Waiver Wire Wonders: Ryan Fitzpatrick Is for Real in Bills' Aerial Attack

Week 7 gave fantasy owners reason to smile -- and points, a lot of points. No less than eight different players tallied three touchdowns or more, and a number of those players were available on the fantasy waiver wires. Hence, there's plenty of promising wire moves to make in fantasy land this week.

Ryan Fitzpatrick (QB, Bills) -- Stranger things have happened. Would you have believed it if somebody told you to pick up Kyle Orton at the start of the season, as he'd become one of the most reliable fantasy players of the year? Well, Ryan Fitzpatrick certainly merits a raising of the eyebrows, but at this point he has demonstrated both the ability to post numbers, and the ability to do it consistently. In four starts, he has yet to throw any less than two touchdowns in a game, and he threw seven teeders in his past two starts combined. Couple that with 374 yards Sunday and a 102 passer rating on the season; this guy looks legit.

Kenny Britt (WR, Titans) -- Cheers to Kenny Britt for bucking the critics and rubber-stamping his staying power with a performance that ranks among all-time bust-outs for NFL receivers: 225 yards and three touchdowns. What's more, that makes five straight games with a touchdown. Britt appears to have finally cemented himself firmly in the Titans offense, and from here on out, you can cement him in your fantasy lineup as well. Unfortunately, he's owned in 65 percent of leagues at this point, so it's not going to be easy to get him, but he merits a mention as shallower leagues have been slow to scoop him up.

Lee Evans (WR, Bills) -- Would you believe Lee Evans is only owned in 33 percent of leagues? Granted, all those years as Mr. Inconsistent have certainly caught up with him, but as Rocky Balboa says, "I guess what I'm trying to say is, if I can change, and you's can change, then everybody can change." The keys to note here are that not only does Ryan Fitzpatrick seem to have assembled an actual consistent passing attack, but Evans now has touchdowns in consecutive weeks with a minimum of five catches in both games. Oh, did I mention that Evans scored three touchdowns on Sunday?

Steve Johnson (WR, Bills) -- Here's the catch: determining if Steve Johnson or Lee Evans is the go-to receiver in Buffalo proves a tough decision. While Evans scored the three touchdowns, Johnson notched eight receptions for 158 yards and a touchdown of his own. We can't expect both guys to post these numbers on a weekly basis, but the Bills tore apart the Ravens defense, so this is nothing to scoff at. If either Johnson or Evans are available in your league, they both provide quality depth for the second half.

Darren Sproles (RB, Chargers) -- This week looks rather thin at the running back position, but Sproles looks like a decent add as the Chargers seem to have rediscovered his value catching passes out of the backfield. Ryan Mathews is definitely the primary ball-carrier, but Sproles did haul in nine passes for 70 yards, which is certainly enough to merit a depth/desperation pickup for coming weeks that require a plug-in at running back.

LeGarrette Blount (RB, Bucs) -- The other quality pickup at running back this week is LaGarrette Blount, who finally got the bulk of the carries over Cadillac Williams. Blount put up a pedestrian 72 yards, but on just 11 carries, this should be more than enough proof to elevate his load, given Williams averages a putrid 2.5 yards per carry.

Patrick Crayton (WR, Chargers) -- With the Chargers' wide receiving corps coming apart at the seams, Patrick Crayton notched his second outing as the lead option, catching seven passes for 82 yards. We mentioned Crayton last week also, as we thought that the injury to Antonio Gates would skyrocket his value, but even with Gates back in the lineup, Crayton got plenty of looks. Of course, Gates will steal the touchdowns, but Crayton seems to have fantasy legs for the rest of 2010.

Jordan Shipley (WR, Bengals) -- In a coming-out party of sorts, rookie Jordan Shipley led all Bengals receivers with six catches for 131 yards and a touchdown as part of a mammoth passing day for Carson Palmer. The rookie now averages over 60 yards per game receiving and continues to develop his role in the offense. However, unless you play in a deep league and need a receiver right away, it's probably wise to hold off on pulling the trigger to see how Shipley fares in the next couple of weeks. The Bengals face a treacherous run of defenses in the second half, like the Steelers twice, the Jets, San Diego and Baltimore, so the value of the passing game overall may take a dive.

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Michael Fabiano and Dave Dameshek reveal the pickups to help your team in Week 8.