Running the Wire

Screwing League Mates Over By Stealing The Missing Pieces Of The Puzzle That They Need 101

A little bit of irrelevancy never hurt. The school I attend started to crack down on the dress code today. Naturally, because a lot of people are gullible beyond belief, a craze of outrage and mass hysteria followed. Without boring you too much, I'll get straight to my point. Injuries and bye weeks can cause the same hysteria. I'm sure some of you, including myself, can't help but somewhat frantically cringe when you see that your star WR is on a bye or that your #1 RB is questionable for this week. Never fear though; I'm here to help.

Gold Wire Pickups:

Steve Slaton/RB: Houston: I wasn't a big fan of Slaton coming into the year and to be quite honest, I'm still not. He's small in stature and if he hits the rookie wall, his production could really drop. Not to mention that if and when another Houston back gets healthy, Slaton will lose carries. But for this week, I'm a fan. Slaton is versatile, as shown by his reception numbers last week (eight receptions for 83 yards and a score), and has a grand matchup against a Colts defense that has been giving up just under 200 yards on the ground per game this year, good for 31st in the league. Slaton is owned in about 20% of leagues and could be considered a #2 back for teams this week.

Steve Smith and Amani Toomer/WR Giants: I talked about Smith briefly in last week's addition, and now I've added Toomer to the mix. In case you forgot, Plaxico Burress is out this week from a one game suspension given to him by the Giants. With Eli Manning improving and the opportunity of a starting role, both guys should have a good shot to produce. One other crunchy nugget to chew on: Seattle ranks 25th in pass defense, giving up 226 yards per game. Smith is only taken in 10.5% of leagues while Toomer is owned in 45% of leagues.

Copper Wire Pickups

Anthony Fasano/TE Miami: He's been a little hit or miss so far into the season, but I'd bank on him being a "hit" this week. Surprisingly, the Chargers pass defense has really struggled this year. They've allowed a league-worst 276.3 yards per game through the air. Tight ends from previous weeks have also had success against them (See: Dante Rosario and Zach Miller [Ed's Note: And Tony Scheffler.]). With no real weapons at WR, Fasano should get a lot of looks. He's on 44% of waivers.

Lance Moore/WR New Orleans: Moore was one of Drew Brees' favorite targets last week, recording seven catches for 72 yards and a touchdown. That should continue this week against the Vikings. Marques Colston and Jeremy Shockey are still out, and even though the Vikings pass defense isn't terrible, the Saints have one of the most potent offenses in the league. Moore isn't even owned in two-percent of ESPN leagues; expect that number to rise after waiver claims are processed.

Chicken Wire Pickups:

Mewelde Moore/RB Pittsburgh: Following the Moore trend. There aren't too many RBs to choose from each week so when a guy with a starting job shows up on the radar, he'll usually be a hot commodity. That's exactly the situation Moore is in. He has a tough matchup against a physical Jags team and Najeh Davenport should steal some carries, but Moore knows the offense, is fairly versatile, and as mentioned, should start. That counts for something, doesn't it? Moore isn't owned in many leagues.

Steve Breaston/WR Arizona: Anquan Boldin is said to be "50-50" at best, and I'd lean towards him not playing after suffering a head injury late last week against the Jets. The Bills' top cornerback Terrence McGee is out for a few weeks, and the Bills will start the underachieving Ashton Youboty and rookie Leodis McKelvin. In a pretty explosive Cardinals offense, expect Breaston to have the chance for some big plays. Breaston is owned in just over three-percent of leagues.