Waiver Wire Wonders: Malcom Floyd Bolts to Fantasy Stardom

Another week of football, another week at work to surf the waiver wire. The fifth weekend of NFL action provided plenty of potential fantasy movement. There are no glaring game-changers per se, but we do have a full plate of quality adds after a couple of injuries, a couple of breakout performances, and a couple of old dogs hoping to reclaim their prior glory.

Malcom Floyd (WR, Chargers) - If you are lucky enough to play in a league where Malcom Floyd is still on the waiver wire, now is the time to grab him. According to Fleaflicker, he's owned in roughly 74 percent of leagues, so that leaves about a quarter of leagues with an available Floyd. He caught eight passes for a massive 213 yards and a touchdown, one of the biggest fantasy outings of the week.

Danny Amendola (WR, Rams) - The Rams, who seem to be nothing short of cursed this season in the wide receiver department, suffered another crucial blow when Mark Clayton suffered a season-ending knee injury. In his absence, Danny Amendola stepped up, catching an impressive 12 passes for 95 yards. Amendola looks poised to see his targets increase materially, so he makes a very strong addition for wide receiver depth.

Brandon Jacobs (RB, Giants) - With Ahmad Bradshaw playing below 100 percent, Brandon Jacobs finally looked like his old self. Anybody watching the game heard the announcing team go on a monumental tangent about the importance of being mad when playing football, but they have a point with Brandon Jacobs. While Jacobs only put up 41 yards on 10 carries, he clearly ran with that fire he had three years ago where he seemed like one of the scariest players to tackle in the NFL. He did find the end zone, so he put up a solid overall fantasy effort, making a strong case for more carries as the season rolls on.

Shaun Hill (QB, Lions) - We've all been thinking about making this move for a couple of weeks now, and it's still tough to pull the trigger with Matt Stafford waiting in the wings, but Shaun Hill played a masterful game on Sunday against a (previously) tough Rams defense. Hill tallied 227 yards on a 21-for-32 passing effort, which included three touchdown passes to three different receivers. Hill will still likely lose the starting job as soon as Stafford returns from injury, but he makes a great add for QB depth at this point should you need somebody for a bye week or spot starts.

Jabar Gaffney (WR, Broncos) - There's room for two in Denver. Brandon Lloyd keeps stealing the thunder as he caught two touchdown passes and totaled 135 yards receiving, but the quieter Jabar Gaffney posted another strong game with nine receptions for 87 yards. Since you've likely missed your ride on the Brandon Lloyd bandwagon, Gaffney makes a close second as a means to capitalize on Kyle Orton's amazing turnaround season.

Mike Hart (RB, Colts) - This could be a big one. The Colts' primary runner, Joseph Addai, left the game with a neck/shoulder injury. Details are foggy regarding the severity, but with Donald Brown also a scratch, Mike Hart filled in nicely, running for 50 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries. We'll have to wait and see the prognosis for Addai, but given his tendency toward injuries, taking an aggressive stance on Hart might be worth the risk.

Steve Johnson (WR, Bills) - With Ryan Fitzpatrick playing very well at quarterback for the Bills, Steve Johnson continues to emerge as a real threat. In Week 5, Johnson caught five balls for 46 yards and two touchdowns. Mind you, the Bills will not face teams as porous as the Jaguars every week, but I like the way this passing game is coming along under Fitzpatrick. In deeper leagues, Johnson makes a nice add for some depth with upside.

Kevin Kolb (QB, Eagles) - Kevin Kolb's first game back since his Week 1 injury, and subsequent upending courtesy of Michael Vick, went rather well. Kolb did not post massive stats, but he also didn't make any mistakes and came away with a serviceable statistical performance. He completed 21 of 31 passes for 253 yards and one touchdown. If he continues to improve on these numbers, which I suspect he will given his weapons, Kolb may have legs this season after all.

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. Enjoy those pickups.