbs (SPEC), Ahman Green (SPEC), Jamaal Charles (SPEC), T.J. Duckett (SPEC).

Wide Receivers

Bobby Wade (LT), Steve Smith (SPEC), Shaun McDonald (SPEC), Amani Toomer (SPEC), Brandon Jones (SPEC), Justin Gage (SPEC).

Tight Ends

Dustin Keller (LT), Marcedes Lewis (ST), Donald Lee (SPEC), David Martin (SPEC), Desmond Clark (SPEC).

Kickers

Mason Crosby (LT), Ryan Longwell (LT), Jay Feely (LT), Joe Nedney (LT), Josh Brown (LT), Robbie Gould (LT), Garrett Hartley (LT), Connor Barth (LT), Matt Stover (LT), Dan Carpenter (LT), Olindo Mare (LT), Phil Dawson (ST), Jason Hanson (SPEC), Sebastian Janikowski (SPEC).

Defenses

Dallas (ST), Kansas City (ST), Denver (ST), Washington (SPEC)

Until next time,

The Sherpa

The bye weeks are finally behind us - hurray!  While this may decrease the demand somewhat for week-to-week waiver wire pickups, there are still several important reasons to remain vigilant, if not active:  (1) there’s always the potential that players currently on waivers may improve your team’s starting lineup or your depth, (2) injuries (current or potential) are always a concern, and (3) the team that gets you into your fantasy league’s playoffs isn’t necessarily the same team that will allow you to win your league’s championship - matchups matter! (aka - the Sherpa’s Golden Rule)

Here’s a list of recommended free agent/waiver wire pickups who may be available in your league.  I’ll give an indication of whether I believe these players should be picked up for just the short term (ST), for the long term (LT), or as speculation plays (SPEC).  Short term recommendations are players who should help fantasy owners in the next few weeks (due to injuries, benchings, suspensions, favorable schedules, etc.) but who will probably drop in value again later in the season.  Long term recommendations are players who have the potential to help their owners’ fantasy teams for the remainder of the current season.  Speculation plays are players who are unlikely to help your fantasy team in the short run (barring injuries, benchings, suspensions, etc.) but may have value later this season or in future seasons (for those in Keeper leagues).

Quarterbacks

Matt Hasselbeck (LT), Jeff Garcia (LT), Ryan Fitzpatrick (LT), Rex Grossman (ST), Shaun Hill (SPEC), Kerry Collins (SPEC), Daunte Culpepper (SPEC), Drew Stanton (SPEC).

Running Backs

Michael Bush (SPEC), Dantrell Savage (SPEC), Ahman Green (SPEC), Jerome Harrison (SPEC).

Wide Receivers

Bobby Wade (LT), Bobby Engram (LT), Mark Bradley (SPEC), Mark Clayton (SPEC), Reggie Williams (SPEC), Brandon Stokley (SPEC), Steve Smith (SPEC), Shaun McDonald (SPEC), Jerry Porter (SPEC), Chris Henry (SPEC), Chansi Stuckey (SPEC), Amani Toomer (SPEC), Brandon Jones (SPEC), Malcom Floyd (SPEC), Justin Gage (SPEC), Koren Robinson (SPEC), Jerheme Urban (SPEC), Josh Morgan (SPEC), Jordy Nelson (SPEC).

Tight Ends

Alex Smith (LT), Todd Heap (LT), Robert Royal (SPEC), David Martin (SPEC), Desmond Clark (SPEC).

Kickers

Neil Rackers (LT), Jay Feely (LT), Ryan Longwell (LT), Nick Folk (LT), Garrett Hartley (LT), Dan Carpenter (SPEC), Joe Nedney (SPEC), Josh Brown (SPEC), Olindo Mare (SPEC), Jeff Reed (SPEC).

Defenses

Dallas (LT), Washington (SPEC), Cleveland (SPEC)

Until next time,

The Sherpa

We finally come to the last of the bye weeks, and the last 4 teams have their byes Week 10: Cincinnati, Dallas (for whom the bye week couldn’t come at a better time), Tampa Bay, and Washington.  Unless you’re in a league that’s so competitive that team owners speculate on players with bye weeks, I’d avoid picking up anyone from any of these teams this week.

Here’s a list of players who are probably on a roster in your league and will need to be replaced because of the bye week if they’re in a starting lineup:

Quarterbacks

Jeff Garcia, Jason Campbell

Running Backs

Marion Barber, Earnest Graham, Clinton Portis

Wide Receivers

T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Chad Johnson, Terrell Owens, Roy Williams, Antonio Bryant, Santana Moss

Tight Ends

Alex Smith, Chris Cooley (I’m assuming Jason Witten was already out of your starting lineup last week)

Kickers

Shayne Graham, Nick Folk, Steve Suisham

Defenses

Dallas, Tampa Bay, Washington

Here’s a list of recommended free agent/waiver wire pickups who may be available in your league.  I’ll give an indication of whether I believe these players should be picked up for just the short term (ST), for the long term (LT), or as speculation plays (SPEC).  Short term recommendations are players who should help fantasy owners in the next few weeks (due to injuries, benchings, suspensions, favorable schedules, etc.) but who will probably drop in value again later in the season.  Long term recommendations are players who have the potential to help their owners’ fantasy teams for the remainder of the current season.  Speculation plays are players who are unlikely to help your fantasy team in the short run (barring injuries, benchings, suspensions, etc.) but may have value later this season or in future seasons (for those in Keeper leagues).

Quarterbacks

Sage Rosenfels (ST), Rex Grossman (ST), Shaun Hill (SPEC), Matt Hasselbeck (SPEC), Tyler Thigpen (SPEC), Joe Flacco (SPEC), Brady Quinn (SPEC), JaMarcus Russell (SPEC),

Running Backs

Jamaal Charles (LT), Ray Rice (LT), Kevin Smith (LT), Kevin Faulk (SPEC), Fred Jackson (SPEC),  Michael Bush (SPEC), Ahmad Bradshaw (SPEC), Lamont Jordan (SPEC), Kenny Watson (SPEC), Selvin Young (SPEC), Ryan Torain (SPEC)

Wide Receivers

Michael Jenkins (LT), Reggie Williams (ST), Rashied Davis (SPEC), Steve Smith (SPEC), Chansi Stuckey (SPEC), Demetrius Williams (SPEC), Shaun McDonald (SPEC), Mike Furrey (SPEC),

Tight Ends

Robert Royal (LT), David Martin (LT), Desmond Clark (ST), Dustin Keller (SPEC)

Kickers

Neil Rackers (LT), Mason Crosby (LT), Jay Feely (LT), John Kasay (LT), Dan Carpenter (SPEC), Joe Nedney (SPEC)

Defenses

Indianapolis (LT), NY Jets (LT)

Until next time,

The Sherpa

4 teams have their byes Week 9: Carolina, New Orleans, San Diego, and San Francisco.  Unless you’re in a league that’s so competitive that team owners speculate on players with bye weeks, I’d avoid picking up anyone from any of these teams this week.

Here’s a list of players who are probably on a roster in your league and will need to be replaced because of the bye week if they’re in a starting lineup:

Quarterbacks

Jake Delhomme, Drew Brees, Philp Rivers

Running Backs

DeAngelo Williams, Jonathan Stewart, Deuce McAllister (you may need to replace him for more than just this week!), LaDainian Tomlinson, Frank Gore

Wide Receivers

Steve Smith, Muhsin Muhammad, Marques Colston, Lance Moore, Devery Henderson, Chris Chambers, Victor Jackson

Tight Ends

Antonio Gates

Kickers

John Kasay, Taylor Melhaff, Nate Kaeding, Joe Nedney

Defenses

Carolina

Here’s a list of recommended free agent/waiver wire pickups who may be available in your league.  I’ll give an indication of whether I believe these players should be picked up for just the short term (ST), for the long term (LT), or as speculation plays (SPEC).  Short term recommendations are players who should help fantasy owners in the next few weeks (due to injuries, benchings, suspensions, favorable schedules, etc.) but who will probably drop in value again later in the season.  Long term recommendations are players who have the potential to help their owners’ fantasy teams for the remainder of the current season.  Speculation plays are players who are unlikely to help your fantasy team in the short run (barring injuries, benchings, suspensions, etc.) but may have value later this season or in future seasons (for those in Keeper leagues).

Quarterbacks

Matt Ryan (LT), Marc Bulger (LT), Chad Pennington (LT), Matt Hasselbeck (SPEC), JaMarcus Russell (SPEC), Joe Flacco (SPEC), Dan Orlovsky (SPEC), Gus Frerotte (SPEC)

Running Backs

Kevin Smith (LT), Kolby Smith (LT), Kevin Faulk (SPEC), Fred Jackson (SPEC),  Michael Bush (SPEC), Ahmad Bradshaw (SPEC), Ray Rice (SPEC), Lamont Jordan (SPEC), Kenny Watson (SPEC), Selvin Young (SPEC)

Wide Receivers

Ted Ginn (LT), Bobby Wade (LT), Chansi Stuckey (SPEC), Michael Jenkins (SPEC), Demetrius Williams (SPEC), Brandon Jones (SPEC), Shaun McDonald (SPEC), Mike Furrey (SPEC),

Tight Ends

Visanthe Shiancoe (LT), Alex Smith (LT), Dustin Keller (SPEC)

Kickers

Josh Brown (LT), Matt Prater (LT), Dan Carpenter (SPEC), Robbie Gould (SPEC)

Defenses

Cleveland (ST), Atlanta (ST)
Until next time,

The Sherpa

Injuries to Quarterbacks Tony Romo, Matt Hasselbeck, and Carson Palmer will doubtlessly send many fantasy football team owners scrambling to the free agent/waiver wire this week - I’ll give some suggestions below on the best replacements to target if you’re among them.

4 teams have their byes Week 7: Arizona, Atlanta, Jacksonville, and Philadelphia.  Unless you’re in a league that’s so competitive that team owners speculate on players with bye weeks, I’d avoid picking up anyone from any of these teams this week.

Here’s a list of players who are probably on a roster in your league and will need to be replaced because of the bye week if they’re in a starting lineup:

Quarterbacks

Kurt Warner, Matt Ryan, David Garrard, Donovan McNabb

Running Backs

Edgerrin James, Tim Hightower, Michael Turner, Jerious Norwood, Fred Taylor, Maurice Jones-Drew, Correll Buckhalter (I’m assuming you’ve already removed Brian Westbrook from your starting lineup).

Wide Receivers

Larry Fitzgerald (again, I’m assuming you’ve already removed Anquan Boldin from your starting lineup), Roddy White, Matt Jones, DeSean Jackson.

Tight Ends

Marcedes Lewis, L.J. Smith

Kickers

Neil Rackers, Jason Elam, Josh Scobee, David Akers

Defenses

Jacksonville, Philadelphia

Here’s a list of recommended free agent/waiver wire pickups who may be available in your league.  I’ll give an indication of whether I believe these players should be picked up for just the short term (ST), for the long term (LT), or as speculation plays (SPEC).  Short term recommendations are players who should help fantasy owners in the next few weeks (due to injuries, benchings, suspensions, favorable schedules, etc.) but who will probably drop in value again later in the season.  Long term recommendations are players who have the potential to help their owners’ fantasy teams for the remainder of the current season.  Speculation plays are players who are unlikely to help your fantasy team in the short run (barring injuries, benchings, suspensions, etc.) but may have value later this season or in future seasons (for those in Keeper leagues).

Quarterbacks

Trent Edwards (LT), Gus Frerotte (LT), Dan Orlovsky (ST), Chad Pennington (ST),  Brad Johnson (ST), Kerry Collins (ST), Marc Bulger (ST), JaMarcus Russell (SPEC)

Running Backs

Dominic Rhodes (ST),  Kevin Smith (SPEC), Michael Bush (SPEC), Kevin Faulk (SPEC), Jamaal Charles (SPEC)

Wide Receivers

Ike Hilliard (LT), Greg Camarillo (LT), Sean McDonald (LT), Mike Furrey (LT), Justin Gage (LT), Ted Ginn (SPEC), Steve Smith (NY Giants version) (SPEC), Donnie Avery (SPEC), Jordy Nelson (SPEC), Ronald Curry (SPEC)

Tight Ends

John Carlson (LT), Alex Smith (LT), Bo Scaife (LT), Donald Lee (LT), Desmond Clark (ST), David Martin (SPEC),  Dustin Keller (SPEC)

Kickers

Shayne Graham (LT), Stephen Gostkowski (LT), Ryan Longwell (LT), Jeff Reed (LT), Rob Bironas (LT), Taylor Melhaff (LT), Rian Lindell (ST), Olindo Mare (ST), Joe Nedney (ST), Sebastian Janikowski (ST)

Defenses

Texans (vs Det), Patriots (vs Den), Dolphins (vs Bal), Redskins (vs Cle)

Until next time,

The Sherpa

Week 4 is the first (scheduled) bye week - 6 teams will be off this week:  Detroit, Indianapolis, Miami, New England, NY Giants, and Seattle.  Unless you’re in a league that’s so competitive that team owners speculate on players with bye weeks, I’d avoid picking up anyone from any of these teams this week.

Here’s a list of players who are probably on a roster in your league and will need to be replaced because of the bye week:

Quarterbacks

Peyton Manning, Jon Kitna, Eli Manning, Matt Hasselbeck

Running Backs

Joseph Addai, Brandon Jacobs, Julius Jones, Ronnie Brown, Laurence Maroney, Kevin Smith

Wide Receivers

Reggie Wayne, Plaxico Burress, Randy Moss, Wes Welker, Roy Williams, Calvin Johnson,  Anthony Gonzalez, Marvin Harrison, Amani Toomer

Tight Ends

Dallas Clark, Anthony Fasano, John Carlson, Ben Watson

Kickers

Stephen Gostkowski, Adam Vinatieri,  Jason Hanson, John Carney, Olindo Mare

Defenses

New England, NY Giants, Seattle, Indianapolis

Here’s a list of recommended free agent/waiver wire pickups who may be available in your league.  I’ll give an indication of whether I believe these players should be picked up for just the short term (ST), for the long term (LT), or as speculation plays (SPEC).  Short term recommendations are players who should help fantasy owners in the next few weeks (due to injuries, benchings, suspensions, favorable schedules, etc.) but who will probably drop in value again later in the season.  Long term recommendations are players who have the potential to help their owners’ fantasy teams for the remainder of the current season.  Speculation plays are players who are unlikely to help your fantasy team in the short run (barring injuries, benchings, suspensions, etc.) but may have value later this season or in future seasons (for those in Keeper leagues).

Quarterbacks

Gus Frerotte (LT), Brian Griese (ST), Kerry Collins (ST), Damon Huard (SPEC), Matt Ryan (SPEC), Brady Quinn (SPEC), JaMarcus Russell (SPEC)

Running Backs

Le’Ron McClain (LT), Correll Buckhalter (SPEC),  Jamaal Charles (SPEC), Jerome Harrison (SPEC)

Wide Receivers

Robert Meacham (LT), Ike Hilliard (LT), Brandon Lloyd (LT), Antonio Bryant (LT), Josh Reed (LT), Michael Jenkins (LT), Kevin Walter (LT), Hank Baskett (ST), Devery Henderson (ST), Lance Moore (ST), Antonio Chatman (ST), Jordy Nelson (SPEC), Chansi Stuckey (SPEC), Roscoe Parrish (SPEC)

Tight Ends

Zach Miller (LT), Marcedes Lewis (LT), Justin Keller (LT), Visanthe Shiancoe (LT), Bo Scaife (LT), Chris Baker (LT), Dustin Keller (LT), Jeff King (LT), Robert Royal (ST)

Kickers

David Akers (LT), Ryan Longwell (LT), John Kasay (LT), Neil Rackers (ST), Joe Nedney (ST)

Defenses

Tenessee (LT), Tampa Bay (LT), Philadelphia (LT)

Until next time,

The Sherpa