All Fantasy Players know that the waiver wire can rectify a losing owner’s season or solidify a Fantasy Championship. Any given week can an unknown commodity erupts and seduces fantasy owners into hopes of getting the next breakout player. The Opening Weekend in the NFL brought out all the secrets offensive coordinators were hiding and allowed fantasy owners to finally see how certain players will be used throughout the first part of the season.
The first rush to waivers will be all the free agents who are coming off of waivers for the upcoming week, but savvy fantasy owners always prep for the second pool of players that’ll come off waivers. The second groups are players that are owned now, but had a poor performance and will have a chance to be cut.
The First Wave
Randall Cobb
The Packers’ wide receiving core is overloaded with talent, but Green Bay still found a way to feed one of their most talented players the ball. He was lined up in the backfield and in the slot on Sunday and is destined to make an impact each week after making nine catches. Every fantasy owner should be targeting Cobb off the waiver wire and should expect him to be a breakout candidate.
Dexter McCluster
The main target in the Kansas City Chiefs’ passing game was McCluster and he capitalized with the opportunity. After two seasons of not having a role in the offense, the Chiefs have finally found a way to utilize his talents. McCluster has the potential to breakout for some big games, but should provide fantasy owners with consistent production after getting 10 targets from Matt Cassel. McCluster demonstrates the long-term value that fantasy owners will struggle to find throughout the season.
Kevin Ogletree
The Cowboys’ wide receiver is the hot topic this week and for good reason after exploding in the first week of the season. Ogletree showed good field division getting into open space and he fits perfectly with a quarterback that can extend plays with his legs. Dez Bryant and Miles Austin shouldn’t expect any less touches, which is why fantasy owners need to temper expectations. Olgetree isn’t in the position to breakout like Brandon LaFell or Torrey Smith.
The Second Wave
DeAngelo Williams
The news of Jonathon Stewart being inactive pointed to a big day for Williams against Tampa Bay. Instead, Williams disappointed and left fantasy owners with nothing. He isn’t the early round draft pick he was last year and impatient owners may already look to pull the plug. Just like his late run last season, he’ll have some big games.
David Wilson
A big fumble (and some crying) in the first quarter left Wilson on the bench for the remainder of Wednesday night’s game. After seeing Ahmad Bradshaw dominate the plays in the backfield, fantasy owners will look for other options. Wilson will have to win back the trust of the Giants’ coaching staff, but he should be able to compete for a larger role at some point during the season.
Peyton Hillis
The Chiefs had no use for Hillis on Sunday as they entered the second half with a big deficit. Jamaal Charles was the main catalyst in the running game, but was a non-factor in the passing game. Aside from one big run by Charles, he was held to under three yards a carry. Hillis should improve on his number as Atlanta proved to be a tough opponent against the run.
Now that the 2012 Fantasy Football season is underway, fantasy owners need to be active on the waiver wire. Fantasy players overlook the necessity of just being active and then wonder why their teams are struggling in the standings. Wise fantasy owners are not looking for the free agent who scored the most points that past weekend, but the player that has the long-term impact to become a superstar.