This week’s column got a bit of a late start thanks to being constantly drowsy for the past few days. Those close to me may attribute it to the gallonage of beers and bourbons I consumed over the weekend while living in various sports bars. However, the real reason was the excitement level of this weekend’s NFL games. With no Bears game to get excited about, it was easy to understand why I was less than enthralled by Sunday’s battles. But, normally the fantasy football aspect raises the attention level to the point that my eyes aren’t rolling back in my head.

After a full-on 14-hour binge of college football and adult beverages, one needs more than some coffee on Sunday morning to get the heart rate up and the NFL wasn’t doing it for me. I was more excited about the Bloody Mary bar accompaniments including pieces of beef jerky along with the standard fare. Way to get in touch with the “real” man, Wild Goose!

Games of interest at the Wild Goose:

  • I had friends in town from Cleveland so they wanted to watch the Browns-Bills game. Thanks to this game, all other games were Super Bowl quality.

  • I have a good friend who is a Chiefs fan and I knew they had a legit chance to easily cover and I almost pulled a Joe Willy and guaranteed that they would beat the Cowboys. Though I was right, it was disheartening to see them implode yet again and give up a record game to a relatively unknown.

  • I have a lot of friends who are Steelers fans and have a lot of cash riding on the Steelers in my Futures, but nothing about playing the Lions made me look over more than once or twice.

  • Management initially refused to show the Vikings and the Rams; a decision I stood and applauded.

  • The Giants and the Raiders. I watched a bit of it as I am still amazed that Brandon Jacobs only has one TD for the second highest-scoring team in the league.

  • I knew the Philly-Oakland game would be a debacle, but was surprised at the annihilation of the 49ers by the Falcons and the Jags by the Seahawks.

  • Overall, that left one game to watch at a time; the Bengals and Ravens early and the Pats-Broncos later. Both lived up to expectations but would have only kept me on the edge of my seat if I was at home with no Sunday Ticket in front of me and these were the only two games on. Come Monday night, I had zero interest in what turned out to be the most exciting game of the week; the Jets and Dolphins.

Fortunately, this weekend finds me attending a college game (Georgia Tech vs Virginia Tech) and a pro game (Falcons-Bears). One can’t complain about the quality of the game when you are in the south surrounded by fairer weather and the fairer sex. Most of the NFL stayed healthy this past week so no waiver wire replacement recommendations (maaaaaybe Dennis Northcutt if Calvin Johnson is rested), though there were a few explosive games by free agents this past week. Since this was their first break-out game, make sure to temper your expectations.

Waiver Wire Wonders:

QB: Josh Johnson (TB) – Keep in mind that this is a one-week recommendation and only if you are handcuffed due to the Bye week. Johnson has not been bad, but he has not been good. He does have a home game this weekend against Carolina. He is good for 200 yards, 2 TDs through the air, 2 INTs, 40 yards rushing and maybe a rushing TD.

RB: Michael Bush (OAK) – This is another tepid recommendation since Oakland is so disgustingly bad. However, with Darren McFadden out, Oakland has to figure out what they have in Bush. The kid was very good at Louisville before breaking his leg so he has talent. It takes a lot of talent to run against 10-man lines though.

WR: Miles Austin – While I knew Roy Williams would not start, I had no clue who would step up against KC. Romo was throwing to Sam Hurd at the end of the Denver game. Patrick Crayton had occasional big games in the past. Austin had some big gainers last year, but got few tosses, so no one could expect a 250-yd 2TD day out of him. The Cowboys are off this week and Romo may forget him by Week 7, so be careful who you release to pick him up.

WR: Jeremy Maclin (PHIL) – I loved Maclin at Missouri but was shocked when Philly drafted him since they already had an almost identical player in DeSean Jackson. It looks as though they are willing to use their speed in the West Coast offense to generate big plays. With Jackson drawing the defense’s best cover man, Maclin is going to get single coverage. Against defenses such as Oakland’s, Maclin is a definite starter. He could fade as soon as he arrived if Kevin Curtis is healthy and back in favor with McNabb.

WR: Hakeem Nicks (NYG) – Nicks was my Sleeper of the Year at the WR position before the season started. Sadly, he was hurt early and Manning found Mario Manningham and Steve Smith to his liking. With Nicks healthy again, Eli is showing him some love and he has found the end zone in the last two games. Manningham got stuck in the chest last weekend and may still be a bit bruised still. With a shootout in the Big Easy this weekend, it could be Nicks’ coming out party.