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Miami’s Ryan Tannehill could be due for a good showing when he goes up against the San Diego pass defense.
The remainder of the fantasy season is less about waiver moves and more about managing your roster. As you’ll note below, I did make a waiver move for a quarterback, but that’s a short-term need.
Aside from a trade or a hidden waiver-wire gem, we need to be ready to make a playoff push with the guys we already have. Let’s get to the recommendations.
Three up:
Ryan Tannehill, QB, Miami: I need a quarterback this weekend to replace Tony Romo, who is on a bye. I don’t want to trade for a one-week replacement, and the waiver wire is nearly barren. I landed on Tannehill because he’s averaging almost 18 fantasy points per game, he’s facing a weak San Diego pass defense, and I have no faith in the other guys who are available: Joe Flacco, Carson Palmer, and Geno Smith, to name three.
Santonio Holmes, WR, NY Jets: Holmes has missed five games with a hamstring injury but will suit up against the Bills. In Week 3 against Buffalo, he caught five passes for 154 yards and a touchdown. Not many players with Holmes’s talent are available at this stage of the season. Pick him up.
Ray Rice, RB, Baltimore: Rice, a first-round draft pick in most leagues, has produced just two weeks of double-digit fantasy points. He’s a complete disappointment but he’s still getting carries (18 against Cincinnati), and if he’s going to ever come through for his owners, it will be against Chicago and its 31st-rated run defense.
Three down:
Mark Ingram, RB, New Orleans: Ingram exploded against Dallas with 14 rushes for 145 yards and a touchdown. A nonfactor most of the season with a toe injury, Ingram would appear to be a player who could boost a fantasy roster as the playoffs approach. Be careful. The Saints utilize several running backs in their pass-heavy attack, Dallas’s defense is in disarray, and Ingram has never been consistent.
Steven Jackson, RB, Atlanta: In three games following a hamstring injury, Jackson compiled 74 yards and zero touchdowns on 33 carries. Atlanta’s offensive line has been equally abysmal. Keep Jackson on your bench.
Terrelle Pryor, QB, Oakland: Pryor, who has not thrown a touchdown pass in three games, acknowledged after Oakland’s most recent game that he has a knee injury. If Pryor is not running, then he’s not trustworthy as a fantasy quarterback.
Ed Ryan can be reached at ed_ryan@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @EdzoRyan.