Each week during the season, I’ll give some insights on players that should/could be available on your league’s waiver wire.

Working the wire week in, week out is what the best owners do to improve their rosters.

To simplify things a bit, I’ll give each player my personal star rating from 1 to 5 as follows:

5 stars – fantasy starter
4 stars – fantasy flex option
3 stars – borderline flex option, questions about consistency
2 stars – bench player with upside
1 star – deep reach/handcuff

Quarterback

2.5 Stars
- Matt Hasselbeck (TEN) remains on this list as it appears he’ll get another week under center, this week against the Colts which is a pretty good draw.

2 Stars
- Brandon Weeden (CLE) is a waiver wire staple in most leagues, as he should be, and this week he’ll face the Chargers. Hard to say how effective he’ll be, but he could get you 250 yards and a score if you are lucky.
- Ryan Tannehill (MIA) is coming off a bye and facing the Jets on the road. Not a great matchup for the young QB, but he was able to find the end zone twice in each of his last two games.

1.5 stars
- Brady Quinn (KC) or “Captain check-down” as he is more affectionately known, is not someone I would advocate starting in any week against any opponent, even a secondary as bad as Oakland. Still, he’s there for the taking if you really need him.

Running Back

3 stars
- Rashad Jennings (JAX) looks like he’ll have the starting job in Jacksonville for the foreseeable future after Maurice Jones-Drew went down with a foot injury against Oakland. I don’t necessarily believe Jennings is going to produce more than flex-type numbers while he fills in, because this team is just plain bad on offense, but he is a starter who is looking at around 20 touches per game.

2 stars
- Jonathan Dwyer (PIT) had 122 rushing yards last week, but he’s not expected to hold down the starting role with both Rashard Mendenhall and Isaac Redman due back from injury this week. This situation is up in the air, so proceed with caution with any of these guys.
- LaRod Stephens-Howling (ARZ) was one of the big surprises of week 7 with 149 total yards and a score. The fact that Powell and Stephens-Howling have alternated primary duties in consecutive weeks makes me leery about wanting to start either one. Plus the Cards will face the 49ers this week, which is never good for a ground game.
- Vick Ballard (IND) will keep the starting gig in Indianapolis one more week and faces a Tennessee defense ranked in the bottom third against the run. A decent option if you really need a one week fill-in.

1.5 stars
- Danny Woodhead (NE) doesn’t get more than 8-10 touches per game, but he’s there for the taking if you are truly desperate for a warm body in your lineup. Slight bump if you play in PPR as around half his looks come through the air.

Wide Receiver

3 stars
- Josh Gordon (CLE) shouldn’t be on many waiver wires after this week as he had his third straight game with a touchdown. The interesting part of this is that his targets have jumped quite a bit; 22 in the last three weeks including a season high 10 last week. The kid is coming on.
- Titus Young (DET) had his best game of the season last week, mostly due to Nate Burleson leaving with a leg injury. Turns out Burleson broke his leg and will miss the rest of season… and that means Young should see a lot more targets moving forward.
- Denarius Moore (OAK) had another decent outing against Jacksonville (4/36 yards and a score) and there is no reason to believe it can’t continue against the Chiefs this week.

2.5 stars
- Chris Givens (STL) hasn’t turned in more than 3 catches in any game this year, but I could see him topping that against the Patriots, who rank in the bottom four against the pass.

2 stars
- Santana Moss (WAs) didn’t really do much more in week 7 than he had in any other week this season. Except for the fact he caught a pair of touchdowns on his three receptions. At 33, Moss is who he is: a 3-for-50 guy who could get you a score.

Tight End

2.5 stars
- Dustin Keller (NYJ) has been a major disappointment so far this year, but he came back from the dead last week against the Patriots with a 7/93/1 performance. Take stats against that secondary with a grain of salt, but we know Keller can put up good numbers based on prior year’s performances.

2 stars
- Chris Cooley (WAS) is back with the Redskins, signed by the team after starting TE Fred Davis was lost for the year with an Achilles injury. It remains to be seen what kind of fantasy value he’ll have, but there is not a lot to lose here if you are in need at the position.
- Marcedes Lewis (JAX) has the unfortunate luck of playing in the Jaguars offense. The good news is he is now their best weapon with Maurice Jones-Drew sidelined for awhile.