WAIVER WIRE WEEK 14

December 6, 2005 4:00 AM ET

The fantasy football playoffs are upon us, and unless you're into early exits and one-and-dones it would behoove you to identify which of your players are on the upswing and which are… well, not. To assist you in this endeavor, we've identified a group of players from both ends of the spectrum.

On the Rise
QB: Kurt Warner, Cardinals - Don't look now, but a certain former multiple MVP award winner is regaining his form. No, not Brett Favre. No, not Tom Brady. How about Kurt Warner, the NFL leader in 300-yard passing games with five? He's got more 300-yard outings than the entire Manning family, and it's even more impressive when you consider he was sidelined with an injury when Josh McCown added two 300-yard efforts to the team's coffers. Warner had topped that magical mark in four of the last five games, and since the Cards are averaging better than 40 passing attempts per game there's no reason to expect the fun to stop.

RB: DeShaun Foster, Panthers - We begged, pleaded, implored you to sell high on Stephen Davis, and it took until week 10—but it did happen. The Chicago game, in which neither back got double-digit carries, was the turning point. Including that tilt, Foster is out-carrying Davis 55-16 and outgaining him 246-39—339-39 if you include receiving yardage. Plus, the former Mr. Touchdown hasn't sniffed the stripe since November 13, while Foster scored twice last week alone. Foster is clearly here to stay—but please, whatever you do, don't call him "Bananas" Foster. Like the slightly deranged relative who sits in the corner at family gatherings, just leave Chris Berman alone.

WR: Eddie Kennison, Chiefs - The only proof we have is circumstantial at best, but cases have been made with less. The charge: Kennison put a hit out on Priest Holmes. The rationale: all eight of Kennison's touchdowns came after Holmes went down for the season with an injury. This year, all but one of Eddie's touchdowns have come after Priest was knocked out of the October 30 loss to San Diego. The Chiefs obviously haven't missed a beat with Larry Johnson carrying the ball, and Kennison has rediscovered the end zone. Since Priest isn't returning this year, it should be smooth sailing for Kennison from here on out.

TE: Bryan Fletcher, Colts - Fletch is living, breathing proof that Peyton Manning can indeed make a silk purse out of a sow's ear. Fletch was a sixth-round draft pick of the Bears in 2002, was cut, had a cup of coffee with the Titans, was cut, returned to the Bears as a member of their practice squad, spent time in NFL Europe, was cut, then was signed to the Colts' practice squad last November. Now he's a card-carrying member of the Colts juggernaut, and with touchdowns in three straight games he has scored more times in that span than Marvin Harrison, Reggie Wayne, Dallas Clark, or Brandon Stokley. It's a wonderful life, indeed.

K: Robbie Gould, Bears - There's something to be said for the time-honored tradition of winning games by running the ball and playing defense. The Bears have taken that formula to an art form this season, and they don't mind settling for field goals when they know their defense isn't going to give up more than a touchdown. That's how Gould has gone from working the drive-thru at Whataburger (or whatever he was doing prior to being picked up off waivers by the Bears in early October) to multiple field goals in five of his last six games.

Falling Fast
QB: Kerry Collins, Raiders - Maybe if Collins had some receiver talent in Oakland he could do better than two touchdowns in three games and just one 300-yard effort since week three. Wait, that's not it; maybe it's Collins? The only impressive streak he has going is at least one interception in six straight games, and odds are that's not the kind of streak you'd like to extend into the fantasy playoffs.

RB: Thomas Jones, Bears - There's something to be said for the time-honored tradition of… wait, where did we hear that before? Jones is living up to the preseason plan to carry the load during the first half of the season, but maybe he didn't get the memo that Cedrick Benson wouldn't be available for second-half duty. After a quick start, Jones has now gone five games without a 100-yard effort and six without a touchdown. Hey, Tom, you're going the wrong way!

WR: Derrick Mason, Ravens - Mason unquestionably saw the writing on the wall in Tennessee, but he and his agent should have done a little more digging into the Baltimore opportunity. After all, when you've had Steve McNair and Billy Volek and Neil O'Donnell and even Frank Wycheck throwing you the football, you become accustomed to a certain level of competence. Ravens quarterbacks fall dramatically below that level, to the point that even the sure-handed Mason is so rusty he's dropping balls—two last week alone. Mason may have gotten the money, but is it enough to salve the wounds of a two-touchdown season devoid of even one 100-yard game? Yeah, probably is. Oh well. Enjoy, Deke.

 

TE: Bubba Franks, Packers - At one point the big tight end was Brett Favre's security blanket; this year, however, he's had one game of note. Worse, Bubba has been helped from the field in consecutive games after absorbing wicked hits hard enough to change one's political view. Coming back from one such hit—a week later, no less—is one thing, but thinking you might get your bell rung, cracked, and shipped to Philadelphia for display purposes on a weekly basis might have Franks thinking about falling back on that college degree. Oh, wait, he went to Miami, Never mind; see ya Sunday, Bubba.

K: John Carney, Saints - As if the Saints didn't have enough problems, now their kicking game is going down the tubes. Carney has multiple field goals in just three of the 12 games this season—and only once in the past eight games has he booted multiple treys. The Saints aren't giving Carney the chance to make up for the lack of triples with more PATs; in half the games, Carney has had zero or one point-after opportunity.

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