FanHouse Ladell Betts

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.

It looks like we have the makings for some steamy waiver wire action as Week 9 provided a host of interesting plays. In the "one man gathers what another man spills" department, we saw a perennial backup step in as a fantasy big shot suffered a concussion, a couple of forgotten old timers break out for their new teams, a couple deep-on-depth-chart overachievers make a name for themselves and we even saw a Lion play a good game. With the trade deadline looming, waiver wire moves get even more important down the stretch, so stay on your toes. Let's go.

Need a last-minute fill-in for this week? 4th and 26 is here to throw you a couple deep sleepers, guys available in at least 90% of Fleaflicker leagues that could give your fantasy football team a big boost.

With the emergence of Jerome Harrison on our report card from last week, we're again searching for possible gems available in deep leagues. The success rate of these types of players (backup RBs, No. 3 WRs) is bound to be slim, so temper your expectations. Yet, sometimes all you're looking for is a wild card, a quick pickup that might pay dividends as a substitute for an injured player.

Cut-N-Go is Fantasy Football FanHouse's daily gathering of links from around the web, covering the goings-on in NFL Training Camp which have an impact on fantasy value.

Keep a close eye on this Saturday's preseason game as Arizona head coach Ken Whisenhunt expects rookie running back Chris "Beanie" Wells to get some reps against San Diego, but his time to shine appears to be dwindling fast. The Arizona Repbulic reported that Beanie Wells twisted his already sore ankle on Wednesday night at practice. With Tim Hightower moving well ahead Wells as the favorite for the starting job, this could be one of Wells' last chances to make a bid for the starting spot.

The rookie out of Ohio State seemed like a perfect fit to take the reigns in the backfield and raised a lot of fantasy eyebrows as a favorite choice for a 2009 sleeper. Now his ADP is slipping fast and his value as a fantasy threat for the early part of the season appear to be slim to none. Never say never, but this is looking like an uphill battle for Wells.

Let's take a look around the rest of the league to see what other fantasy relevant news is breaking.

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With Fantasy Football season ready to kick in high gear, FanHouse is here to preview each and every team -- one per day until we've done them all.

Meet the ...
Second consecutive season under the same playbook. This is quite significant because the Redskins' current signal-caller hasn't been afforded this "luxury" since his senior year in high school. I can't even imagine what Jason Campbell has done with all his extra time this offseason, what with not having to learn an entire new playbook. Every other player has to know his own job on each play. The quarterback has to know the job of all 11 players on each play. Comfort matters.

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With attention spans dwindling, we forego full game-by-game previews to give you the essentials you need to know about every contest this glorious NFL weekend. Click here to go back in time.

Saturday Games

Atlanta at Arizona (4:30 PM ET): I said a few days ago that I thought this was the perfect situation for Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan (rookie play-caller, first playoff game, up against a struggling team with a spotty defense). In reality, it is really a perfect match-up for both teams. Atlanta gets to go on the road against the only playoff team they'd want to play. And in the past six weeks, Arizona has defeated only two teams, who have a combined record of 6-26.

For the Cardinals, they are getting an inexperienced playoff team at home, where they always seem to play better. Think about it -- out of the Eagles, Falcons, Giants, Vikings, and Panthers, the Cards would have almost certainly picked Atlanta to face in in their first-ever home playoff game in Arizona.

Yet I think Atlanta pulls this one out. Not counting the passing explosion against the Seahawks in Week 17, Kurt Warner has been off lately, and now the Cardinals have to deal with all this Larry Fitzgerald off the field stuff. That actually brings me to an off topic: You know how we live in a country where you are innocent until proven guilty? If you're an athlete (or public figure), you are guilty as soon as anyone accuses you of something. It is rather ridiculous.

Pick: Atlanta

I'll be honest: I'm surprised Shaun Alexander made it six weeks. The Redskins signed the former NFL MVP on Oct. 14 to provide depth behind Clinton Portis after his backup, Ladell Betts, went down with a knee injury. Alexander played in four games, and had 11 carries for 24 yards for a nifty 2.2 rushing average.

And today, Washington released him. From ESPN.com's Mike Sando (via MDS at PFT):

Portis and Betts continue to battle through injuries, but the Redskins apparently felt they needed Alexander's roster spot to help with depth on the defensive line.

Defensive end Andre Carter suffered a foot injury against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 12. Several other defensive linemen are also dealing with injuries.

So now what for Alexander? I suppose there's a chance another team with depth concerns at running back will give him a shot, but unless something opens up, that could be a wrap on his 2008 season, and quite possibly his career.

Before the abbreviated comeback, CBSSports.com's Clark Judge wrote that some NFL personnel types considered Alexander a soft runner and that, along with the ol' Curse of 370, contributed to his inability to find work. For what it's worth, he did seem more aggressive during his brief stint with the Redskins, but I doubt that'll be enough to persuade a team to offer him anything more than a minimum-salary, one-year deal.

On the upside, I won't be able to compare Alexander to Jason Campbell anymore, so there's that.

The common thought is that Redskins running back Clinton Portis is unlikely to play against the Cowboys tomorrow night. He has yet to practice this week with a sprained MCL and the team has been trying to get Ladell Betts ready to take his place.

Still, head coach Jim Zorn thinks Portis may actually play. He is still listed as questionable and is considered a game-time decision. Zorn even had him kind of practicing.

Portis was on the Redskins Park practice fields on Friday, but he did not participate in the session.

"Clinton got some mental reps just in case he has a chance to go," Zorn said.

Even if Portis is available to play against the Cowboys, he would be used in a "limited fashion," Zorn added.

Mental reps, huh? Portis' backup, Betts, was limited in practice yesterday as he is recovering from his own knee injury. That could mean former league MVP Shaun Alexander, who has carried the ball ten times for 23 yards this season, could see a lot of work.

Both the Cowboys are Redskins are coming off a bye. Both lost big games to physical teams the last time they took the field. Injuries have been the buzzword in both cities. And all fans involved are quite nervous that a great start may go for naught.

In a weird scheduling quirk, Week 11 will see the Redskins play their first home game against a division opponent. That is what makes the game so huge ... especially for Dallas. A Washington win gives them the ultimate tiebreaker and puts them at 3-1 against NFC East teams while Dallas would fall to 1-3.

Prime time hasn't been kind to Washington. The Skins have lost both night games they have played (Giants, Steelers). These two teams aren't strangers to the national stage. This will be their fourth ever Sunday Night meeting to go along with 14 Monday Night games and six Thanksgiving Day games.

You would think that a week off would help heal some of those lingering football injuries. After all, Dallas will welcome back quarterback Tony Romo after their bye week.

Washington isn't seeing that take place.

Clinton Portis may miss Sunday's game with a MCL sprain that got worse during the bye. His main backup, Ladell Betts, hasn't played in a month due to the exact same injury. He could return to action this week but still hasn't practiced. If neither can go then the Redskins are looking at starting Shaun Alexander. Yikes!

To make matters worse, Santana Moss has been held out of practice with his sore hamstring. His hammy limited him in the Redskins last game, a loss to the Steelers.

At best, the Redskins will have two of their most important playmakers limited Sunday night. Two guys who had big days against the Cowboys in their first meeting.