Bruno Boys Fantasy Football

Entering Week 11 it appeared there was a week slate of games on tap. No matchup really jumped off the page, and yet there were some incredible games and finishes this week. We saw the Pittsburgh Steelers fall to the Kansas City Chiefs in overtime, the Cincinnati Bengals lose to the Oakland Raiders on a last-minute field goal, the Dallas Cowboys get a late touchdown to win over the Washington Redskins, and those are just to name a few. We also saw injuries happen to key players like Ben Roethlisberger and Kurt Warner, as well as current starting running back Ladell Betts. Detroit Lions quarterback Matt Stafford and Cleveland Browns quarterback Brady Quinn both posted huge games, but until they display they can do that consistently they should be avoided. Quinn is still throwing behind his receivers often and Stafford still is forcing too many throws into double and triple coverage. With all that in mind we head to the Fantasy Football Week 12 Waiver Wire - Pick Them Up article.

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 12 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

Rock Cartwright (Washington Redskins)

With starter Clinton Portis out, Ladell Betts got the start at running back for the Redskins this week and he didn’t last long as a suffered a torn ACL and MCL in the first half. The injury will require surgery and put an end to Betts’ 2009 season. As for Portis he is still nursing a concussion and has already been ruled out for Week 12. In Betts’ abscence Rock Cartwright took over at running back and in a loss to the Cowboys he had 67 rushing yards on 13 carries as well as seven catches for 73 yards. With Portis already being ruled out against the Philadelphia Eagles you can expect Cartwright to get 15-25 touches, making him a good pickup for any team in need of a running back.

Chris Jennings (Cleveland Browns)

The Browns are searching for anything that can help their offense get started, and in doing so they are starting to get running back Chris Jennings involved. Two weeks ago he had seven carries for 18 yards, and last week in the loss to the Lions he had 36 yards on 10 carries as well as five catches for 38 yards. Head coach Eric Mangini has expressed a desire to get Jennings more involved with the offense, which is always a good thing especially considering Mangini never reveals anything through the media. Still, because he is on a bad offense and his touches appear to still be limited, Jennings should only be considered right now in deeper leagues.

Felix Jones (Dallas Cowboys)

A lot of attention during the Cowboys’ recent run has been paid to the passing game but don’t underestimate the value the return of running back Felix Jones has had either. Last week in the win over the Washington Redskins Jones had a career-high 10 carries for 49 yards and he caught a pass for seven yards. Jones is a great talent and Dallas would be wise to continue to keep him involved in the offense. Like Jennings though, Jones’ touches are limited and for that we recommend he only be considered in deeper leagues for right now.

Mike Tolbert (San Diego Chargers)

An early lead for the San Diego Chargers in their win over the Denver Broncos caused them to run the ball often, which is why fullback Mike Tolbert saw the ball more often than he has before. In the win he had seven carries for 58 yards and a touchdown, as well as one catch for one yard. For the Chargers, Tolbert falls behind LaDainian Tomlinson, Darren Sproles and sometimes Jacob Hester, but he’s got good athleticism for a fullback and could be dangerous around the goal line, which would be his main hope for continued fantasy football production. Since we don’t expect Tolbert to continue to see around 10 touches a game, he should only be looked at in the deepest of leagues but it wouldn’t be shocking if Tolbert did see his role (touchdown in each of his last two games) in the offense continue like it has.