Waiver Wired | Week 7: The Autumn Wind Is a Pirate

My weekly "Waiver Wired" column is up at Rotoworld for Week 7. Summary is below, but click here for the full article. Keep in mind this article is through Rotoworld and is intended for more shallow redraft leagues as opposed to a deeper roster Dynasty league.

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Fall is supposed to be a peaceful time, a time for reflection. After a hectic summer, Mother Nature is closing the curtain on another year. The leaves are coming down, the harvest is coming in, and the squirrels are gathering up nuts for the long winter ahead.

Tell that to the Autumn Wind. Here off the coast of Savanna, Georgia, we've been dealing the past week with an infernal, howling wind that causes the nerves to jump, the skin to itch, and even the blood to curdle. Bar fights are breaking out, wives are attacking husbands, and the dogs are howling in unison at the full moon. As NFL Film's Steve Sabol first noted, and "the Voice of God," John Facenda, first narrated in 1974, the Autumn Wind is indeed a pirate:

The Autumn Wind is a pirate
Blustering in from the sea
With a rollicking song he sweeps along
Swaggering boisterously

This Autumn's pirates are three swashbucklers from Tampa Bay: Jeff Garcia, Warrick Dunn, and Joey Galloway. These "weather beaten" Buccaneers have their swagger back, and the offense features three of the top waiver options for Week 7. Garcia worked his magic Sunday against the Panthers while a re-born Dunn continues to conjure up visions of the late '90s version of the Bucs offense. Throw in the return of the playmaker, Galloway, and this week in Autumn belongs to the plundering Buccaneers.

On to the waiver wire, where we'll continue to try to emphasize bye week solutions this week. Here's how I rank the likely targets at each position this week. Full writeups of each player are below.


QUARTERBACKS
1. Jeff Garcia
2. Matt Ryan
3. Seneca Wallace
4. Chad Pennington
5. Brad Johnson
6. Dan Orlovsky

RUNNING BACKS
1. Sammy Morris
2. Dominic Rhodes
3. Warrick Dunn
4. Cedric Benson/Kenny Watson
5. Ryan Torain
6. Derrick Ward
7. Ahman Green
8. Maurice Morris

WIDE RECEIVERS
1. Joey Galloway
2. Devin Hester
3. Kevin Walter
4. Donnie Avery
5. Donte Stallworth
6. Kevin Curtis
7. Greg Camarillo
8. Bobby Wade

TIGHT ENDS
1. Vernon Davis
2. Billy Miller

DEFENSES
1. Texans