The waiver wire is one of the most important tools in building a championship-caliber fantasy football team. Season in and season out, a number of hidden gems are unearthed from the free-agent rubble that help fantasy leaguers in their ultimate quest for a league title.
Here's our look at some of the top waiver-wire additions of the 2008 season.
| Top five | Quarterbacks | Analysis |
| 1. Kurt Warner 2. Matt Cassel 3. Tyler Thigpen 4. Chad Pennington 5. Matt Ryan |  | Warner was the hottest name on the waiver wire immediately after being named the No. 1 quarterback in Arizona. He went on to throw for over 4,800 yards and 30 touchdowns. Cassel had a slow start, but he thrived against lesser opponents down the stretch and helped countless fantasy owners to a title. The same holds true of Thigpen, who came out of nowhere to score 22 total touchdowns. Pennington and Ryan were also solid additions off the waiver wire in 2008. |
| Top five | Running backs | Analysis |
| 1. Steve Slaton 2. Pierre Thomas 3. Le'Ron McClain 4. Derrick Ward 5. Dominic Rhodes |  | Some considered Slaton to small to be a featured back, but he proved his critics wrong with 50 catches, 1,282 rushing yards and nine touchdowns. He'll be a coveted back next season. Thomas was a touchdown machine for owners, scoring nine touchdowns in a six-game span down the stretch. The Ravens backfield was a headache, but McClain still produced nice totals. Ward, who rushed for over 1,000 yards, and Rhodes also made a significant fantasy impact. |
| Top five | Wide receivers | Analysis |
| 1. Antonio Bryant 2. Lance Moore 3. Eddie Royal 4. Steve Breaston 5. DeSean Jackson |  | Bryant was inconsistent to start the season, but he exploded for 512 yards and four touchdowns in his final four games and led a lot of owners to a league championship. Moore came out of nowhere to score 10 touchdowns for the Saints -- that was twice as many as Marques Colston. Royal and Jackson proved that rookie wideouts can make a serious impact, both on the field and in fantasy land. Breaston was also a free-agent star with 77 catches and 1,006 yards. |
| Top five | Tight ends | Analysis |
| 1. John Carlson 2. Visanthe Shiancoe 3. Anthony Fasano 4. Zach Miller 5. Dustin Keller |  | The tight end position lost value this season, but there were still a few bright spots off the waiver wire. Carlson was the top free agent, finishing with 627 yards and five touchdowns. Shiancoe, who finished in the top five in fantasy points at the position on NFL.com, was still available in 42 percent of leagues at season's end. Fasano, Miller and Keller all made some noise, but none were consistent overall. |
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