Waiver Wire Wonders: Free Reign

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.

Besides the obvious reasons, one of the great joys of making the playoffs in your fantasy league is having free reign over the waiver wire. Just this morning, I went to look to see if there were any nice starts and managed to snag a starting defense (Tennessee) and starting running back (Quinton Ganther) that I assumed were long gone. As the number of teams competing for a title dwindles, so too does the waiver wire competition. So, at this point you should really be carefully evaluating every spot on your roster for upgrades. There are starters awaiting your signature, so go ahead and get rid of those duds like Clinton Portis, and make some crafty playoff signings.

Quinton Ganther (RB, Redskins) - Anyone looking to fill a starting slot for a running back or flex should look no further than Ganther (hopefully you already got him last week). While he did not exactly light it up for three quarters today, he ended with monster numbers and should retain the starting role the rest of the season with Portis and Ladell Betts (that's some luck, Washington) on the injured reserve. In total, Ganther rolled up almost 100 all-purpose yards and found pay-dirt on two occasions. Both scores came in fourth-quarter garbage time, but hey, we'll take it.

Alge Crumpler (TE, Titans) - Here's a name we haven't heard in a while. The trusty tight end of yore came out this week with four catches, 41 yards and a touchdown, which helped contribute to the Titans giving the Rams an underwear-over-the-head wedgie. The defense did most of the damage in the 47-7 bullying, but it's good to see Alge back on the fantasy radar.

Jason Snelling (RB, Falcons) - Since we cannot, with any accuracy, gauge the certainty of Michael Turner's availability for the fantasy playoffs, nor the effectiveness of Jerious Norwood -- who every week it seems is supposed to get the backup role for Turner -- it's tough to make a strong case for Snelling. Still, he played a solid game Sunday with 10 carries for 37 yards and a touchdown with an additional four catches for 65 yards. If you're thinking about Snelling, I'd recommend waiting until later in the week to pull the trigger until we get a bit more clarity on the injuries in the Atlanta backfield.

Chris Redman (QB, Falcons) - In Matt Ryan's absence, backup Redman racked up a pile of statistical data against the battered Saints secondary with 303 yards passing and a score. I have to believe there are safer options out there than Redman with guys like Alex Smith and Brady Quinn looking better each week, but if you want to take a flier, Redman continues to provide a nice surprise.

Ryan Moats (RB, Texans) - Clearly, the Texans' offense relies on the pass at this point with Andre Johnson and Matt Schaub stealing the show, but amidst the uncertain trio of Arian Foster, Chris Brown and Ryan Moats, Moats came out on top Sunday with a touchdown and 43 yards on the ground. Keep an eye on this situation as Foster played a role in the passing game and Moats did lose a fumble -- which Steve Slaton could tell you doesn't earn you any brownie points with the Houston coaching staff. Still, as of now, Moats looks like the best option to play in the Texans backfield.

Greg Camarillo (WR, Dolphins) - Just as it looked like Davone Bess was ready to take the wheel and provide fantasy owners with a clear-cut pole position driver for Miami, Camarillo stole the spotlight and silenced the hype for Bess. He posted the big game with seven catches and 110 yards. Unfortunately, the real story though was that Chad Henne could not get the passing game going this week after seemingly taking a big step forward last week. He only threw for 220 yards and one interception, so temper the excitement about the passing game for now as they should have done more against a mediocre Jacksonville defense.

Devin Aromashodu (WR, Bears) - It's the old "one man gathers what another man spills" story. With Devin Hester nursing an injured calf muscle, Aromashodu shined with eight catches for 76 yards and a touchdown. Cutler's passing offense looked decent all around in the bad weather as Johnny Knox also posted nice stats and scored a touchdown.

Fred Jackson (RB, Bills) - If Jackson still looms on your waiver wire, here is a guy I recommend taking advantage of for the fantasy playoffs. Sunday, he tallied 122 all-purpose yards and should make a increasingly big impact into the fantasy playoffs. He carried the ball 20 times and played a decent role in the passing game, thus making him look like a great source of touches down the stretch.

Jamaal Charles (RB, Chiefs) - Upon first glance, I almost skipped right over Charles as I assumed he would be on a roster in just about every league under the sun given his starting role since Larry Johnson's departure, but according to Fleaflicker he's owned in just 65 percent of leagues. Sunday, Charles blew the doors off Arrowhead Stadium with 143 yards rushing, including a 76-yard touchdown. Next week, the Chiefs face Cleveland, so assuming we do not see another week of the bizarro-world Browns, Charles looks like a great start.

Fred Davis (TE, Redskins) - Of this week's tight end performances, Davis posted the eye-popping game, catching three passes for 50 yards and scoring two touchdowns. That marks three straight weeks with touchdowns and three or more catches. Thus, consider Davis ready for prime time.