Week 5 Hit & Recovery List by Alan Squatrito

The Hit & Recovery List will be a weekly column listing the Week’s most important injured players at each position and the best players to replace them with at their corresponding position in order of replacement effectiveness.

NFL HIT LIST

1.Steve Smith                 (The Real Steve Smith)

2.Lesean McCoy                   (Shady McCoy)

3.Michael Vick                       (Ron Mexico)

4.Darren McFadden              (Run D.M.C.)

5.Clinton Portis                           (Bubba)

It’s not going to be easy to fill in your lineups with someone to replace The Real Steve Smith. People also like to call him Football Rambo. On the flip side, his production hasn’t been great anyway so you might as well take the jump now anyway. Below are waiver wire fantasy wide receivers I think you should take a look at to plug in your lineups this week if you need help at that position.

1. Brandon Tate – Now that Randy Moss is on the Vikings, Brandon Tate’s stock is going to rise significantly. Also, if your fantasy league gives you points for kickoff returns and punt returns taken to the house, this is a no brainer! Stash this cat on your bench as the Pats go into their week 5 bye.
2. Steve Johnson – Ryan Fitzpatrick is not necessarily a winning quarterback nor will he ever will be (sorry Bills Fans) however he can make games fun to watch and he can put up some points. Steve Johnson has been doing a solid job ever since Trent Edwards got traded to the Jags and I see Steve Johnson as a consistent 3 wide receiver to take a risk on………………when the matchups are right. This week the Bills are at home playing against the Jags. Plus the Guy can jump over a Cadillac Escalade
3. Brandon Gibson – Mark Clayton needs a sidekick too, lately Rookie Sam Bradford has been going through his progressions and looking for that other guy to make a play for the Rams. Brandon Gibson is the guy. The Rams play the Lions this week.
4. Anthony Armstrong – You want to take a risk and be praised for it? This is the guy that will make that fat chick who knows just about as much football as your high school coach turn her head when you walk by her. That’s right I just said it, this is my sleeper wide receiver of the week. Mike Shanahan loves this kid and knows they need a real deep threat to add to their passing game, playing to one of Donovan’s strengths as well as his stellar play action fake. At 38 years old, Joey Galloway is just not going to cut it. Armstrong caught a huge pass for 59 yards last weekend and was very close to scoring a huge TD. So he was an inch away from being the biggest waiver wire pickup this week, next to Brandon Tate. The Redskins play a high flying Packers team at home and hope to keep up.
5. Earl Bennett/James Jones/Jason Avant/David Clowney – These are the guys that have a chance of scoring each week but they are more of a solid 3-12 points each game. These guys are low end number three receivers and are scary (in a bad way) to put in each week. Despite that these players can make you cringe when you plug ‘em in your  lineup, if they do well, you feel that much cooler. Newly acquired David Clowney has raw talent all over him. He needs a better sense of the field but when Steve Smith comes back this kid will be a solid number two wide receiver the Panthers were looking for. Just keep that in the back of your mind.

Well if you drafted Clinton Portis, I hope you picked up Larry Johnson. If you picked up Larry Johnson, I hope you dropped him and picked up Ryan Torain. Clinton Portis is always falling apart despite his skill and blocking level. There are a couple of good waiver wire pickups to have this week and some are good to stash on your bench if you need running back help.

1.Ryan Torain – If you don’t have him by now, tough break. He’s probably gone on most waivers except possibly ten team leagues. Ryan Torain is a downhill runner and he likes to lay into people. I think he is a solid flex and even a solid number 2 running back start this week against the Packers.

2. Michael Bush – Darren McFadden’s strength is his speed. Hamstring injuries can be lingering and tough to deal with all year round. Raiders’ offense with Bruce Gradkowski has been surprisingly good. They move the ball well and Michael Bush will get his. Bush is a solid flex start this weekend against the Chargers unless they fall behind the Chargers fast and have to go to the air.

3. Danny Woodhead – Fantasy Alert! This guy is the new check down/underneath player the Patriots are falling in love with. He’s a smaller Wes Welker at the running back position, filling in for injured Kevin Faulk. Pick this guy up a.s.a.p.! He is low to the ground and electric. I know he is on a bye this week but stash him on your bench regardless.

4. Chris Ivory – The Saints play the Cardinals this week. This can get ugly. This can get so ugly that Chris Ivory can run wild in the late quarters of the game if the game is over early. Chris Ivory shows explosiveness which is always good to have when you’re playing for a fast New Orleans Saints team. Even if Pierre Thomas is healthy and plays he’s still worth a start this week against the Cardinals.

5.John Kuhn/Mike Bell/Derrick Ward – I put these guys all in order for a reason. Mike Bell is going to San Francisco against a desperate 0-4 team. His job for the Eagles was simply the go to guy to pick up a yard or two. I am not convinced of this guy yet nor do I think I will be.  However he will be given the full load and Shady McCoy has a shady injury that hasn’t been revealed yet to its fullest. Consider Mike Bell a desperate flex player this week against the 49ers. Silly head Coach Kubiak loves Derrick Ward now and has talked about giving him the ball more so just in case Arian Foster comes late to another meeting or God forbid goes down, pick Derrick up for your team. John Kuhn is a solid football player on a more than solid football team. With a team that always travels up and down the field this guy isn’t bad to take a chance on each week. He does split carries with Brandon Jackson, but he looks like he will be the goal line carrier when it’s all said and done.

Quarterbacks

1. Shaun Hill – I know this may sound crazy but if Stafford isn’t going to go this weekend, Shaun Hill is the guy. The Lions ripped apart the Packers zone defense last week in Green Bay despite the loss. They put up 26 points against one of the best defenses in football. The Lions play at home this weekend and have no good excuse to lose to the St.Louis Rams.

1. Bruce Gradowski – He looks like Jeff Garcia. Could it be? Bruce Gradowski finds a way to move the ball, even if it will cost him his life. Don’t forget he beat the Steelers last year in Heinz Field. He should put up decent numbers against the Chargers this week.

1. Sam Bradford – I like the kid, I really do. He looks through his progressions and you can tell he puts in the extra time before and after practice. He is going to be a good one in the future and may put up decent numbers this week against the Lions.