Steve Smith is still listed as questionable, but he returned to field on Thursday and practiced again on Friday. This is a good sign that he’ll play against the Bucs, but be alert Sunday morning…Miami traded for Daunte Culpepper instead of signing free agent Drew Brees because Culpepper’s knee checked out better medically than Brees’ shoulder. Granted, the Saints have had an easier schedule than the Dolphins, but Brees has looked much better than Culpepper thus far…Laveranues Coles is questionable with a calf injury, but is expected to play according to the Newark Star-Ledger. If he is unable to go, the value of Jerricho Cotchery would jump, as he’d be the clear #1 option for Chad Pennington…It looks like the reign of Wali Lundy is coming to a close in Houston. Many thought that he might be this year’s Willie Parker, but HC Gary Kubiak said that “…what you’re going to see is Ronnie [Dayne] and Samkon [Gado]’s role get bigger and bigger as the weeks go on and on.” Ron Dayne has let down many a fantasy owner before, so it’s hard to get excited about his prospects in Houston. But Kubiak seems to really like what Dayne brings to the table. Samkon Gado has shown good production when he’s had the chance, so if Dayne blows another opportunity, Gado should pick up the ball and run with it, literally…Shaun Alexander missed practice this week, but is expected to practice today and is listed as probable. Alexander owners might want to add Maurice Morris to their roster if they haven’t already. This week isn’t a concern, but Alexander has had a good run the last few years without any major injuries, and it’s not smart to press your luck…Matt Jones missed practice yesterday with a groin injury and is listed as questionable for Sunday’s game against the Colts. If he’s unable to practice Friday, it will boost the values of Reggie Williams and Ernest Wilford, who will both have ample opportunity in Jones’ absence…Chris Brown was added to the injury report and is questionable with a toe injury. Expect Travis Henry and LenDale White to share the load if Brown can’t go…Clinton Portis is apparently ready to go against the Texans this week, and should not be limited…Brian Westbrook missed practice again on Thursday with soreness in his knee. I have a feeling that Westbrook owners will be waking up most Sundays wondering if he’s going to play. The key is for the Eagles to stay in the playoff hunt to keep the franchise from shutting him down for the rest of the season. I know it’s early, but it’s never too early to prepare a Plan B. Correll Buckhalter would carry most of the load if Westbrook is unable to go, and is a must-handcuff at this point…Trent Green hasn’t been given clearance to drive yet. Those expecting Green back anytime soon ought to readjust their expectations. It sounds like he’s still a ways away from hitting the field…T.J. Houshmandzadeh took part in individual drills (good sign) on Thursday, but did not practice with the team (bad sign). He suffered this knee injury in the preseason against the Packers, and hasn’t played since. He’s got a tough matchup against the Steelers this week, but the game is important, so don’t be surprised if he plays. It will likely be a Sunday morning decision…Troy Williamson is listed as questionable with a shoulder injury, but participated in back-to-back practices and should play Sunday. He faces the Bears, so avoid him if you can.
Author: John Paulsen (Page 826 of 937)
Every week in The Pregame, I’ll suggest a few players to start and a few to bench. These recommendations are based on that player’s strength of schedule (SOS) for that particular week or that player’s specific situation.
I’m a strong advocate of always starting your studs, so I won’t be telling you about Shaun Alexander’s tough matchup or how Peyton Manning and company will light it up against a bad defense. Anyone can make those calls. I’ll be discussing marginal fantasy starters – guys that can start for you, but only under certain circumstances. So let’s get to it.
START
For those of you thinking about jumping off the DAUNTE CULPEPPER bandwagon, grab a seat, at least for another week. It’s true, Pepper hasn’t looked very good the last couple of weeks, making a lot of Miami fans yearn for Drew Brees, but he has faced two tough defenses and, with this week’s matchup against the Titans, things are about to get a lot easier. Tennessee gave up an average of 269 yards and 1.5 TD through the air in the first two games, and has yet to pick off a pass. Most importantly, the Titans have only two sacks on the year, so Daunte should be able to survey the field for minutes at a time, as he’s so fond of doing. If the Miami offense can’t do it this week, they may never get it together…Neither guy is dependable, but JON KITNA and MARK BRUNELL have great matchups this week against the Packers and the Texans, respectively. If you’re dealing with a disappointing, marginal QB as your starter (I’ve got Jake Plummer and Trent Green on one team), these guys should make good fill-ins this week…Look for JAMAL LEWIS and WILLIS MCGAHEE to have solid weeks. They face the Browns and Jets, respectively. The Browns have given up 316 rush yards and 2 TD on the ground in the first two games, while the Jets have allowed 233 and 4 TD on the ground thus far…DERRICK MASON should also be productive against the Browns, who have given up 246 yards per game through the air…Suffice to say, ANTONIO BRYANT is becoming a must-start, but be sure to insert him into your lineup this week as he’ll face an Eagles defense that has yielded 245 pass yards and 2 TD per game this season. They are also without Jevon Kearse, which will hurt their pass rush. For the same reasons, ALEX SMITH is a nice start this week.
BENCH
If you have a good alternative, this would be a good week to give DREW BREES a seat on the bench. He’s facing a tough Falcons defense that has picked off four passes and has yet to give up a TD through the air. Brees is on a roll, so if you’re other options aren’t good, stick with the hot hand…REUBEN DROUGHNS is going to find the going quite tough against the Ravens, who lead the league in rushing yards allowed (33 per game)…Unless JOSEPH ADDAI is involved in the passing game, I doubt he’ll find much success as he faces a Jacksonville defense that has given up just 57 rush yards per game on the ground…LAVERANUES COLES is off to a great start, but has been hampered this week with a calf injury. He’s questionable, so keep an eye on this situation this weekend. If you have another good option, it might not be a bad game to sit him as he faces a pretty tough Bills defense this week. Plus, Buffalo shouldn’t score much, so the Jets probably won’t be in catch up mode the entire game.
Look for all the injury information later today, in The Update.
This, of course, is a headline from the good folks over at The Onion. The article is hilarious – here are a few excerpts:
“During my time at USC, I managed not only to carry a full 12-unit course load every semester while playing Division I football, but I also worked as many as 15 simultaneous work-study jobs that allowed me the opportunity to provide food, clothing, and shelter for my family with a little spending money left over,” Bush said, reading from a prepared statement at the Saints training facility. Bush also added that, on average, the university’s work-study jobs paid $6.50 an hour. “I did not, I repeat, did not earn a dime for my play on the field.”
Bush added: “I used the same focus, intensity, and relentless effort to shelve over 450,000 books as a librarian’s assistant at the East Asian Library, Gerontology Library, and Hoose Library Of Philosophy that I did to help lead the Trojans to the 2004 national championship.”
“Whenever I would show a clip and the sound wouldn’t work, it was always Reggie who would sprint the 40 yards from the audio-visual center in 4.2 seconds flat,” said history professor Niles Langford. “And since I’m a real dumbbell with these electronics, believe me, he earned his money.”
Bush said that he was able to purchase a 45-inch high-definition flat-screen television, rent his posh downtown apartment, and buy his friends the newest pair of Air Jordans by “working [his] butt off at the Carl’s Jr. in the student union, taking lecture notes for disabled students six times a week, and working the Sunday-morning shift as a security guard at Trojan Hall.”
“Reggie paid strict attention to those who entered and exited the dorm, making sure the guest policy was upheld and honored,” said dorm supervisor Alex Valinsky. “Under his watch, nearly 17,000 guest violations were recorded.”
“Easily a school record,” Valinsky added. “Better even than O.J.’s work guarding faculty parking.”
The biggest charge against Bush—the question of his family’s ability to move from their small San Diego apartment to a $757,000 home in Spring Valley during Bush’s junior year—could, according to Bush, be explained by his “cushy” job in the Student Activities Office, which Bush admits was “pretty easy,” saying he “literally did nothing for $11 an hour.”
“When I find the shoebox with all of my time sheets and pay stubs, I will be vindicated of any wrongdoing,” Bush’s statement concluded. “Unfortunately, most of these hundreds of boxes seem to contain new pairs of shoes, but they have to turn up sooner or later.”
The Onion always manages to make the absurd even more absurd.
In the last half of August, Daunte Culpepper’s Average Draft Position (ADP) at Antsports.com was 7.02, making him the eighth QB off the board, ahead of Jake Delhomme, Kurt Warner, Drew Bledsoe, Trent Green and Mike Vick.
Owners that drafted Culpepper were probably did so because of his 2004 season, one of the greatest statistical performances ever turned in by a QB. He threw for 4717 yards and 39 touchdowns against only 11 picks, yielding a stellar QB rating of 110.9. He also rushed for 406 yards and two scores. In 2003, he threw for 3479 yards and 25 scores against 11 picks, yielding a very good QB rating of 96.4. That season, he also rushed for 422 yards and four touchdowns.
From a performance fantasy perspective, Culpepper averaged a phenomenal 32.6 ppg in 2004 and a very good 24.4 ppg the year before. So it seemed reasonable to some that those numbers were within reach after he joined an up-and-coming Miami team with several good weapons – Ronnie Brown, Chris Chambers and Randy McMichael – to work with.
But, coming into the season, Culpepper’s value was held down by glaring problem – the 2005 season. Before suffering a brutal knee injury in Week 8, Culpepper (and his team) were off to one of the worst starts of his career. Not counting the game in which he got injured, he threw for a respectable 1536 yards, but only threw six touchdowns against 12 interceptions. This projects out to 4096 yards, 16 touchdowns and 32 interceptions. His QB rating for 2005 was 72.0, the worst of his career.
So what happened to Culpepper in 2005? Well, he lost his best WR, Randy Moss. Despite his good career completion percentage (64.2%), Culpepper isn’t all that accurate of a thrower. Many of the passes he completed to Moss were bombs, where he simply threw the ball up and Moss went and got it. Culpepper is a talented deep thrower, and he was at his best when he had Moss to throw to. Chris Carter’s phenomenal hands also had a positive effect on Culpepper’s career accuracy.
Thus far, in two games with the Dolphins, he’s thrown for 512 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions, which projects to 4096 yards, eight scores and 24 picks over the course of a full season. Only he might not make it through 16 games. He’s been sacked nine times in two games, and is holding the ball way to long in the pocket. With the knee injury limiting his mobility, he’s a statue back there. He’s never been a guy that was effective at buying himself time within the pocket – when the pressure came, he would either tuck the ball and run or he would quickly roll out of the pocket to make the throw. His mobility always had to be accounted for, so linebackers would cheat up in coverage to keep an eye on him. This opened up throwing lanes behind the LBs – lanes that are no longer there. He needs to adjust to his new reality and make decisions more quickly in the pocket. The days of him buying time with his feet are long gone.
In fairness, Culpepper has faced two tough defenses in Pittsburgh and Buffalo. I expect his numbers to improve over the next two weeks as he faces a porous Tennessee and Houston defenses. The Dolphins have designs on the playoffs and desperately need two wins against two subpar opponents to get back to .500. The remaining schedule isn’t exactly easy, and Culpepper will have to step up his play dramatically if the Dolphins hope to reach the postseason. Fantasy owners with Culpepper on their roster need to keep their fingers crossed.
According to ESPN, Billy Volek has been traded to the Chargers for a late-round draft pick, and will serve as the backup to Phillip Rivers. Considering how badly the Tennessee offense is looking, I’m not sure why they wouldn’t want to keep Volek around as an option, but it appears that if they grow tired of Kerry Collins, they’re ready to move forward with Vince Young…Steve Smith reportedly flew to Alabama to seek a second opinion on his hamstring. This is very bad news for Smith owners as it appears that the hammy is not healing as expected. Don’t be surprised if he misses more time. That sound you’re hearing is Drew Carter‘s stock slowly rising…T.J. Houshmandzadeh should be ready to go in Week 3. It’s time for Housh to strap ’em up.
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