Category: Fantasy Football (Page 282 of 324)

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QUARTERBACKS

Here is a list of players that may be available on your league’s waiver wire, in order of relative value:

Jon Kitna, Rex Grossman, Tony Romo, Alex Smith, David Carr, Trent Green, Chad Pennington, Phillip Rivers, Steve McNair, Matt Leinart, Aaron Brooks, Charlie Frye, Damon Huard, Brad Johnson, Seneca Wallace, Mark Brunell, J.P. Losman, Bruce Gradkowski, Vince Young, Joey Harrington

Tony Romo looked solid against a decent Panthers defense on Sunday night and should be a pretty good play going forward against the right defenses. He’ll struggle at times, but he has a load of weapons, so he should succeed against moderate to poor defenses…Seneca Wallace exceeded expectations and appears to be a good option for Matt Hasselbeck owners…Steve McNair returned and torched the Saints for three TD (two passing, one rushing). It’s hard to utilize McNair as anything more than a fill-in because he could get knocked out of a game at any time…Trent Green has been practicing and may return to the starting lineup this week, though Damon Huard has done a fine job of holding down the fort…Aaron Brooks is also getting closer to returning, and the Raider passing game could use a shot in the arm. There’s no guarantee that Brooks is the answer, however.

RUNNING BACKS

Wali Lundy, Leon Washington, Mike Bell, Travis Henry, Maurice Jones-Drew, Justin Fargas, Cedric Benson, DeAngelo Williams, Maurice Morris, Jerious Norwood, Michael Turner, Brandon Jacobs, Najeh Davenport

Wali Lundy has his second straight strong outing, turning 23 touches into 149 yards. He has proven he is the best back on the roster and should continue to get most of the touches. It’s important to keep in mind that Ron Dayne was seeing most of the short-yardage work…Mike Bell took advantage of Tatum Bell’s turf toe and rumbled for 136 yards on 15 carries. The other Bell was never able to get anything going. If Tatum continues to struggle with an injured toe, look for Mike to carry the load…DeAngelo Williams is getting close to returning and if DeShaun Foster can’t stay healthy, Williams will see an increase in value. If an impatient owner cut Williams after his injury, now would be a good time to pick him up…LaMont Jordan is struggling with a bad back, and wasn’t able to carry the full load on Sunday. Backs are notoriously dicey injuries, so if Jordan isn’t able to get it going, Justin Fargas will be the man, though the Raiders rushing offense has been pretty pathetic thus far.

WIDE RECEIVERS

Chris Henry, Doug Gabriel, Mike Furrey, Jerry Porter, Mark Clayton, Wes Welker, Eric Parker, Marty Booker, Bryant Johnson, Marcus Robinson

The Bengals activated Chris Henry this week and he made an immediate impact, catching five passes for 81 yards and a score. He is especially valuable as insurance for Chad Johnson or T.J. Houshmandzadeh owners…Doug Gabriel has grown into the #1 WR role for the Patriots. Over the last two weeks, he has caught eight passes for 128 yards and a score, becoming a decent spot starter for fantasy owners…Bryant Johnson was a big disappointment this weekend, catching only one pass for nine yards against a Green Bay defense that has been horrible against the pass. Things are very bad in Arizona and I don’t expect any of the players will be dependable fantasy starters in the near future.

TIGHT ENDS

Desmond Clark, Owen Daniels, Alex Smith, David Martin, Eric Johnson, Jerramy Stevens, Courtney Anderson

Desmond Clark and Owen Daniels both had huge games on Sunday and shouldn’t be on the waiver wire much longer…David Martin turned in a nice game for the Packers, picking up where Greg Jennings left off. As long as Jennings is out, look for Martin to get lots of looks from Brett Favre, who is willing to throw to anyone if they’re open (or even if they’re not).

After a slow start, the tight end position has caught fire over the past couple of weeks. Today, a number of TEs went off, including huge days from guys that probably weren’t even drafted in your league. Mike Vick continued his stellar play, while LJ and LT continue to battle for the right to call themselves the #1 RB in the league. But enough of the tease, let’s get right to today’s Headliners and Flatliners.

HEADLINERS

Michael Vick (291 pass yards, 3 TD, 55 rush yards)
Peyton Manning had nearly as good of a day, but Vick’s 55 rushing yards put him over the top in most fantasy leagues. Vick is hot as a pistol right now, throwing for seven TD in the last two games.

Honorable Mention: Peyton Manning (345 yards, 3 TD), Drew Brees (383 yards, 3 TD, 3 INT), Rex Grossman (252 yards, 3 TD), Steve McNair (159 pass yards, 2 pass TD, 23 rush yards, 1 rush TD), Marc Bulger (327 yards, 2 TD), Carson Palmer (266 yards, 2 TD), Seneca Wallace (198 yards, 3 TD, 2 INT), Damon Huard (312 yards, 1 TD), Brett Favre (180 yards, 1 TD, 1 rush TD)

Larry Johnson (41 touches, 181 yards, 4 TD), LaDainian Tomlinson (28 touches, 240 yards, 3 TD)
I can’t decide which of these players had the better day, so they both get Headliner status. Both players have lived up to whatever standards are placed on the #1 overall pick, so at this point in the season, you can’t say that either guy was a mistake when drafted 1.01 or 1.02.

Honorable Mention: Mike Bell (16 touches, 143 yards, 2 TD), Ahman Green (23 touches, 133 yards, 2 TD), Steven Jackson (21 touches, 139 yards, 1 TD), Thomas Jones (27 touches, 134 yards, 1 TD), Reuben Droughns (35 touches, 132 yards, 1 TD)

Reggie Wayne (10 rec, 138 yards, 3 TD)
I was all set to give this award to Marques Colston, but then Wayne went off in the late game. With Champ Bailey smothering Marvin Harrison all afternoon, Wayne was wide open on the other side of the field and took full advantage of his opportunities, helping the Colts win a big, big game in Denver.

Honorable Mention: Marques Colston (6 rec, 163 yards, 2 TD), Joe Horn (5 rec, 126 yards, 1 TD), Plaxico Burress (7 rec, 86 yards, 1 TD), Andre Johnson (9 rec, 78 yards, 1 TD), Chris Henry (5 rec, 81 yards, 1 TD), Chad Johnson (6 rec, 78 yards, 1 TD), Eddie Kennison (6 rec, 132 yards)

Owen Daniels (9 rec, 99 yards, 2 TD)
The rookie continues to impress. He had his biggest game of the season after Sage Rosenfels took over at QB for David Carr. He’s athletic, has good hands and is only going to get better. Tight end widely considered as one of the most difficult positions for a rookie to learn, so Daniels is off to a great start.

Honorable Mention: Desmond Clark (6 rec, 86 yards, 2 TD), Kellen Winslow (7 rec, 70 yards, 1 TD), Alge Crumpler (4 rec 72 yards, 1 TD), Tony Gonzalez (6 rec, 116 yards), David Martin (4 rec, 48 yards, 1 TD), Todd Heap (3 rec, 47 yards, 1 TD), Jerramy Stevens (3 rec, 20 yards, 1 TD)

FLATLINERS

David Carr (113 yards, 1 INT, 2 fumbles)
Carr was benched after an awful start where he turned the ball over three times. Sage Rogenfels came in and brought the Texans back into the game, throwing three TD in the process. It’s not clear what this means for Carr going forward, but he did have the second highest QB rating in the AFC coming into the game, so it’s tough to see the Texans benching him for good.

Dishonorable Mention: Donovan McNabb (161 pass yards, 37 rush yards), Chad Pennington (108 yards, 2 INT), Andrew Walter (51 yards, 1 INT), Bruce Gradkowski (139 yards, 1 fumble), Charlie Frye (141 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT), Matt Leinart (157 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT), Alex Smith (146 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT, 2 fumbles)

Tatum Bell (13 touches, 27 yards)
No RB had a worse day with a better matchup than Tatum Bell. The Colts are awful against the run, but it was Mike Bell that took advantage, rumbling for 143 yards and two scores. Tatum looked impatient and flustered and wasn’t hitting the hole with authority. Could we be seeing the makings of yet another RB controversy in Denver? Curse you and your wicked ways, Skeletor! (Speaking of Shanahan, can you think of a better Halloween costume? Just get a skeleton mask and a Broncos sweater and you’re all set!)

Dishonorable Mention: Deuce McAllister (7 touches, 19 yards), LaMont Jordan (7 touches, 21 yards), Travis Henry (15 touches, 29 yards), Reggie Bush (19 touches, 21 yards), Leon Washington (15 touches, 51 yards), Carnell Williams (13 touches, 54 yards)

Anquan Boldin (4 rec, 47 yards)
A number of big name WRs had less than mediocre days, but Boldin squandered the best matchup against a Packers defense that has been very suspect against the pass. Even though Marvin Harrison, Torry Holt and Laveranues Coles all had crappy days, Boldin’s pathetic line takes the cake.

Dishonorable Mention: Marvin Harrison (5 rec, 38 yards), Torry Holt (5 rec, 48 yards), Laveranues Coles (4 rec, 40 yards), Bryant Johnson (1 rec, 9 yards), Deion Branch (2 rec, 45 yards), Reggie Brown (1 rec, 13 yards), Reggie Williams (1 rec, 13 yards), Braylon Edwards (2 rec, 21 yards)

L.J. Smith (1 rec, 11 yards)
Smith and the rest of the Eagles’ offense battled the wind all day and were never able to get going against a Jaguars defense that has been inconsistent of late. Smith’s (and Shockey’s) play really hurt this week considering how most of the other TEs went off.

Dishonorable Mention: Jeremy Shockey (3 rec, 15 yards)

Be sure to check back Tuesday for the first half fantasy football awards, where I’ll run down the best players from the first eight weeks as well as highlight a few players that played great in the second quarter of the season.

After a crazy start to the season, the Contra Costa Time is reporting that Jerry Porter will play today, and likely start as he was practicing with the first-team offense the entire week.

Fantasy impact: Grab Porter if you have roster space. The Raiders pass offense isn’t very good, but Porter led the Raiders in receptions last season so he does hold value if he’s starting. I wouldn’t recommend putting him in the lineup yet, unless you are completely desperate for a starting WR.