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.