Nov. 6, 2007
Coach Danko
    Previous Gems:
    Bye Week


Need help sifting through the big performances from guys on your league's waiver wire to figure out who you want to pick up? Who's going to be the diamond in the rough and who's going to be a one week wonder? The Robin Sports Waiver Wire Gems will give you our take on the week's most noticeable stat lines. The goal of this column is to help you decide between the guys most likely to be available on your free agent wire. Here's how we'll break them down:

Buried Treasure - These guys really have some potential and they're players you should definitely consider adding to your team. The guys listed in the "No Brainers" section are those that I'm betting are already long gone in your league.
Fool's Gold - Don't get caught up in one week of success. These are guys that you'd be better off staying away from.

Lets start with the gems, THE BURIED TREASURE! The Week 9 stat line is in parenthesis.

Buried Treasure

Priest Holmes, KC RB - (8 rush yds, 1 rec, 8 rec yds) There are conflicting reports coming out saying that Chiefs RB Larry Johnson may or may not have broken his foot, an injury that would cost him the rest of the season. That injury opens the door to the chapel and caps off Priest's triumphant return from injury. If LJ only has a foot sprain, he's still unlikely to play this weekend, so Holmes looks like a solid starter this week.

Justin Fargas, Oak RB - (104 rush yds, 1 rush TD, 2 rec, 15 rec yds) Raiders Head Coach Lane Kiffin has officially named Justin Fargas as his starting running back for the forseeable future. Fargas has excelled in the lead role as he's compiled 216 total yards and one touchdown in the last two weeks. This is a crushing blow to LaMont Jordan owners since Jordan had proven to be an effective starter when healthy.

David Garrard, Jac QB - (--) Garrard is on the verge of returning from his ankle injury and he very well may have found his way onto your league's waiver wire while he was hurt. Let me remind you that Garrard threw at least 1 touchdown pass in each of his first 5 games and had more than 200 passing yards in four of those games. He also hasn't thrown a pick all year.

Kellen Clemens, NYJ QB - (226 pass yds, 1 pass TD, 48 rush yds) Clemens is a guy to keep an eye on throughout the rest of the season. He's got a nice complement of wide receivers to work with and the Jets schedule is favorable at the end of the season. The last week of the fantasy regular season (Week 13) the Jets will face the Miami Dolphins and then the following week they host the Cleveland Browns. Clemens also has decent keeper value since he appears to be the QB of the future for the Jets.

Michael Robinson, SF RB - (67 rush yds, 2 rec, 2 rec yds) Frank Gore is questionable for Monday night's showdown with the Seattle Seahawks. If he's unable to go, then Michael Robinson will see the bulk of the carries with Maurice Hicks getting the rest. This looks like a nice matchup for the 49ers RBs because Seattle's coming off of a loss to Cleveland in which Jamal Lewis racked up 4 rushing touchdowns.

No Brainers: Vernon Davis, SF TE; Earnest Graham, TB RB; Jamal Lewis, Cle RB; Bobby Engram, Sea WR



Now let's take a look at THE FOOL'S GOLD


Fool's Gold

Nate Washington, Pit WR - (3 rec, 51 rec yds, 2 TD) Don't let the 2 touchdowns against the vaunted Baltimore Ravens defense on Monday night fool you. Washington still has very little fantasy value. Hines Ward and Santonio Holmes are still the starters and Washington is probably the 4th option in the pass attack behind Ward, Holmes, and tight end Heath Miller.

Ron Dayne, Hou RB - (122 rush yds, 1 rush TD) The running back situation in Houston is a mess. Head Coach Gary Kubiak obviously prefers to start Ahman Green anytime that Green says he can play. Thus, Dayne is relegated to backing up Green and filling in as the starter when Green can't go. Third string RB Joe Echemandu has also sniped a few carries throughout the season.

Sidney Rice, Min WR - (4 rec, 66 rec yds, 1 rec TD) Rice looks like a decent keeper candidate, but that's about all. The Minnesota pass attack is one of the worst in football and there's been plenty of instability at quarterback. There's just too much inconsistency and cloudiness surrounding the QB situation to even consider Rice except for in the deepest of leagues.

Brooks Bollinger, Min QB - (95 pass yds, 1 pass TD) Just when you thought Bollinger might settle into the QB role in Minnesota, they go out and sign Koy Detmer. At this point in time, I would not endorse any of the Vikings QBs. They might as well line up Adrian Paterson under center and then they'd be able to get another blocker on the field for him.

Sage Rosenfels, Hou QB - (181 pass yds, 1 pass TD, 1 INT, 19 rush yds) Rosenfels performed admirably in relief of injured QB Matt Schaub in a 24-17 victory over the Oakland Raiders. It sounds like it'll be a short ride at the top for Rosenfels as it's been reported that Schaub, who suffered a concussion, will likely be ready to go in Week 11 after this week's bye.