Friday, March 9, 2001

Week Six fantasy tips

By Andy Hanacek, Associate editor and XFL analyst

• The top fantasy tip of the week is clearly in regards to the health of Orlando Rage QB Jeff Brohm. Brohm suffered a concussion on a vicious hit from Memphis Maniax DL Shante Carver in Week Five. Brohm was knocked from the game, but all the testing he went through this week came up negative, so the Rage haven’t ruled out Brohm’s return to the lineup this week.

• Whether or not Brohm returns, be aware that the Rage are playing the No. 2-ranked defense in the league in the Las Vegas Outlaws. The Outlaws haven’t looked as solid as they did the first couple weeks, but they are still a reliable unit capable of shutting down opponents. And the Baltimore Ravens’ comparisons continue. An advertisement in Friday’s USA Today says that the Outlaws have the league’s best defense. Well, that’s only partly true. In fact, the situation completely mirrors the situation at the end of the NFL season between the Ravens and the Tennessee Titans. The much-hyped Ravens (who deserved it, mind you), were constantly labeled the top defense. But they ranked second to the Titans in the statistic that counted: yards allowed. The Ravens did lead the league in fewest points allowed, and that fact is what many based the "top defense" label on. The same thing holds true in the XFL. The San Francisco Demons are actually the top defense, by XFL.com’s yards allowed standard. The Outlaws have just held their opponents to fewer points.

• Los Angeles Xtreme RB Rashaan Shehee could finally have a breakout game this week against the worst run defense in the league, the Birmingham Bolts. Shehee and the Xtreme’s running game both have been disappointing so far this season. Shehee leads the team with 150 yards on the ground in five games. Of course, the Xtreme offense is geared more toward the pass, with QB Tommy Maddox and WRs Jeremaine Copeland and Darnell McDonald ranking at or near the top of several statistical categories. The Xtreme pass offense is tops in the league, but Birmingham’s pass defense is ranked third.

• If your league penalizes offensive players for fumbles, you might look to sign some Outlaws. Las Vegas is the only team that hasn’t lost a fumble yet this season. Their plus-10 turnover margin leads the league by seven points.

• If you have an Outlaws quarterback, pay attention. Ryan Clement will return this week, according to XFL.com. So those of you who jumped on the Mark Grieb bandwagon, it’s time to at least bench him. You may want to hold on to him though, if you have room on your bench. He’s a quality backup that might see more time, depending how Clement responds from his injury.

• Avery Watch 2001: After getting back into the swing of things in Week Five, rushing for 53 yards and racking up another 35 yards on four receptions. Avery is trying to catch Memphis Maniax RB Rashaan Salaam, who has a 127-yard cushion heading into their teams’ matchup on Saturday in Memphis.

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2000 - 2001 Season