During the fifth week of the 2009 fantasy football season, a few players emerged as possible waiver wire gems. Here are the players to pick up off of your fantasy league’s waiver wire if they are available.
QB Matt Hasselbeck, Seattle Seahawks
After Matt Hasselbeck suffered a rib injury a few weeks ago, many fantasy owners left him for dead. However, he had four touchdowns this week and is definitely worthy of a roster spot. Grab him!
RB Sammy Morris, New England Patriots
With Fred Taylor sidelined following ankle surgery, Sammy Morris has emerged as the running back to own on the Patriots. He’s …read more

Well, that was a fun start to the 2009 fantasy football season. In Week 1, we saw big performances by fantasy studs and a few surprises from fantasy football players that deserve some analysis. Consider picking these players up off of your fantasy football waiver wire if they are available.
QB Joe Flacco, Baltimore Ravens
Even though he was playing the lowly Kansas City Chiefs, Joe Flacco’s statistical line can’t be ignored. He had 307 passing yards to go with a career-high three touchdowns. He may make a good fantasy backup QB after all.
RB Mike Bell, New Orleans Saints
Outside of Adrian …read more

As we head into Week 1 of the 2009 fantasy football season, here are some players to keep an eye on that could be valuable waiver wire pickups. These players could burst onto the scene with a big Week 1 performance — so be ready to pounce!
QB Joe Flacco, Baltimore Ravens
After a solid rookie season, Joe Flacco’s value in his second season is difficult to figure. If he looks much improved in Week 1, consider him a possible backup fantasy football quarterback.
RB Carnell Williams, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Early in his rookie season, Carnell Williams looked like a superstar in the making. …read more

With Tom Brady going down with a season-ending injury in Week 1, everything in the fantasy football world has changed. Be sure to react and get your hands on some of these Week 1 Waiver Wire gems.
Matt Cassel, Quarterback – New England Patriots
With Brady out for the season, Matt Cassel is now the quarterback for the Patriots. While you can’t expect Brady-like numbers from him, he could develop into an above average fantasy QB.
Kerry Collins, Quarterback – Tennessee Titans
Vince Young will be out for around a month and Kerry Collins will fill in. Collins still has a big …read more

While many fantasy football leagues are finished, some people are in leagues that play all the way through Week 17. If that’s the case for your league, look into acquiring these Week 17 waiver wire pickups.
QB Shaun Hill, San Francisco 49ers
Hill has played well as the starter for the 49ers and this week San Francisco faces off against the Cleveland Browns. The Browns, who can at times struggle against the pass, are a good matchup for Hill this week. If you start him, you can expect one or two touchdowns out of him this week.
RB Najeh Davenport …read more

QB Jeff Garcia, Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Garcia is questionable heading into Week 13 against the New Orleans Saints. If he plays, he’s actually a good start against the Saints’ porous defense. In addition, Joey Galloway and Ike Hilliard become startable. If Garcia doesn’t play, that means either Bruce Gradkowski or Luke McCown gets the nod. If either of those quarterbacks get on the field, it’s probably best to bench everyone on offense for the Bucs.
RB Travis Henry, Denver Broncos – The Broncos are playing the Oakland Raiders this week. If you haven’t been paying attention, the Raiders are an …read more

QB AJ Feeley, Philadelphia Eagles – The Eagles were expected to be blown out by the New England Patriots. But Philadelphia almost pulled the huge upset as Feeley showed he’s capable of filling in for Donovan McNabb. Feeley was extremely impressive and if McNabb stays sidelined, Feeley would actually be a pretty good start from here on out.
RB Adrian Peterson, Chicago Bears – With Cedric Benson out for the season, Peterson is a waiver wire gem. Not to be confused with the other Adrian Peterson, this Peterson isn’t going to put up great numbers but he should touch the ball …read more

Looking for an emergency waiver wire pickup to start in Week 12?
Check out these candidates:

QB David Garrard, Jacksonville Jaguars – Garrard is one of the safest starts in all of fantasy football. He has to throw an interception this season and has at least one touchdown pass in every game except the game he went out injured against the Colts. Garrard also is a threat to run, as he has 138 yards on the ground this season. Against the Bills, he’s a great emergency start.
RB Ricky Williams, Miami Dolphins – Yes, that Ricky Williams. After being reinstated from …read more

K David Akers, Philadelphia Eagles – Akers and the Eagles face a very favorable opponent in the Miami Dolphins. The Dolphins are a sub par defensive team and their offense has been poor all season. This is a recipe for a long day of work for Akers. Donovan McNabb hasn’t been great in the red zone this season and the Eagles should find themselves in that part of the field often. Akers should be good for at least three field goals this week.
K Nate Kaeding, San Diego Chargers – Kaeding has had a horrible fantasy season. In a lot of …read more

If you are in need of a kicker or defense this weekend, these starts should have some decent production.
K John Kasay, Carolina Panthers
With the Panthers hosting the Atlanta Falcons, expect Kasay to get a lot of work. While this is a bit of a risky start due to the struggles of the offense as a whole, the Falcons should allow the Panthers to move the ball good enough to get into field goal position. Kasay should be good for at least two field goals on Sunday.
K Rian Lindell, Buffalo Bills
Going up against the Miami Dolphins, Lindell is a pretty good …read more