Working the waiver wire

Several unheralded—and likely undrafted—players emerged Sunday as viable fantasy options. If you’re looking for help on the waiver wire this week, consider these guys:

Derrick Ward—He played very well after Brandon Jacobs fell to injury, and Ward appears likely to take over the starting job while Jacobs sits out three to five weeks to recuperate.

Chris Brown—Brown split time with LenDale White Sunday but clearly outperformed his teammate and put up stud-like numbers. Brown is susceptible to injuries and probably won’t approach his week-one numbers as he faces Indianapolis this week, but he is certainly worth a roster spot.

Wes Welker—The talk was all about Randy Moss, but Welker was also impressive in his debut as a Patriot, with six receptions for 61 yards and a touchdown. His appeal is limited by Tom Brady’s tendency to spread the ball around, but Welker could make for a solid No. 3 wide receiver or bye-week replacement.

Ronald Curry—Josh McCown looked for Curry often in week one, and Curry finished with 10 catches for 133 yards and a touchdown. It appears that Curry is in and Jerry Porter is out as the Raiders No. 1 wide receiver.

Antwaan Randle-El—Randle-El has traditionally been a quiet contributor, mostly on special teams, but he ended the day with five receptions for 162 yards (thought 54 came on a fluke play). He’s obviously found favor with new Redskins quarterback Jason Campbell and makes a nice complement to Santana Moss. Randle-El might not warrant a spot in the starting lineup just yet, but he’s certainly worth stashing on the bench.

Eric Johnson—This talented tight end has been hampered by injury throughout his career but has been solid when healthy. He caught eight passes for 57 yards against the Colts and makes one more viable target for Drew Brees.

Mason Crosby—It’s not often that a kicker merits waiver-wire attention, but in his NFL debut the rookie kicked was a perfect 3-for-3 in field goals, including the game winner and a 53 yarder. The Packers offense was anemic, but stayed in the game thanks to some great defensive plays to set up the field goals. Crosby’s strong leg and stronger nerves
will likely be called on often this season when the Green Bay offense stalls.

These players might be tempting after week one but should be avoided:

Josh McCown—He put up some good numbers on Sunday but they came against the unspectacular defense of Detroit when the Raiders were playing catch-up. McCown barely (and surprisingly) won the starting job over Daunte Culpepper, and now Jamarcus Russell appears ready to sign. McCown also reportedly suffered a hand injury and may miss some playing time, so his days as Oakland’s starter are numbered.

Matt Schaub—Shaub was solid but unspectacular in a win over the nearly defense-less Chiefs, with 225 passing yards and a touchdown along with one interception. However, in the next two games he’ll face Carolina and Indianapolis, teams whose defenses held two of the NFL’s better passers (Marc Bulger and Drew Brees) in check during week one.

John Broussard—The Jaguars rookie wide receiver caught two passes for 55 yards and a score in week one. He and recently named starter David Garrard likely developed a rapport while working together on the second team, but Garrard is the starter now and works out with the first team. Broussard sits about fifth on the Jaguars depth chart and will likely not repeat his week-one performance any time soon.

Drew Carter—The fourth-year wideout caught only three passes for 19 yards on Sunday, but two of those passes were good for touchdowns. Steve Smith is still the star receiver on this team, though, and Carter will have to compete against several other players for looks from Jake Delhomme.