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Fantasy Sports

Oct. 21: Top pickups for Week 7

By Brandon Oland, Times Staff Writer

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

First of all, an apology for last week’s Pickup of the Week. New England running back Sammy Morris suffered an unspecified knee injury against Tennessee, rendering him almost worthless.

After Morris got hurt, Laurence Maroney entered and had darn near 100 yards rushing. Perhaps Maroney is finally living up to his first-round billing, but I’m certainly not going to encourage picking him up after so many prior disappointments.

Instead, I am going to direct your attention to Pittsburgh, where a rookie wide receiver continues to exceed expectations week after week. Mike Wallace has become a vital deep threat in the suddenly explosive Pittsburgh passing attack.

Without question, Wallace is the No. 3 receiver in Pittsburgh. He’s behind future Hall of Famer Hines Ward and reigning Super Bowl MVP Santonio Holmes on the depth chart. That’s not going to change unless one of the two gets injured.

Regardless, if Ben Roethlisberger is going to throw for 300 yards every week like he has been lately, Wallace is a solid bye-week replacement. He has 47 or more receiving yards in four straight games, including one 100-yard effort.

Still skeptical? Times city editor S. Wayne Carter, a Steelers die-hard who infamously crashed a Ravens playoff party last winter, offers this take on Wallace’s abilities:

“Steelers fans and everyone else thought he was just a speed guy. But not only has he delegated Limas Sweed to the bench and adequately replaced last year's No. 3 Nate Washington, he's already better than Washington ever was. Wallace has shown sure hands and a fearlessness catching passes over the middle in addition to being able to break free for at least one long ball a game. He's not great in a PPR league (yet), but if you get rewarded for big plays, Wallace is your man.”

With that ringing endorsement, I proclaim Wallace our pickup of the week. Wayne also mentioned that the Steelers play the Vikings this week, which could be playing without shutdown corner Antoine Winfield. Wayne and I both think Roethlisberger is on his way to another huge passing day. Start your Steelers receivers, folks.

Here are some other quality options:

Hakeem Nicks, WR, N.Y. Giants: It’s your last chance for the rookie stud Nicks, who has a touchdown three weeks in a row and is so much better than Mario Manningham it’s ridiculous. I watched Nicks a lot while he starred at the University of North Carolina. He was an absolute stud and a guy who, at times, looked like he had the potential to become one of the NFL’s best receivers. If you’re in a large keeper league, go get him.

Javon Ringer, RB, Tennessee: Go ahead and make the speculative play now on Ringer, who might wind up playing a large role in the Titans offense going forward. Remember: Lendale White suffered a knee injury in Sunday’s snow debacle in New England. White, who lost 40 pounds in the offseason, just hasn’t looked like the same bruising runner this year. He only has one touchdown. Ringer would be buried by Chris Johnson on the depth chart, but I like his future prospects. He could stumble into a touchdown-vulture role, assuming the Tennessee offense gets out of its own way at some point.

Anthony Gonzalez, WR, Indianapolis: Just check to see if Gonzalez is available in your league. If he is, pick him up now. He’s still rehabbing a knee injury, but he should return at some point in the next month. When he returns, he’ll be playing alongside this Peyton Manning fellow. I hear Manning is an OK quarterback.

Lance Moore, WR, New Orleans: Call it a hunch, but I think Moore is about to reestablish himself in the New Orleans offense. He had six catches for 78 yards against the Giants. I’m starting him this week in a really deep league and hoping for the best.

Chad Henne, QB, Miami: He’s been on this list before, but I feel compelled to bring up the strong-armed University of Michigan grad after he got cut in one of the leagues I’m in. Suffice to say, I have a waiver claim in on him. I believe Henne is finally the answer at quarterback the Dolphins have been seeking since Dan Marino retired.

Players I’m not sold on: Pick up New England running back Laurence Maroney at your own peril. He’s looked pretty good this year, but he has this annoying habit of disappearing or getting injured. … I think Jets rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez made a mistake entering the NFL Draft early. Henne is a much better play at this point. … It’s worth pointing out that Brandon Jacobs has been less productive than Ahmad Bradshaw for most of this year. Hopefully, you stole Bradshaw in the middle rounds. My condolences if you wasted a high pick on Jacobs. … Forget about Baltimore wide receiver Mark Clayton . He’s just too inconsistent to be reliable.

Players I’m not giving up on: Sure, Chicago running back Matt Forte had two atrocious fumbles in the red zone in a loss to the Falcons. He’s an awesome buy-low candidate in a trade. … At some point, Washington is going to remember how good Santana Moss is. I wouldn’t start him, but I’d feel good about having him as a reserve. … Minnesota rookie receiver Percy Harvin is playing with a dinged shoulder, which might explain three straight miserable weeks of production. Something tells me this won’t continue.