Teams on bye: New York JetsAFC East
Buffalo — We never thought we’d say this, but if you’re looking for a
very quick fix at quarterback, you might consider Alex Van Pelt. Van Pelt looked
very good last week running the Bills’ offense, and he goes up against an
injury-depleted secondary (Dolphins CB Sam Madison (shoulder) and S Brian Walker (thumb)
are expected out). Van Pelt knows the Bills’ offense well, but he could be a
boom-or-bust player, as he’s not gotten a lot of playing time in the past. … WR Peerless
Price continued his on-again, off-again play last week, and fantasy owners
shouldn’t expect much different this week. While his solid games are a sign of him
possibly emerging, he’s had too many down games to be fully reliable. …
Don’t expect RB Travis Henry to break free of the rushing woes he’s had
this year against a solid Dolphins front line, even without Miami DT Daryl Gardener
(back).
Indianapolis — Don’t even consider starting the Colts’ defense against
San Francisco’s potent offense, which ranks second in the league. … RB Dominic
Rhodes has done well in place of Edgerrin James (knee) and could continue to
strut his stuff against a Niners defense that hasn’t been anything special against
the run.
Miami — As much as we’re tired of saying it, it must be said: Jay Fiedler
can be a solid fantasy quarterback if he’d stop turning the ball over. Against the
Bills, he might get a prime opportunity to do that, since the Bills haven’t been very
opportunistic on defense, registering only nine takeaways this year. … This might
just be the week RB Lamar Smith breaks out, since he squares off against the
Bills’ 22nd-ranked run defense. If you don’t have Smith, you might
consider, as a last resort, starting Travis Minor, who’s becoming more
involved in the offense as the year goes on.
New England — RB Antowain Smith has yet to prove that he can post big
fantasy numbers against the league’s better defensive teams. Until he does so, you
should keep him on your bench against teams such as this week’s foe, the Saints.
… If you’re in a keeper league, don’t get rid of Drew Bledsoe just
yet. Our sources believe he still has a lot left in the tank, and he could end up starting
in New England by the end of the year if Tom Brady struggles. Also, there’s no
telling what Bledsoe’s status will be next year. He could start in New England, or be
traded elsewhere.
AFC Central
Baltimore — Despite two poor performances in a row, the Ravens are sticking with
QB Elvis Grbac (listed as probable on injury report with knee injury). Grbac might
be helped by the fact he’s going up against a Jaguars defense that has been
vulnerable lately (ranked 23rd in league). … Three Ravens had decent
outings in the first game vs. Jacksonville this season, an 18-17 Ravens win in Week Seven.
Jason Brookins, who comes the closest to being a featured back for Baltimore right
now, rushed for 82 yards on 19 carries and scored a TD, in addition to adding two catches
for 12 yards. TE Shannon Sharpe, who leads all NFL tight ends with 50 catches for
568 yards, had seven catches for 89 yards in the first game. Qadry Ismail, who has
emerged as by far the Ravens’ most reliable receiver this season, had seven catches
for 85 yards and the game-winning TD.
Cleveland Browns — RB James Jackson was able to dress last week but was
held out of the game because of an ankle injury. That opened things up for Ben Gay,
who looked impressive at times in his NFL debut as a runner. But don’t look for Gay
to overtake Jackson anytime soon. Jackson will be back in the starting lineup this week,
as the Browns are still leery of counting on Gay, who has a history of being unreliable.
Jacksonville Jaguars — OK, it may finally be time to give up on Fred Taylor
for the year. Taylor sought out a second opinion on his groin injury, and his doctor said
the star runner still isn’t ready to play. In fact, there are reports suggesting that
Taylor could be out for the year. … Be careful with QB Mark Brunell, who is
still listed as questionable with a quadriceps injury.
Pittsburgh — The loss of TE Mark Bruener probably won’t hurt your
team’s fantasy output, as Bruener was more of a blocking tight end than a pass
catcher. But where Bruener’s absence may hurt is in the Steelers’ running game.
Owners of RBs Jerome Bettis and Amos Zereoue might see those players’
production slip slightly with TE Jerame Tuman in the game. Tuman is a good blocker,
but he’s just not as dominant as Bruener was. Tuman might be worth a look if you need
a tight end for the stretch run. He will probably be more involved in the passing game
than Bruener was, and Tuman already has one TD catch, compared to Bruener’s zero TD
catches.
Tennessee — Though the team’s passing game is coming on, this might not be
the best week to play Titans receivers. That said, you could go with QB Steve McNair.
He might have a hard time throwing the ball against the Steelers’ No. 1-ranked pass
defense, but he could do some damage running the ball. McNair has been running more than
he did last season, mainly because of RB Eddie George’s struggles. …
While Tennessee might not get much production from its wideouts this week, TE Frank
Wycheck could see a lot of action. TEs Erron Kinney and Shad Meier are
nicked up and didn’t play last week.
AFC West
Kansas City — Despite the fact the Seahawks are much-improved against the run
defensively, RB Priest Holmes should not be riding the bench this week. He
didn’t do a whole lot vs. the Jets in Week Nine, and he’s still not getting the
ball as much as he probably should in the Chiefs’ pass-happy system, but the fact
remains he has done too much this season (even against good defenses) not to have him in
there. … The only reason to play RB Tony Richardson at this point is if you
have no other choice or are in a TD-only league. While a very good football player,
Richardson’s touches are limited with the emergence of Holmes. However, he is the
team’s goal-line specialist, so touchdowns remain a possibility.
Oakland — Unless you’re hurting for RB depth, it may not be a good idea to
start either Charlie Garner or Tyrone Wheatley this week. The Raiders’
offensive line is limping into this game, and the Giants’ defensive line is one of,
if not the best, in the business. Garner has been serviceable in terms of yardage, but he
has just one touchdown all season. Wheatley will see his first action in a month after
suffering a sprained knee. … Despite a few good individual efforts from the
Giants’ secondary Monday night, the Vikings were able to expose their defensive backs
at times, so don’t even think about removing Tim Brown and Jerry Rice
from the lineup.
San Diego — Head coach Mike Riley said he is not planning on making any changes to
his QB situation, so there is no need to get antsy about Doug Flutie’s status
and go running after Drew Brees. Even despite the fact he’s facing the
Cardinals’ 27th-ranked pass defense, Flutie probably still does not
deserve a starting spot because of the funk he’s been in the past three games,
despite the fact defenses are stacking the line of scrimmage in an attempt to stop RB LaDainian
Tomlinson.
Seattle — Don’t let the Chiefs’ ninth-ranked passing defense scare
you too much because Kansas City will be geared up to stop RB Shaun Alexander,
which should free up WR Darrell Jackson in the passing game. Despite his first
career TD last week, rookie Koren Robinson is still too inconsistent to get too
much playing time in fantasy leagues. With Alexander and the new-found commitment to the
running game taking pressure off, QB Matt Hasselbeck has looked much more in
control recently. … Seattle’s TE tandem of Christian Fauria and Itula
Mili has been a disappointment to date and probably doesn’t warrant a starting
role until Hasselbeck shows more of a commitment to them in the red zone.
NFC East
Arizona Cardinals — While the Cardinals are still committed to running the ball,
they are beginning to change the way they use QB Jake Plummer — and it may be
on the verge of really paying off. Plummer is coming off one his best games as a pro, and
it is the result of him playing more like "the Snake." The Cardinals are
allowing him to throw on the run more, which could be a boon for his receivers. David
Boston is already having a huge year, but maybe things will pick up for Frank
Sanders and MarTay Jenkins.
New York Giants — Offensive coordinator Sean Payton has been under some fire for
his play-calling. The Giants want to be a running team, yet they have 327 passing plays,
compared to 280 running plays on the year. Don’t be surprised if the club makes a
renewed effort to run the ball, which could help the production of Tiki Barber and Ron
Dayne.
Philadelphia Eagles — Duce Staley has topped 100 yards rushing two weeks in
a row now that Andy Reid has rediscovered the running game. However, last week he
didn’t have to share the ball with Correll Buckhalter, who was suspended for
one game. With Buckhalter back in the mix this week, coupled with the fact that the
Redskins are tightening up on defense, Staley isn’t a sure bet to productive this
week.
Washington Redskins — WR Rod Gardner has caught just five passes for 57
yards in the past three weeks. However, don’t give up on him yet. Even though Michael
Westbrook emerged last week, we hear that Gardner is still capable of breaking out in
any game. … QB Tony Banks is expected to start Week 11 vs. the Eagles, despite
suffering a concussion last week. … The team remains hopeful that TE Stephen
Alexander (high ankle sprain) will return to the lineup this week.
NFC Central
Chicago — If you’re not playing WR Marty Booker by now, what are you
waiting for? He’s coming off a three-TD performance against the Buccaneers and has
been the Bears’ No. 1 wide receiver since Marcus Robinson went down for the
season with a knee injury. Booker isn’t the fastest receiver around, but he can move,
as he proved last week. His hands are huge, and he’s improving his ability to make
yards after the catch and yards after contact. This week he’ll face a susceptible
Vikings pass defense, so he’s a must play. … RB Anthony Thomas could miss
the game with a hamstring that was aggravated last week against the Bucs. Check his
status. James Allen would stand to take over.
Minnesota — Here’s some interesting tips on WR Cris Carter, who seems
to have some things going for him this week: In his career, Carter has more career catches
(140) and yards (1,595) against the Bears than any other team. He also has a TD reception
in each of the Vikings’ last 11 home games (including playoffs). … Wait,
there’s more, this time for QB Daunte Culpepper. In three career games against
the Bears, Culpepper has completed 61.2 percent of his passes for 621 yards with four
touchdowns and one interception. He’s also rushed 25 times for 130 yards (5.2-yard
average) with three touchdowns.
Tampa Bay — In six career games vs. NFC West teams, WR Keyshawn Johnson has
seven touchdowns. But he has yet to catch one against anybody this season. Still, you have
to play him, if for nothing else the yardage bonuses he’s bound to get. He’s
caught 31 more passes than his nearest teammate (RB Warrick Dunn), and QB Brad
Johnson has looked his way in the endzone. Keyshawn had a chance to score last week
but admitted he dropped the ball. Furthermore, given their awful running game, the Bucs
might make an attempt to throw more this week against the Rams. Last week they had to
throw more. This week they might prepare to throw more. There’s a difference.
NFC West
Atlanta —QB Chris Chandler is coming off a sterling effort in
Atlanta’s upset win over Green Bay on the road last Sunday in which he spread the
ball around with great effectiveness, completing at least two passes to eight different
receivers. Against a Carolina defense ranked last in the league, Chandler looks like a
strong fantasy prospect this weekend, although Carolina’s defense played pretty well
last weekend in the Panthers’ near-upset of the 49ers. … Some new names are
entering the fantasy picture for the Falcs. FB Bob Christian (21-yard TD catch vs.
Green Bay) is coming off a strong game and could be more of a factor in both
Atlanta’s aerial attack and ground game (season-high 40 yards last week) the rest of
the season. Two other players who could see more action are 6-5 WR Brian Finneran
(12-yard game-winning TD catch vs. Green Bay) and TE Brian Kozlowski. Finneran
leads the team with a 21.6-yard average per catch and has three of the team’s 23 pass
receptions of 20 or more yards, while Kozlowski (18.1-yard average) has five. Combined,
they have scored three of the team’s 14 receiving TDs and 30.4 per cent of the
team’s passing plays of 20 or more yards. … TE Reggie Kelly (knee) is
listed as questionable but is expected to play vs. Carolina. The same goes for Finneran
(shoulder), WR Terance Mathis (concussion) and RB Maurice Smith (neck), all
of whom are listed as probable.
Carolina —WR Muhsin Muhammad, who is having a disappointing season, has
injuries to both shoulders and is not expected to play vs. Atlanta, which could be a big
blow to the Panthers’ passing attack. In the first game vs. Atlanta this season, a
24-16 victory by the Falcons, Muhammad was QB Chris Weinke’s primary weapon,
catching 10 passes for 132 yards. … WR Donald Hayes (6-71 in first game vs.
Falcs) has a rib injury, but he returned to practice Thursday after sitting out Wednesday
and is expected to play. With Muhammad out, the Panthers might rely a little more on a
ground game featuring Richard Huntley, who didn’t play that badly at all last
week vs. the Niners (13-yard TD catch; 4.8-yard average per carry).
New Orleans — Boo who? That’s TE Boo Williams, an undrafted rookie
free agent who burst out of the woodwork last week in the win over the Colts with a pair
of TD catches. The Saints love his athleticism, and he figures to continue being a factor,
especially as long as regular starter Cam Cleeland (doubtful — ankle) remains
out of the lineup. … Another young Saint whose workload could be on the rise is
first-round pick Deuce McAllister, who actually started in the same backfield with Ricky
Williams against the Colts. McAllister is expected to see more action in the backfield
from here on out and has become a force as a kickoff returner. His 63-yard kickoff return
set up Boo Williams’ first TD last week. … QB Aaron Brooks has now played
two strong games in a row. Last week he was near-perfect, registering a 144.1 passer
rating in addition to scoring his first rushing TD of the season. Also on a roll is RB Ricky
Williams, who has gained 121 and 120 yards the last two games vs. the Niners and
Colts, respectively, and has vaulted to the NFC rushing lead with 856 yards. The
Saints’ ground game could be hindered this Sunday at New England by the probable
absence of Pro Bowl OLT Willie Roaf (knee). Finally, WR Joe Horn is another red-hot
fantasy performer at the moment (four TDs and 451 yards receiving the last four weeks).
St. Louis — So much for QB Kurt Warner’s sore thumb. It obviously
didn’t bother him all that much in the victory over New England last Sunday night, as
he racked up 401 passing yards and three TD passes. RB Marshall Faulk and WRs Isaac
Bruce and Torry Holt were all productive vs. the Pats, catching seven passes
each from Warner. Faulk (knee), WR Az-Zahir Hakim (ankle) and TE Ernie Conwell
(shoulder) all showed up on this week’s injury list, but they’re also all
expected to play with an extra day’s rest because the Bucs game is on Monday night.
Holt had a huge game in the 38-35 barn-burner won by the Bucs over the Rams late last
season (nine catches for 165 yards and a TD).
San Francisco — The Niners’ potent offense could have a big fantasy outing
vs. the Colts, whose defense is ranked last in the AFC. QB Jeff Garcia launched a
career-high 54 passes in the come-from-behind win over Carolina last Sunday, and the
NFC’s top-rated QB could come out winging it again this Sunday, as he continues to
spread out the passing attack more each week. WRs J.J. Stokes (two TDs last Sunday)
and Tai Streets and TE Eric Johnson all made crucial catches vs. the
Panthers, in addition to go-to-guy Terrell Owens, who continues to have a great
season (league-leading 11 TD catches). Owens (ankle/knee), Garcia (elbow/knee) and rookie
RB Kevan Barlow (quad) were on the injury list but are expected to play. RB Garrison
Hearst continues to look better each week but still has yet to score a rushing TD this
season. Could this be the week he hits paydirt? |
