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...
At first glance, this week's options on the waiver wire look a bit like Michael Strahan's teeth: few and far between. Not to worry though, because upon digging a little deeper, we have uncovered a few nice pickups despite the slim pickings. This week's list of waiver wire wonders illustrates a couple of nice noobs on the list, but the better part of our list consist of repeat offenders who solidified themselves as legitimate options given surrounding injuries or changing situations that favor their output for the rest of the regular season.
Domenik Hixon (WR, Giants) -- Clearly, the absence of the Thuggish Ruggish Burress leaves a big void in the Giants passing game, which today looked to benefit Amani Toomer and Domenik Hixon about equally. Although Toomer scored the touchdown, going forward, Hixon looks like the guy with the most upside. He has consistently worked his way into a bigger role in New York and Plaxico's impression of David Silver's friend, should seal the deal. Today, Hixon caught five passes for 71 yards and we can expect bigger games to come.
Mark Clayton (WR, Ravens) -- Don't get your hopes up, this isn't one of those acid flashbacks we've all been patiently awaiting. Despite the fact that it might seem like 1985 given all the talk this season about Dan Marino and now Mark Clayton, this is the new Mark Clayton and today he caught five passes for 164 yards and a long 70-yard touchdown. If that wasn't quite enough, he threw his own 32-yard touchdown pass to really juice the fantasy numbers. Clayton also caught a long touchdown last week, so he might be an interesting add at this point as he is establishing himself as a big-play receiver.
Brandon Jackson (RB, Packers) -- All you fantasy owners out there who have been asking "Who's the next Ryan Grant?" on repeat for the past 12 months may have your answer -- his replacement, Brandon Jackson. Ryan Grant suffered a bruised hand in the first half and did not return. In his absence, Brandon Jackson ran the ball 11 times for a hefty 80 yards and added one reception. Reportedly, Grant could have returned, but the Packers opted to stick with the more effective replacement. Thus, Brandon Jackson looks like this week's most compelling add.
Isaac Bruce (WR, 49ers) -- Isaac Bruce is definitely a contender for Waiver Wire Wonder of the year. Bruce has not exhibited the consistency to remain a keeper on the roster, he has certainly broke out on a number of occasions this season and showed up on this list a handful of times. So what's the difference today? Well, this is his second straight big game, last week catching 8 passes for 125 yards and a touchdown and this week adding another five balls for 67 yards and a touchdown. The real key here is that Bruce and fill-in quarterback, Shaun Hill, seem to have a solid chemistry, so this could be legit from here on out.
Justin Fargas (RB, Raiders) -- Is this list looking awfully familiar? Fargas is back again after another big game this week, which helps solidify his role as the key man in the Raiders' backfield. Fargas carried the ball 18 times to McFadden's seven. Fargas also racked up 88 yards and scored a touchdown compared to McFadden's 13 yards and 1.3 yards per carry average. The Raiders continued to try to work McFadden into the offense, attempting to line him up at receiver, taking direct snaps from the wildcat, and even running a hook and ladder, but Fargas continues to be the more effective option (still available in 63% of 10-team leagues). On the other hand, the Raiders also just lost to the Chiefs today, so whether or not it is advisable to mess with either option at this point is entirely arguable.
Davone Bess (WR, Dolphins) -- With Greg Camarillo's season ending injury opening up a monster opportunity, Davone Bess looks ready to capitalize. Today, Bess snagged six balls for 84 yards in his debut as a starter and should continue to see an increasing workload. Both Davone Bess and Ted Ginn Jr. see big value upticks with Camarillo's injury, but Bess is the more likely of the two to be available at this point.
