October 24, 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 7 stat line is in parenthesis.

Buried Treasure

Ike Hilliard, TB WR - (9 rec, 92 rec yds, 1 TD) With the loss of Cadillac Williams and injuries to his replacements, the Bucs have noticeably shifted towards the passing game. Jeff Garcia, Joey Galloway, and Ike Hilliard should all benefit as a result. Hilliard is still the No. 2 guy behind Galloway, but expect more production in the weeks to come, with a very realistic expectation of 70 yards per game and a few touchdowns well within his reach.

Cleo Lemon, Mia QB - (236 pass yds, 0 pass TD, 1 INT, 16 rush yds, 1 rush TD) The pool of free agent quarterbacks is pretty shallow in most fantasy leagues, which makes you start to look at guys like Cleo Lemon, Trent Edwards, and Damon Huard. While the Miami Dolphins have been terrible as a whole, Lemon has shown signs of promise. He can air it out (492 pass yds in the last 2 games) and he also possesses great athleticism, which includes the ability to run the football. He has 5 total touchdowns (2 passing, 3 rushing) in the last two games.

Kevin Walter/Andre Davis, Hou WRs - With the news that stud Texans WR Andre Johnson will likely be out until Week 11, Kevin Walter and Andre Davis will continue to battle it out for Matt Schaub's attention. Both have had several productive games during Johnson's absence. Walter has been getting more receptions, but Davis is the big play guy due to his tremendous speed.

Tony Scheffler, Den TE - (5 rec, 50 rec yds, 1 rec TD) Scheffler has finally found his way into the Denver passing attack and recorded his first significant stats of the season during Week 7. There are a few potential targets out there for tight end (Quinn Sypniewski, Donald Lee, Randy McMichael, etc.), but I like Scheffler because of the chemistry that he had with QB Jay Cutler at the end of the 2006 season. He had 4 receiving touchdowns during the final 4 games of the 2006 campaign.

Jason Wright, Cle RB - (59 rush yds, 1 rush TD, 3 rec, 39 rec yds) Cleveland RB Jamal Lewis is still struggling to return from his foot injury and he has been missing practices. If Lewis is unable to go on Sunday against the St. Louis Rams, then Wright would get the starting nod. Offenses have thrashed the Rams all season and Wright would definitely be start-able as a low-end No. 2 RB in fantasy leagues if Lewis can't go.

No Brainers: Jessie Chatman, Mia RB, Jeff Garcia, TB QB; Kenny Watson, Cin RB



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


Fool's Gold

Rob Bironas, Ten K - (8 FG, 2 XPt) Bironas set an NFL record for field goals in a game during Week 7, but let me remind you that he set the record in Week 7! Don't expect him to reproduce anything close in the weeks to come. He'll be a confident kicker, which will help his accuracy, but he's still at the mercy of the Titans offense. Bironas had only 7 field goals in 5 games prior to Sunday's record breaker.

Quinn Sypniewski, Bal TE - (4 rec, 33 rec yds) So I get it...Todd Heap is injured, which makes Sypniewski the starter in Baltimore, but now you're telling me you want him on your fantasy team??? The Baltimore offense has been anemic, the starting QB his banged up, and the Ravens are on bye in Week 8. If you're truly in need of free agent help, look for guys like Tony Scheffler, Donald Lee, and Randy McMichael.

Ted Ginn, Mia WR - (3 rec, 37 rec yds) Former No. 1 WR Chris Chambers is now a member of the San Diego Chargers and Ginn has moved into the No. 2 receiver role for the Dolphins. He's a big name and he's one of the fastest players in the NFL, but he's still a rookie. There are more reliable WRs on the market, such as Kevin Walter, Andre Davis, Isaac Bruce, Muhsin Muhammad, and Amani Toomer.

DeShawn Wynn, GB RB - (--) There's bad news for Wynn owners. The Packers RB injured his neck while lifting weights on Monday and his status for this week's game is uncertain. With Wynn, Vernand Morency, and Brandon Jackson all battling for time, any injury becomes a major concern that he'll fall behind the other two backs. I would consider him expendable if Jesse Chatman, Chester Taylor, or some other serviceable running back is available.

Ricky Williams, FA RB - (--) A few reports have surfaced this week saying that the NFL could be close to making a decision on whether or not Ricky Williams will be reinstated back into the league. Oh wow, a stud running back might be available! WRONG! Don't waste a roster spot on him. Roger Goodell has proven to be tough with reinstatement (a la Odell Thurman of the Bengals) and there's no guarantee that Williams will even start for anyone.