Category: Fantasy Football (Page 320 of 324)

QUARTERBACKS

Trent Dilfer, CLE – Dilfer tore up a weak Packer secondary for 336 yards and three touchdowns. Don’t expect numbers like this every week, but with a talented group of receivers, he could be a good backup this season.

RUNNING BACKS

Travis Henry, TEN – If Henry is somehow available in your league, now would be the time to pick him up. Chris Brown sat out the second half with a concussion and his status for Week 3 is uncertain.

Mewelde Moore, MIN – Another guy probably not on your waiver wire, but make sure. With Michael Bennett getting benched after two fumbles, this might be the opportunity Moore and his owners have been waiting for.

Derrick Blaylock, NYJ – It appears that Curtis Martin might miss next week’s game with a knee injury, so if you have room on your roster and need RB help, Blaylock would be a nice addition with good upside.

Ron Dayne, DEN – Dayne carried the ball eight times for 44 yards, backing up starter Mike Anderson. The bigger story is that Tatum Bell didn’t get any work. Is Dayne rising on the depth chart? Only HC Mike Shanahan knows for sure, but Dayne’s value would skyrocket if he were to get 15-20 carries a game.

WIDE RECEIVERS

Travis Taylor, MIN – Minnesota’s passing game has yet to get on track, but Taylor shined Sunday with seven catches for 75 yards. He might be available in 10-team leagues and is worth a roster spot.

Bobby Engram, SEA – In his second straight solid outing, Engram caught five balls for 77 yards and is especially valuable in leagues that reward one point per reception.

Samie Parker, KC – The Chiefs’ #2 WR has caught five passes for 109 yards in the first two games and is worth a look for owners in deeper leagues (12+ teams) looking for WR help.

TIGHT ENDS

Steve Heiden, CLE – QB Trent Dilfer seemed very comfortable with Heiden on Sunday as the duo hooked up six times for 104 yards and two touchdowns. Heiden would make a good backup for a fantasy squad looking for TE depth.

When the Vikings dealt Randy Moss to the Raiders, many thought Daunte Culpepper’s numbers would fall. Coming off a monster 39-TD performance last season, a repeat performance with Moss now in Oaklnad seemed unlikely. Still, nobody could’ve expected what’s happened to C-Pep and the Vikings through two games. After throwing three picks and fumbling twice in a week-one loss to the Bucs, Culpepper tossed five interceptions in an ugly 37-8 loss to the Bengals this week. Of course, Culpepper’s atrocious start hasn’t hurt as much in leagues that don’t count interceptions, but the Minnesota QB has yet to throw for a touchdown (he did run for one against the Bengals) and his complete inability to get new #1 receiver Nate Burleson involved in the offense (6 catches, 93 yards through two weeks) has Culpepper and Burleson owners sweating bullets. (And rightfully so, according to G, who says the Vikings suck.)

Not to be outdone, Detroit QB Joey Harrington matched Culpepper’s pick party by throwing five interceptions of his own while leading the Lions to an embarrassing 38-6 loss to the Bears Sunday. The Lions as a team looked pathetic in Chicago, with RB Kevin Jones managing just 22 yards on 8 carries. Roy Williams hauled in an early 51-yard touchdown pass but that was Detroit’s lone highlight. When Jeff Garcia went down with a broken leg during the preseason, many tabbed Harrington as a potential sleeper as the unchallenged starter in Detroit’s high-octane offense. Through two games, though, Harrington looks like waiver-wire fodder and the Lions look overrated.

HEADLINERS

Donovan McNabb: 342 yards, 5 TD, 0 INT
While Culpepper and Harrington were busy throwing five interceptions, McNabb, whose status was up in the air all week following last Sunday’s chest injury, hit paydirt five times en route to a 42-3 pasting of the 49ers. McNabb was extremely efficient, completing 23 of 29 passes while connecting with TE L.J. Smith nine times and Terrell Owens five more.
ALSO: Trent Dilfer (336 yards, 3 TD, 0 INT), Carson Palmer (337 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT)

Thomas Jones: 20 carries, 139 yards, 2 TD; 2 catches, 19 yards
Rookie Cedric Benson got 16 carries, but most of his work came after the Bears had opened up a big lead over the Lions. If Jones keeps running like this, Benson won’t be starting in Chicago anytime soon. As the situation currently stands, Jones looks like a solid #2 back, with his next three games coming against the Bengals, Browns and Vikings.
ALSO: Stephen Davis (25 carries, 77 yards, 3 TD), Cadillac Williams (24 carries, 128 yards, 1 TD), Willie Parker (25 carries, 111 yards, 1 TD)

Terrell Owens: 5 catches, 143 yards, 2 TD
McNabb’s favorite target was L.J. Smith but T.O. was electric Sunday, scoring first on a 68-yard play and later on a 42-yarder. Nobody’s talking about Owens’ holdout anymore and he looks ready to once again challenge Randy Moss as the top receiver in football. Still worried about McNabb and T.O.’s on-field chemistry?
ALSO: Steve Heiden (6 catches, 104 yards, 2 TD), Chad Johnson (7 catches, 139 yards, 1 TD)

FLATLINERS

Jake Delhomme: 154 yards, 0 TD, 1 INT
Of course, no quarterback looked worse than Culpepper or Harrington this week, but Delhomme didn’t look much better. The Panthers beat the Patriots 27-17 but Stephen Davis deserves the credit. Delhomme’s looked rather ineffective the last two weeks, making him a shaky play at this point.
ALSO: Peyton Manning (122 yards, 0 TD, 1 INT), Drew Brees (175 yards, 0 TD, 1 INT), Culpepper, Harrington

Michael Bennett: 3 carries, 36 yards
Bennett looked good early, ripping off a 23-yard run in the first quarter, but then he lost two fumbles and was benched for the second half. This could be the opportunity Mewelde Moore owners were waiting for. The Vikings were down early so they didn’t run the ball all that much but Moore still got eight carries on the day compared to Bennett’s three and one for Moe Williams. Stay tuned.
ALSO: Jamal Lewis (10 carries, 9 yards; 4 catches, 32 yards), Corey Dillon (14 carries, 36 yards), Ronnie Brown (12 carries, 35 yards), Kevin Jones

Lee Evans (2 catches, 12 yards) and Eric Moulds (1 catch, 8 yards)
The Bills faced a tough Tampa defense so the low numbers aren’t all that surprising, but Sunday’s performance by Evans and Moulds proves just how unreliable all Bills receivers will be this year as long as J.P. Losman is throwing them the ball. Losman completed just 12 of his 29 attempts for 113 yards and actually sat out a fourth-quarter series in favor of backup Kelly Holcomb. Losman returned to finish the game but unless (until?) Holcomb takes over full time, Buffalo’s receivers are all marginal plays.
ALSO: Joey Galloway (0 catches), Andre Johnson (4 catches, 20 yards), Michael Jenkins (1 catch, 22 yards)

Every week, we suggest a few marginal players to start or bench based on their match-ups and situations. If you are still troubled by your fantasy roster this week, feel free to post a question on our Q&A.

First, let’s see how we did last week:

START

Tom Brady – 306 yards passing, 2 TDs
Mike Anderson – 4 carries, 5 yards (injured in first quarter)
Willie Parker – 209 total yards, 1 TD
Isaac Bruce – 3 catches, 61 yards, 1 TD

BENCH

David Carr – 70 yards passing, 3 INTs, 1 fumble, 40 yards rushing, rush TD
Reuben Droughns – 100 total yards
Rod Smith – 7 catches, 90 yards
Ashley Lelie – 2 catches, 17 yards

On to this week’s picks:

START

QB – Carson Palmer
Palmer is coming off of a fine game against the Browns and faces a questionable Minnesota defense this week. I expect that the Vikings offense will bounce back, so this should be a high scoring affair.

RB – Ahman Green
There may be a few owners out there considering benching Green this week. Don’t do it. He’s facing the Browns and Javon Walker is out for the year, which means he’ll even be a bigger part of the gameplan.

WR – Eddie Kennison
With the Chiefs playing the Raiders, this is the week to start Kennison. Just like the CIN/MIN matchup, this one should be a high scoring affair.

BENCH

QB – Chad Pennington
The Jets QB had a horrible game last week and struggled with velocity on his throws. This week, he’s facing a tough Miami pass defense – bench him.

RB – Carnell Williams
The rookie blew up last week for 148 yards rushing, but this week he’s facing a tough Bill defense that shut down Domanick Davis last week. Bench him if you have decent RB depth.

WR – Eric Moulds / Lee Evans
Buffalo didn’t throw much last week and Losman was efficient but not terribly impressive at QB. The Bills are going up a against a stout Tampa Bay defense, who made Daunte Culpepper look like a fool last week.

KEY INJURIES

Jamal Lewis – P
Kyle Boller – O
Cedric Benson – Q
Lee Suggs – Q
Mike Anderson – Q
Jason Hanson – Q
Javon Walker – O (for season)
Dallas Clark – Q
Mewelde Moore – Q
Duce Staley – Q
Jerome Bettis – Q
Eric Johnson – Q
John Hall – Q

The waiver wire is a great place to strengthen your team, especially early in the season. Each week we’ll break down the wire and point out a few players that you might want to add to your squad.

QUARTERBACKS

Drew Bledsoe, DAL: 226 yards, 3 TDs
If you protect him, he will perform. Don’t expect numbers like this every week, but with several offensive weapons, Bledsoe would make a good backup as long as the Cowboys can give him solid protection.

Joey Harrington, DET: 167 yards, 2 TD
The offensive line doesn’t look very good, but Harrington was reasonably efficient against the Packers. He’s another guy benefiting from a nice surrounding cast and should make a decent backup.

Others:

Gus Frerotte, MIA: 275 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT
This may be an aberration, but Frerotte looked good running the Miami offense against a relatively good Denver defense.

Trent Dilfer, CLE: 278 yards, 1 TD, 2 INTs
Cleveland looks like they may be playing from behind a lot this year, and Dilfer will have an opportunity to air it out to a nice receiving corps.

Tim Rattay, SF: 165 yards, 2 TDs
Rattay was efficient for the 49ers, but with emerging WRs Brandon Lloyd and Arnaz Battle, he might have some big days.

Anthony Wright, BAL: 214 yards, 1 TD, 2 INTs
With Boller out for a bit, Wright will finally get his chance to shine in Baltimore. Let’s see what he can do with a week to prepare.

RUNNING BACKS

Assuming Tatum Bell, Willie Parker and Stephen Davis are not available in your league, there doesn’t appear to be a whole lot of immediate help at the RB position on the WW this week.

Others:

Frank Gore, SF: 38 total yards
Most reports indicate that Barlow had a very bad outing, so move Gore up a tick and add him if you have room (and don’t need help at another position).

Brandon Jacobs, NYG: 39 yards, 1 TD
Looked good during his six carries and appears to be the goal line back for the Giants. A must add if available and Tiki Barber is one of your starters.

WIDE RECEIVERS

Joey Galloway and Antwaan Randle-El may be available in some leagues, but here are three guys that are likely on your league’s waiver wire:

Robert Ferguson, GB: 1 rec., 4 yards
With Javon Walker’s season-ending knee injury, Ferguson steps into the #2 WR position in GB, which is usually good for 60+ catches and 850+ yds. He should make a very solid #3 WR.

Arnaz Battle, SF: 5 rec., 59 yards, 1 TD; -3 rushing yards; 27 passing yards
A former QB, Battle threw, ran and caught the ball Sunday. Until TE Eric Johnson fully returns from his injury, he and Lloyd appear to be the only viable options for the 49ers in the passing game.

Patrick Crayton, DAL: 6 rec., 89 yards, 1 TD
Also a former QB, Crayton is in his second year, had a fine preseason and carried it over to Sunday. He is listed as the #3 WR behind Keyshawn Johnson and Terry Glenn, and with the recently added Peerless Price waiting in the wings, it is tough to gauge Crayton’s value going forward.

Others:

Bobby Engram, SEA: 8 rec., 79 yards
With the departure of Koren Robinson, Engram moves into the #2 WR role behind Darrell Jackson. Engram will probably have a lot of games like the one he had on Sunday.

Frisman Jackson, CLE: 8 rec., 128 yards, 1 TD
Those are eye-popping numbers, but it will be tough for Jackson to repeat playing behind Antonio Bryant, Dennis Northcutt and rookie Braylon Edwards. Keep an eye on him.

TIGHT ENDS

Marcus Pollard, DET: 5 rec., 58 yards, 1 TD
If teams try to double-cover Roy Williams and Charles Rogers on the outside, Pollard will make a living this year over the middle. Still, don’t expect numbers like this every week with all the offensive weapons in Detroit.

Chris Baker, NYJ: 7 rec., 124 yards, 1 TD
Everyone thought Doug Jolley would be the guy for the Jets, but it was Baker who shined on Sunday. He was one of the only bright spots on a rather dismal day for the Jets.

Others:

Jerramy Stevens, SEA: 3 rec., 41 yards
Possibly still available in your league, Stevens appears to have locked up the starting TE position in SEA.

Ben Watson, NE: 2 rec., 55 yards
Watson started Thursday night on fire, but then wasn’t heard from the rest of the night. He looks like he is very talented, but with the way the Patriots spread the ball around, it’s tough to say how many targets he will get week to week. At the very least, he’s the best TE option in NE.

Ben Troupe / Erron Kinney, TEN
Troupe caught four passes for 28 yards and a TD for the Titans, and he wasn’t even supposed to play. The other TE, Erron Kinney, caught five passes for 58 yards, so it’s clear that Tennessee plans to use their tight ends as their #2 option in the passing game.

Alex Smith, TB: 4 rec., 34 yards, 2 TD
Tampa Bay’s other rookie looks big, strong and fast and could emerge as the team’s #3 option in the passing game.

Courtney Anderson, OAK: 3 rec., 18 yards, 2 TDs
Anderson benefited from all the attention the Patriots gave to Randy Moss, Jerry Porter and Lamont Jordan. It’s unclear if he’ll get these types of looks game to game, but the guy is talented.

If you have any questions, feel free to post them in our Fantasy Football Q&A section.