Bruno Boys Fantasy Football

Injuries to multiple running backs in week 10 opened the door for the majority of the players listed below as people to pick up this week. And of course, there was that whole situation with Larry Johnson and the Kansas City Chiefs, which has given Jamaal Charles a chance to showcase his talents. Regardless of how it happened, there are some good running backs worth picking up on the list this week, not to mention others that we’ve already suggested picking up such as Chris Wells of the Arizona Cardinals, who rushed for 85 yards and two touchdowns on just 16 carries in a win over the Seattle Seahawks.

As for young quarterbacks, such as Chad Henne of the Miami Dolphins and Josh Freeman of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, we are taking a wait and see approach. Yes they have posted some good fantasy performances, but both are very green and don’t have good receivers to throw to. Understand that utilizing either of those players on your fantasy football team is a very risky move.

Note: If you’re debating on who to drop to pick these guys up, you should be checking out the Bruno Boys’ article, Fantasy Football Week 11 Waiver Wire - Cut Them Loose, and see if anyone on your roster is a Bruno Boys’ recommendation to drop. And, remember you can always visit our FORUMS to get your questions answered about waiver wire candidates, players to drop or anything at all related to fantasy football.

RUNNING BACKS - PICK THEM UP

Michael Bush (Oakland Raiders)

Darren McFadden returned to action for the Oakland Raiders this past week in a loss to the Chiefs, but he only rushed four times for 11 yards. Michael Bush, on the other hand, had 119 yards on 14 carries. The Raiders may continue to ease McFadden back into the lineup as he’s coming off his knee injury, but as they Raiders do that, you can expect Bush to continue to see about 15-20 touches on the ball for the next few weeks. That would generally mean some solid production for Bush, but the Raiders offense is so bad he doesn’t stand a good chance of reaching the end zone. Still, in deeper leagues in a dire situation, Bush is worthy of a look.

Jamaal Charles (Kansas City Chiefs)

As mentioned earlier, Charles finally gets his opportunity to shine in Kansas City with the release of Johnson. In this past Sunday’s win over Oakland, Charles got the ball more than 10 times for the first time this season as he had 103 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries. Charles also caught four passes for 14 yards. Now that Johnson is out of the picture, Charles is the featured back and should see the ball 20-30 times a game through the end of the season, making him a good pick up in any league.

Justin Forsett (Seattle Seahawks)

Seattle’s starting running back Julius Jones left the team’s loss to Arizona with a broken rib during the first quarter of the game, and it was, also, reported that there was some bleeding in his lung, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Jones’ injury opened the window for Justin Forsett, and he played well as he had 123 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries to go with 26 yards on five catches. With Edgerrin James no longer on the team and Jones possibly out for a while, Forsett is the team’s primary - and only - runner, which makes him a good pick up in any league.

Bernard Scott (Cincinnati Bengals)

The Cincinnati Bengals got a huge win over the Pittsburgh Steelers in week 10, but it did come with a price. Starting running back Cedric Benson, who has been one of the league’s best this year, left the game with a hip injury. Bernard Scott, a rookie out of Abilene Christian, replaced him and rushed 13 times for 33 yards, caught a pass for 21 yards and returned a kickoff 96 yards for a touchdown. Hip injuries are a weird thing for many players, and while Benson said after the game that he didn’t feel it was too serious, Scott is still worth looking at especially if Benson cannot go this week. Scott is a great talent who fell in the draft because of off-the-field issues in college and, as evidenced by his kickoff return for a touchdown, has more ability to break a big play than Benson. Watch the status of Benson this week, and if he is unable to go, then Scott is a good play on any team.

Jason Snelling (Atlanta Falcons)

Things just continue to go against the Atlanta Falcons this season, the most recent being the loss of starting running back Michael Turner. Turner injured his ankle and was wearing a boot after the game, and while there hasn’t been any word yet on the severity of the injury, it doesn’t appear to be good news for the Falcons. In his place Jason Snelling rushed 18 times for 61 yards and a touchdown. As Jerious Norwood is still nursing a hip injury, Snelling will be the guy for Atlanta at least for the upcoming week, and he should see 20-30 touches on the ball. The yardage might not pile up for Snelling, but he does have a nose for the end zone. He projects to be a flex option in week 11.