QB Seneca Wallace, Seattle Seahawks
It appears as if Matt Hasselbeck will be missing another game in Week 17. In his place, Seneca Wallace could very well have a big game. He’s going against an Arizona Cardinals defense that just got destroyed in Week 16.

RB LaMont Jordan, New England Patriots
After missing most of the season with a calf injury, LaMont Jordan is back and producing for the Patriots. Although he’s not starting, he’s been getting goal line carries and the bulk of the carries when the game is out of reach. In the last two weeks, he has three touchdowns.

WR Jerheme Urban, Arizona Cardinals
Since Anquan Boldin is going to likely miss another week and most fantasy football leagues already have Steve Breaston on a roster, Jerheme Urban is the player to target on most waiver wires. He’s getting a few passes his way and with the Cardinals going against the Seahawks, he could be productive in Week 17.

TE Anthony Fasano, Miami Dolphins
In the first couple weeks of the season, Anthony Fasano looked like the real deal in terms of fantasy football production. He then went on a long dry spell but now he’s back in the fantasy equation after posting three touchdowns in the last three weeks.

QB Shaun Hill, San Francisco 49ers
Shaun Hill is now the starting quarterback in San Francisco and makes for a very fine Week 9 Waiver Wire pickup. With Mike Martz still with the 49ers, you can expect the team to throw the ball a lot. Hill was somewhat effective last season and has a chance to become a decent backup for the rest of the fantasy football season.

RB Kevin Faulk, New England Patriots
With injuries to Laurence Maroney, Sammy Morris and LaMont Jordan, the door is open for Kevin Faulk to be the main running back option. The good thing about Faulk is that not only is he good running the ball, he’s also a good receiver. If you need an emergency starter off the waiver wire, you could do much worse than Faulk.

WR Ted Ginn, Jr., Miami Dolphins
After a very slow start to his season, Ted Ginn, Jr. showed why he’s regarded as a big time talent. It’s unknown whether he will ever live up to his potential but with the Miami offense looking solid and quarterback Chad Pennington playing well, Ginn is a wide receiver to keep an eye on.

TE Martellus Bennett, Dallas Cowboys
If Jason Witten is going to miss any action, consider picking up Martellus Bennett. Bennett is the backup tight end in Dallas and he has impressed coaching with his receiving abilities. While he’s an obvious fall off from Witten, Bennett could serve as a sufficient starter for the time being.

With the fourth overall pick in the 2008 NFL Draft, the Oakland Raiders selected Darren McFadden. McFadden is a running back with superstar level skills and world class athleticism. While many league pundits criticized the Raiders for not taking a defensive player, it’s difficult to argue that McFadden wasn’t the most talented player in the entire draft.

With the Raiders in 2008, McFadden has a chance to be a good fantasy football player. The Raiders were successful running the football last year. If the offensive line can keep performing, McFadden should get plenty of yardage in 2008.

The only question regarding McFadden is regarding the number of carries he will get in his rookie season. The Raiders are actually quite deep at running back, with returning veterans at the position such as Justin Fargas and LaMont Jordan. If McFadden struggles at all, he could lose out on his starting role.

With that in mind, McFadden is going to likely be a high-risk, high-reward pick – much like Adrian Peterson in 2007. While McFadden doesn’t have as high of a ceiling, he’s certainly capable of putting up big numbers. If he outright wins the starting running back job, he could easily finish as a top ten running back in fantasy football.

The Darren McFadden projections I have for him in 2008 are 1,000 yards and six touchdowns. Those numbers could change once it’s known whether or not he’ll be the starting running back. At this point in time, McFadden would be good value in the third or fourth round of a fantasy football draft.

Photo: Newscom

RB Adimchinobi Echemandu, Houston Texans - With Ahman Green hobbled and Ron Dayne also banged up, Echemandu is a solid pickup. He could conceivably get the starting spot for the Texans in the near future. And if he does, he’s a good fantasy player going forward. He runs hard and should be able to rack up yardage as a starter.

RB Ryan Grant, Green Bay Packers - In the merry-go-round that is the Packers running back corps, Grant appears to be the current leader. He played well on Monday Night Football and heads into Week 9 as the likely starter. With Brett Favre playing as well as he’s playing, Grant could have plenty of chances to score the ball.

RB Maurice Hicks, San Francisco 49ers - A lot of fantasy owners are sprinting to pickup Michael Robinson. However, if you look at what happened in the past, Hicks is likely to be the player who gets the bulk of the carries if Frank Gore is unable to play. Robinson, on the other hand, will probably remain the team’s third down back.

RB Justin Fargas, Oakland Raiders - With LaMont Jordan looking worse and worse by the week after injuring his back earlier in the year, Fargas appears to be the next in line. He’s played very well this year and could surpass Jordan as the starter soon. If he does, the Raiders have proven they have the ability to run the ball this year.

RB Leonard Weaver, Seattle Seahawks - With Shaun Alexander struggling, Weaver is a possibility to start getting more carries. While Maurice Morris is the backup running back, Morris wasn’t very good last year when he was thrust into the starting lineup. Weaver is more of an unknown he perhaps could be an answer to some of the Seahawks’ problems.

Cadillac Williams
Williams injured his knee in a gruesome manner and early reports are that he’s out for the rest of the season. If that is true, that’s a huge blow to not only Tampa Bay but fantasy owners who had Cadillac on their team. The Bucs will go with either Michael Pittman or Earnest Graham at running back from with Williams sidelined.

Marvin Harrison
Harrison isn’t a name you often see on injury reports but he sustained a leg injury against the Broncos. As it stands, his status for Week 5 is unknown. If he misses time, expect more production out of Reggie Wayne, Dallas Clark and rookie Anthony Gonzalez.

LaMont Jordan
Jordan injured his back and he was still hurting after the game. The Raiders have a bye next week but it’s uncertain if that’ll be enough time for Jordan to recover. If he doesn’t, expect Justin Fargas and Dominic Rhodes to carry the load.

Joseph Addai
Addai suffered what is being called a bruised shoulder. If he misses any time, Kenton Keith will fill in for Addai. Keep an eye on this situation throughout the week.

Alex Smith
Smith, the starting quarterback for the 49ers, is reportedly out for Week 5 with a separated shoulder. In his place, expect Trent Dilfer to get the start. Dilfer was less than impressive in his relief effort and shouldn’t be making many fantasy rosters anytime soon.

Isaac Bruce
Bruce’s status is uncertain for week five after straining his hamstring against the Cowboys. If it’s a serious hamstring pull, this could become a nagging injury for Bruce.