This week’s bye teams: Detroit, Miami, Tampa BayAFC
East
Buffalo — The Bills have listed TE Jay Riemersma as doubtful to play Sunday
against the Chargers. Backup TE Bobby Collins remains their No. 1 option at that
position.
Indianapolis — WR Terrence Wilkins suffered a hip pointer in the Week Six
game vs. New England and saw limited practice time on Thursday. Head coach Jim Mora said
that Wilkins should be ready to go on Sunday … An already suspect pass defense
suffered a setback on Wednesday when CB Tyrone Poole broke his finger. His playing status
was undecided as of Friday morning.
New England — The Patriots’ coaching staff believes it has seen all there is
to RB Kevin Faulk and plans to take a good look at rookie J.R. Redmond’s
abilities. Redmond has been productive with his few chances and is expected to split time
more evenly with Faulk than in past weeks.
N.Y. Jets — All signs seem to point to QB Vinny Testaverde starting this
week. Vinny says he’s ready, and most of the team says he’s ready. But the final
decision is head coach Al Groh’s to make, and it doesn’t seem as though
he’s in a hurry to do so. Unfortunately, this has huge ramifications for anyone with
Jets on their fantasy team. If Vinny is announced as the starter over Ray Lucas,
that boosts the value of any Jets offensive player. However, WR Wayne Chrebet and
RB Curtis Martin could suffer if Lucas starts and plays as poorly as he did last
week. Moral of the story: Wait as long as you can to find out about Vinny.
AFC Central
Baltimore — Unless you have PK Matt Stover, who has been the offense
the last two weeks (his five FGs accounted for all the points in the Ravens’ win over
the Jaguars last Sunday), you might not want to depend too heavily on this team for
fantasy purposes. Baltimore has failed to score a TD in two straight games despite six
trips inside the red zone, and it’s up against a tough Washington defense this
Sunday. Further complicating matters is a wounded offensive line that might be missing
All-Pro OLT Jonathan Ogden (sprained right ankle; check status) and will almost for sure
be missing C Jeff Mitchell (high ankle sprain). If Ogden isn’t around to protect QB Tony
Banks from Redskins DE Bruce Smith, Banks could have a long day. … If there is a
legitimate fantasy weapon besides Stover, it might be WR Qadry Ismail, who caught
nine passes for 85 yards vs. the Giants.
Cincinnati — WR Peter Warrick was upset this week with not being more of a
focal point in the Bengals’ struggling offense. The Bengals are looking to have
Warrick return a few punts this week and may try to get him involved with a few reverses.
Jacksonville — Be wary of any Jaguars players at this point. The offense is
really struggling. The first-team offense has not scored a touchdown in 10 quarters, which
has hurt all of you who have Jimmy Smith, Fred Taylor and Mark Brunell
in your fantasy lineups. Things may not get much better this week against the No. 3-ranked
Tennessee defense.
Pittsburgh — QB Kent Graham will start Sunday vs. the Bengals, which could
help inflate receiving totals, since Graham has a tendency to look downfield more than Kordell
Stewart. It might be wise to start RB Jerome Bettis, who has run wild over
opposing defenses as of late and will be facing a run defense ranked 30th in
the NFL.
Tennessee — As long as Carl Pickens and Yancey Thigpen continue to
nurse hamstring injuries, Derrick Mason will continue to start. Mason has been on
fire, catching 17 passes for 239 yards and two touchdowns in the last three games. He also
had a 100-yard effort during the stretch. He is a must play. As for the ailing wideouts,
Thigpen has the best chance of playing Monday night. Stay tuned. … If for some reason
you’re unsure whether to play Eddie George, maybe this will change your tune:
George has rushed for 100 yards in 11 of 17 career October games.
AFC West
Denver — RB Terrell Davis will not go this week and likely won’t until
after the Broncos’ bye week later this month. While newcomer KaRon Coleman got
almost half the carries a week ago, look for Mike Anderson to return to the
workhorse role Sunday. … QB Brian Griese looked particularly sharp in practice
this week despite playing with the injured shoulder.
Kansas City — While Mike Cloud and Tony Richardson will continue to
start at running back and fullback, respectively, this week, look for both Kimble
Anders and Donnell Bennett to play a bigger role as the season progresses.
Bennett returned this week from a foot injury that has kept him out since the opener and
is a good short-yardage runner in the red zone.
Oakland — Although RB Tyrone Wheatley’s averages don’t exactly
look all that enticing to fantasy owners, it should be kept in mind that the Raiders are
keeping Wheatley in on short-yardage and goal-line situations this year for the first
time. That will cut down on his yards per carry but should continue to put him in
favorable positions to score. … WR James Jett is doing nothing but stretching
the defense as a decoy this season.
San Diego — WR Reggie Jones is quietly becoming a favorite target of
Chargers quarterbacks. Though he has yet to score a touchdown, Jones has come on in recent
weeks after missing the start of the season with injury. He has developed a rapport with
the Chargers’ trio of passers whereas Curtis Conway’s lingering hamstring
injury has kept him off the practice field at times.
Seattle — Look for the Seahawks to go to the ground game early and often this week
to take some pressure off QB Brock Huard, who will be making just his second NFL
start.
NFC East
Arizona— The Cardinals will continue to start RB Michael Pittman, who
rushed for 107 yards in Week Six — his first game as a starter this season. But
don’t completely give up on Thomas Jones, who will continue to see spot duty.
He scored a touchdown in that capacity last week. … QB Jake Plummer is coming
off back-to-back games without an interception for the first time in his NFL career.
Dallas — Despite being listed as questionable, WR Wane McGarity is finally
expected to be back in the lineup after missing two games with a high ankle sprain. WR Raghib
Ismail is also listed as questionable. Monitor his playing status over the weekend.
New York Giants — Expect to see a healthy dose of "Thunder and
Lightning" — a.k.a. Ron Dayne and Tiki Barber
— this week vs. the Cowboys. This would be a good week to play either one of
those runners, even though their production has plummeted in recent weeks. The
Cowboys’ run defense has been very poor, so big numbers for both runners are
anticipated. Also, expect to see Dayne get more carries than he had in recent weeks. The
Giants believe they were having the most success when Dayne was more involved in the
offense. … WR Amani Toomer hasn’t been the big-play weapon the Giants
were expecting. This may not be the best week to play him, as he goes against CB Phillippi
Sparks, who is very familiar with Toomer’s moves from his days with the Giants.
Philadelphia — If you’re desperate for running backs, you might want to
try out Darnell Autry this week. He will be given an extended look-see by head
coach Andy Reid, who has had to find a starting running back now that Duce Staley
is out for the year. Autry managed just 15 yards on seven carries last week. He will get
more opportunities this week. However, the Eagles will continue to involve all of their
backs, including Brian Mitchell, Stanley Pritchett, Cecil Martin and
the recently signed Amp Lee.
Washington — And if you’re desperate for wide receivers, why not take a shot
with James Thrash. He’s excited to prove that he’s a capable starter, and
he’ll get his shot now that Irving Fryar is out for 2-3 weeks with a neck
injury. … With Fryar out, Andre Reed moves up to the No. 3 WR position. …
The Redskins are concerned about the safety of QB Brad Johnson because the interior
of the offensive line is getting weaker. With Tré Johnson out for the year, Jay
Leeuwenburg is now starting at one OG spot. Keith Sims will have to miss some time because
of an Achilles injury, which means rookie Mookie Moore will have to play. And Cory Raymer
is gone for the year, so Mark Fischer is starting at center.
NFC CENTRAL
Chicago — WR Marcus Robinson, who missed last week’s game with an
ankle injury, was hoping to return to action Sunday night vs. Minnesota. Robinson
participated in the Bears’ entire Thursday practice, but he wouldn’t be certain
about his status until Friday. Said Robinson: "So far, pretty good. Next week for
sure, but I think I can (play) this week." If Robinson remains sidelined, look for Eddie
Kennison to be Chicago’s top deep threat. In Robinson’s place last week vs.
New Orleans, Kennison caught eight passes for 89 yards.
Green Bay — After working with the No. 1 offense in practice Thursday, RB Dorsey
Levens should play Sunday vs. the 49ers. Levens has been bothered by ankle and knee
injuries. Though he’ll be facing one of the league’s worst defenses, Levens may
not be the best play. He didn’t practice Wednesday, and he’s gained only 140
yards on 52 carries (2.7-yard average). Ahman Green will likely take some carries
away from Levens as well.
NFC West
Atlanta — After looking very doubtful right up through Wednesday because of the
bruised ribs he suffered in the loss to the Giants last Sunday, QB Chris Chandler
said on Thursday that he felt well enough to start. You better wait as late as possible,
though, before making a fantasy commitment to Chandler this Sunday. A final decision on
whether he or Danny Kanell will start isn’t expected to come until just before
game time. Another player with a rib injury, WR Tim Dwight, was moving around
impressively in late-week practices and was expected to play. But the Falcons’
offensive line, which lost rookie ORT Michael Thompson for the season with a torn Achilles
last Sunday, remains a major problem.
Carolina — In no time flat, former offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave has become
a distant memory, as the Panthers’ offense came alive last week in the team’s
impressive win over Seattle. Under the direction of new offensive coordinator Richard
Williamson, who was previously the WR coach, the offense looked good. One big reason was
that QB Steve Beuerlein threw effectively underneath down the middle to TEs Wesley
Walls (who had his first really decent game of the year) and Kris Mangum, an
emerging force with superb hands. Defenses had been stacking up two-deep to guard against
the downfield passing game featuring WRs Muhsin Muhammad and Donald Hayes.
Check the status of both these wide receivers, as they are trying to fight through
hamstring and ankle problems, respectively. Muhammad is particularly iffy. A sleeper
weapon could be No. 3 WR Isaac Byrd, who made positive contributions for the first
time since joining the team vs. the Seahawks. With the team expected to handle Muhammad
with kid gloves, look for more usage of Byrd as well as two-TE sets featuring Walls and
Mangum.
New Orleans — You might want to start looking harder at QB Jeff Blake, who
added a nice dimension to the Saints’ previously stodgy offense with 66 rushing yards
that helped him connect on three TDs vs. the Bears in an impressive win. You also should
continue to depend heavily on RB Ricky Williams, who is hot right now (three
straight 100-yard games plus a TD run last week), and No. 1 WR Joe Horn. A sleeper
weapon this Sunday vs. the Panthers could be WR Keith Poole, who performed well in
both games vs. the Panthers last season.
St. Louis — The Rams are the Rams, scoring over 40 points a game. Look for the
explosiveness to continue vs. a Falcons defense that will be missing its best tackler, LB
Keith Brooking (out with a foot injury). Check the status of WR Ricky Proehl
(hamstring) and RB Trung Canidate (foot).
San Francisco — WRs Terrell Owens and Jerry Rice, QB Steve Garcia
and RB Charlie Garner remain four of the hottest fantasy prospects going —
especially Garcia and Owens. Don’t be surprised if they continue to make an impact
vs. the shaky Packers defense this Sunday. Also, continue to keep an eye on second-year WR
Tai Streets, who is good for at least one eye-popping catch a week and is expected
to ultimately be the No. 2 WR behind Owens. Streets is just too good to keep down, which
might not bode well for J.J. Stokes, with whom he is splitting time at the No. 3 WR
post. … Check the status of TE Greg Clark (neck). |
