Waiver Wire Wonders: Week 3

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...

Week three proved exciting with some big time waiver wire potential. Thanks to an awful lot of high scoring offensive shootouts, we got a chance to see a lot of up and coming players exhibit there skills and define their roles within the systems. Don't get caught snoozing this week, because I believe there are some good adds.

Brian Griese (Tampa Bay Bucs) – Coach Jon Gruden expressed his confidence in Griese this past week and apparently he wasn't foolin', because Griese posted a week high 407 yards and two TDs. He did throw three picks, but with stats like those, he still has plenty of points leftover. Griese looks like a decent add for a backup.

J.T. O'Sullivan (San Francisco 49ers) – While it is wise to automatically discount any performance that occurs when the Lions are the opposing team, O'Sullivan showed up yet again with solid numbers (189 passing yards, 2 tds, 32 rush yards), reducing his lucky break risk significantly. I'd say with O'Sullivan clicking with Martz, this is a recipe for at least a reliable backup. Also, you gotta love Martz running up the score against his former employer.

Antonio Chatman (Cinncinati Bengals) – Although 70 yards on six catches is not exactly eye-popping, Chatman gets a lot of looks from Palmer (more than Ocho Sinko apparently) and seems on track to become a integral part of the offense. Keep an eye on this guy as he played a great game against a ridiculously good Giants defense.

Steve Slaton (Houston Texas) – Looks like the debate about who will take over as the go to running back in the Texans' offense can finally be put to bed. Slaton busted out a 116 yards with a touchdown and four receptions (albeit for 8 yards). More importantly, he averaged 6.4 yards per carry and took one 50 for yards. Unfortunately, he probably is not available on all that many waiver wires.

Robert Meachem (New Orleans Saints) – Meachem caught a 73 yard bomb and is getting a lot more looks from Brees. The risk with Meachem is that his numbers will take a hit when Colston returns, but he is still slated to become a big part of the offense, so he's a decent gamble.

Antonio Bryant (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) – Perhaps one of the most promising waiver wire guys this week is Antonio Bryant having secured ten catches for 138 yards. Ten catches is usually no fluke and with Joey Galloway nursing a sprained foot, he should have increased value.

Le'Ron McClain (Baltimore Ravens) - Back for his second appearance on the list in three weeks, this time McClain added two touchdowns and 66 yards on 17 carries. He might be worth grabbing if you are shallow at RB, but both touhdowns were one-yarders, so don't count on this type of output on a regular basis.

Hank Baskett (Philadelphia Eagles) - Baskett's consistency is an issue, but so far he posted a big game in week 1 (from one big play) and now eight catches for 85 yards in week three. I'm not sold personally, but with receivers at a premium this year, he's a decent guy to have for the bye weeks.

Brandon Lloyd (Chicago Bears) - I can't say the idea of relying on a receiver catching passes from Kyle Orton every week is entirely appealing, but Lloyd's 6 catches for 126 yards and a touchdown are mighty tempting. Lloyd might just be a hidden gem.