At this point in the season there aren't a lot of owners left looking at the waiver wire for impact players. Most teams that are still alive are strong enough to get where they have without needing a player right now, but all of us are always looking for an edge wherever we can get it. Keep in mind teams that clinch their playoff seed early often rest their starters for part or all of the last week of the season. Philadelphia, Indianapolis, New England, Pittsburgh and Atlanta have all clinched their division. Having one of their backups like Kevin Faulk, Verron Haynes, Dorsey Levens or Dominic Rhodes could pay dividends if Dillon, Staley, Westbrook or Edge are held back for the playoffs.

Quarterbacks

Jon Kitna (Cin) replaced Carson Palmer after he left the game with a leg injury. At the moment I don't know if Kitna will be filling in for Palmer this week or beyond. Kitna obviously knows this offense very well and if Palmer is out next week then Kitna would be a possible sleeper at home against the Buffalo Bills. The Bengals are clicking and Kitna may be able to sustain the fever pitch. Chad Johnson and especially T.J. Houshmandzadeh have been on fire the past few weeks. Kitna could be a decent pickup if you need a QB for week 16 and Palmer is out. As Palmer's status changes or becomes clear Kitna's value needs to be adjusted accordingly.

Chris Chandler (Stl) threw 6 interceptions against the Panthers but he could be starting again this week for the Rams in Arizona. Ken Dorsey threw 3 TDs against this same Cardinals defense last week. It would be a little extreme to think he'd throw even 4 INTs this week, but he should have more success against Arizona than he did against Carolina.

Billy Volek (Ten) is a great plug-in starter when McNair is inactive. Otherwise, his only value is to McNair's owner. As a dynasty league owner you might hold onto him. In the short term, he's strictly a last minute starter because Fisher usually doesn't declare McNair in or out until Saturday or even Sunday morning. When Volek starts he's usually productive. If he starts tonight against the Chiefs, then he'll probably put up big numbers.

Kyle Boller (Bal) threw a career high 4 TDs against the Giants. Over the last few weeks he's gotten the full Ravens offense healthy again. Once Jamal Lewis is back to full strength then it will be nearly the first time this season they've had their skilled players all on the field together. Travis Taylor, Jamal Lewis, Todd Heap, Jonathan Ogden and rookie Devard Darling have all missed games due to injury. Getting everyone healthy and back on the same page means Boller could be a pleasant surprise down the stretch. Next up, Indianapolis. One of the better matchups that you could ask for.

A.J. Feeley (Mia) isn't really much of commodity in most fantasy leagues, but he can be reasonably productive and he has him brief moments. Chambers, Booker and McMichael are quality targets so he could have better number than you might think this coming week at home against the Patriots.

Vinny Testaverde (Dal) has a pair of pretty tough matchups the next two weeks at Philadelphia then at home against the Redskins. It might be wise to leave Vinny on the wire if he's out there, but at least he's a starter right now and the Cowboys can smell the playoffs again.

Josh McCown (Ari) threw for 307 yards but failed to get into the end zone save for a successful 2 point conversion. He threw one interception but helped lead the Cardinals back against the 49ers and force overtime. With McCown at the helm at least Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald have a fighting chance to be productive, not to forget about Bryant Johnson. McCown faces the Rams at home in Arizona this week. That's a neutral matchup probably.

Chad Hutchinson (Chi) cooled off quickly this week struggling out of the gate as the Bears offense was a repeating series of 3 and outs in the first half. He settled down later and finished with 212 yards but didn't get in the end zone and threw an INT. That's 3 TDs and 1 INT if you're counting in two weeks. Next week Hutchinson faces the Texans in Chicago. Not a bad matchup.

Ken Dorsey (SF) threw 3 TD passes against the Cardinals throwing for 191 yards on the day with no turnovers. I guess that's why they play the games. The Cardinals aren't a particularly tough defensive matchup, but I would've never called for Dorsey throwing 3 TDs and no picks or fumbles. Kudos to the U. One of their finest had a good day. Dorsey's only as good as the matchup he's given and if Tim Rattay isn't able to play.

Luke McCown (Cle) appears to be safe for the next week and possibly the rest of the season as the Browns starter. He struggled in Buffalo under bad weather conditions and was relieved by Jeff Garcia, who promptly got hurt - an apparent knee sprain. The extent of Garcia's injury is unknown but he'll be evaluated today and we could know more by mid-week regarding both players. Expect McCown to be the starter for the Browns when they face the San Diego Chargers at home this coming week. Another fairly tough matchup so McCown's value is fairly limited.

Pick up for next year

Chris Simms (TB) could re-emerge as the starter in Tampa if Brian Griese leaves. Simms was briefly the starter replacing Brad Johnson but he got hurt and Griese took over, played well and here we are. Simms is back on the bench, but he could become the team's QB of the future again this off-season depending on what the team does with Brian Griese.

Kurt Warner (NYG) could end up competing for a starting job somewhere else next year or at least be backup on a team where he could play like Detroit, Cleveland, Miami or Arizona.

Running Backs

Impact Rookies

Julius Jones (Dal) and Kevin Jones (Det) should be snagged immediately and probably aren't available in 99% of the leagues out there, but just covering all the bases. Tatum Bell (Den) finally broke out this week. He would've been the #1 player on the wire if he's available in your league, but he got sprained his shoulder and could miss a couple weeks to the rest of the season. Reuben Droughns owners can breath now. Bell looked great in the first half although he came up short on one goal line series dropping a TD wide open in the end zone. If Bell didn't get hurt it would've been interesting to see who would start next week. Droughns appeared to be in Shenahan's dog house after fumbling twice in the first quarter. Bell then took over and rambled for 123 yards on 17 carries scoring twice. If it weren't for his sprained shoulder it's highly doubtful that Droughns would've gone back in the game. Now, he might be safe for a while, but next year the Broncos RB situation will be as murky as ever with Bell, Droughns, Quentin Griffin and Mike Anderson all looking for a piece of the pie. I'll put my money on Bell. 

Maurice Hicks (SF) made an impact in first career NFL start rushing for 139 yards on 34 carries scoring a TD and making some big runs in overtime to lead the 49ers to a road win. He also caught 5 passes for 29 yards. Terry Jackson also got 5 carries (27 yds) but lost a key fumble late in the game that almost cost the team. Jackson is third on the depth chart and Kevan Barlow could be back in the lineup next week and it will be interesting to see if he's named as the starter when he is ready.

Short term or injury plays

Arlen Harris (Stl) got the start this week with Marshall Faulk and Steven Jackson both injured. Marshall Faulk was active, but did not play while Jackson was inactive and held out. Harris got all the work against the Panthers carrying the ball 19 times for 61 yards and catching 4 passes for 41 yards. Not great, but not bad either. With the status of Faulk and Jackson both unknown for week 15 right now Harris might be worth a pickup if he wasn't snatched up last week. His shelf life is limited though and I would expect Faulk to possibly return with Jackson a bit more questionable.

Sammy Morris (Mia) got back on the field this week and scored a TD while splitting carries with Travis Minor. Morris rushed 9 times for 36 yards while Minor carried the ball 10 times but for only 24 yards. Morris was probably cut in many leagues and could be available for another lap. Not an impact player but he's kinda like fixing a leak with bubble gum.

Antowain Smith (Ten) doesn't have a lot of long-term value, but for the last three weeks he could still get a start - or three - in place of Chris Brown and the dreaded toe. The only bad part about using Smith is you almost always have to wait until after 12 pm to put him in your lineup because Fisher will wait as long as possible to declare Brown active or inactive. When Smith starts in place of Brown he's usually productive enough to warrant starting as your #2 back.

Chester Taylor (Bal) - Jamal Lewis "started", but it was Taylor who saw the majority of the work this week against the Giants. Credit Brian Billick for that misadventure for those who have Taylor and/or Lewis. Taylor ended up carrying the rock 25 times for 104 yards displaying his cutting ability and under-rated leg drive and power for being a smaller back while Lewis aggravated his ankle injury prompting Billick to play it safe and go with Taylor. Chester is set to be a free agent at the end of the season so hold on to him if you're in a dynasty league and you might have something. Once again we're left playing the "who will start?" game and we may not know if it will be Lewis or Taylor until next weekend. Against the Colts one of them will have a good matchup.

Jonathan Wells (Hou), Obafemi Ayanbedejo (Ari) and Zack Crockett (Oak) all scored TDs this week, so picking them up could prove to be a knee-jerk reaction and there's no guarantee any of them will get consistent opportunities to score. Crockett is back as the Raiders goal line choice and he got 5 carries this week gaining 20 yards and scoring on a 1 yard plunge. Crockett's main value lies in TDs. Since the Raiders ground game is the worst in the league, adjust Crockett's value accordingly. He is one of the most effective short yardage backs in the NFL over like the past 4 or 5 years, but it's hard to say how many opportunities he'll get. Ayanbedejo and Wells will probably be too inconsistent to garner any real consideration outside of TD only leagues.

The Raiders RBBC
Also likely to be available on your waiver wire are fellow Raiders backs J.R. Redmond and Justin Fargas, if not Amos Zereoue, too. Zereoue had 10 carries this week while Redmond and Crockett got 5 each. Fargas one. Good luck trying to squeeze any point out of this committee. Crockett may very well be the best bang for the buck.

Players who might hold future value

Travis Henry (Buf) - Lost the job to McGahee, but he'll be playing elsewhere next year with a good chance of starting or competing for a starting job. He's a quality back and he should be healthy in time to be attractive to a team looking for a solid starter - Arizona, Houston, Oakland, Tampa Bay and Miami immediately come to mind.

Marcel Shipp (Ari) may not start for the Cardinals next year, but he will most likely stick around because of his contract and at least be given a shot to compete for the job. Either way, look for Dennis Green to draft a back or go get one via free agency.

Joe Echemandu (Cle) is getting some looks in the Browns backfield because Lee Suggs continues to be hurt and William Green has been inconsistent and unproductive. Both Green and Echemandu lost fumbles this week against the Bills. Echemandu carried the ball 5 times for just 13 yards, while Green had 11 carries for a whopping 5 yards. Green and Suggs remain the front runners for the starting job in '05, but Echemandu could make a push for a 3rd down spot and stick around as the team's 3rd back as he is right now.

Wide Receivers

There is no stopping T.J. Houshmandzadeh (Cin) right now. You can only hope to contain him. He caught an amazing 12 passes this week for 145 yards. That's the 2nd straight week of 10+ catches and a total of 316 yards and a TD. He's produced nice good fantasy stats in about half of his NFL starts this year, but he's been playing like gangbusters over the past three games - 26 catches, 395 yards and 3 TDs. He set career highs in every major category with over a month left to play.

Lee Evans (Buf) is almost as hot as Houshmandzadeh. Evans has 6 TDs as a rookie. Not bad considering he didn't become a full-time starter until a month or so into the season. He's caught a TD in three straight games and is quickly emerging as one of the league's top deep threats and a heckuva player to keep around in a dynasty league.

Joey Galloway (TB) is back alright. He caught 5 passes for 78 yards and 2 TDs this week.. He's caught 10 passes for 130 yards in the three weeks previous, but now has TDs in two straight games for the Bucs. The schedule is plum with matchups against New Orleans this week and Arizona in week 17.

Marty Booker (Mia) hasn't been consistently productive as a Dolphin and he may never be with Chris Chambers and Randy McMichael arguably being the top two options in their passing game. But Booker has produced two strong efforts in a row and has at least 3 catches in 5 of his last 6 games. Baby steps. In the past two weeks Booker has caught 9 passes for 141 yards and a TD. This week he caught 4 passes for 45 yards with an 8 yd TD from A.J. Feeley. Considering these two games were against tough defenses like Buffalo and Denver, it's worth noting if nothing else. The next three weeks on the schedule are against New England, Cleveland and Baltimore. Two more tough matchups, but Cleveland might be a game where Booker could be a decent sleeper.

Eric Parker (SD) ended up having the big afternoon while most had their fantasy radars locked onto Keenan McCardell against his former team. However, McCardell left the game with a hamstring injury leaving Parker and Kassim Osgood to get the job done. Both WRs responded well in what was by all means a very tough matchup. Parker finished with 6 catches for 118 yards including a 79 yd TD while Osgood caught a 19 yd TD pass finishing with 2 catches for 27 yards for the game. McCardell will be evaluated today probably and we won't know what his status will be until mid-week possibly. There's ample opportunity here for fantasy production from Parker and Osgood if McCardell is out. The Chargers face the Browns, Colt and Chiefs the last three weeks. All three are solid matchups, but the last two in particular are very good situations for one or both of these guys to produce starter-quality numbers.

Cedrick Wilson (SF) had a big game against the Cardinals catching 2 TD passes and finishing with 83 yards on 5 catches for the day. Maybe it's Ken Dorsey, but Wilson seems to be more productive when Dorsey starts or at least Dorsey targets Wilson seemingly more than Rattay does. I haven't researched the targets to see if the numbers bear that out, but it sure seems that way. Brandon Lloyd was quiet for most of the game, but managed to also catch a TD early in the game. Picking up Wilson might be a fishing trip though considering the next three games are against Washington, Buffalo and New England. No good matchups among those three games and with the QB situation subject to change there's no telling if Wilson can sustain any consistency to warrant starting if you do get him. He's been inconsistent, but productive in some games, so expect about the same moving forward.

Clarence Moore (Bal) had his 2nd multiple TD game of his rookie season. Not bad for a guy who didn't make anyone's "A" list of rookie prospects. He alligator armed a couple passes in the previous week and even told reporters rather matter-of-factly that he "hit the rookie wall". Whatever the case, Moore delivered this week when Kyle Boller went to him in the red zone making two outstanding grabs over the defender in each case. He's got excellent size, good/deceptive speed and great leaping ability. He's a former triple jumper and track guy and flew under the radar for most playing college football at small school Northern Arizona where he put up huge numbers. Long-term he could blossom into a fine fantasy WR but keep in mind he'll be sharing targets with Todd Heap and Travis Taylor on a run-oriented football team. So, just how high his fantasy potential goes is debatable. What's not debatable is his ability to go up and get a football in traffic or when covered in the red zone. He could have some value as a sleeper this week against the Colts but the following two weeks will be tougher against Pittsburgh and Miami, both of which are tough matchups for WRs.

Bobby Engram (Sea) delivered solid production this week in a game that featured a good matchup against the Minnesota Vikings. Engram caught a 35 yd TD pass while finishing with 4 receptions and 79 yards for the game. Teammate Jerry Rice continued to be reasonably productive with 5 catches for 52 yards. Koren Robinson will be out for two more weeks serving his 4 game suspension so continue looking for one of these two WRs to fill the gap. Seattle plays the Jets on the road and then finishes at home against Arizona and Atlanta. The last two games are solid matchups but the Jets might be a little bit tougher to get much out of Engram.

Bryant Johnson (Ari) - Johnson's numbers have dropped since Anquan Boldin returned to the lineup but he was active this week against the 49ers. He caught 4 passes for 77 yards including a 40 yard haul down the sidelines and he also narrowly missed on another similar play. He would be a long shot to expect any kind of fantasy production that would merit starting, but with McCown giving the team slightly better production than King or Navarre he's worth mentioning.

John Stone (Oak) made his debut for the Raiders this week replacing the injured Ronald Curry. Stone is a small WR with excellent speed. He produced a 55 yd catch this week while finishing with 2 catches on the day for 62 yards. Another long shot to produce, but the Raiders throw the ball more because their running continues to stink. With their final three games against Tennessee, Kansas City and Jacksonville maybe Stone could be worthwhile as a deep sleeper the next two weeks in particular. Both are very good matchups.

Likely to have larger roles next year

Michael Jenkins (Atl) was a 1st round draft choice (29th overall) by the Falcons but he's been slow to develop as a rookie. Next year expect him to emerge as a starter opposite Peerless Price giving the Falcons a tall, speedy WR to help stretch the field and make plays in the red zone. For now that's his best value because while he's earning more playing time right now he's still not producing enough to even consider him for a starting gig.

Reggie Williams (Jac) caught his first NFL touchdown this week against the Bears. In his best day as a pro, Williams caught 4 passes for 62 yards and a 6 yard TD. He's big, physical and fits the prototype you look for in a go-to receiver, but he's struggled with the speed of the NFL and has yet to show he can consistently separate from coverage. He's been a slight bust as a rookie, but still has an excellent chance to emerge next season as Byron Leftwich and the Jaguars offense continues to evolve.

Bernard Berrian (Chi) could emerge as a starter for the Bears next season. He's blessed with good speed and decent size (6' 1" 185 lbs) but right now he's only on the field in 3 and 4 WR formations where he is usually in a good matchup with a nickel or dime back in coverage. Once/If the Bears passing game develops with Grossman - or whoever - then Berrian could be worth holding onto in dynasty leagues. The Bears WR corps isn't bad at all, but their QB play has been among the worst seen in the NFL over the past several years. Did anyone else see the QBs displayed on the TV screen yesterday that David Terrell has endured in his tenure with the Bears? I mean we're talking about blokes like Steve Stenstrom and Henry Burris.

Lee Mays (Pit) could be a deep sleeper for next year if Plaxico Burress leaves via free agency. Hines Ward and Antwaan Randle-El would likely be the starters, but Mays has talent and ability, too. He's worth nothing more than a flyer for next year, but you never know.

Kelley Washington (Cin) isn't producing on the level of teammate T.J. Houshmandzadeh but he's catching TD passes and making the most of this targets from that angle. Washington has the physical talent to be a special player, but he's still a work in progress and needs to continue refining his route running and doing the little things that make a good WR a polished WR. Next year will be his 3rd in the league and while Peter Warrick will probably be back along with Houshmandzadeh, Washington stands as good a chance as either of those two to earn a starting job and emerge as a viable #3 fantasy WR.  Washington caught 2 balls this week for 35 yds and a TD. He's caught a TD in three of the last four games.

Second half surges
Eddie Kennison, T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Nate Burleson, Lee Evans, Antonio Bryant, Jerry Porter, and Drew Bennett have all produced excellent numbers in the second half of the season. I usually keep tabs on the players who finish strongly and look a bit closer to see if it's by design, luck, injury or otherwise. Usually players who have increasing roles as the season progresses tend to carry over their momentum to the following season. So keep an eye on these players when you start looking at those 3rd, 4th and 5th receivers to draft next year. 

Tight Ends

Erron Kinney (Ten) has an outstanding matchup and opportunity to produce tonight against the Chiefs on Monday night football, but also has some decent to very good matchups the final three weeks as well against Oakland, Denver and Detroit. The Broncos are tough on TEs but Oakland is an outstanding matchups having allowed 9 TDs to TEs. Since Kinney returned to the lineup in week 10 he's caught 13 passes for 121 yards and 2 TDs ranking 10th in that span. With a solid game tonight against KC he can make a solid claim to being a top 10 TE or a starting caliber TE down the stretch.

Chris Cooley (Was) continues to build momentum as a fantasy TE. He ranks 5th among fantasy TEs since week 10 with 18 receptions for 158 yards and 3 TDs in those 5 games. As both a re-draft and dynasty league player he holds solid value and potential to be a middle tiered fantasy starting TE. The last three weeks look like solid matchups against SF, Dallas and Minnesota so get him and use him if your current options are weak.

Ken Dilger (TB) caught 4 passes for 28 yards this week and continues to be a decent, but not great fantasy TE when used as a situational plug-in, backup or someone to round out your roster. He has 8 catches for 55 yards in the past two weeks. Tampa has two strong matchups for him in the last three games coming this next week against New Orleans (excellent matchup) and again in week 17 at Arizona. Week 16 is against Carolina, who he faced in week 12 but produced only 1 catch for 19 yards.

Billy Miller (Hou) has slowly emerged the past few weeks as a viable target once again, but he's been largely ignored most of the season and remains sporadic as a fantasy option catching a couple balls one week and then producing a goose egg every other week. 

Kickers

Jason Hanson (Det), Josh Scobee (Jac) and Rian Lindell (Buf) all rank among the top 10 kickers over the last 5 weeks (since week 10). Any of these kickers might be worthwhile down the stretch but consider the matchup for the given week if you're looking to flip/flop kickers to gain that extra advantage. The kickers who performed better than usual this past week and might also be worth looking at are Neil Rackers, John Kasay and Morten Andersen.

Defense / Special Teams

The teams with good defensive matchups for this coming week that could be solid waiver wire pickup and play options include Arizona (vs St. Louis), Green Bay (vs Jacksonville), Indianapolis (vs Baltimore), Houston (at Chicago) and possibly Tennessee (at Oakland).