This week’s bye team: Dallas, Oakland, Miami, San
Franscisco, SeattleAFC East
Indianapolis — Based upon the Week Three shellacking the Colts suffered at the
hands of the Patriots, you might hesitate to start any Colts offensive players this week.
… QB Peyton Manning has uncharacteristically struggled so far this year,
tossing as many interceptions (9) as he has touchdowns. But, realistically, Manning has to
rebound eventually, and this could be the week for him to do so. Manning will have
something to prove against a Patriots defense that picked him off three times in Week
Three and held him under 200 yards passing for just the second time in his past 15
regular-season games. … WR Jerome Pathon (foot) is expected to miss this game,
which means some other receivers could get a bounty of fantasy production. Rookie Reggie
Wayne should start in Pathon’s place, but he caught only one pass last week in
that role. Instead, Terrence Wilkins seemed to benefit more from Pathon’s
absence in the lineup. You might think of giving Wilkins a spot start if you need to fill
a bye-week vacancy.
New England — Our advice to you is to give QB Tom Brady one or two more
weeks, depending on the size of your league, before you jump on his bandwagon. While Brady
has done a decent job in Drew Bledsoe’s place — and played downright well
against a very good San Diego defense — Brady still isn’t a given as a fantasy
producer. … The return of WR Terry Glenn certainly helped Brady and the
Patriots last week, but Glenn hurt his hamstring in practice on Thursday. As of Friday
morning, his status for Sunday didn’t look promising, which will pose a true test to
the Patriots’ offense and Brady.
N.Y. Jets — If you had any doubts about RB Curtis Martin’s production
this year in a new regime — with a prominent rookie backing him up and with the
promise from the coaching staff that Martin would be used less to conserve his energy for
the end of the season — you can put those doubts to rest. Martin leads the league in
rushing yards and is tied for the league lead in touchdowns with Chargers RB LaDainian
Tomlinson. This week against the Rams’ up-and-coming defense, don’t expect too
much different from in past weeks. The only thing that could hurt Martin’s production
is if the Jets get into a shootout with the Rams. … WR Laveranues Coles is
improving rapidly and is on the way to a potentially great career. If you’re in a
keeper league and he’s available, now is the time to sign him.
AFC Central
Baltimore — Baltimore RBs Terry Allen and steadily improving Jason
Brookins go up against a Cleveland run defense that gave up 199 yards to Corey Dillon
and the Bengals last Sunday and 102 yards to San Diego’s LaDainian Tomlinson
the week before. … With Elvis Grbac coming back from a concussion suffered in
the loss to Green Bay, the Ravens will probably go with a more grind-it-out attack. …
WR Qadry Ismail has been quietly productive, with eight plays covering 20 or more
yards, tied for second in the NFL. … Rookie TE Todd Heap (ankle) is expected
to be back in the lineup. … The Ravens’ defense should have real fire in
its eyes after being humbled by Brett Favre and the Packers last Sunday.
Cincinnati — With rookie WR Chad Johnson out for 6-8 weeks with a broken
collarbone, Ron Dugans will be seeing more time as the team’s No. 3 wide
receiver. … Even though he should still be considered a starter, RB Corey Dillon
shouldn’t be expected to break his usual amount of tackles this week facing the
Bears, who are fourth in the league in average gain per rush.
Cleveland Browns — The Browns are having a heck of a time running the ball of
late. Despite that, head coach Butch Davis remains committed to keeping rookie RB James
Jackson in the starting lineup. Jackson did have a 100-yard game earlier this season,
but since then he has been troubled by sore ribs. Furthermore, season-ending injuries to
OG Tré Johnson and TE Rickey Dudley have hurt Cleveland’s run blocking. It
might be time to sit Jackson down, especially considering he’s facing the Ravens this
week. … Look for WR Dennis Northcutt to get more opportunities in the passing
game in the near future, if not this week. The team hasn’t gotten much out of rookie Quincy
Morgan, who has been starting.
Pittsburgh — Don’t expect RB Jerome Bettis to have that much trouble
against the Buccaneers’ staunch run defense. While this is the first really good
defense the Steelers are facing this season, that hasn’t seemed to bother Bettis in
the past. Bettis did well against some of the top defenses in the league last year, and
seems to be even better this year with Amos Zereoue and Chris
Fuamatu-Ma’afala spelling him when he gets tired.
Tennessee — With rookie WRs Justin McCareins (ankle, 6-8 weeks) and Eddie
Berlin (shoulder, 2-3 weeks) out with injuries, rookie Drew Bennett becomes the
Titans’ No. 3 wideout. Bennett, the last undrafted rookie signed by the Titans this
offseason, was impressive last week, catching three passes for 39 yards. Bennett has good
size (6-5, 203), and he’s earned some high praise from team observers. … WR Derrick
Mason, who missed last week’s game with an ankle injury, should return to the
starting lineup this week. … QB Steve McNair’s rushing touchdown last
week was his first since Dec. 19, 1999 against Atlanta. He also gained 54 yards, and he
could do some more running against a Lions defense that surrendered 83 rushing yards to
Vikings QB Daunte Culpepper last week.
AFC West
Denver — Now could finally be the time to play WR Eddie Kennison, as he had
a breakout game last week (six catches for 84 yards and his first TD), and the Broncos
will be facing a Chargers secondary that has been victimized in the fourth quarter in
back-to-back weeks, even surrendering 364 passing yards to Patriots QB Tom Brady. The
Chargers’ defensive play-calling also will be handled by DB coach Mark Banker for the
first time. … An MRI on QB Brian Griese’s throwing shoulder did not
reveal any structural damage, and it appears as though he’s content to play through
it until the pain subsides.
Kansas City — RB Priest Holmes, who had a big day last week vs. a
respectable Steelers defense, will be facing the Cardinals’ 28th-ranked
run defense. … As enticing as it may be to want to start one of the Chiefs’ wide
receivers vs. Arizona, it may be best to hold off until some signs of life are visible
from the passing game first. Chris Thomas will start this week in place of rookie Marvin
Minnis, who has frustrated coaches with his poor route-running and occasional mental
lapses.
NFC East
Arizona Cardinals — One of the things that made Jake Plummer so dangerous
as a quarterback used to be his ability to run. He scared defenses because he could make
things happen when he would take off. But he has only rushed six times for 27 yards this
season — which isn’t going to scare anyone. Look for the Cardinals to call more
rollouts, so he only has to see half the field and so he can run more easily. Will this
make Plummer a viable fantasy starter? Probably not. But it is a situation that bears
watching, as he could find more success and become more of a fantasy option later in the
season.
New York Giants — Tiki Barber is finally expected to return to action this
week against the Giants, which should help the Giants’ overall offensive fortunes.
However, he probably won’t be getting the bulk of the carries. Look for Ron Dayne
to continue to get most of the rushing work, with Barber getting an occasional carry and
several passes thrown his way on third downs.
Philadelphia Eagles — This might be a good week to sit the Philly running backs.
For one, Duce Staley returns to the lineup after missing several games with a
shoulder injury. He is expected to start, but rookie Correll Buckhalter will still
be a factor in the offense. It is not known how the carries will be divvied up, so until
that is determined, you might get only partial production out of either one of them.
Furthermore, they are facing a Giants’ team that is playing outstanding defense right
now. … QB Donovan McNabb didn’t have great success vs. the Giants last
year. He completed just 46.7 percent of his passes and was sacked 13 times.
Washington Redskins — It might be time to bench WR Michael Westbrook,
despite the fact he caught a TD in Week Five vs. the Cowboys. The Redskins just
aren’t throwing to him much. Rod Gardner has become QB Tony Banks’
go-to guy, although the rookie wideout isn’t doing much to excite fantasy owners. The
Redskins have thrown only 26 passes in Westbrook’s direction this year, compared to
35 to Gardner. One of the reasons for this is Westbrook still isn’t running perfect
routes, and with Banks not totally familiar with the offense, he needs his pass catchers
to be where he expects them to be. … TE Stephen Alexander will miss at least
two weeks with a high-ankle sprain, although the injury could keep him on the sideline
longer.
NFC Central
Chicago — In his second year in the league, PK Paul Edinger appears to be
coming into his own. He has the most field goals made between 40 and 49 yards (he’s
5-of-7), and he leads the NFC in average yards per made kick (40.3). Edinger probably
won’t get the scoring chances of a Jose Cortez or John Carney, but when
he gets the chances, he’ll usually deliver. Edinger’s field-goal percentage
(.750) is higher than that of Green Bay’s Ryan Longwell (.700) and Tampa
Bay’s Martin Gramatica (.667), both of whom were ranked higher than Edinger on
most draft boards.
Detroit — With WR Herman Moore out for the year with a hip injury, Larry
Foster is expected to take on the No. 3 spot on the depth chart. Foster’s biggest
attribute is his speed, of which the Lions are in desperate need. And if you recall,
Foster was the only Lions wideout last season to record a 100-yard game. … WR Germane
Crowell is finally becoming a part of the offense again. He caught a career-high nine
passes last week for 125 yards, his biggest output since Nov. 14, 1999. Another game like
that could move him past Johnnie Morton on the Lions’ WR value chart.
Green Bay — In seasons past, the Packers have tried to pound the ball against the
Vikings and control the clock to keep Minnesota’s high-octane offense off the field.
That bodes well for RB Ahman Green, who hasn’t put up his usual yardage of
late. Since posting back-to-back 100-yard games in Weeks One and Two, Green has averaged
only 55.3 rushing yards. Meanwhile, the Vikings have allowed their last three opponents to
break the 100-yard mark. In the Packers’ visit to Minnesota last season, Green rushed
for 161 yards on 25 carries.
Minnesota — WR Randy Moss (ankle) took part in most of the Vikings’
Thursday practice and has been upgraded from questionable to probable for Sunday’s
game. Said head coach Dennis Green: "I think it feels better. It felt better Tuesday
and Wednesday, so hopefully it will continue. It was pretty stiff on Monday. With ankles
it’s hard to tell, but hopefully that will be the case." … The news
wasn’t so promising with RB Michael Bennett (ankle), who remains questionable.
Doug Chapman and Travis Prentice handled most of the snaps in practice. Keep
an eye on Prentice, who has the Vikings’ only rushing touchdown from a running back.
Tampa Bay — After gaining 24 yards on 17 carries last week, the Buccaneers are
going to try to establish their running game early this week. Problem is, they’ll be
doing so against the No. 1 defense in the league in the Steelers. That said, there is hope
given Chiefs RB Priest Holmes’ production against Pittsburgh last week, when
he gained 150 yards on 20 carries. Rest assured, the Bucs studied that game film closely.
As for RB Warrick Dunn, who missed just one game after being expected to miss 3-4
with a foot injury, he practiced Friday and will retain his featured-back role.
NFC West
Atlanta — WR Tony Martin, who is normally QB Chris Chandler’s
favorite target, remains out for one more game with a collarbone injury. … WR Shawn
Jefferson (six catches for 74 yards vs, the Niners last Sunday), who is bothered by
injuries to his left toe and ankle, has been upgraded from questionable to probable for
the visit to New Orleans this Sunday. … WR Brian Finneran had his first pro TD
last week and will be looking to get on a roll.
Carolina — Rookie QB Chris Weinke had an MRI on his hip and thigh earlier
this week that revealed no serious damage from injuries suffered in the loss to the Saints
last Sunday. He is listed as probable for the Redskins game. WR Muhsin Muhammad
(calf) returned to practice Thursday and is also listed as probable. Muhammad has 21
catches and 317 total yards in his last three games vs. Washington. … TE Wesley
Walls, who leads NFC tight ends with 22 catches, has a TD in three of his four games
vs. the Redskins as a Panther. … RB Tshimanga Biakabutuka has 333 yards and
four TDs vs. Washington. … WR Donald Hayes is an emerging force who made a
beautiful TD catch last Sunday vs. the Saints.
New Orleans — The Saints’ passing attack could be their featured fantasy
attraction this Sunday vs. a Falcons pass defense ranked last in the league. WR Joe
Horn, who had his best game of the year so far last Sunday vs. Carolina with four
catches for 78 yards, could be a definite big-time threat this Sunday. Last year at home
vs. the Falcons, Horn had seven catches for 116 yards. The Saints hope TE Cam Cleeland
(two TDs vs. Panthers) can continue to give their West Coast offense a consistent spark
underneath. … RB Ricky Williams has 356 yards from scrimmage and two TDs the
last two games, and there’s little reason to believe he won’t keep it up vs. a
Falcons defense that has shown a real tendency to wear down late in games, when Williams
is at his best. Last year in the game at Atlanta, Williams tied a club record with three
TD runs.
St. Louis — While RB Marshall Faulk was listed as questionable on the NFL
injury report at last check, it still seems quite likely that he will be rest his bruised
knee this Sunday, with former first-round pick Trung Canidate getting a chance to
strut his stuff in a starting role. With Faulk expected to be out of action, look for the
Rams to go with a little more conventional attack. Canidate, however, will be going up
against a Jets defense that has had trouble against the run all season. … While he
failed to throw a TD pass last Sunday for only the third time in his career, QB Kurt
Warner registered his 21st 300-yard passing game, breaking the team record
he shared with Jim Everett. |
