Luke Basha’s fantasy football column: If draft was poor, hit the waiver wire

Another Sunday, another injury to a star player.

This time, it was Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger – who of course is on a team of mine that already features the injured likes of Andre Ellington, Dez Bryant, Alshon Jeffrey, Eric Decker, and Arian Foster and a currently-suspended Antonio Gates.

Some guys just get all the luck. Not me. Not in that league at least. Still, that team remains alive with a 2-1 record. I’m cumulatively at an 11-4 record with one team undefeated.

Your team’s performance thus far is most likely a by-product of how well or poorly you drafted. But as injuries and bye weeks begin to take a toll, skillful use of the waiver wire to shore up your roster will become more and more important. Do your research, and you might just strike gold and find a player that will earn you the gold.

Last season, Odell Beckham Jr., an unknown until several weeks into last season, became a stud and helped more than a few fantasy players earn a championship.

Find that guy.

Here are a few suggestions for this week and beyond:

Michael Vick (QB, PIT) With an ankle injury sidelining Roethlisberger for four to six weeks, Vick will take over the reins in Pittsburgh. His situation is not ideal, but stepping in to lead what has been one of the NFL’s best offenses should enable Vick to manage the Steelers and win some games. He displayed some great throws in the preseason, and he gets to start his Pittsburgh career on Thursday night against the suddenly hapless Ravens. Look for Vick to rack up respectable numbers with easy throws to Le’Veon Bell and Antonio Brown – and keep in mind that Martavis Bryant returns from suspension next week.

Derek Carr (QB, OAK) Carr will serve as another viable replacement for an injured Big Ben or other struggling QB. After struggling mightily against Cincinnati, Carr has been on fire, throwing for a total of 665 yards and five scores in the past two weeks. A date with a terrible Chicago defense will provide him another opportunity continue the hot streak.

Ronnie Hillman/Juwan Thompson (RB, DEN) The Denver backfield has been an unmitigated disaster, with consensus (but not my recommendation!) first-rounder C.J. Anderson leading the charge towards inefficiency. With Anderson struggling, these two will be offered increasing chances to earn a stronger workload or maybe even take over the starting job. Against the Lions, Hillman (seven carries and a TD) and Thompson (three carries) already showed that Anderson (8 carries) has already fallen from grace. These two guys, if they can get something going, could be a lottery ticket for future success.

Karlos Williams (RB, BUF) Fact: Williams has scored a touchdown each week, while LeSean McCoy has not yet scored a rushing touchdown and has been battling a hamstring injury. The Bills play the porous Giants defense this week in a game that they are heavily favored to win, so look for Williams to get the lion’s share of the carries while McCoy is given more time to rest up.

Ted Ginn/Devin Funchess (WR, CAR) Both are far from assets in eight or 12-team leagues, but have potential for those in deeper leagues. Both WRs have seen more looks in a suddenly potent Panthers passing attack. Ginn, especially, always has a chance to score a deep TD.

Dorial Green-Beckham (WR, TEN) I had DGB on this list last week, but questioned whether his role in the offense was lasting enough to merit full attention. Well, he increased his role from one catch in Week 2 to two catches in Week 3, notching a touchdown in each of those games. He’s trending upwards, but will likely be overlooked by your opponents on the waiver wire given that the Titans are on their bye week. Take this opportunity to snag an appreciating asset.

Panthers D/ST Despite losing Luke Kuechly, the Panthers defense has emerged as a great fantasy unit again-mostly due to Josh Norman’s play as a shutdown corner. The addition of Jared Allen in a trade with the Bears could help to compensate for the injury to Charles Johnson. The injured players will eventually come back, helping this unit become truly formidable.

This story was originally published September 30, 2015 at 12:54 PM with the headline "Luke Basha’s fantasy football column: If draft was poor, hit the waiver wire."