Let's take a look at some of the biggest movers in free agency from a fantasy football perspective:

DONE DEALS
RB Steven Jackson (Falcons) – Atlanta was the ideal spot for Jackson to land the whole time. It appeared that the Packers were going to land the top free agent running back, especially after Tony Gonzalez decided not to retire. With the Falcons Jackson will not only have a chance to make some big plays, but will be involved in the passing game. Expect his TD total to rise significantly in the season ahead. He may very well have just cracked my top 10 at running back heading into 2013 fantasy drafts.

QB Matt Cassel (Vikings) – It didn’t take long for Cassel to find a new home after he was finally officially cut by the Chiefs. Minnesota was rumored to have interest when Kansas City dealt for Alex Smith and as it turns out those rumors were legit. Cassel will provide veteran insurance/tutelage to Christian Ponder. His he has no fantasy value.

PLAYERS TO WATCH
WR Greg Jennings – Jennings was hoping to command $10-$11 million per season on the free agent market, but reality is starting to sync in for the 29-year old. It appears as if his options are down to Minnesota and resigning with the Packers. Jennings spent Thursday night with the Vikings’ brass and is likely to make a decision in the next 24-48 hours.

WR Nate Washington – Tennessee is trying to deal Washington, but with a soft market the team is more likely to simply release him. He’s set to make $4.2 million this season the Titans’ staff didn’t like his effort down the stretch of last season.  He has enough talent to be a nice complimentary piece in the right system.

QB Kevin Kolb – Kolb is due a $2 million roster bonus on Saturday and expectations around the league are that he will be cut by the Cardinals. Arizona brought in Drew Stanton and appeared poised to draft a quarterback. The Jets are one of the teams that could be a potential landing spot if he is indeed released.

QB Jason Campbell – The Browns, Jets and Bears are the three favorites for the 31-year old signal caller. He was a backup in Chicago last season and is likely going to stay one the rest of his career. He would compete for the job in Cleveland where the new regime is lukewarm on second-year signal caller Brandon Weeden.

TE Dustin Keller – The visit Miami did not yield an agreement as the Dolphins were only willing to offer the one-dimensional tight end a 1-year deal. The Giants and Bills remain possible destinations.

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It didn’t take long for Andy Reid to upgrade his quarterback position in Kansas City as the Chiefs has sent this year’s 2nd round pick and a conditional third-round selection to San Francisco in exchange for Alex Smith, the former No. 1 overall pick, according to FOXSports.com’s Jay Glazer.

The move won’t be made official until the new league calendar year begins on March 12.  This is the first of many big moves in what should be a very active and interesting NFL offseason.

While Smith is an upgrade over incumbent Matt Cassel, who’s expected to be released, he’s not a very dynamic or explosive playmaker. His accuracy and ability to manage a game though could prove to be a nice fit for the West Coast Offense Reid is going to implement.

The 49ers make out well in the deal landing the 34th overall pick in this year’s draft. That now gives the team five or the draft’s first 93 picks.  With a young defense and Colin Kaepernick ready to explode the reigning NFC champs are only going to get better.

If the Chiefs keep wide receiver Dwayne Bowe on the roster by using the franchise tag as expected, the passing game suddenly has some life to along with an explosive rushing attack led by Jamal Charles.

The trade means the end of the Cassel Era in Kansas City. Ironically, the Chiefs gave up a pretty similar amount in a 2009 trade to acquire the Patriots’ backup. ESPN's Adam Schefter tweets to "look for Matt Cassel to be one of the quarterbacks on the Cardinals' radar. Cassel also will receive interest from other teams."

It’s not the first time that Chiefs have turned to a former 49ers quarterback for a quick fix at the position either. Smith joins the likes of Joe Montanta, Steve Bono and Elvis Grbac as quarterbacks to arrive in Kansas City with 49ers’ action on their resumes.

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The offseason news fodder continues to build as NFL teams gear up for what lies ahead. Here’s a look at some of the latest news from around the league:

CHIEFS MAKING MOVE FOR QB
New head coach Andy Reid is already creating a buzz in Kansas City and it appears as if he’s ready to upgrade his quarterback situation. According to USA Today the team has yet to offer incumbent starter Matt Cassel a contract offer with a pay cut and they are prepared to release veteran. The paper also indicated that the Eagles and Chiefs talked about a trade involving former Reid pupil Nick Foles.  Yahoo Sports reports the Chiefs also appear to be the most interested team in Alex Smith, and are unlikely to use the No. 1 pick on a quarterback.

PANTHERS LEANING TOWARDS KEEPING WILLIAMS
The Charlotte Observer reports that Panthers want to keep their highly-paid, backfield tandem intact.  The team has already extended Jonathan Stewart’s contract last August and many speculated that they would part ways with DeAngelo Williams, 29, after June 1 to save on the cap hit.  It now appears the team will opt to keep Williams at his current $5 million ($8.2 million cap hit) deal for this year or potentially restructure the deal.  Ankle issues shortened Stewart’s 2012 campaign and Williams took of advantage with a big finish, including a franchise-record 210 yards in Week 17 against the Saints.

AUSTIN COULD BE CAP CASUALTY
Injuries and inconsistent production have plagued wide receiver Miles Austin over the past couple seasons and now the Cowboys are considering cutting the former Pro Bowler. ESPN’s Adam Schefter referred to Austin as the “most interesting potential salary-cap casualty in coming days” in a Saturday morning tweet.  Dallas desperately needs to create some cap room and the team can save $3.6 million by releasing Austin. It is unclear whether or not the team has offered his a restructured deal or not. Austin has battled leg injuries but did manage to catch 66 balls for 943 yards and six TD’s in 15 games a year ago.

BIG THINGS EXPECTED FROM LESHOURE
Lions head coach Jim Schwartz spoke highly of second-year running back Mikel Leshoure at the NFL combine on Thursday. "He flashed enough highs that gives us optimism that he can (be explosive), but he also had enough inconsistency to say that he's not there yet," Schwartz told DetroitLions.com. "We still have high hopes for him and expect him to make a big jump”.  After missing his rookie campaign due to a torn Achilles’ tendon, Leshoure finished with 1,012 total yards, including 798 rushing (3.7 ypcs), to go along with nine touchdowns.

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Week Two showed us just how unpredictable the NFL is, and just how inconsistent performances can be. For this reason, bench depth is vital, and making moves is even more vital. Don't sit on your hands and miss out on that key player, who can help you down the stretch. Some may have an impact, and some may not, but engage, and get to that waiver wire. With that said, here are some key players that may reside on your waiver wire:

QB
Matt Cassel, KC - He went undrafted in many leagues, including a fair amount of 12-team leagues. But his matchup this week is too good to pass up going against the New Orleans defense which coughs up points to everyone.

Kevin Kolb, ARI - Much like Cassel, Kolb went mostly undrafted but now finds himself under center for one of 6 undefeated teams in the NFL. His stats are less than stellar with only 2 passing TDs (and one rushing TD), but for depth, he's still better than a Brandon Weeden-type of QB3.

RB
Andre Brown, NYG - Ahmad Bradshaw got hurt and Brown stepped in and put up good fantasy numbers. Bradshaw is questionable for Week 3, and if he doesn't play I like Brown as a fringe starter/flex.

Mikel Leshoure, DET - The team welcomed him back from his two-week suspension on Monday. While Leshoure doesn’t help much in the passing game, many expect him to have a big role right out of the gate for the Lions. It’s worth grabbing to see how things unfold, but it may be risky putting him your lineup right out of the gate.

WR
Mohammed Massaquoi, CLE - Massaquoi, not Greg Little is proving to be the go to receiver in Cleveland. That's still not a juggernaut position from a fantasy perspective but he does 15 targets over the first two weeks. I like Massaquoi the most amongst the Cleveland receivers at this point although he's still not a starter, until I see more from Brandon Weeden against actual defenses, instead of the Bengals.

Donnie Avery, IND - With Austin Collie out, Andrew Luck has targeted Avery 18 times thus far. He's a sneaky type of player in fantasy, and always has been. In deep leagues, you could do worse at WR3 or flex than Avery, but don't expect him to carry you to victory.

TE
Dante Rosario, SD - I'm putting Rosario on this list out of obligation only. He had 3 touchdowns last week and that can't be overlooked. But, if you expect anything close to that type of performance again from Rosario, you're setting yourself up for disappointment.

Kellen Winslow, NE - Aaron Hernandez is out for several weeks with an ankle injury and the Patriots have signed Winslow to fill their need in their 2-TE set. That will move all the focus to Gronk, and leave Winslow forgotten. I'd take a wait and see approach on Winslow at this point, but with his receiving abilities, he could be a great grab for fantasy owners in this offense. Do it now, before he goes off, especially if you have endless waiver moves.

Honorable mention (put on your watch list, but don't grab yet): Curtis Brinkley, RB SD

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INSIDE THE NUMBERS
Wide receiver Dwayne Bowe went from 15 touchdowns in 2010 to scoring just five times last season. While some of that can be attributed to injuries within the offense, Bowe still lacked the big-play ability he displayed just a year earlier.  He still managed nine more receptions and only three less yards than he did over the previous season. He’s a decent WR2, but owners should expect numbers somewhere in the middle.

SCHEDULE
The first five games are not an easy slate to start off against and the Chiefs will have little margin for error. The fantasy playoffs look promising though for owners that will look to utilize Chiefs as they play at Cleveland, at Oakland and at home to Indianapolis in Weeks 14-16.

STUD
Before suffering an ACL injury two weeks into the 2011 season Jamal Charles was one of the most coveted players by fantasy owners.  He averaged 6.4 yards per carry in 2010 while nearly topping 2,000 total yards of offense and appears to be at 100 percent entering 2012. He’s sliding into Round 2 of most drafts and based on upside could prove to be one of fantasy’s great values in the year ahead.

DUD
After a disappointing rookie season, the Chiefs are hoping for big things from Jonathan Baldwin entering his sophomore campaign. He missed the first six games a year ago with a thumb injury and by time returned the rest of the offense was so banged up Baldwin could never find his groove. The talent is there, but he’s still too raw and with the competition high for limited passing targets his ceiling is limited.

SLEEPER
Matt Cassel had a terrible 2011 campaign that was shortened by seven games due to a broken hand. However, in 2010 he threw a career-high 27 touchdowns for Kansas City. If he can stay healthy there are enough weapons surrounding him to suggest he could have a huge bounce back. The team’s conservative play calling still makes him a fantasy backup, but he could be a much better one than most expect.

NEW ADDITION
A year removed from the Madden Cover jinx Peyton Hillis looks for a fresh start in Kansas City. He’ll have a tough time getting a big workload with Charles healthy, but Hillis still figures to be used at the goalline and in short-yardage situations and is a more than capable receiver out of the backfield. Hillis is a great flex option and a low-end RB2 option in PPR formats.

POSITION BATTLE
It will be interesting to see how the tight end position evolves for the Chiefs as Tony Moeaki and Kevin Boss will battle it out for playing time. Both have shown flashes during their career to suggest they could be a worth fantasy contributor. However, with a near split expected it’s hard to envision either them being anything more than waiver wire fodder and bye week fillers.

BENCH BUILDER
With the offense is disarray last season, the versatile Dexter McCluster quietly put up some decent numbers.  Playing in hybrid role as a RB/WR he had 328 receiving yards on 46 catches and 521 yards on the ground on 102 carries.  He is going to continue to be used in Kansas City’s offense in this manner in the year ahead and if he’s running back eligible in your league he’s worth stashing, especially in PPR formats.

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All right it’s Tuesday and that means it time to hit the waiver wire. Here’s guys you should look at listed in the order I like them position-by-position.

PICKUP OF THE WEEK
QB Tim Tebow (DEN) - It doesn't look pretty, but Tim Tebow puts up fantasy points and now that John Fox has named him the starter following the team's bye don't hesistate to grab him up.

QB
Matt Cassel (KC) - perhaps I wrote off the Chiefs' passing game too early
Alex Smith (SF) - Jim Harbaugh is so good of a coach he actually has Smith producing

RB
Earnest Graham (TB) - nice spot play if LaGarrette Blount (knee) is sidelined
Delone Carter (IND) - only matter of time before he gets the majority of carries
Jackie Battle (KC) - could emerge in Chiefs' running game; temper expectations

WR
James Jones (GB) - getting more looks in football's best passing offense
Darrius Heyward-Bey (OAK) - starting to come into form and his fantasy value rising
Greg Little (CLE) - role getting ready to expand as Browns come out of bye week
Doug Baldwin (SEA) - I'm going to play the wait-and-see approach

TE
Jared Cook (TEN) - Targeted 15 times over past two weeks since Kenny Britt went out
Heath Miller (PIT) - could be worth look for a bye-week filler
Ben Watson (CLE) - Expect his production to rise as season continues

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QB Game Ball - Donovan McNabb, Washington - 26/49, 357, 1 TD, 1 INT
There were a few QBs who put up better numbers than McNabb on Sunday but none of them did it in such a hard fought victory. After a couple of sub-par performances against the Rams and Eagles, the Redskins needed to their veteran QB to step up and that's just what McNabb did. Washington ran for just 61 yards as McNabb led the air attack against a tough Packers team. Santana Moss caught seven balls for 118 yards while Anthony Armstrong nabbed the teams only TD on the day.

QB Honorable Mention - Alex Smith, San Francisco - 25/39, 309 yards, 3 TD, 2 Int (new offensive coordinator getting things right for 49ers.)

RB Game Ball - Ray Rice, Baltimore - 27 carries, 133 yards, 2 TD, 4 catches, 26 yards
It was only a matter of time for Rice and the Ravens to get back to running the ball. Sure, Joe Flacco looked good last year and Anquan Boldin was a nice pick-up, but the Ravens have built a reputation for pounding the ball and playing good D. And it has always worked well for them. This was Rice's first 100-yard performance of the season and it's not likely to be his last.

RB Honorable Mention - Matte Forte, Chicago - 22 carries, 166 yards, 2 TD (the more he touches the ball the better the Bears play.)

WR Game Ball - Hakeem Nicks, NY Giants - 12 catches, 130 yards, 2 TD
Nicks stepped up his game on Sunday in Houston in a big win for the Giants. Eli Manning threw for 297 yards while Steve Smith caught 89 of those and a third touchdown. Nicks not only leads his team in all receiving categories but is tops in the league amongst WRs with six touchdowns this season.

WR Honorable Mention - Malcolm Floyd, San Diego - 8 catches, 213 yards, 1 TD (who needs Vincent Jackson?)

Game Used Sock Award - Matt Schaub, QB, Houston - 16/34, 196 yards, 0 TD, 1 INT
Who are the Houston Texans? The team that won impressively against the Colts back in week one or the team that got whipped byt the Giants on Sunday? Sure, a pourous defense can take a lot of the blame. But Schaub and the offense could not move the ball against New York. Arian Foster had just 11 carries for 25 yards. Andre Johnson returned from an injury and had a nice game with 95 receiving yards. And that leaves Schaub. He is certainly a better QB than those numbers against the Giants indicate and the season is not lost for the Texans who are looking for their first playoff berth. But for now all Schaub gets is a pair of nasty game worn socks.

Stinky Sock Honorable Mention - Matt Cassel, QB, Kansas City - 16/29, 156 yards, 0 TD (so much for the undefeated Chiefs.)

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QB Game Ball - Carson Palmer, Cincinnati - 20/24, 233 yards, 5 TD, 0 INT
While quite a few QBs threw for more yards than Palmer on Sunday, nobody had FIVE TD passes. The Bengals have been winning thanks to an improved defense and running game. And the play from their star QB has been mediocre at best. But if Palmer has more games like he did against the Bears, this could really be a good year in Cincy.

QB Honorable Mention - Tony Romo, Dallas - 21/29, 311, 3 TD (just needed to find a guy open.)

RB Game Ball - Shonn Green, NY Jets - 19 carries, 144 yards, 2 TD
What's the best way for a team with a rookie QB to win a game? Run the football. And that's just what the Jets did versus the Raiders. Thomas Jones had a nice day with 126 yards and a score. But it was the rookie Green who stole the show with a breakout performance. The Jets have assembled a nice young offense with Green, Mark Sanchez and Braylon Edwards. You may be hearing a lot about them for years to come.

RB Honorable Mention - Cedric Benson, Cincinnati - 37 carries, 189 yards, TD (humiliated the team that drafted and later cut him

WR Game Ball - Miles Austin, Dallas - 6 catches, 171 yards, 2 TD
Miles Austin is not a fluke. Two weeks ago against the Chiefs he had 10 catches for 250 yards and scored twice. So, with some quick math, that is two games 16 receptions 421 yards and 4 TDs. He has clearly become the top WR for Romo and the Cowboys.

WR Honorable Mention - Chad Ochocinco, Cincinnati - 10 catches, 118 yards, 2 TD (yes, another Bengal, but 45 points against the Bears earns a few mentions.)

TE Game Ball - Owen Daniels, Houston - 7 catches, 123 yards, 1 TD
Daniels has clearly become one of the top TEs in the game. He leads all TEs with 497 yards and his five scores tie him with Visanthe Shiancoe. And, depending on the injury to Andre Johnson, his workload could increase in the Texans offense.

TE Honorable Mention - Vernon Davis, San Francisco - 7 catches, 93 yards, 3 TD (all the scores came from Alex Smith.)

The Game Used Sock Award - Matt Cassel, Kansas City - 10/25, 97 yards, 1 TD, 3 INT
I am not sure who it was, but someone on one of the pre-game shows this morning picked the Chiefs to upset the Chargers. It really wasn't a bad call for the upset. San Diego has looked shaky this season and it's an intra-division game - anything could happen. Plus, the Chiefs showed some promise with their win against the Redskins last week (okay, they stink too.) But Cassel hasn't been too bad in recent weeks and he hadn't thrown an interception in the last four games. But that all changed against the Chargers. Cassel looked like the guy that most people thought he would look like outside of the Patriots offense. And so he gets to go home wearing his stinky socks. And if you can tell me who it was that picked the Chiefs to win that game, I'll send him one of the socks I wore today.

Stinky Sock Honorable Mention - Derek Anderson, Cleveland - 12/29, 99 yards, 0 TD, 1 INT (gets a sock every week until Quinn takes over - then he gets it.) 

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Catch me every Thursday at 4:30 p.m. on 1530 Homer (1530AM) w/Mo Egger:

MANAGING THE SITUATION
(Weekly tip to manage your fantasy team)

GO WITH THE GUNS: You drafted players that high for a reason! It’s pretty hard to prognosticate what is going to happen in Week One of the NFL season. Don’t over think it! There’s no reason to bench guys that you drafted with your first few picks before they’ve even played a snap as a member of your fantasy team.

LINE-UP LOCKS
(Who to put in and who to keep out of line-up…not meant to be Tom Brady and Adrian Peterson types)

LOCK ‘EM IN
RB Fred Jackson (at NE) – With Marshawn Lynch serving the first of his three-game suspension expect Fred Jackson to take full advantage of his opportunity. He finished the 2008 season with 136 yards against the Patriots, who have had a high amount of turnover heading into ’09. I am not expecting him to run for as many yards this time around, but 90 yards and a score seem likely.

WR Anthony Gonzalez (vs JCK) – Look for Peyton Manning to establish Gonzalez early and often against a Jaguars’ defense that is a shell of its former self.

LOCK ‘EM OUT
QB Jay Cutler (at GB) – The jury is still out on Cutler and what his fantasy impact will be in the Windy City, but his Week One match-up vs. the Packers on Sunday Night Football at Lambeau Field is one that doesn’t sound appealing. He’s a borderline starting option at best.

TE Vishante Shiancoe (at CLE) – The Browns only allowed 3.5 receptions to tight ends a year ago and tied with three other teams for the fewest touchdowns allowed to the position. I thought Shiancoe was a bit overhyped leading into the season and I am not crazy about his outlook this week.

FANTASY INFIRMARY
(A few key injuries for owners to keep their eyes on)

WR Anquan Boldin (hamstring) – been limited this week, but expecting to play. He’s worth keeping an eye on.

RB Pierre Thomas (knee) – was not able to participate in a full practice on Thursday and it is looking more and more likely he won’t play on Sunday. Reggie Bush will see a heavy load with Mike Bell getting into the mix if he’s out.

QB Matt Cassel (knee) – appears he will try to play despite not being 100 percent. With a trip to Baltimore ahead stay away from the Chiefs’ fantasy options altogether if possible.

WIRE WATCH
(Next week’s hot free agent pick-ups today)

QB Shaun Hill (SF) – scored two or more touchdowns in six of the nine games he played in last season.

RB Justin Forsett (SEA) – will get more looks than people realize in the Seahawk’s running back-by-committee.

TE Anthony Fasano (MIA) – With David Martin out for the season, Fasano will emerge as a legitimate fantasy starting tight end.

LISTEN TO WEEK 1 SEGMENT ON-DEMAND

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When Tom Brady went down last season, the Patriots were left for dead. However, backup Matt Cassel emerged by throwing 21 touchdowns and led New England to a 11-5 record.

Cassel was particularly impressive down the stretch, throwing for 14 of his scores and posting three 300-yard performances (two over 400 yards) over the team's final seven games.

The Patriots thought enough of Cassel to place the franchise tag on him. However, when it became clear that Brady was going to be ready for the start of the 2009 campaign the team dealt him to Kansas City along with veteran linebacker Mike Vrabel for the Chiefs' second-round draft pick.

He recently inked a six-year, $63 million deal that has $28 million in guaranteed money and will pay him $40.5 million over the next three seasons.

While I am not totally dismissing that Cassel has potential, I am going to recommend staying clear of him if possible. Here are some reasons why:

NEW COACH - Todd Haley, the Chiefs' new head coach, is the former Cardinals offensive coordinator and has worked in the Cowboys' organization too. He is expected to use a ton of shotgun formations like Cassel excelled in last season, but the overall system is different and will take time to adjust to. Kansas City retained Chan Gailey, who is more of a smashmouth football type of guy, so some sort of hybird system is possible. Either way I am thinking some adjustment time should be expected.

KC FAR FROM NEW ENGLAND - Aside from the coach, the entire persona of the Chiefs is different than that of the Patriots. In New England, everyone is just an interchangable part of a bigger puzzle. Meanwhile, in Kansas City coaches and personnel have continued to turnover over the past decade as the franchise hasn't won a playoff game in that span. Cassel will have to be the man here.

GONZO GONE - I still can't figure out what the Chiefs were thinking when they sent tight end Tony Gonazlez to Atlanta. He was by far the team's best weapon in the passing game and coming off a monster season. His departure takes some of the luster off of Cassel finding a home and locking down a starting job.

FEW WEAPONS - Outside of Dwayne Bowe, the Chiefs have few options for Cassel to throw to. Mark Bradley has never amounted to much and newcomer Bobby Engram is merely a role player at best. Larry Johnson (who I am not crazy about either) is a big question mark at running back too.

BRUTAL SCHEDULE - While they may get the Broncos twice, the rest of the Chiefs' slate is less than appealing. They have two match-ups with the Ravens and Steelers and play the entire NFC East.

***

FINAL TAKE - Cassel may have a starting NFL job, but he should still be looked at more as a high-end fantasy backup until he proves that it was him and not the system that led to 2008's success. I would draft him accordingly in the mid-rounds of your draft. Chances are though, based off last year's effort more than one owner in your league will overpay to get him.

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