The Free Press, Mankato, MN

Sports

October 1, 2012

Battle, Chandler, Fitzpatrick among top pick-ups

By Jim Rueda Free Press Sports Editor

MANKATO — Pickings on the waiver wire are beginning to dry up as the NFL prepares to begin its fifth week of games.

Among the top running backs who may be available in your league are Jackie Battle of San Diego and LeGarrette Blount of Tampa Bay.

As long as Ryan Matthews continues to unimpress, Battle is likely to get his share of playing time. He’s been a fantasy stud in his limited role so far (he scored twice on Sunday and twice in Week 2) and is definitely worth stashing on your roster.

Tampa’s Doug Martin has not exactly lit the fantasy world on fire so the door may be open for Blount to re-emerge as a viable player. He scored the Bucs’ only rushing touchdown in Week 4.

If by chance Pittsburgh running back Rashard Mendenhall is still available on your wire grab him as soon as possible. He’s scheduled to come back from injury this week and none of his back-ups have done anything in his absence.

Among receivers, Andre Roberts of Arizona, Brian Hartline of Miami and Kenny Britt of Tennessee are worthy of consideration.

Roberts has been very hit and miss this season but seems to be developing good chemistry with quarterback Kevin Kolb. Roberts caught six passes for 118 yards and two TDs on Sunday. As long as Kolb is behind center, Roberts has value.

Hartline is fast becoming rookie quarterback Ryan Tannehill’s favorite receiver. Hartline was targeted 19 times on Sunday and delivered 12 catches for 253 yards and a touchdown. He won’t give you that kind of production every week but any receiver who gets that many passes thrown his way is a viable fantasy player.

Britt has been dropped in a lot of leagues and is worth a gamble. Matt Hasselbeck may have to line up under center for awhile and the veteran knows how to make use of a talent like Britt. He might not pan out right away as he’s dealing with an ankle injury, but he could have a big second half for the Titans.

The top waiver wire pick-up this week is likely to be Buffalo’s Ryan Fitzpatrick. He ranks around fifth or sixth in fantasy points and has been fairly consistent from week to week. He threw for 360-plus yards and four TDs on Sunday and should be owned in every league.

One week does not a fantasy QB make but Miami’s Tannehill is probably worth considering at this point in the season. He threw for 431 yards against a pretty good Arizona defense on Sunday. It was either a fluke or a coming-out party. You be the judge.

If you are desperate for fantasy help at the quarterback spot, two other guys to consider are Tennessee’s Hasselbeck and the Jets’ Tim Tebow. Hasselbeck may start for a few weeks while Jake Locker rehabs his injured shoulder and Tebow is very close to becoming the starter in New York.

Buffalo’s Scott Chandler will be by far the most popular tight end pick-up this week. He’s the team’s primary red zone target and delivered to touchdowns receptions on Sunday. If you’re struggling at the tight end position (and many of us are), Chandler deserves a lot of attention.

Washington’s Fred Davis may have been dropped in your league sometime over the last two weeks and he is worthy of a look as well. RG3 is beginning to notice Davis more often and, like Britt, could be in line to have a big second half.

As for defenses and place kickers, now would be a good time to see if you can upgrade on the wire. Four weeks is a pretty good indication of how those two positions are trending.

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