Prior to Week 9 I profiled T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Taiwan Jones, Chris Ivory, Devin Thomas and Thomas Clayton. Only Ivory produced enough to warrant still being owned. But that may not even last now that he's dealing with a hamstring issue that has him questionable for the Saints' showdown with Atlanta. Clayton is still worth a look since Chris Ogbonnaya struggled in his first start and the Browns will still be without their top two backs for at least another week or two, but the others are safe to ignore at this point.
For Week 10 I've focused on pinpointing a few names that could become solid one-week spot starts down the stretch of the season if they cash in on their opportunities or their situations have a slight change. Roll the dice on one for his upside if you can afford to drop a bum off your bench. You never know when you'll get a surprise boost for your playoff push.
1. Kevin Smith, RB, DET – Why the hell not? Smith racked up over 1,250 total yards and eight scores as a rookie in 2008 and over 1,100 total yards in only 13 games in 2009 before tearing his ACL and dealing with persistent knee problems. But if he's regained his health (and the assumption is he must have for Detroit to give him another shot), then there's no reason to believe he cannot regain the form that made him a top-20 fantasy back as a rookie, as he won't even be 25 until Week 15. Smith may not contribute right away, but with Jahvid Best (concussion) out and possibly done for the year, only the soon-to-be 32-year-old Maurice Morris and the inexperienced/mostly ineffective Keiland Williams stand in his way. If old man Morris suffers any type of injury this week, Smith could find himself with the starting job in a potent offense facing the weak Carolina rush defense as early as Week 11. I'll admit he's a major shot in the dark, but the upside is high given his productive past and potentially sweet situation going down the stretch of the season.
2. Leonard Hankerson, WR, WAS – Two weeks ago I tabbed the wrong Redskins rookie receiver. The 3rd-round Hankerson, not the 5th-round Niles Paul, should be the emergent weapon in the absence of Santana Moss. With the starting job all his for the foreseeable future, this big target with big-play potential could progress into a quality late-season flex. His size and 4.4-speed gives the Redskins a dimension that they simply don't get from any other player. Fred Davis has been the best source of yards in the Washington passing game to this point, but with him slowed slightly by an ankle injury, that role could well be filled by Hankerson, who is the closest thing the team has to a complete receiver.
3. Ramses Barden, WR, NYG – It was Barden, and not Devin Thomas, that stepped in for the injured Hakeem Nicks last week, and should Nicks miss the San Fran game, Barden may register his first big game as a pro. Though he only hauled in two passes for 25 yards last week, Barden received five targets on the day. With that outing to shake off some serious rust, there's the potential for a much bigger week versus the Niners. The G-Men will likely have to do a lot of throwing with Ahmad Bradshaw out again and the Niners' run defense being so stout. Even if Nicks should suit up though, he could be very limited, and the recent addition of Mario Manningham (knee) to the injury report means Barden has a chance of shooting up to the No. 2 spot for at least one week. Some may not realize how talented Barden truly is because of his extensive injury history in his first two and a half seasons, but the former 3rd-round behemoth receiver used his 6-6, 225 lbs. frame to rack up 50 touchdowns in college, including 36 in his last two years at Cal Poly. With the Giants' receiving corps banged up, he could be worth an investment for the second half of the year. One big game and one more (or more serious) injury will have him snatched up off the waiver wire for the immense potential a physical specimen like Barden carries.
4. Mike Williams, WR, SEA – Here is a player that had three 100-yard efforts last season and three touchdowns in two playoff games while coming back from the dead in both real and fantasy football. But through eight games this season, he's been in and out of the lineup between an early-season concussion and a recent hamstring injury. Williams did suit up last week versus Dallas, however, and by all appearances is back to full strength and ready to push for the No. 2 receiver role in Seattle. While that may not mean too much with Tarvaris Jackson throwing the passes, Williams could still have a second half surge as the Seahawks will likely be forced into a lot of high-volume passing games while playing from behind. And though Jackson is not the strongest signal caller by any stretch of the imagination, he's also not nearly as bad as he is perceived to be. In two of his last three full games he topped 300 yards and the third was a 221-yard effort. If Williams can bypass Doug Baldwin as the team's second-most targeted wideout behind Sidney Rice, he could become a solid source of touchdowns as a flex. Though he did not exactly pile them up last year, his 6-5, 235 lbs. frame does present a tremendous red zone weapon, as was established last year in his two nice playoff outings. Additionally, with Rice still playing through pain with a labrum injury and now also fighting a foot problem, there's the chance Williams could soon become the No. 1 if Rice goes down. So despite the less-than-stellar situation for a receiver, Williams has some promise going forward and is worth a roll of the dice.
5. Da'Rel Scott, RB, NYG – Two words: track speed. Not many running backs have it, but Scott, who was timed as fast as a sub-4.3 in the forty prior to the 2011 draft, has it in spades. And though he hasn't had the opportunity yet during the regular season, he showed it off big time during the preseason with touchdown runs of 65 and 97 yards, while racking up 213 rushing yards on only 14 preseason carries. Granted he did that against a bunch of guys that are likely on practice squads or out of the league altogether, the speed is undeniable and a potentially huge asset for a fantasy back if he can work his way into the rotation much with Ahmad Bradshaw out again this week and possibly done for the season. And while he is primarily a home-run threat type, Scott is not some tiny back. He is listed at 5-11, 210 lbs. and is capable of pushing the pile and breaking arm tackles when called upon to do so. Though he has just an outside chance to get the carries that warrant fantasy use, his upside is high enough to take a chance on him. He received his first regular season carry last week (for five yards) and could see an increase in action this week if anything happens to Brandon Jacobs or the ineffective D.J. Ware, who's No. 3 job Scott could steal outright.