DeMarco Murray – After going off for a Dallas Cowboys record 253 rushing yards and 1 TD, Murray has been snapped up in most competitive leagues but he is still available in 15 percent of Yahoo! leagues following this weeks waiver claim period. We usually don’t mention players that are not available in more than 30 percent of leagues but 15 percent is enough to run to the wire and check. Murray’s talent is for real and he has undoubtedly forced a timeshare when Felix Jones does return.
Michael Jenkins – Jenkins went off for 111 yards off of three receptions this past Sunday and seems to be Christian Ponder’s favorite wide receiver target. The Vikings passing attack is nothing to write home about but Ponder has shown a willingness to target Jenkins in all facets of the passing game. Jenkins, even after this weeks waiver period is still availble in 60 percent of Yahoo! leagues. He is a solid bye week filler and injury replacement the rest of the way. He has flex2 value in the deepest leagues.
Demaryius Thomas – Though Thomas only had three receptions for 27 yards this past Sunday, he did find the end zone and figures to become Tim Tebow’s favorite target before long. Now while the Broncos passing attack will prevent Thomas from accruing anything more than flex value he has considerable upside the rest of the way. Thomas is still available in 84 percent of Yahoo! leagues.
Roy Williams – Williams had a second strong week in a row with four receptions for 59 yards and a touchdown. Williams seems to finally be healthy and is developing a rapport with quarterback Jay Cutler and is poised to be a factor down the stretch. Williams is a low floor flex play who could, could emerge with WR3 value before the end of the year. Williams is currently available in 86 percent of Yahoo! leagues.
Montario Hardesty – Hardesty had a whopping 33 carries for 95 yards this past Sunday and while his 2.9 yards per carry was very unimpressive what we can note from this performance is that the Browns trust him with a workhorse workload. Peyton Hillis is a free agent after this year and the Browns will likely hand Hardesty the job down the stretch in order for the to evaluate if he can truly be their feature back of the future. Hardesty is a solid bye week filler for now and should emerge with flex value down the stretch. Hardesty is available in 63 percent of Yahoo! leagues.
Greg Little – Little has had a second straight strong performance by hauling in five of his targets this past week. He only went for 31 yards but is developing solid chemistry with Colt McCoy and should continue to emerge as the season wears on. He has only displayed flex2 value thus far but is a flex worthy starter due to his upside and has the potential to emerge with WR3 value by seasons end. Little is available in 76 percent of Yahoo! leagues.
Antonio Brown – Despite not playing on running downs Antonio Brown finished week seven with seven receptions for 102 yards. While Mike Wallace is the deep threat and Emmanuel Sanders will get the starts when Hines Ward can’t, it is Antonio Brown who has emerged as Ben Roethlisberger’s favorite possession receiver. Brown is currently a solid flex play with the opportunity to enter WR3 level in PPR leagues. Choose Brown over Sanders in redraft leagues. Brown is currently available in 50 percent of Yahoo! leagues.
Darrius Heyward-Bey – Third year wideout Darris Heyward-Bey has finally taken a positive step in his development as an NFL wide receiver and has started to show some consistency. DHB is still available in 46 percent of Yahoo! leagues despite surpassing his previous career high season totals in just six games. DHB has flex upside during non bye weeks and is a solid bye week filler during this period. Once Palmer gets back to NFL game speed and chooses his favorite wideouts DHB has the potential to ascend to WR3 territory.
Delone Carter – Delone Carter proved his mettle this past weekend to the tune of 8.9 yards per carry coming from ten totes which he took for 89 yards including a 42 yard scamper. Carter is the back to own in Indianapolis and as the most talented back on the roster he has a chance to secure the starting job going forward. While we love Carter in dynasty league settings, when Joseph Addai returns this will be a timesplit with not much carries for lackadaisical Colts to support. With that said he is certainly worth a roster spot and starts as a bye week filler and potentially as a flex2 in the deepest leagues. Carter is currently available in 69 percent of Yahoo! leagues.
