Waiver Wire Wonders: Superstar Wheels Come Off

Weeding through those unwieldy waiver wires requires a keen eye and a quick trigger. Thus, Waiver Wire Wonders provides a weekly snapshot of players worthy of consideration who should be available on a good portion of league waiver wires.

Week 10 dealt some potentially critical blows in the form of injuries, as two of the game's elite running backs -- as well as another solid weekly starter -- left their respective games due to injury. For waiver wire cherry-pickers, this spells opportunity as the backups here all provide potential additions. Beyond that, there is not too much else for this week on the wires, but we saw a big game from a quarterback on one of the league's worst teams putting up a fight against one of the best, a sage old receiver return to form, and a couple potential up-and-comers.

Jason Snelling (RB, Falcons) - After Michael Turner came out with guns blazing, racking up 111 yards on just nine carries, he suffered a devastating ankle sprain and left the game. The severity of the injury remains uncertain, but in his absence backup Snelling filled in admirably with 18 carries for 61 yards and a touchdown. The touchdown was just a one-yarder, but, given the Falcons' emphasis on the running game, Snelling makes a strong buy candidate.

Bernard Scott (RB, Bengals) - Along the same lines, another big injury came Sunday as the obvious choice for comeback player of the year, Cedric Benson, left the game due to a hip flexor. Benson's fantasy owners must be writhing in agony after the tremendous surprise he's been for them thus far. In his absence, it may seem silly to race out and grab Scott, given that he filed only 33 yards on 13 carries, but let's keep this in perspective. There must be some "system" to Benson's success. The guy was useless for years in Chicago, so it's safe to expect some level -- albeit with a lower ceiling -- of success to translate across to Scott should Benson miss any time. And Scott did have enough talent to return a kickoff for the game's lone touchdown. I would aim to get Snelling first and then go for Scott as your second priority.

Justin Forsett (RB, Seahawks) - The pain keeps coming this week for fantasy owners as Julius Jones also left the game early with a chest injury. Forsett cleaned house in his absence, posting one of the finest performances of the day with 123 rushing yards and a touchdown. As with all of these running backs, everything hinges on the severity and duration of the injury to the starter (Update: Jones was reportedly hospitalized with bleeding in his lung), but in Forsett's case, he might just win the job since he showed better play than any we've seen from Jones all season. Forsett looks like a grab.

Muhsin Muhammad (WR, Panthers) - Even though it seems like Muhammad joined the league before they wore face masks, he still tends to show up with a decent game every now and then. Coming off an injury that kept him out two games and benefiting from a surprisingly good performance from Jake Delhomme (including two TD passes to Steve Smith), Muhammad caught six passes for 91 yards. The Panthers seem to be clicking on both sides of the ball presently, so while adding this geezer may seem harebrained, keep an eye on him, as he might provide a nice stretch surprise.

Marc Bulger (WR, Rams) - In the surprise performance of the day, the St. Louis Rams played a great game and hung right in there until the end with the NFC-best New Orleans Saints. The Rams posted 434 yards of total offense, thanks in large part to Mark Bulger's 26-for-40 passing assault -- totaling 298 yards with two touchdowns. The Rams need to gain some consistency, but an effort like this against a great opportunistic defense like the Saints (albeit a banged up one) provides a nice boost for the rest of the season for Bulger and the Rams.

Maurice Stovall (WR, Buccaneers) - With clear indications that the Tampa Bay passing game is on an upswing with Josh Freeman under center, Stovall looks to be an immediate benefactor. Inserted into the starting lineup as a replacement for the injured Antonio Bryant, Stovall caught four passes for 47 yards and a touchdown. He only merits consideration in deep leagues or desperate situations at this point, but, should he continue to impress consistently and stay in the starting lineup, he could be a nice little addition to your sack of gems.

Jason Avant (WR, Eagles) - Another wide receiver posted a huge day for the Eagles, this time Avant with eight catches for 156 yards. It's a shame it's never the same guy twice in a row, because this offense produces serious stats. Interestingly, DeSean Jackson remains one of the most traded players in fantasy football for just this reason: the Eagles are stacked with explosive receivers, but they have too many weapons to post good stats consistently.

Jamaal Charles (RB, Chief) - Larry who? You're probably assuming it's already too late to move on this one. Charles looked like an obvious pickup immediately after the release of Larry Johnson, but he's currently only owned in 43 percent of Fleaflicker leagues. More importantly, with all of the talk last week about Kolby Smith also getting looks and potentially being the better pickup down the stretch, Charles' 103 yard and one touchdown game adds all the clarity we need on the matter.

Michael Bush (RB, Raiders) - If anyone is a glutton for punishment, it's the Raiders. They teased us with a bizarre 119-yard ground effort by Michael Bush. Don't be fooled though, as it's courtesy of the Chiefs. Plus, Darren McFadden should be assuming a larger share of the carries going forward.