Prior to the season, we told you about the potential for Steelers running back Rashard Mendenhall to break down after all his carries in 2010 in helping Pittsburgh reach Super Bowl XL. Mendenhall had over 400 touches last season.
Mendenhall suffered a right hamstring injury in Sunday's loss at Houston in Week 4. It could be unrelated, and we've seen plenty of players suffer injuries already this season, but this was something we warned you about. And now it could be time for Isaac Redman to shine.
There's no guarantee that Mendenhall is out in Week 5 against Tennessee, but you should prepare to add Redman in all leagues. He is owned in 33 percent of leagues on CBSSports.com.
Redman has gotten limited touches so far this year, but he had six carries for 40 yards and one catch for 12 yards against the Texans. His best game was Week 2 against Seattle when he had 10 carries for 49 yards and a touchdown.
The Steelers have had trouble running the ball this season with their offensive line woes. And their running game won't exactly thrive if Ben Roethlisberger (foot) is out against the Titans. But Redman could still find success against Tennessee since the Titans have allowed three running backs to reach double digits in Fantasy points this season (Maurice Jones-Drew, Ray Rice and Willis McGahee). It could also help Redman that Mewelde Moore is dealing with an ankle injury.
If Redman gets the majority of touches this week he could thrive, and he's worth adding in case Mendenhall is out. It's not often you get a chance to add a potential starting running back, and if this is the beginning of a breakdown for Mendenhall, you'll want to have Redman stashed on your roster.
In case you haven't noticed … Eric Decker is quickly becoming a must-start Fantasy option in the majority of formats, but he's only owned in 77 percent of leagues on CBSSports.com. That percentage should be above 90 prior to Sunday, especially in point per reception leagues. He has at least five catches in his past three games, and he has four touchdowns over that span. He has been more impactful for Fantasy owners than Brandon Lloyd, and we don't see Decker slowing down barring an injury. Look for him to play well in Week 5 against San Diego.
Each Tuesday we will highlight players who might be available in your league and whether you should consider picking them up off waivers based on their recent performances. The players chosen are based on the percentage of ownership in CBSSports.com leagues.
Add 'Em
Matt Hasselbeck, Titans
Owned: 62 percent of
leagues
Week 4: Completed 10 of 20 passes for 220 yards, three
touchdowns and one interception at Cleveland.
Analysis: It's
hard to overlook his production no matter how he's getting it done. He
had his third game with at least 20 Fantasy points against the Browns,
and his worst game so far this year has been 18 points in Week 2 against
Baltimore. Now, his performance against Cleveland was somewhat fluky
because he completed just 50 percent of his passes and relied on several
big plays, and he's obviously without No. 1 receiver Kenny Britt (knee) for the rest of the year. He also has a difficult
matchup in Week 5 at Pittsburgh. But as we said in this spot last week,
stash him on your roster and hope these positive performances continue.
Donovan McNabb, Vikings
Owned: 40 percent of
leagues
Week 4: Completed 18 of 30 passes for 202 yards, two
touchdowns and one interception at Kansas City.
Analysis: This
is not a joke, and we're fully aware the Vikings could bench McNabb in
favor of rookie Christian Ponder as
early as this week. But for one week, if McNabb remains the starter as
expected, he could be a useful bye week replacement against Arizona in
Week 5. The Cardinals have a terrible secondary, and McNabb is capable
of another game like he had against the Chiefs with 18 Fantasy points.
The Cardinals have allowed three of the four quarterbacks they have
faced to reach at least 20 Fantasy points, and McNabb could be useful in
deeper leagues if you're without Tony Romo,
Rex Grossman or Joe Flacco this week because of a bye.
Avoid 'Em
Tarvaris Jackson, Seahawks
Owned: 8 percent of
leagues
Week 4: Completed 25 of 38 passes for 319 yards, three
touchdowns and two interceptions and had two carries for 16 yards vs.
Atlanta.
Analysis: Jackson took advantage of a struggling
secondary for the Falcons to have his best game of the season, but don't
consider him a bye-week replacement in Week 5. Seattle has to go across
the country for a 1 p.m. ET start, which is never good for West Coast
teams. He also has a difficult matchup against the Giants, who have
allowed just one touchdown to opposing quarterbacks in the past three
games against St. Louis, Philadelphia and Arizona. If Jackson continues
to improve as the year goes on then he could be worth using in deeper
leagues, but keep him on the waiver wire for Week 5.
Scout 'Em
Andy Dalton, Bengals
Owned: 20 percent of leagues
Week
4: Completed 18 of 36 passes for 298 yards, one touchdown and two
interceptions and had three carries for 12 yards and a touchdown vs.
Buffalo.
Analysis: Like most rookie quarterbacks, Dalton is
going to be inconsistent, and he has two games with 20 Fantasy points
and two games with 10 points or less. He also completed just 50 percent
of his passes against the Bills and looked lost at times. But he does
have the ability to make plays, and his receiving corps is improving
with rookie A.J. Green and second-year
tight end Jermaine Gresham leading the
way. Continue to monitor his performance, and if he develops some
consistency he could be worth using during bye weeks in deeper leagues
and two-quarterback formats.
Add 'Em
Ryan Torain, Redskins
Owned: 18 percent of leagues
Week
4: Had 19 carries for 135 yards and a touchdown at St. Louis.
Analysis:
The last thing Tim Hightower and Roy Helu owners wanted to see was Torain having a big outing
because now coach Mike Shanahan has exactly what he wants -- a guessing
game at running back. The Redskins have a bye in Week 5, so hopefully
this mess will get sorted out, but we can see Torain being a factor
going forward. He should be added in all leagues in case he takes the
lead role, but don't panic on Hightower just yet. Still, adding Torain
is the right move because the starter for the Redskins will have plenty
of value, and Torain could be in that role after his performance against
the Rams.
Stevan Ridley, Patriots
Owned: 23 percent of
leagues
Week 4: Had 10 carries for 97 yards and a touchdown at
Oakland.
Analysis: We're waiting for Ridley to take over as
the starting running back for the Patriots since he's the most talented
rusher in the backfield, but he will remain in a secondary role as long
as BenJarvus Green-Ellis is healthy.
Still, Ridley's role continues to increase, and now with Danny Woodhead (ankle) hurt, we could see Ridley getting increased
touches. He has 16 carries the past two weeks, and we'd love to see him
in a featured role. Stash him on your bench for now, and don't be
surprised if you can start him at some point in the future if he
continues to get double digits in carries.
Avoid 'Em
Steve Slaton, Dolphins
Owned: 5 percent of leagues
Week
4: Had one carry for 2 yards at San Diego.
Analysis: The
Dolphins added Slaton prior to Week 4, but he was a non-factor against
the Chargers even with Daniel Thomas
(hamstring) out. Slaton would need Thomas to remain out for an extended
period of time and Reggie Bush to also
suffer an injury to gain Fantasy relevance. Don't expect him to revert
back to his 2008 form when he had 1,282 rushing yards and nine
touchdowns and catch 50 passes for 377 yards and a touchdown. He's not
the same running back as he was in Houston.
Scout 'Em
Chris Ogbonnaya, Texans
Owned: 0 percent of
leagues
Week 4: Had one carry for 4 yards vs. Pittsburgh.
Analysis:
Ben Tate left the game against the
Steelers with a groin injury, so now Ogbonnaya is an Arian Foster hamstring injury away from being the starter for the
Texans. If Tate's groin injury lingers then consider adding Ogbonnaya in
deeper leagues. For now he's just someone to monitor because Foster
looks fine, but if he goes down and Tate is out then Ogbonnaya could be
called upon to fill in.
Add 'Em
Jacoby Jones, Texans
Owned: 18 percent of leagues
Week
4: Did not have a catch vs. Pittsburgh.
Analysis: The
Texans lost Andre Johnson against the
Steelers with a hamstring injury, which will open the door for Jones and Kevin Walter (8 percent ownership) to see an increase in targets if
Johnson is out for an extended period of time. Jones has more upside
than Walter, but both would be worth adding in the majority of leagues. Owen Daniels and Foster would carry the offense with Johnson out,
especially in Week 5 against Oakland, but Matt Schaub will still need to use his receivers. So keep an eye on
Johnson's status but plan on adding Jones and Walter this week.
Victor Cruz, Giants
Owned: 31 percent of leagues
Week
4: Had six catches for 98 yards at Arizona.
Analysis: We
looked at Cruz's performance two weeks ago at Philadelphia when he had
three catches for 110 yards and two touchdowns as a product of Mario Manningham (concussion) being out. Manningham returned against
the Cardinals, but Cruz was used ahead of Manningham opposite Hakeem Nicks. If that continues then Cruz could be a useful Fantasy
option going forward, and he's worth adding in all leagues. He had nine
targets against Arizona, and it appears like Eli Manning has his trust, which is more than we can say about
Manningham right now.
Avoid 'Em
Devin Aromashodu, Vikings
Owned: 0 percent of
leagues
Week 4: Had one catch for 34 yards and a touchdown at
Kansas City.
Analysis: Aromashodu made a great play against
the Chiefs, but don't expect him to revert to playing like he did in
2009 with the Bears. He only had two targets in the game in Week 4, and
he has just two catches on the season. I'd like to see him be used more
in the offense, but the Vikings don't appear to trust him over Percy Harvin, Bernard Berrian and Michael Jenkins, who is worth a look in deeper leagues now. Even with a
good matchup in Week 5 against Arizona you can't consider Aromashodu as
a potential starting option.
Scout 'Em
Laurent Robinson, Cowboys
Owned: 1 percent of
leagues
Week 4: Had seven catches for 116 yards vs. Detroit.
Analysis:
Robinson had 10 targets against the Lions and stepped up with Miles Austin (hamstring) out. The Cowboys are off in Week 5, but if
Austin remains out in Week 6 then look for Robinson to play well again.
He's someone to keep on your radar since he will likely be the No. 3
receiver for the Cowboys going forward behind Austin and Dez Bryant, who also has proven to be injury prone.
Titus Young, Lions
Owned: 11 percent of leagues
Week
4: Had three catches for 41 yards at Dallas.
Analysis: The
Lions aren't getting the production they hoped for from Nate Burleson, especially the past two weeks with four catches for
28 yards. That could change soon, but Young is being more involved. He
has at least five targets in each game for the past three weeks with 20
targets over that span, and a big game could be coming soon. With the
way Matthew Stafford is playing you
want all his main weapons, and Young is definitely one of his top
targets as his No. 3 receiver.
Preston Parker, Buccaneers
Owned: 3 percent of
leagues
Week 4: Had five catches for 70 yards and a touchdown
vs. Indianapolis.
Analysis: Fantasy owners looking for help in
PPR leagues should add Parker now because he has two games in his past
three outings with at least five catches. He has established himself as
the No. 3 receiver for Tampa Bay, and Josh Freeman is throwing plenty of underneath routes. We don't
expect Parker to score much since this was his first career touchdown,
but if he continues to play like this he could be worth adding in all
formats.
Add 'Em
Jared Cook, Titans
Owned: 18 percent of leagues
Week
4: Had two catches for 93 yards and a touchdown at Cleveland.
Analysis:
We told you to add Cook last week when Britt went down, and he had his
first productive game of the season against the Browns. He only had two
catches, but he had six targets. And his targets should continue to
increase since Hasselbeck can't only rely on Nate Washington to now make plays. Add Cook as a No. 2 tight end on
your roster if you must, but he could turn into a potential starter if
he continues to be involved at this level.
Jermaine Gresham, Bengals
Owned: 43 percent of
leagues
Week 4: Had four catches for 70 yards and a touchdown
vs. Buffalo.
Analysis: Gresham took advantage of a solid
matchup against the Bills, but he could continue to play well as the
season goes on. With Jordan Shipley
(knee) out for the season, Gresham is needed to make plays over the
middle of the field. And it appears like Dalton will continue to rely on
him since he has at least five targets in each game this year. He has
another quality matchup in Week 5 at Jacksonville, and we would
recommend adding Gresham and starting him this week.
Avoid 'Em
Clay Harbor, Eagles
Owned: Not owned
Week 4:
Had three catches for 55 yards and a touchdown vs. San Francisco.
Analysis:
Brent Celek remains the No. 1 tight
end for the Eagles, and Harbor has just four catches for the season. He
also had just three targets in the game against the 49ers, and you're
not going to trust him as a potential starter going forward. The Eagles
have plenty of issues to fix after their 1-3 start, and keeping Harbor
involved on offense isn't one of them. Keep him on the waiver wire.
Scout 'Em
Kevin Boss, Raiders
Owned: 9 percent of leagues
Week
4: Had four catches for 78 yards vs. New England.
Analysis:
Boss played well against the Patriots on five targets, and he could
continue to be a factor going forward. The Raiders have plenty of
receivers to stretch the field, but they need someone to catch passes
over the middle. Boss is averaging more than 18 yards a catch, and he
has a favorable matchup at the Texans. If you need a tight end this week
with Antonio Gates (foot) or Aaron Hernandez (knee) out due to injury or Jason Witten or Fred Davis on a bye
then consider taking a flier on Boss. If not, just continue to scout him
with the chance he continues to remain a factor on offense.
Jake Ballard, Giants
Owned: Not owned
Week
4: Had three catches for 33 yards and a touchdown at Arizona.
Analysis:
The Giants need a tight end to help them in the middle of the field, and
Ballard had a good showing against the Cardinals. He just missed out on
a second touchdown when he was tackled at the 1-yard line, but this
could be the beginning of increased involvement on offense. The Giants
need someone to help them replace Boss, and Ballard could be the one to
fill that role.
James Casey, Texans
Owned: 12 percent of leagues
Week
4: Had one catch for 8 yards vs. Pittsburgh.
Analysis:
Casey had a quiet game against the Steelers, but he could be asked to
play a larger role with Johnson out. The Texans used Casey quite a bit
in Week 3 at the Saints, and he responded with five catches for 126
yards and a touchdown. We don't expect Casey to become a primary target
for Schaub, but Casey is someone to keep on your radar depending on how
long Johnson is out.
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