More Add/Drop: Beyond The Usual Suspects

Matthew Berry checks in with his pickups for the week. Aside from the obvious names for this week – Beanie Wells and Shonn Greene – Berry highlights a few lesser names who provide good production as the bye weeks continue:

Jamaal Charles, RB, Chiefs (4 percent): Bill Simmons created the phrase “fantasy kryptonite” for guys we love and keep drafting/picking up/whatever because we believe in them, but then keep burning us. Well, Charles is my current fantasy kryptonite, and I’m gonna keep recommending him, dammit. Larry Johnson is terrible, OK? When not otherwise occupied using gay slurs on Twitter, he’s averaged just 2.7 yards per carry. That, kids, is not good. Even for a Kansas City Chief. Charles has by far looked like the more explosive back this year and has averaged 5 yards a carry (on just 23 attempts, but still). Kansas City is on a bye this week but will face Jacksonville and Oakland after the break, and hopefully, Johnson will be suspended. Either for his tweets or just being not very good. I’m good with either.
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Sam Aiken, WR, Patriots (0.3 percent): As seen in last week’s Love/Hate, Aiken is the No. 3 wide receiver on a team that will be throwing and throwing some more. He had 66 yards and a score last week. Most of the yardage came on one big play, but still. As long as Bill Belichick is throwing on fourth down when he’s up by 50 in the fourth quarter, everyone on this team has value. And that includes Aiken, who is on a bye this week, but if you can wait, he will pay some dividends in deeper leagues.

Jacoby Jones, WR, Texans (9 percent): Yes, I am recommending a guy who had zero catches for zero yards last week in a game when Matt Schaub was throwing all over the place. I’m doing it for a few reasons. First, Kevin Walter has been terrible this season. Second, it looks like this Andre Johnson injury might be a little more serious than we thought. (He may miss the game.) And third, he has big-play ability. Yes, he had a doughnut last week, but he actually ran one back that was waived off because of penalty. He already has scored four times in seven games this season. And with six teams on a bye each of the next two weeks, all names are legit.

While Charles has been good in his limited work this season, it’s difficult to endorse any Chiefs running back as more than a bye week stopgap option given how porous their offensive is. Aiken and Jones are more all-or-nothing type plays; guys who play in explosive offenses and could get a few more opportunities this week because of injury. If you play in a deep league and need help, these two are as good a bet to score a touchdown as you’re going to find on the waiver wire.