This week’s bye teams:
Arizona, Jacksonville and TennesseeAFC EAST
Buffalo — With Eric Moulds out of the lineup, Andre Reed becomes
Buffalo’s go-to wide receiver, and his fantasy value increases greatly. Kevin
Williams and Peerless Price also will see increased playing time. Price has
more fantasy upside but is really a boom-or-bust long shot at this point.
Indianapolis — With E.G. Green (knee; questionable), Jerome Pathon
(knee; probable) and Lake Dawson (ankle; doubtful) all banged up, impressive
undrafted rookie free agent Terrence Wilkins should see more playing time this
week. Wilkins has shown very good run-after-the-catch ability, and he has three TDs over
the last three weeks (two receiving, one on a kickoff return).
Miami — Dan Marino (shoulder/neck; questionable) didn’t practice
Thursday and isn’t expected to be ready for Sunday, though there’s still a
remote possibility he’ll be ready to go. We suggest you look elsewhere for a starting
QB this week. Backup Damon Huard, who has decent mobility, wouldn’t be a
terrible choice. … FB Rob Konrad (quadriceps) won’t play, meaning more
P.T. for Stanley Pritchett, who contributed as a pass catcher last week.
New England — RB Kevin Faulk is getting close to 100 percent and could see
increased playing time in the backfield this week. Terry Allen hasn’t gotten
the job done of late. This may become a 50-50 situation, with Faulk and Allen splitting
carries, sooner rather than later. … WR Troy Brown (ankle) probably will be a
game-time decision. We view Tony Simmons as a better fantasy prospect regardless of
Brown’s status.
N.Y. Jets — QB Ray Lucas (ankle) has been upgraded from out to doubtful but
wouldn’t be anything more than the Jets’ emergency quarterback if he does suit
up. Rick Mirer is expected to start, but we don’t recommend starting him. His
psyche is extremely fragile right now.
AFC CENTRAL
Cincinnati — WR Darnay Scott (ribs) practiced Wednesday and should play
this weekend. RB Corey Dillon (foot) did not practice but is listed as probable and
should play unless there is a setback late in the week.
Cleveland — The team has traded for former Dolphin RB Karim Abdul-Jabbar,
who is much better than Terry Kirby and George Jones — the top two
runners on Cleveland’s depth chart. Kirby is expected to start this week in St.
Louis, but Abdul-Jabbar will likely be the starter by Week Eight.
Pittsburgh — QB Kordell Stewart could have some extra motivation this week.
Falcons CB Ray Buchanan said Stewart telegraphs his passes, firing an opening salvo
of sorts in an otherwise nondescript interconference game.
AFC WEST
Denver — The Broncos have named Brian Griese their starting quarterback for
this week even though Bubby Brister (oblique muscle in his hip) may be ready to go.
Head coach Mike Shanahan said Griese would be the starter this week even if Brister
were completely healthy because Griese has played well the last two weeks. In essence, it
is now Griese’s job to lose. … A similar situation is evolving at running
back, where rookie Olandis Gary has seized control of the job while Derek
Loville (hamstring) has been out. Gary has a hard, heavy running style that has
inspired the nickname "Baby Riggins." … At tight end, Byron
Chamberlain looks to be the clear No. 1 receiving option. He’s worth picking up
if the rest of your league has been slow on the trigger.
Kansas City — Shy away from starting QB Elvis Grbac this week. He has not
played well in road games this season. … WR Derrick Alexander’s
numbers have taken a bit of a fall in recent weeks. He says it’s because the team has
started to run the ball more efficiently. He should not be considered an every-week
starter at this point except in larger leagues. … Rashaan Shehee will
likely get first crack at running back vs. Baltimore, but expect Bam Morris and Donnell
Bennett to get the ball as well. For now, Shehee is the top fantasy option, but Morris
still may play a bigger role before the season is over. Gunther Cunningham
continues to say he wants his running game to evolve around a bigger back, using Shehee as
more of a change of pace. (He brought up the example of the Natrone Means-Ronnie Harmon
combo with the Chargers earlier this decade.)
Oakland — Tyrone Wheatley is unquestionably the Raiders’ top back and
is probably worth starting in most leagues. Napoleon Kaufman did get 11 carries
last week, but he is a change-of-pace player at this point.
San Diego — Erik Kramer will start at quarterback this week. Mike Riley
says he doesn’t want to mess with that situation with the Chargers in the midst of a
three-game winning streak. However, Jim Harbaugh is apparently healthy, so he could
get the call if Kramer struggles vs. the Packers. … Riley also said this week that he
wants to give Natrone Means the ball 25-30 times a game but that he doesn’t
feel Means can handle that kind of load right now because of nagging injuries. That
lessens Means’ fantasy value just a bit for right now.
Seattle — Mike Holmgren isn’t happy with his offense, and he continues
to talk about getting RB Ahman Green involved. Believe it when you see it —
don’t stick Green in the lineup until he has played a key role for a couple of weeks.
Green does not have a carry yet this season. … WR Mike Pritchard (knee) may
not be able to go this weekend. Make alternate plans for your starting lineup.
NFC EAST
Dallas— The Cowboys have been mired in an offensive slump the past two weeks. They
haven’t scored more than 10 points in losses to the Eagles and Giants. A big part of
the problem has been the offensive line, which has been banged up. It is expected to be
healthier this week vs. the Redskins. Another part of the problem is that RB Emmitt
Smith wasn’t doing his usual power running, which led to a very ineffective
outing vs. the Giants. Add in the fact that WR Michael Irvin is out, and you can
see why Dallas hasn’t been scoring a lot in the past couple of weeks. .…
Don’t give up on Emmitt Smith. He will come back around. As for the Dallas receivers,
use some discretion. With Irvin out of the lineup, Raghib Ismail becomes much less
of a factor. Ismail had a huge game in Week One vs. the Redskins, but Washington’s
defense has come around a little since then.
N.Y. Giants — Head coach Jim Fassel remains committed to QB Kent Graham,
even though he didn’t set the world on fire in Week Six vs. the Cowboys. Your best
bet is to steer clear of Graham and Giants receivers until they get into a groove on
offense.
NFC CENTRAL
Chicago — WR Curtis Conway, who missed last week’s game because of a
sprained ankle, said he was leaning against returning this week because of past
experiences with returning from an injury too early. Said Conway: "I’m going to
try to (return). I really want to. But right now I’m kind of scared because, No. 1,
I’m afraid of what happened last year (with a groin injury). I went out there and I
was still hurt in February when I started training, and I really don’t want to get
into that again." Conway is tied for third in the NFC in receptions with 29 and has
caught four TD passes.
Detroit — Keep your ears open for the results of a magnetic resonance imaging test
performed on QB Charlie Batch’s back. He was listed as probable as of this
writing, though he couldn’t even finish practice Wednesday because of muscle spasms.
After returning from a left knee injury, WR Herman Moore suffered an injury to his
right knee and likely won’t play Sunday at Carolina.
Green Bay — The Packers’ defense could put some points on the board this week
vs. Chargers QB Erik Kramer, who has six interceptions in his last three games,
including four last week. Green Bay’s nine interceptions rank third in the NFC, with
seven players having recorded at least one pick.
Minnesota — With RB Robert Smith (hernia) out up to six weeks, Leroy
Hoard will take a majority of the handoffs. In Smith’s 2 1/2-game absence last
year, Hoard scored three touchdowns. Moe Williams will also see some playing time.
Tampa Bay — RB Warrick Dunn returned to practice after sitting out last
week with a left knee sprain. Though the team was encouraged with how Dunn looked during
Wednesday’s practice, his game-day status wouldn’t be determined until later.
Dunn said his left knee felt sore after practice, but he was confident that he would be
ready to play. … Regardless of Dunn’s health, look for Mike Alstott to
receive most of the team’s carries, probably for the rest of the season, starting
with Sunday’s game vs. the Bears. "I think so, yes," Bucs QB coach Clyde
Christensen said. "He’s been producing."
NFC WEST
Atlanta — RB Ken Oxendine is getting more opportunities, and Byron
Hanspard may not be the starter for long. Neither should get a start this week vs. a
stingy Steelers defense.
Carolina — It’s time to say goodbye to WR Rae Carruth for a couple of
weeks because of a sprained ankle. Fellow WR Muhsin Muhammad should go but is
bothered by a thigh injury. These injuries make TE Wesley Walls even more important
to the Panthers’ offense.
St. Louis — If you have Kurt Warner, Marshall Faulk, Isaac Bruce
or Torry Holt in your fantasy possession, by all means get them into the starting
lineup this week vs. a Browns defense ranked next to last in the league. The Browns are
giving up nearly 401 yards per game and have inexperienced cornerbacks.
San Francisco — If the news on WR Terrell Owens’ ankle is good by
Saturday, put him in the lineup vs. a questionable Vikings secondary. RB Charlie Garner’s
ribs likely won’t hold him out of action. |
