Week Eight fantasy football

Late-week fantasy tips

Friday, Oct. 20, 2000

AFC East

Buffalo — Jay Riemersma remains out for this week’s game. … With Doug Flutie starting, you might want to start any of the Bills’ WRs, especially Eric Moulds. Moulds and Flutie have seem to have a good rapport whenever Flutie steps on the field. And Flutie could provide a spark to get the Bills’ offense going. We could see a shootout in Minnesota.

Indianapolis — RB Edgerrin James had a huge game last week and probably will have another this week vs. New England. In the last meeting between these two teams, the Patriots’ defense caused all kinds of problems for QB Peyton Manning. Look for a heavy dose of James to remedy that problem this week.

Miami — The Dolphins have lost Tony Martin for 2-3 more weeks with a fractured foot. It would be tough to give up on Martin for the season, so if your league has an injured reserve, put him there. But don’t count on much from Martin when he does return, because the injury seems to be of the nagging variety.

New England — The Patriots’ defense picked off Peyton Manning in their Week Six matchup but might have limited chances this week. Now that Colts RB Edgerrin James is back on track, he should carry the full load of the offense. … Stay away from the Patriots’ defense this week. … On offense, J.R. Redmond and Kevin Faulk are still splitting the carries, but WR Troy Brown seems to be slowly emerging as a quality complement to Terry Glenn.

New York Jets — There’s no reason why the Jets will move away from giving the ball to Curtis Martin a number of times this week vs. the Dolphins’ strong defense. Vinny Testaverde is still slightly bothered by the pinched nerve, so he may not be at 100 percent. Expect a grind-it-out, defensive game vs. Miami. The Jets’ defense has been strong lately in creating turnovers as well.

AFC Central

Baltimore — While it’s suddenly hard to find a lot of positives regarding the Ravens’ offense, it’s worth noting that struggling QB Tony Banks had an awesome outing the last time he faced the Titans, throwing for four TDs in a 41-14 rout last year. However, we hear that if Banks continues to struggle early on vs. Tennessee this Sunday, Ravens head coach Brian Billick might consider pulling him in favor of Trent Dilfer. … Billick also said he might consider sitting struggling rookie WR Travis Taylor, who has caught just three passes for 17 yards the last two games, with two drops and a lost fumble. Taylor would be replaced by either Patrick Johnson or Billy Davis. Johnson, who has seen very limited action so far this season because of a broken collarbone suffered in training camp, had five catches for 133 yards in two games vs. Tennessee last year, including a 76-yard TD reception. … The Ravens’ rushing attack might be affected by the very likely absences of both C Jeff Mitchell (ankle) and FB Obafemi Ayanbadejo (turf toe). Free-agent addition Sam Gash would replace Ayanbadejo, the team’s second-leading receiver.

Cincinnati — Keep Peter Warrick in your lineup. The Bengals are continuing to work on ways to get him the ball with a variety of different looks. … Rookie RB Curtis Keaton will be used more as a change-of-pace back with Corey Dillon. … WR Ron Dugans has lost his starting spot to Craig Yeast.

Cleveland — If you’ve got Tim Couch on your roster, go ahead and dump him. He will miss the rest of the season with a broken bone in his thumb after being placed on injured reserve. Doug Pederson will take over the starting QB spot, with Spergon Wynn as the backup and newly signed Kevin Thompson as the third QB. … Rookie WR Dennis Northcutt will be making his first pro start at wide receiver this week because David Patten and Darrin Chiaverini are banged up.

Jacksonville — Keep an eye on the status of WR Jimmy Smith, who missed his second straight day of practice on Thursday. He suffered a bruised right knee vs. the Titans and is listed as probable for this week’s game against the Redskins. Considering he is banged up, it might be wise to go in another direction even if Smith is going to play. An ailing Smith vs. Deion Sanders and Champ Bailey might not add up to a productive day.

Pittsburgh — Jerome Bettis faces a pathetic Browns run defense this week, and he’s on a roll. The Browns haven’t held a team under 111 yards rushing this year. … QB Kent Graham looks to improve on his first start back from injury, and he proved last week that he can get the ball downfield to his receivers. But WRs Plaxico Burress and Troy Edwards showed their inexperience, dropping several catchable balls in Week Seven.

Tennessee — WR Carl Pickens (hamstring), out two games with a strained hamstring, is practicing and could return to action vs. the Ravens on Sunday. Pickens said his hamstring is about 75 percent healthy and could be 95 percent by Sunday. However, our Titans observer wouldn’t be surprised if the team gave Pickens one more week of rest. … WR Derrick Mason (ankle) has been held out of practice, so check his status come game day.

AFC West

Denver — Once again, RB Terrell Davis will not play this week vs. the Bengals. He should return for Week 10 following the Broncos’ bye, but keep an eye on his status because he’s fooled many before.

Kansas City — Veteran Kimble Anders was promoted to the head of the table in the Chiefs’ RB-by-committee system. Despite head coach Gunther Cunningham’s fondness for Anders, that move may not mean a whole lot. Expect K.C. to continue to move people in and out and use a number of different backfield combinations. … FB Donnell Bennett could return this week from a foot injury. He is a dominant run blocker and good short-yardage specialist.

Oakland — RB Tyrone Wheatley is beginning to pick up steam, although that fact isn’t expected to diminish the role of Napoleon Kaufman. … FB Jon Ritchie’s seven catches last week came as no surprise because he has the best hands on the team next to WR Tim Brown, but don’t expect him to carry the ball any time soon. … Head coach Jon Gruden believes WR Andre Rison’s constant traveling to deal with his legal troubles is keeping him from getting a grip on the Raiders’ offense.

San Diego — The QB rotation debacle is over, so look for Jim Harbaugh to go as far as he can this week. … WRs Curtis Conway and Jeff Graham both had stellar numbers last week, due in large part to the fact they were both healthy for the first time all year. … TE Freddie Jones faced more contact at the line of scrimmage than he was used to last week and was constantly being double-covered by safeties and linebackers.

Seattle — Check the last-minute status of QB Brock Huard. The new starter did not practice Thursday but believes he’ll go Sunday despite a groin pull. If he isn’t able to start, it may be a wise move to pull any Seahawks receivers in your lineup because Jon Kitna’s downfield passing and aggressiveness proved to be major weaknesses before he was benched.

NFC East

Arizona — This might be a good week to play WR David Boston, as he had a big game vs. the Cowboys in their first meeting of the season. In Week Two, Boston caught six passes for 102 yards vs. Dallas. … Michael Pittman would be a wise choice this week at running back, considering the Cowboys are allowing an average of 182.3 rushing yards per game.

Dallas — Despite throwing five interceptions last week vs. the Giants, QB Troy Aikman is still the starter. He likely will have an easier go of it this week, as the Cardinals’ defense is not getting any pressure on the quarterback and it isn’t forcing turnovers (one interception this season). … Emmitt Smith wasn’t very productive in the first outing vs. the Cardinals this year, but he rushed for 204 yards and a touchdown in two games against Arizona last season.

N.Y. Giants — The Giants are on bye this week. … Even though he was benched in the second half of last week’s game vs. the Cowboys, WR Amani Toomer will be back in the starting lineup in Week Nine. Head coach Jim Fassel was simply trying to light a fire under Toomer, who has been terribly disappointing so far this season.

NFC Central

(Detroit and Tampa Bay played Thursday night)

Chicago — Don’t expect the Bears’ sputtering passing game to get in gear this week vs. Philadelphia. The Eagles are tied for the third-fewest TD passes allowed (five), and they’ve held all but one of their opponents to 220 passing yards or fewer. That said, you still have to play WR Marcus Robinson because whatever success the Bears’ passing game does have, it’s likely his doing. Case in point: Robinson has broken the 80-yard mark five times in six games this season, including efforts of 90 and 100 yards. He also leads the team with four touchdowns.

Minnesota — Though RB Robert Smith may not break the century mark this week vs. the Bills (which he’s done in two of his last three games), he’s still worth playing. In the Vikings’ last game vs. a 3-4 defense (New England in Week Three), Smith was held to a 3.1-yard average on 29 carries. But he still rushed for 91 yards and scored a touchdown. You see, the Vikings are committed to running the ball (hence the 29 carries for Smith in Week Three). So no matter the situation, Minnesota will not abandon its ground attack. That means more chances for Smith, no matter what defense he’s facing.

NFC West

Atlanta — While any enthusiasm should be tempered by the fact they were playing vs. a shaky Rams defense, the Falcons’ lowly offense showed some signs of life last Sunday. That was especially the case with RB Jamal Anderson, who scored a TD, gained 131 total yards and ran with more authority than he’s displayed perhaps all season. … Look for QB Chris Chandler to throw downfield more often in an effort to open things up and spread the field (WRs Terance Mathis and Tim Dwight also scored TDs last week), but he could have a real tough time vs. the Saints’ ferocious, blitz-crazy defense. … WR Shawn Jefferson (back) is listed as questionable for the Saints.

Carolina — It’s expected to be a game-day decision on whether TE Wesley Walls (dislocated rib) is able to play vs. the 49ers this Sunday. But if there’s any way possible, Walls will play, since he is always highly motivated to perform against a 49ers team he once played for. Walls is still a little ticked the Niners gave up on him. … There is concern building over the condition of WR Muhsin Muhammad (hamstring), who looked slower than usual last week vs. the Saints and was used mostly as a decoy. It’s true Muhammad was double-teamed most of the time, but when he’s at full strength, he’s usually able to handle those double-teams a lot better than he did last week. Right now, Donald Hayes is the team’s No. 1 receiving threat.

New Orleans — WR Jake Reed, who broke his leg in practice Wednesday, could be out up to six weeks. Reed will be replaced in the starting lineup by Keith Poole, who is still quite capable of being a fantasy threat. Poole caught a 49-yard TD pass earlier this year (the Saints’ longest score so far this season) and entered this season with the best yards-per-catch average of any active player in the league.

St. Louis — While the Rams are probably better off not having a kicker from a fantasy standpoint — those extra tallies on two-point conversions can add up, after all — you might want to take a look at ex-Chief Pete Stoyanovich, who takes over temporarily for injured Rams PK Jeff Wilkins. In his first game in a Rams uniform, Stoyanovich has a chance for instant revenge against K.C. at Arrowhead on a field that he knows better than any kicker in the league. … So just how big a fantasy stud has all-purpose RB Marshall Faulk been this season? In just six games (14 teams have played seven), he leads the league in yards from scrimmage (1,083) and touchdowns (nine) and is first among running backs in receptions and receiving yards. But can he continue his amazing play this week on a grass field while possibly missing two starting offensive linemen (OT Ryan Tucker and OG Adam Timmerman)? You make the call. … WR Ricky Proehl, who has missed the last four games with a hamstring injury, is expected to play vs. the Chiefs. … Backup RB Trung Canidate has practiced at full speed the last couple of days and could return after missing four weeks with a foot injury. The Rams would love to rest Faulk a little more (he hasn’t practiced all week due to a chronic sore knee), so that might mean Canidate could get some meaningful touches vs. K.C.

San Francisco — The Panthers’ defense, which has allowed just two TD pass receptions all season, should be a great matchup for the Niners’ high-powered passing attack. Continuing to lead the way for the Niners are QB Jeff Garcia, who leads the league in TD passes, and Terrell Owens, who at the moment is the hottest receiver in the league (four TD catches the last two games). Owens has been simply outstanding since serving his one-game suspension for his excessive TD celebrations in the Dallas game.

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2000 - 2001 Season