Week Five byes: Carolina, Seattle, WashingtonAFC EAST
Buffalo — Despite solid overall play, the Bills haven’t had an especially
good fantasy defense in the past. They have been a zone team, which doesn’t lead to a
lot of interceptions. But the Bills played a lot more man-on-man vs. the Dolphins, and
Buffalo’s aggressiveness led to turnovers. If your current defense isn’t
producing, the Bills might be worth considering.
Indianapolis — RB Darick Holmes is expected to return from a leg injury
this week, but he will not cut into rookie Edgerrin James’ playing time.
WR E.G. Green (knee) is not expected to play. Jerome Pathon will start in
his place. Since the Colts have only three healthy receivers (Pathon, Marvin Harrison
and Terrence Wilkins), look for Peyton Manning to throw to James and TEs Ken
Dilger and Marcus Pollard more this week.
Miami — Rookie RB Cecil Collins will make his first start and is expected
to get the majority of the carries. J.J. Johnson is No. 2, and Karim Abdul-Jabbar
is No. 3. It may be time to drop Abdul-Jabbar.
Look for the Dolphins to make a concerted effort to get the ball to WR Tony Martin,
who was largely ignored Monday night.
New England — Rookie RB Kevin Faulk is expected to return this week. His
primary duties will be on kick returns, though he will spell Terry Allen at times.
Allen carried 21 times last week. That’s the maximum workload you can expect for him
this season.
N.Y. Jets — WR Wayne Chrebet, who’s been out all year with a broken
foot, could return for Monday night’s game. We don’t suggest starting him just
yet. QB Rick Mirer and Keyshawn Johnson seem to have found a comfort zone.
Chrebet’s return would only help Johnson.
AFC CENTRAL
Baltimore — Head coach Brian Billick appears to be swaying a bit from his
pass-first mode and could be pounding the ball a bit more with RB Errict Rhett’s
recent success.
Cincinnati — With rookie QB Akili Smith moving into the starting lineup
this week, all Bengals receivers lose fantasy value. Our advice is to stay away from WRs Carl
Pickens and Darnay Scott and TE Tony McGee this week. RB Corey Dillon
is worth consideration as a starter, but he has not gotten as many carries as he would
like to at this point in the season.
Jacksonville — RB Fred Taylor continues to be hampered by the
hamstring injury. He didn’t practice this week, so it’s a good bet that he
won’t do much on Monday night. That means James Stewart could be a good play.
When Taylor is not in the game, the offense struggles as a whole. WR Jimmy Smith,
who has hooked up with QB Mark Brunell for a lot of big plays the last couple of
years, isn’t nearly as effective when Taylor isn’t on the field. Teams can focus
more on Smith when they don’t have to worry about Taylor making a big play.
Pittsburgh — Despite the offense’s struggles in recent weeks, head coach Bill
Cowher believes Kordell Stewart & Co. are on the verge of snapping out of
it. We’ll believe it when we see it.
Tennessee — QB Steve McNair felt no pain after doing his first rehab work
since undergoing surgery to repair a ruptured disc in his lower back Sept. 19. "I
passed. I got into level one," McNair said of the 90-minute session. "I did the
exercises with no problems, no pain. Hopefully, in the next couple days I have no pain, no
soreness, and I can move on up."
AFC WEST
Denver — Derek Loville is the leading candidate to take over for the
injured Terrell Davis as the Broncos’ lead running back. But Loville pulled
his hamstring in practice this week and appears to be 50-50 for Sunday’s game vs. the
Raiders. If he can’t go, rookie Olandis Gary will probably get the bulk of the
carries. Gary may be worth a look in larger leagues, because he’s next in line if
Loville struggles or gets hurt.
Bubby Brister’s appearance in the starting lineup shouldn’t change
much for the Broncos’ receivers. That means you should still think of Ed McCaffrey
as a top-15 receiver, Rod Smith as a notch below McCaffrey and TE Shannon Sharpe
as a starting-caliber tight end.
Kansas City— Stay away from WR Andre Rison the rest of the season. It
appears he has been passed on the depth chart by Kevin Lockett, who has been
getting open a lot more often recently, and Joe Horn, who has TD catches in each of
the last two games. Neither Lockett nor Horn is a great option in fantasy leagues to this
point, although they may be worth considering in very deep or keeper leagues.
RB Bam Morris (hamstring) is again listed as questionable this week. Considering
Morris’ condition and the Chiefs’ banged-up offensive line, it’s best not
to play him this week.
Oakland — Tyrone Wheatley is now unquestionably the Raiders’ No. 1
running back. As a result, you should not start Napoleon Kaufman unless it is
absolutely necessary. Kaufman’s main role now is as a change-of-pace back and a
kickoff returner.
San Diego — Although QB Jim Harbaugh (ribs, elbow, concussion) practiced
Thursday and could have started this Sunday, head coach Mike Riley has decided
instead to start Erik Kramer against his former team and give Harbaugh an
additional week to heal. RB Natrone Means (ankle) hasn’t practiced this week
but should play. However, WR Mikhael Ricks (neck) was downgraded from questionable
to doubtful and probably won’t take the field vs. Detroit. If he can’t go, Chris
Penn would move into the starting lineup opposite Jeff Graham. If Ricks
doesn’t play, that may also open the door for TE Freddie Jones to get the ball
more often this week.
Seattle — On bye. WR Charles Jordan could return as soon as next week (Week
Six) vs. San Diego. He would step in as the No. 3 receiver, behind Sean Dawkins and
Derrick Mayes.
NFC EAST
Arizona — WR Rob Moore is listed as doubtful this week because of a
hamstring injury. Considering the QB problems in Arizona, and the fact that they are
facing a very solid Giants secondary, don’t risk playing Moore this week.
Dallas — If you have the Dallas defense, it might not be a bad idea to play
it this week. First, the Cowboys face the hapless Eagles offense. Second, they have Deion
Sanders back, who is always a threat to pick off a pass and take it all the way.
Third, the defense is making big plays that result in scores — DE Greg Ellis
has already scored two touchdowns this season.
N.Y. Giants — The Giants will be starting QB Kerry Collins this week
because Kent Graham is out with a concussion. Collins has plenty of incentive to
play well vs. the Cardinals, because if he lights it up out there, the starting job will
remain his. If he stinks, Graham will start in Week Six.
It may be a good week to play Gary Brown. The Giants were encouraged by his
performance last week. He gives the Giants the between-the-tackles running threat they had
been lacking. Considering that Cardinals DT Eric Swann is not expected to play
much, and DT Mark Smith is doubtful with a knee injury, Brown could be in store for
a big game.
Philadelphia — Nothing new to report on the QB scene. Doug Pederson
gets the start vs. the Cowboys but will probably be replaced at some point by rookie Donovan
McNabb.
NFC CENTRAL
Chicago — Look at Shane Matthews’ week-by-week numbers, and it’s
easy to see that the Bears’ starting quarterback hasn’t thrown downfield much.
He’s never thrown for more than 245 yards in a game, and his average yardage per
attempt is only 5.77, among the lowest in the league. Sure, he has six TD passes in four
games, but he’s not going to give fantasy owners many yardage bonuses, if any.
It’s not that the Bears haven’t tried to throw downfield with Matthews, he just
hasn’t completed many attempts. Matthews also checks off on plenty of downfield
passing opportunities.
Detroit — WR Herman Moore will most likely not play this Sunday vs.
San Diego. Moore, who sprained his left knee in the season opener Sept. 12, began running
Monday and took part in a few practice plays Thursday. But he said he wasn’t ready
enough. "If you’re asking me today, still I would not feel comfortable being in
there," Moore said. "Anytime anybody came near, the first concern I had was
hoping the person didn’t trip and fall against me." Head coach Bobby Ross
has been preparing for the Chargers with the mindset that Moore will need one more week of
rehab.
Green Bay — For those of you wondering whether to keep Antonio Freeman
in your lineup because he has only one touchdown in three games, take heed: Leave him
alone! His 17 receptions for 252 yards have him on pace for 90 catches and 1,344 yards.
And don’t think for a second that because his 17 receptions rank him 12th
in the NFC, the Packers haven’t been able to get him the ball. Freeman was the target
of nine passes in Week One and 17 in Week Two — and he played that game while ill.
True, teams are defending Freeman much as they have been Randy Moss, with a
cornerback playing him tight and a safety hovering over the top to eliminate the big play.
But Freeman remains an integral part of the Packers’ offense. Leave him alone!
Minnesota — The Vikings are trying to give Randy Moss more
responsibilities in the offense by moving him around and giving him more routes to run.
Entering the season, there was some concern that Moss, whose playbook was very limited
last season, wouldn’t be able to handle the load. But he has the football
intelligence to learn more things, and the Vikings are trying to take advantage of it. For
instance, on Moss’ second TD catch vs. the Buccaneers last Sunday, he was lined up as
the inside receiver of two slot receivers, matching him up with a linebacker. The result:
a 27-yard TD grab. Minnesota’s goal is to dictate matchups like that one rather than
have matchups dictated to them.
WR Cris Carter is questionable for the Bears game Sunday with a hip flexor. Said
head coach Dennis Green: "Certainly, it’s more sore than he realized it
would be. A lot is going to depend on how much loosening up takes place." Carter was
hobbled pretty good Thursday walking around. It will be a tough call whether he’ll
play or not, but he probably won’t be 100 percent anyway. Check your Sunday pregame
shows for further info.
Tampa Bay —The Buccaneers’ running game will be limited in what it can do
this week vs. the Packers. With TE Patrick Hape (concussion) expected to miss the
game, the Bucs won’t be able to use their elephant package, which has Hape, a solid
blocker, lined up in front of Mike Alstott. Hape suffered his second concussion in
two weeks on his first play from scrimmage vs. the Vikings last Sunday. This week the Bucs
will either call up rookie FB Kevin McCleod from the practice squad or simply use
more one-RB sets. Whatever the case, Alstott will probably have to make many of his yards
vs. the Packers on his own.
NFC WEST
Atlanta —Ken Oxendine takes over for Byron Hanspard (shoulder) at
running back this week, and Tony Graziani once again starts at quarterback after
having to leave last week’s game with a concussion.
Carolina — Panthers receivers are still out of sync and had their share of drops
again last week.
San Francisco — QB Steve Young will be inactive this Sunday, as Jeff
Garcia gets the starting nod. Steve Stenstrom will be the backup QB,
and Pat Barnes was re-signed Friday to serve as the emergency QB. Expect
the 49ers to keep the pressure off Garcia on the road this week and rely on RBs Charlie
Garner and Lawrence Phillips to get the ground game going.
St. Louis — Get your Rams receivers into the lineup because they will be going
against an undersized group of cover men in San Francisco. |
