NFL Waiver Wire: Replacing Rice

This column is geared toward "standard" 12-team leagues and based upon a $100 free-agent budget. Please, please adjust for your league based upon both the number of teams (I'm in a 24-team league, for example) and budget. This column is posted every Tuesday to, hopefully, accommodate the various waiver schedule. I'll update it in the comments section during the week; please keep in mind a lot can change from Tuesday to Sunday.

Week 1 certainly did not disappoint and came with the usual weekly depth chart shuffling as well as some injuries. This column will always attempt to stay "ahead of the curve," so while other waiver columns might talk about Benny Cunningham, Markus Wheaton or Derek Carr this week, remember that I've already discussed those players, and only rarely will I mention a player in consecutive weeks. Go back and refer to the initial column I wrote for clarification on how the different categories here work; not all of these players should necessarily be bid on depending on your bench spots and depth of your league.

Let's get to this week's suggested pick-ups, and if I don't mention someone below you'd like an opinion on, let me know in the comments section. Typically, I only discuss players in my public, 12-team leagues who are less than 50 percent owned. For that reason, you won't see players like Steve Smith, Chris Ivory (go $3-6) or Greg Jennings (another $3-6) listed this week.

I wanted to note a few items about my FAAB recommendations for this week. For some of the players there's a wide range (i.e. 10-15 percent) of value. This depends on a few factors. First, if you like a player and really want him, you'll likely have to bid toward the top of the high end listed. If you're lukewarm about someone, bid toward the bottom to the middle of the range and get him at a reasonable price. If you're bidding on players like Andrew Hawkins, the lower end is geared more for standard leagues while the high end is for PPR formats. I also tried to bump up the values a little more this week. This is due to possibly having the player for 15 more games as opposed to getting a player Week 12 and having him for only four or five games.

QUARTERBACK

Hail Mary

Austin Davis, STL - Davis should be left alone in most standard leagues, but in leagues that allow a flex spot to be filled by a quarterback, he's worth a couple bucks this week. Davis arguably looked better than starter Shaun Hill after Hill left the game with a quad injury. This leaves the starting spot up in the air depending on Hill's injury and could have the Rams turning to Davis. What I find intriguing is the possibility that if Davis plays well, there is no reason to go back to Hill given the difference in age and potential between the two. Brian Quick looks like he may finally be emerging as a legitimate No. 1 wide receiver, and the overpaid Jared Cook is still in the mix as a pass-catching tight end. FAAB: $1-3

RUNNING BACK

Primary Targets

Justin Forsett, BAL - Let's skip the Ray Rice diatribe and how much we should be loathing the Ravens' organization while others are applauding them. Forsett is going to be a hot waiver add this week, but I'm tapping the brakes a little. Bernard Pierce isn't going anywhere, and while Forsett has a reasonable upside, he's never had to shoulder a full workload for a season. That said, Pierce has never been tasked with carrying a full workload for a season, either. But Forsett definitely looked much better than Pierce on Sunday, and the fact that Pierce put the ball on the ground doesn't bode well for his fantasy prospects heading into Week 2. The Ravens appeared to abandon the run too soon Sunday and should make that more of a focal point this week against the Steelers. Pittsburgh didn't look like a good run defense Sunday, and this could be a good spot to use Forsett, especially if he gets named the starter for Thursday night's tilt. Just keep in mind that running backs listed at 5-foot-8, 194, aren't big enough to handle 20 touches per game over a 16-game slate. FAAB: $15-25

Bobby Rainey, TB - Third column of the season and already I'm breaking a rule stated in the intro. I talked about Rainey in my first column once Charles Sims was ruled out for an extended period. But Rainey makes the list this week because it's a different reason -- Doug Martin could miss some time with a leg injury. I was anti-Martin prior to the Sims injury because if you took out his crazy fantasy game against the porous Raiders defense two seasons ago, his numbers look quite average at best. Rainey is a smaller, shifty back who can make people miss in the open field but struggles to break tackles. Still, if he becomes the featured back in the Tampa offense, he definitely has some value. FAAB: $8-12

Secondary Targets

James Starks, GB - Eddie Lacy's Week 2 status is uncertain, but even before his concussion it was obvious Starks will have a role with or without Lacy in the lineup because the Packers are going to run the ball this season. The Packers won't have to face the league's best defense with the best home-field advantage for the next 15 games, so that helps Starks' value, as well. Starks is a bigger back than DeJuan Harris, meaning he should have goal-line work if Lacy is out, and Starks has always shown the ability to produce in the passing game. He will get the lion's share of carries if Lacy is out (Starks is great in pass protection), but I don't think Lacy will be sidelined long, if at all. The potential, secondary role for the rest of the season still deserves a modest bid. FAAB: $5-10

Hail Mary

Isaiah Crowell, CLE - The injury to Ben Tate opened the opportunity for the Alabama State product to show what he can do. Crowell finished with two touchdowns from three and 15 yards away and looked like he has a nice burst once he gets through the line. The hesitancy here is that the status of starter Ben Tate is unknown, and once he returns Crowell likely will be relegated to the bench. If Tate were to miss time, Terrance West (around 70-80 percent owned, bid $15-20) would be the start, but Crowell would likely see 8-12 touches. Even if Tate is out this week, the injury isn't season ending, which is why Crowell isn't being touted any higher than this. FAAB: $2-4

Hail Mary

Lorenzo Taliaferro, BAL - With the release of Ray Rice, Taliaferro should be on your radar. Instead of being buried on the depth chart once Rice served his two-game suspension, the rookie out of Coastal Carolina could now see meaningful touches as soon as this week. The complete opposite of Justin Forsett, Taliaferro is a hulking 6-2, 226, back who rushed for 1,729 yards and 27 touchdowns his senior year of college. The Ravens spent a fourth-round pick on him, speaking to his pedigree, and it's possible he gets some goal-line work given his size. This is one of those picks trying to get ahead of the herd, rather than trying to get him a week from now at an inflated price. FAAB: $2-$4

Antone Smith, ATL - Watching this guy run the football invokes visions of Darren Spoles given his size, speed and quickness. Smith would probably be seeing 5-10 touches for most teams, but Atlanta's running back depth will prevent that. Crunching the numbers from last season and last week, Smith has a total of 10 touches, 216 yards and three touchdowns. Again, it's unlikely that he's going to get double-digit touches in the near future, but an injury or two could change that quickly. FAAB: FCFS or $1

WIDE RECEIVER

Brian Quick, STL - Quick was the lone bright spot Sunday for the Rams, who were embarrassed at home to the tune of 34-6. Quick led the Rams in receiving with seven catches for 99 yards and, most important, was targeted nine times. To put that in perspective, he was targeted only eight times over his final five games of last season. Quick is in his third season and has the size and athleticism to put up a breakout season even with mediocre play from the quarterback spot. There's a chance that the Rams could be behind a lot this season, and Quick would benefit from garbage-time production. Even so, it appears that he'll be the top target in the passing game. This is an arguable point, but for me he's the top wide receiver to add this week by a hair over Allen Hurns. FAAB: $15-25

Allen Hurns, JAC - Ten catches, 217 receiving yards and two touchdowns. That was the stat line in 2003 when a rookie for the Cardinals named Anquan Boldin had the top Week 1 fantasy production for a wide receiver. Hurns didn't quite post that line, but four catches for 110 yards and two touchdowns exceeded the most optimistic projection anyone could have had for him. I was a little surprised to see this kind of line for him given he was undrafted and the Jaguars used high draft picks on Marquise Lee (six catches, 62 yards, 10 targets) and Allen Robinson (one catch, no yards, three targets). Hurns also barely missed another long catch that grazed his finger tips, inches away from adding to his monster fantasy day. The only red flag is that Hurns only got the start with Cecil Shorts out Sunday, and it appears Shorts could be back soon. It's unclear once Shorts returns who'll start opposite him, between Hurns and Lee. However, regardless of Shorts' status Hurns will play on passing downs ahead of Allen Robinson. Next to Quick, he's the top wide receiver add this week; just don't anoint him the next Jerry Rice quite yet. FAAB: $15-25

Secondary Targets

Andrew Hawkins, CLE - I thought there might be some deep sleeper value to Miles Austin this season (at least until he got hurt), but maybe that buzz should have been about Hawkins. He led the Browns in targets (10), catches (eight) and receiving yards (87) against the Steelers. Hawkins' role could grow, and he become a target monster if Jordan Cameron was to miss time with a shoulder injury. Hawkins won't be a huge red-zone target given his size but his value should be bumped up in you're looking to add him in a PPR format. FAAB: $4-8

Hail Mary

Devin Hester, ATL - Hester's five catches for 99 yards jumps off the page, and you have to wonder if the Bears ever correctly utilized him on offense with the enigma known as Jay Cutler. Part of his Week 1 success can be attributed to a wide-open, high-scoring game against the Saints, and it's wearing the Captain Obvious hat to say Matt Ryan won't throw for anywhere near 448 yards every week. Still, Hester clearly has a role on passing downs and could surpass Harry Douglas as the Falcons' third receiver. FAAB: $1-2

TIGHT END

Secondary Targets

Niles Paul, WAS - It was an up-and-down day for Paul, who was thrust into action after trendy sleeper Jordan Reed left the game with a hamstring injury. It appears that Reed is will miss a few weeks, and Paul was more than a serviceable replacement with four catches for 86 yards. The unfortunate part of the day was a fumble he had on a long catch-and-run that cost the Redskins possession. Paul profiles as a better fantasy-friendly tight end more than a real-life tight end. He's a converted wide receiver who lacks in the blocking game but is faster and more agile than a typical tight end at 6-1, 233. Logan Paulsen will get some added work as well, but Paul is the better option. FAAB: $4-8

Hail Mary

Jermaine Gresham, CIN - Tyler Eifert suffered what appeared to be an ugly elbow injury and should miss the next few weeks as a result. Enter Gresham who only two seasons ago racked up a season with 737 receiving yards on 64 catches. Gresham should absorb a fair percentage of the targets Eifert was going to see and is a big target in the red zone. FAAB: $2-4

DEFENSE

Primary Targets

Tennessee Titans - A lot of people (especially the minority that took them in Survivor) were disappointed in the showing that the Chiefs had this week, especially after the money Alex Smith was paid a few weeks ago. Putting that aside, there's a good chance that the Chiefs' struggles could largely be a result of the Titans defense. Not only did the Titans sack a semi-mobile Alex Smith four times, they pressured him into three interceptions as well. This week they get the circus known as the Dallas Cowboys, at home. Tony Romo looked completely lost against San Francisco, and the only reason they scored points seemed to be from a bunch of phantom calls by the refs during the second half. I'm guessing Dallas is good for at least another two turnovers and a few sacks this week.