Waiver Wire Wonders: Week 5

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 5 looks sleepy on the waiver wires relative to the past few weeks. There are definitely some decent options to fill holes for a week or two here and there as well as one solid receiver option coming off an injury, but generally speaking it is more like a group of names to get to know, so watch how they follow up on today's big performances in the coming weeks.

Kyle Orton – (Chicago Bears, QB) Don't be fooled by Orton's 334-yard and two-touchdown outing; the Lions are officially malfunctioning. If the Lions were a car, they would be Layne Meyer's Camaro . They need to bring somebody in to fix that lemon and get it running. Anyway, the Bears passing game is inconsistent, so this type of performance is not likely to repeat itself regularly.

Bo Scaife – (Tennessee Titans, TE) While Scaife has risen eyebrows on a number of occasions already this season and may not be available, he is officially a reliable tight end, at least as a bye week substitute. This week he snagged seven passes for 72 yards.

Le'Ron McClain (Baltimore Ravens, RB) – Baltimore appears to have officially joined the dreaded masses of the running back committee. While Willis McGahee is still the clear go-to No. 1, Le'Ron McClain gets the touchdowns. The carries appear to be going about two-thirds to McGahee and one-third to McClain. Thus, McClain is a good add at this point for a bye week running back. Other than that though, he is not a weekly start.

Domenik Hixon (New York Giants, WR) – Hixon posted huge numbers -- four catches for 102 yards and a TD -- in an effort to pick up the slack during Plaxico Burress' one game suspension. While Burress returns next week, reducing Hixon back to a reserve role, he tends to get a decent amount of playing time and numbers simply due to the Giants winning so many games by a wide margin. I would not pull the trigger, but keep an eye on him.

Bobby Engram (Seattle Seahawks, WR) – We mentioned it on the injury report, but Engram and Branch both came back this week. Engram emerged as the preferred target in the first game back with eight catches for 61 yards. Engram looks like he could become a top-flight receiver, so jump on him if it's not too late.

Tim Hightower (Arizona Cardinals, RB) – Hightower is definitely stealing the goal line carries from Edgerrin James in Arizona. This guy is not a great option since he only gets around a quarter of the carries, but if you are desperate to fill a hole on a bye week, he is not a disastrous option. He scored a pair of touchdowns on Sunday versus Buffalo.

Steve Breaston (Arizona Cardinals, WR) – We said it last week and it still holds: as long as Boldin is out, Breaston is a great choice, especially if you score return stats. Today, Breaston hauled in seven catches for 77 yards. Boldin underwent a surgical procedure on his sinus fracture last Thursday that was estimated to have about a 10-day recovery period. If he sits next week, Breaston is a decent option to start.

Isaac Bruce (San Francisco 49ers, WR) – Presumably, Isaac Bruce is off the board in most leagues, but it might be worth double checking. The 49ers' passing offense is streaky, and this week it only produced 130 yards and three interceptions, but J.T. O'Sullivan still managed to throw three TDs and two went right to Isaac Bruce. That brings his TD tally to four in the past three games. And the game before that, he racked up 153 yards. Reuniting with old chum Mike Martz is clearly benefiting Isaac Bruce's stat sheet.