Week seven featured an abnormally large number of blowouts, which may not be good for parity, but is fantastic for fantasy football. A few observations from the weekend: The Raiders are still awful. So are the Browns. Don’t put Browns or Raiders on your fantasy team. Carson Palmer and the Bengal offense are back in business: they can be trusted. Start Matt Schaub against anyone. Picking the right defense matters as the Packers, Jets and Steelers defenses all helped fantasy owners win games.
Now, the observations you care about most are the players on waivers you need to pick up, and there is a pretty decent crop of them this week, with a decidedly San Francisco flair.
Alex Smith QB/SF – This former first-round pick may have just gotten his second chance. After the offense stagnated under Shaun Hill in the first half, Smith came in and passed for 206 yards and three touchdowns in the second half. The 49ers’ offense actually has a lot of playmakers (see: below), and Smith could be a very relevant fantasy quarterback.
Josh Freeman QB/TB – The quarterback pool is thin this week, so this rookie first-round pick is a bit speculative. He came in for the last few minutes of a blowout against the Patriots and completed 2-of-4 passes, which doesn’t tell us much. But, we know Freeman has a strong arm. The Bucs will be throwing a ton and he has weapons in Antonio Bryant, Kellen Winslow, Cadillac Williams and the emerging Sammie Stroughter.
Shonn Greene RB/NYJ – The Greene Machine is probably the pickup of the week, mainly because Leon Washington is now out for the season. In relief of Washington, Greene racked up 144 yards and two touchdowns. He’s still the number two back, behind Thomas Jones, but the Jets have a rookie quarterback and a run-first offense.
Ricky Williams RB/MIA – He’s not as widely available in leagues as some others, but if he’s on waivers in your league, get him now. With no one able to stop the Wildcat, Pretty Ricky is putting up numbers we haven’t seen from him in years. Against a better-than-you-think Saints run defense, Williams rushed for 80 yards and three touchdowns.
Sidney Rice WR/MIN – He was in my pickups last week, too, but he’s still available in way too many leagues. Over the last few weeks, Rice has emerged as Brett Favre’s favorite deep threat and has seen more targets come his way as teams focus on stopping Adrian Peterson. Against the Steelers Sunday Rice caught 11 balls 136 yards.
Michael Crabtree WR/SF – His numbers, 5 catches for 56 yards, weren’t astounding, but keep in mind this was his first NFL game ever. He didn’t practice with the team at all until just three weeks ago. He seems to have some chemistry with Alex Smith, and we know he has the talent. His numbers will slowly get better, and by the time fantasy playoffs roll around he will be the 49ers top threat and very useful to your team.
Miles Austin WR/DAL – Austin is another guy mentioned in this column a couple weeks ago, but still isn’t owned as widely as he should be. He caught six passes for 171 yards and two touchdowns versus the Falcons Sunday, and in his last two games – his first two as a starter – he’s caught 16 passes for 421 yards and four touchdowns. If you’re not drinking the Kool-Aid, it’s time to start.
Vernon Davis TE/SF – Davis is part three of our golden trifecta. He hauled in seven balls for 93 yards and caught all three of Smith’s touchdown passes. Before this season, most were considering him a bust, but Singletary is bringing out the best in the athletic tight end this season. Davis is effectively the No. 1 receiver in the 49er offense right now and will be no worse than No. 2 as Crabtree continues to improve.