Bruno Boys Fantasy Football

—Written by Brad Berreman
—Edited by Marc Caviglia
—Predictions are based on Staff Consensus

Throughout the season, we have scoured the waiver wire to recommend players for fantasy football owners to add to their roster each week. It’s not a perfect science, obviously, and each year some players that were recommended made a bigger impact than others. Often times a key waiver wire pickup early in the season helps a fantasy owner win their league title and that was the case again in 2011. Many players thatwere not high on draft boards became key contributors throughout the season and it’s time to recognize those guys.

Our list of Waiver Wire Pick Them Ups Of The Year” no matter the position, features impact rookies, recognizable veterans that had a resurgence as well as some unproven young players that finally got an opportunity to show their stuff.

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Cam Newton (Carolina Panthers)

It’s hard to imagine that the third highest-scoring quarterback (tied with Tom Brady) in ESPN standard fantasy football leagues went undrafted in August, but that was the case with Newton. Many fantasy owners and NFL scouts alike were uncertain about Newton’s transition from college to the NFL and it’s not often a rookie signal caller takes the NFL by storm like Newton did in 2011.

Newton became the top waiver wire addition across fantasy football heading into Week 2 on the heels of passing for 422 yards and two touchdowns along with a rushing touchdown in Week 1 against the Arizona Cardinals. He never looked back.

The rookie finished with 352 fantasy points and went over the 20 point mark on nine different occasions. He scored at least 10 fantasy points in all 16 games. While his 4,051 passing yards were a rookie record, it was Newton’s ability to run the football that set him in a league of his own. Newton had 14 rushing touchdowns, which was an NFL record at the quarterback position and his 147 fantasy points as a runner would have ranked him as the No. 20 overall running back in standard scoring fantasy football leagues. 

There is no question who our top “Pick Them Up” quarterback was for 2011.

Tim Tebow (Denver Broncos

We are all well aware of Tebow’s shortcomings as a traditional NFL quarterback, however he was again gold for fantasy football owners this season.

Tebow took over the starting job from Kyle Orton in Week 7 and those who snagged him off their leagues waiver wire never looked back. Tebow started the final 11 games for the Broncos, and put up at least 12 fantasy football points in each game prior to Week 17 despite only throwing for over 200 yards twice. Tebow used his running ability to produce at such a high level despite the passing inaccuracies. The second year signal caller ran for 660 yards and found paydirt six times on the ground.

Despite a poor showing in Week 17, Tebow propelled a lot of fantasy football owners to the postseason and he didn’t dissapoint when it counted most. Tebow averaged 17 fantasy points per game in Week 14-16 and his 26 fantasy points in Week 15 against the New England Patriots was his best effort of the season.

Ryan Fitzpatrick (Buffalo Bills)

Fitzpatrick started 2011 like a house on fire, with nine touchdown passes over the first three games of the season and outside of Cam Newton was the hottest signal caller to be plucked off the waiver wire. After his three week stretch, Fitzpatrick quickly faded with just seven touchdown passes over the next seven games and just one game with more than 250 passing yards during that span.

The Harvard grad turned things around some down the stretch, with four games with over 250 passing yards over the final six weeks of the season, but nine interceptions over the final four weeks may have taken some of the luster off of that if you had him in a league that penalizes turnovers.

All things considered, Fitzpatrick did enough to warrant being one of the top quarterback waive wire finds in 2011 and his 207 fantasy football points ranked him No. 12 overall at the quarterback position.

Carson Palmer (Oakland Raiders)

Palmer came through on his promise to not play for the Cincinnati Bengals this season, and the Bengals ultimately traded him to the Oakland Raiders prior to Week 7. He did not start that game against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 7, but played in the second half and threw three interceptions in a dismal return game for the veteran quarterback.

Palmer used the Raiders’ Week 8 bye to get ready for his first start in Week 9 against the Denver Broncos, and didn’t disappoint with 19 fantasy points on 332 passing yards and three touchdowns. The next week, on Thursday Night Football Palmer torched the San Diego Chargers for 299 passing yards and two touchdowns, good for 15 fantasy points.

Injuries, thinned the Oakland receiving corp at times down the stretch of the season, however Palmer was able to produce solid yardage regardless. He threw for at least 235 yards in eight of his nine starts, including 367 yards in Week 15 and 417 yards in Week 17 and was able to post double-digit fantasy points seven times. Palmer didn’t do enough to be used as a QB1 weekly, however he didn’t let fantasy owners down who plugged him into their lineup when the matchup was right and worked as a solid QB2 over the second half of the season.

Andy Dalton (Cincinnati Bengals)

Like most rookie quarterbacks not named Cam Newton, Dalton was up and down throughout the season from a fantasy football perspective. Still, the good outweighed the bad and there were some weeks that fantasy owners could trust in Dalton at the quarterback position. 

He passed for 300 or more yards in a game just twice, compared to nine contests with less than 200 yards, however it was his ability to limit his interceptions that led to solid fantasy production. Dalton threw just 13 interceptions in 16 games, and what is more impressive is that 11 of those came in the first five games of his career..

Dalton was able to be a consistent contributor, with a touchdown pass in all but three games all season, and he scored double-digit fantasy points in 11 different contest this year . He was not among the elite signal callers this season, in real or fantasy football, but Dalton was a serviceable QB2 in 12-team leagues and if you started him during your league championship (Week 16) you were rewarded with an 18 fantasy point showing against the Arizona Cardinals.

Honorable Mention—Quarterbacks: Matt Hasselbeck (Tennessee Titans), Alex Smith (San Francisco 49ers), John Skelton (Arizona Cardinals), Matt Moore (Miami Dolphins)

**BEAT THE BRUNO BOYS $350 WILD CARD ROUND FREE CONTEST -  TOP 20 PAID**

We’ve partnered with DraftStreet.com to provide our fans an opportunity to play WEEKLY salary cap fantasy football against the Bruno Boys Staff.  Through the first 17 weeks of the NFL season we have given away over $6,900 in cash prizes. This week, we are offering a $350 free roll in which the TOP 20 win prize money. Make sure to sign-up now for a chance to win money and take on the Bruno Boys… IT’S FREE!!

Please use this link to enter:  Wild Card Round $350 Contest  (click to register)