Fantasy Football Waiver Wire, Week 6: Tebow Mania

This isn’t about whether he is going to be a good quarterback in real life. With rushing yards often counting for more than the same number of passing yards, rushing quarterbacks are valuable if they can stay on the field. We know about Michael Vick’s numbers. Randall Cunningham was huge back in the day, and Daunte Culpepper and Steve Young were among the league leaders as guys that could both pass and run. Cam Newton is in the top 4 this year.

Even if he’s not a great passer, he can still be worth starting. Steve McNair was 6th in fantasy points his first year as a starter, when he mainly ran it. Vince Young and Mark Brunell were both 12th in points their first seasons, despite yards per attempt numbers as passers in the low 6.0’s. Rodney Peete was 12th in 1990 despite only starting 11 games, same as Tebow now. Kordell Stewart was 9th in 2001, and Donovan McNabb was 5th in points his first year starting full time.

I think you can project him for about 25 passes and 10 runs a game, and he’s going to probably average over 50 yards rushing. He’s a good goal line runner and should exceed 0.5 TD per game. If he can just throw for about 170 yards a game, you have an elite Top 6-8 fantasy QB. I would start Brees, Brady, Rodgers and Vick (when healthy) ahead of him, plus Cam Newton because he is already passing and running, but after that, I think he’s in the conversation with Stafford, Rivers, Romo etc.

If you don’t have an elite top 5 quarterback right now, you should be making a bid on him. If you do, you still might want to block him from others.

Quarterback: If you need a matchup start this week, the best options are (gulp) Mark Sanchez vs. the Dolphins, Colt McCoy at Oakland, and Sam Bradford at Green Bay. Alex Smith doesn’t have a great matchup this week at Detroit, but looks like a safe longer term option with future games against St. Louis, Arizona, and Seattle.

Running Back: The Eagles are your matchup start for your running backs each week, giving up more than 200 yards from scrimmage to opposing backs. Last week, I started both Fred Jackson and C.J. Spiller, and while Spiller didn’t get much, I rolled to a win, plus I was insured if Jackson would have left with an injury. This week, we don’t know the mind of Mike Shanahan, and Tim Hightower may not be playing, but Ryan Torain is a great start, and Roy Helu is a possibility if Hightower is out.

Stevan Ridley was a disappointment last week, but he still got 7 carries. Hold him, he’ll have some weeks where you will want to use him, just not this week against Dallas. Delone Carter may get an extended opportunity with Addai’s injury. Kendall Hunter is on about half of the rosters, but given how much better San Fran looks on offense plus the future schedule, he can still be a flex starter in future weeks, even if Gore is playing (just not this week). Jackie Battle, who has been on the practice squad in KC forever, had a big game. I’m not sold that is a situation you want right now, plus they are on a bye week this week.

As for your bench/free agent matchup plays this week, Jacquizz Rodgers can start in a pinch as a flex against the Panthers, who are 2nd to the Eagles in points allowed to backs. Ryan Grant and James Starks should both be starts in the mismatch against the Rams at home, where there will be plenty of opportunities to score and run in the second half with the lead. Bernard Scott becomes a starter if the Benson suspension begins.

Wide Receiver: Is Victor Cruz still available? He’s not as good as his fantasy numbers, but he has another good matchup this week against Buffalo. Lots of guys on bye, like Doug Baldwin and Early Doucet, and they probably don’t merit eating roster spots while not playing.

There are not any major pickups, but there are some matchup plays who may be available. Kevin Walter will continue to benefit from Andre Johnson’s absence, and Jacoby Jones is who we thought he was, again not taking advantage of an opportunity. Brandon LaFell has had two straight quiet games, but now gets to play Atlanta. Greg Little has been named a starter this week and has a good matchup at Oakland. Laurent Robinson should still get some opportunities this week, going against New England. Michael Crabtree should get more targets with Josh Morgan out, and as he gets healthier.

Tight End: Fred Davis had two relatively quiet weeks, after two great games, and maybe someone dropped him, as he’s available in about half the leagues despite still ranking 9th in points per game at the position. An excellent start (as is Chris Cooley in a pinch) this week against Philadelphia. The Bears have struggled against tight ends, making Visanthe Shiancoe a starting possibility. Heath Miller has a good matchup at Jacksonville, who rank near the bottom in allowing points to tight ends.

Defenses/Special Teams: Cincinnati vs. Indianapolis, Miami at NY Jets.

My top 10 pickups for this week (among players available in at least 40% of cbssportsline leagues):

Tim Tebow, quarterback, Denver
Ryan Torain, running back, Washington
Victor Cruz, wide receiver, NY Giants
Fred Davis, tight end, Washington
Stevan Ridley, running back, New England
Bernard Scott, running back, Cincinnati
Delone Carter, running back, Indianapolis
Michael Crabtree, wide receiver, San Francisco
Jacquizz Rodgers, running back, Atlanta
Kendall Hunter, running back, San Francisco

[photo via Getty]