The Pick-up Artist: Roll with Rock

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When the injury bug strikes, man does it strike hard. Week 10 was running backs, Week 11 took its toll on running backs and quarterbacks. I can only guess that this week a number of big-name receivers and tight ends will fall victim (I didn’t just jinx Larry Fitzgerald(notes), did I?).

Call it a bad joke if you like, but if your star running back, quarterback or wide receiver were to have a season-ending injury in practice tomorrow, could you survive? If your answer is no, then your team isn’t as strong as you think it is.

Look, everybody knows who the backups around the league are. That’s why most of them are owned. Speculation is now the name of the game and it’s those players behind the backups who should be on your radar heading into the playoffs. If you think that’s a waste of roster space or an effort in futility, I know a guy who snatched up Rock Cartwright(notes) three weeks ago who begs to differ.

Let’s dig a little deeper and try to speculate on those players who “could” step into a great situation in the coming weeks. Some of the commodities you find below may seem strictly like deep-league plays, but in most cases, they’re just an injury or changing-of-the-guard away from having serious fantasy relevance.

Quarterbacks

Matt Leinart(notes), ARI – 6-percent owned in Yahoo! PLUS Leagues
Kurt Warner(notes) hath been concussed. For the third time in his career, mind you. He says he’s OK and it looks like he’ll give it a go this week, but one more hit to the dome and we could be seeing the Matt Leinart show in Arizona. If you own Warner, I’m guessing you already have his understudy on your bench. If you don’t own the Arizona starter, your QB situation is weak, or your backup is unstable (think Josh Freeman(notes), Ryan Fitzpatrick(notes), Mark Sanchez(notes)), Leinart might still be your best option. He may not have Warner’s accuracy, arm or experience, but he’s certainly got the weaponry to mask some of his deficiencies. Consider the Cardinals schedule (SF, DET, STL in Weeks 14-16) and this move’s almost a no-brainer (pun intended).

Running backs

Rock Cartwright, WAS – 17-percent owned in Yahoo! PLUS Leagues
With Ladell Betts(notes) out for the season (torn MCL and ACL) and Clinton Portis(notes) dangerously close to a stint on the IR, Cartwright stands the best chance of carrying the load for the ‘Skins the rest of the way. “Rock Baby,” who has primarily made his mark as a kick-returner in seven-plus seasons with Washington, passed the featured back test in Week 11, totaling 140 yards on 20 touches against a tough Dallas D. Granted, he’s not in the best offensive environment, but if he’s getting a No. 1 RB workload, he needs to be owned in all leagues. His seven receptions for 73 yards on Sunday scream PPR goodness.

Quinton Ganther(notes), WAS – 0-percent owned in Y! PLUS Leagues
Ganther is a perfect example of looking beyond the backup to find value. The book on him says he’s a strong, downhill runner, solid receiver and excellent blocker, which could spell third-down duty and/or short-yardage/goal-line work in the very near future. Remember, when Portis went down and Betts took over, Cartwright totaled 19 touches in Weeks 9 and 10 as the team’s No. 2. That secondary role now falls to Ganther, who could presumably pick up 8-to-10 touches per contest.

Chris Jennings(notes), CLE – 2-percent owned in Y! PLUS Leagues
The former CFL’er has made a name for himself of late, with 23 touches and 102 total yards over the past two weeks, including a 15-touch, 74-yard effort in Week 11 (he just missed a score by dropping a pass in the end zone). He’s still behind Jamal Lewis(notes) on the Browns depth chart, but he’s apparently leapfrogged Jerome Harrison(notes) as the No. 2 and change-of-pace back. At the moment, 10-12 touches per is probably all we can expect, but if Eric Mangini decides to play favorites, Lewis’ bumps, bruises and general apathy could translate into a larger role for the undrafted rookie down the stretch.

Earnest Graham(notes), TB – 3-percent owned in Y! PLUS Leagues
Lost in the mediocrity of the Carnell Williams(notes)/Derrick Ward time share is the fact that Graham carried the ball Sunday for the first time since Week 4. He rushed just three times, but his 29 yards on Tampa Bay’s opening drive were instrumental in leading the Buccaneers to their first (and only) score. He also caught three passes for 16 yards and got the call on one of the team’s two third-and-short running plays against the Saints. What does all of this mean? Perhaps nothing. But coach Raheem Morris has publicly stated that he’d like to increase Graham’s workload, specifically out of one-back sets. In addition, if the recently acquired Chris Pressley(notes) can pick up the playbook in short order, Graham’s fullback duties could be significantly lightened. It’s all speculation based on what transpired Sunday, but it’s enough for owners, specifically in deeper leagues, to get ready to pounce. Remember, this is a guy who has proven himself capable as a featured runner, PPR threat and prominent scorer in the past (see ’07-’08) and he’s just a broken-down Caddy away (I like those odds) from becoming a viable start (ATL, CAR, NYJ, SEA the next four weeks).

Danny Ware(notes), NYG – 1-percent owned in Y! PLUS Leagues
Ware’s a repeat mention in this space but circumstances have him inching closer and closer to a more expanded role. OK, so maybe there’s some wishful thinking involved here, but Ahmad Bradshaw’s(notes) cracked foot could put him out at any time (and now he’s dealing with a sprained ankle on his other foot), Brandon Jacobs(notes) has exited what seems like every single game with some sort of knee issue, and Ware has seen more field time in each of the past two weeks as the team’s third-down back. No guarantees here, but if Bradshaw gets shut down or Jacobs’ knee becomes a permanent concern, you can believe that Ware’s value will go through the roof.

Lynell Hamilton(notes), NO – 0-percent owned in Y! PLUS Leagues
Hamilton’s a real long shot, even for deep leaguers, but imagine for a moment the possibilities. If Reggie Bush(notes), Pierre Thomas(notes) or Mike Bell(notes) miss any time with injury, Hamilton’s got a legit chance to produce. Look at what happened this week. With Bush inactive (knee), Hamilton touched the ball nine times. When Bell was out with an injury in Week 3, Hamilton was handed five carries and scored. He’s primarily a short-yardage back and might only see action as a “closer” in games that are already decided (translation: blowouts), but that’s exactly why he could factor into the fantasy discussion. New Orleans has seen its share of blowouts this season and its upcoming schedule could mean a few more. And we all know the running back picture in New Orleans isn’t a model of health.

Wide receivers

Antonio Bryant(notes), TB – 49-percent owned in Y! PLUS Leagues
We’ve all seen Bryant’s upside, and while it might be considerably lower with rookie Josh Freeman behind center, he’s still got a higher ceiling than most players you’ll find on waivers at this point of the season. I’ve been hesitant to roster him and I’ve advised not to start him in recent weeks because I wanted to see him make it through a full week of practice and an entire game without any setbacks to his surgically repaired knee. I saw both those things this past week. He’s a risk for sure, but a risk that could be worth it if you’re thin on talent at the wideout position.

Robert Meachem(notes), NO – 48-percent owned in Y! PLUS Leagues
Sixteen receptions and six TDs? Yeah, it’s official – the man is a scoring machine … at least when Lance Moore(notes) isn’t on the field. Look, he’s not going to catch balls in volume and the yardage numbers are a guessing game each time out, but he does play for the most prolific offense we might have ever seen, he has a quarterback who loves throwing to him in the red zone, and the Saints play plenty of soft secondaries over the next six weeks. Any more questions?

Earl Bennett(notes), CHI – 33-percent owned in Y! PLUS Leagues
Johnny Knox(notes) owners, break things off and hook up with Bennett; he’s been the superior receiver of the two for almost two months now (Since Week 6: Knox – 18/186/1, Bennett – 25/311/0). On pace for 64 catches and 818 yards, Bennett’s outscored the likes of Eddie Royal(notes), Kevin Walter(notes), Jacoby Jones(notes), Torry Holt(notes) and Ted Ginn in standard leagues (despite a zero in the TD column), yet his ownership numbers pale in comparison. Facing Minnesota (twice), St. Louis, Green Bay (sans Al Harris), Baltimore and Detroit the rest of the way, Bennett’s possession-receiving skills will come in handy for those in PPR formats.

Legedu Naanee(notes), SD – 1-percent owned in Y! PLUS Leagues
Since taking over the No. 3 WR role vacated by Chris Chambers(notes), all – and I mean all – Naanee has done is score. He’s clearly been the apple of Philip Rivers’(notes) eye in the red zone the last couple weeks, and the team likes what he brings to the table. So much so that former first-round pick, Craig “Buster” Davis, has been a healthy inactive since the trade went down. In addition, the former high school signal-caller will occasionally line up at QB in San Diego’s version of the Wildcat, which could mean some rushing yards and possibly a TD throw before it’s all said and done. Lastly, and most importantly, he passes the name test with flying colors. Seriously, though, deep leaguers could do a lot worse than the No. 3 receiver on a team with both a propensity to take to the air and a tasty schedule: KC, CLE, DAL, CIN, TEN, WAS.

Jason Avant(notes), PHI – 7-percent owned in Y! PLUS Leagues
I’m not usually a fan of one-week wonders; that is, until they follow up a career day with a productive one. So while I wouldn’t expect another eight-catch, 156-yard game out of the Eagles’ No. 3, or a TD every week, I think he can be productive enough on a week-to-week basis to warrant ownership in leagues where the WR cupboard is bare. He’ll have to share the wealth with a number of options, but considering how much Donovan McNabb(notes) and Andy Reid like to chuck it, he could be one of the more fantasy-friendly slot receivers in the game come playoff time.

Jordy Nelson(notes), GB – 2-percent owned in Y! PLUS Leagues
I hate to break it to you James Jones(notes) (and his owners), but Jordy Nelson is stealing your mojo. Nelson was on his way to establishing himself as a fantasy weapon earlier this season until a knee injury forced him to miss four games. He returned two weeks ago to catch four balls for 32 yards, and put himself back on the map this week with three catches for 21 yards and a score. He’s still splitting time with Jones as the Packers No. 3, but could make some noise against a toothless Detroit secondary in Week 12. Only the Titans, Jaguars and Seahawks have given up more fantasy points to WRs than the Lions.

Tight end

Jermichael Finley(notes), GB – 20-percent owned in Y! PLUS Leagues
He’s baaaaaaack. Everybody’s favorite preseason sleeper caught seven balls for 54 yards against the 49ers on Sunday. More importantly, after missing about a month with a sprained knee, he started and finished the contest in good health. This week, he gets Detroit; a team that has allowed 50 receptions, 509 yards and nine TDs to opposing tight ends in 2009.

Have start/sit or lineup questions? Join the PUA for live pre-game chats every Sunday from 10am-1pm on RotoExperts.com. Also, be sure to pick up a copy of USA Today Sports Weekly on Wednesday, where Paul tells you which four skill position players you should keep on your bench in Week 12.

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