Domenik Hixon, Giants

I’ve been dreading this moment since August. Some of you may have as well.

You see, eleven weeks ago when I drafted TJ Houshmandzadeh, Calvin Johnson, Brandon Marshall, Derek Mason and Ray Rice – all on byes this Sunday – I knew this would be a difficult yet challenging week. With half of my core players inactive and a 25-round league draft that effectively rendered my waiver wire inconsequential, the writing was on the wall. Week 7 most likely would be a big fat L-O-S-S. 

But then I realized this is fantasy football, where WR Jeremy Maclin can drop 150 yards and 2 TDs out of nowhere. So I rededicated myself to scouring the tumbleweed-like wire and found hope in the form of a few deep sleeper pickups.

Players who may not necessarily help me win….but help me compete. Players who I’m not expecting to put up 15 fantasy points….but won’t get me zero.

So in honor of such a quandary, I’m dedicating this week’s Grumble to owners in deep, deep leagues where conventional waiver wire columns just ain’t cutting it.

I give you….The Best of the Rest:

WR James Jones, Packers – Now that WR Jordy Nelson’s been diagnosed with a knee sprain and possibly lost for up to two weeks, Jones moves into the No. 3 WR slot and becomes an intriguing option for owners desperate for an able body. With both Jones and QB Aaron Rodgers having hooked up on a handful big plays over the last few years – most notably last week when the third-year receiver hauled in a 47 yard touchdown versus the 30^th ranked Lions pass defense – the potential remains for another long TD again this Sunday when the Packers host the same Cleveland team that allowed 417 passing yards last week to Pittsburgh. The thinking here is that Jones will receive at least a few deep-ball targets with both Greg Jennings and Donald Driver receiving most of the defense’s attention. Prediction: 4 catches, 73 yards

TE Sean Ryan, Chiefs – Sure, he’s more risky a play than most backups but then so is Dustin Keller, who’s dropping just one or two points each week in many an owners starting lineup. The reality, however, is that Kansas City squares off this week against San Diego, who’s just atrocious at defending opposing tight ends. They’ve given up 171 yards and three touchdowns to the position in the last two weeks alone! Owners in deep leagues who have John Carlson, Todd Heap, Bo Scaife or Tony Scheffler on a bye might want to take a gamble on Ryan this week over the Jeff King’s and Randy McMichael’s of the world. It’s too good a matchup to ignore. Prediction: 3 catches, 32 yards, TD

RB Benjarvis Green-Ellis, Patriots – Sure, it took injuries to both Freddy Taylor and Sammy Morris for Green-Ellis to get some playing time last week, but the second-year back made the most of the opportunity by totaling 80 yards in mop-up duty against a hapless Tennessee team.  This week, with Morris’ status still uncertain and the equally horrific Tampa Bay Buccaneers on tap, Green-Ellis and Kevin Faulk again will be asked to clean up the mess of what most likely will become another New England blowout. With Tampa’s run defense in shambles after allowing a combined 260 yards and 3 TDs to D’Angelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart last week, Green-Ellis will have an opportunity for at least 50+ yards effort and a trip to the end zone in garbage time. Prediction: 9 carries, 56 yards, TD

WR Domenik Hixon, Giants – Hixon, who led the 2008 Giants in receiving yards, saw his role switch to kick returner after WRs Steve Smith, Mario Manningham and rookie Hakeem Nicks shined in mini-camp. But when Manningham exited last week’s game with a shoulder injury and Nicks slid over to the No. 2 slot, Hixon was called upon to run routes and was targeted seven times, catching three balls for 22 yards during Sunday’s 48-27 loss to the Saints. This week, with Manningham’s status still uncertain, Hixon figures to remain in that role (while still returning kicks) and faces a decent matchup against an Arizona secondary that’s struggled at times to contain multi-faceted passing attacks. I’m expecting both teams to air it out early and often in this one and for Hixon to receive at least 7 targets, just like he did against New Orleans, except this time with better results.  Prediction: 5 catches, 62 yards

WR  Sam Aiken, Patriots –  After WR Joey Galloway’s release and rookie WR Julian Edelman’s broken arm, the Patriots have just Randy Moss, Wes Welker and Aiken as wide receivers on their active roster. What that means is a healthy dose of passes in Aiken’s direction this week from both Brady and backup QB Brian Hoyer – once the score gets out of hand. How can I be certain that Aiken will deliver? Well, who else is there to throw to? Prediction: 7 catches, 69 yards 

RB Michael Bush/RB Gary Russell, Raiders – Just when you thought the Raiders backfield situation couldn’t become any more convoluted (just imagine if Darren McFadden was in the mix) in comes Gary Russell to really mess with the heads of owners desperate enough to consider starting either of them. But hey, a few points is better than zero, right? What is known, however, is that Oakland hosts the Jets on Sunday – the same Jets who just lost defensive stalwart Kris Jenkins and the same Jets who just experienced one of the more demoralizing team losses in recent memory.  So, again, if you’re desperate enough and feel Oakland can do at least some damage against a flat Jets run defense, do you go with Bush, the inconsistent yet prototypical goal-line back who played sparingly against the Eagles due to a neck stinger, or Russell, who came out of nowhere last week to catch five balls for 55 yards while out-touching Bush 10-7? The guess here is that Cable will try to keep New York’s line guessing by using both. Bush might only see 5-10 carries, but a few of those could be goal-line opportunities. Russell will get a handful of carries as well but will have a good shot at replicating his success as their pass-catching back. Prediction: Bush – 9 carries, 45 yards, TD. Russell  – 5 carries, 20 yards; 6 catches, 63 yards.