Fantasy Week 3: R&D
Here is the 2nd half of R&D from the week 2 schedule.
The fact that the Seahawks couldn’t get it done against a weak Cardinals offense goes to show you how much their own offense has fallen. Matt Hasselbeck had a good game, but it wasn’t great. He had 281 yards and score, but he is being held down by his lack of a big play wide receiver. Deion Branch bounced back as expected, with seven catches for 122 yards, but didn’t reach the end zone. Bobby Engram had another nice game, going for 71 yards on five receptions. Engram should continue to be a good source of yards as a WR4 or WR5, so make sure he’s not on your FA list. Nate Burleson was on the receiving end of Hasselbeck’s 24-yard touchdown, but otherwise only grabbed one ball for 15 yards. I would rather own Engram than Burleson. Shaun Alexander proved once again that he is no longer a fantasy running back worth his top five pick status, running for just 70 yards on 18 carries. Of course he didn’t reach 10+ yards receiving, but he did score a 16-yard touchdown on which he went untouched. Alexander is averaging just 3.9 yards per carry after facing Tampa Bay in week 1 and Arizona in week 2, both of which don’t have stellar defenses. I would trade Alexander and his sprained wrist while you still can.
5.3 yards per carry for Edgerrin James in this one? While I still believe that may be a misprint, I am forced to go with what I see. His 128 yards on 24 carries was impressive, on top of the fact that he scored and had 22 yards on two catches. I suppose he has earned the right to be started as a legitimate RB2, but I still don’t trust him. Unlike Alex Smith, Matt Leinart looked much better in week 2, which of course led to solid games from Larry Fitzgerald (87 yards) and Anquan Boldin (83 yards). It was nice to see Leinart finally throw a deep jump ball to Fitzgerald, one in which he came down with for a 40-yard gain. Boldin on the other hand gained 35 yards on play in which defenders were bouncing off of him as if he were surrounded by a force field. Again, he is one of the toughest wide receivers to tackle in the league. While the touchdowns should come for these two, they may not come in week 3 against the Ravens.
If anyone needed proof that offensive coordinator Mike Martz wants to throw the ball every single down, I advise you to go back and watch the film of this game. Keep in mind that the Lions were never losing, and Jon Kitna and backup quarterback J.T. O’Sullivan still combined to throw 56 passes. Kitna went out with a concussion early, but Martz wasn’t going to let that affect his gameplan against the tough Vikings run defense. The virtually unknown O’Sullivan threw the ball 23 times for 148 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions in no more than two quarters of play, only to give way to what Kitna described as a “miracle” comeback from a slight concussion. Kitna wound up with 245 yards, one touchdown, and one pick in his 33 attempts while leading the Lions to victory. Kitna’s touchdown went to Roy Williams, while O’Sullivan tossed his touchdown to rookie Calvin Johnson. I noticed that Johnson was not playing in most three wide receiver sets, but it doesn’t affect his value due to the amount of times the Lions go with four wide. The Lions pass happy offense proved once again that they have enough passes to go around, allowing Shaun McDonald seven grabs for 71 yards and Mike Furrey 5 catches for 60 yards. This may be the first time that four wide receivers are startable on the same team, with Williams being a WR1, Johnson being a WR2/WR3, and McDonald and Furrey being possible WR4s. By the way, Tatum Bell was horrendous and wasn’t trusted enough to give the ball to, so Kevin Jones will be working his way back as the starter in the next few weeks. Note to his owners; place him on your bench for good.
There is no one in the Vikings offense worth talking about except for Adrian Peterson. He racked up 118 total yards, and continued to show his unbelievable talent. The Vikings offense just won’t be good enough to allow him to score more than 5-8 touchdowns. Play him as a RB2 until he gets injured.
Okay, it is very clear now that it won’t be long before Marion Barber III is the starting running back in Dallas. Barber (14 carries/89 yards/2 TD) is simply too explosive and Julius Jones has proven that he is not. Trade for Barber if an owner is trying to sell on what he thinks is high value. If you own him, don’t you dare move him. With the game in hand, Tony Romo only needed to throw for 186 yards, but he did get two scores. Terrell Owens was on the receiving end of 97 of Romo’s 186 yards and one of his touchdowns, and he is proving that he still has plenty left in the tank. Patrick Crayton didn’t catch a pass, but that was partially because he missed a big chunk of the game with a finger issue. He will prove worthy in the coming weeks, so don’t drop him just yet.
If an owner is selling Marion Barber III at “high value” don’t be afraid to be a buyer.
Forget Trent Green’s other statistics, because he threw four interceptions in this one. The only good news is that he is making Chris Chambers (9 receptions/109 yards) into a consistent WR2/WR3. Chambers is on his way to a career year if Green can remain healthy, so feel lucky if you own him. Marty Booker had 79 yards and a score on 4 catches, but he will remain too inconsistent to start. I know Ronnie Brown owners are struggling to find good news after another poor outing, but there is actually reason to be optimistic. Brown had only 33 yards on 11 carries, but Jesse Chatman only received 3 carries total. There is reason to believe the Dolphins may scrap the split carry situation and start giving Brown his due workload, which may happen Sunday against the Jets. I would give Brown one more start if I owned him.
Because owners should be staying away from both the Ravens and Jets quarterback situation, we will move on to bigger and better things. Don’t you find it discouraging that Willis McGahee can’t even scrap out 100 yards rushing against a semi-weak defense in a game in which they led throughout? Well, I do, and even though he scored a short receiving touchdown and ran for 97 yards, I remain skeptical that McGahee has any big-play ability. Despite the lack of a good quarterback, Todd Heap showed that he can still produce, going for 76 yards and a score. Derrick Mason had 54 yards on eight receptions, but he and the other Ravens wide receivers can’t be trusted on a weekly basis. Mason, Mark Clayton, and Demetrius Williams are all worth a bench spot, but none of them should be near your starting lineup.
Jerricho Cotchery had a huge game, pulling in 7 catches for 165 yards from Kellen Clemens. However, I would be worried if I was consistently starting him as a WR3. Laveranues Coles had 57 yards on 6 catches, and should remain a consistent WR3 yard producer. The fact that Thomas Jones carried all 24 times (67 yards) for the Jets shows how committed the team is to him as their starting running back. While I don’t love him, he seems to be set for a huge workload on a weekly basis as long as he’s healthy, making him a decent RB2 play.
Much like the Jets/Ravens game, there isn’t much need to talk about these quarterbacks. Bernard Berrian had 5 catches for 65 yards, proving that Rex Grossman is not bad enough to keep Berrian from being a solid WR2 and an unbelievable WR3 this season. Because this is the case, Muhsin Muhammad can be dropped from many rosters, as he was held to just one catch for seven yards. Cedric Benson went for 102 yards on 24 carries, but was held without a touchdown for the second straight week. It kind of defeats the purpose of being a goal line type back if your team never gets you there, doesn’t it? He will remain a decent RB2 until he gets hurt.
Larry Johnson’s 25-35 touches didn’t come in this game, which proves to me that head coach Herm Edwards and the rest of his staff are completely clueless. It is not as if the Chiefs were ever completely blown out of this game, so the fact that he didn’t get that workload blows my mind. Because Edwards and his staff aren’t very smart, it is going to take them one more game than I thought to realize that Johnson needs to get the ball virtually every down for them to win. Keeping going with LJ, as his big game is coming in week 3 at home against the Vikings. Tony Gonzalez had 4 catches for 43 yards, but had a touchdown stolen from Dwayne Bowe (that’s right, stolen!). Gonzalez will end up with TE1 statistics at season’s end as always, so don’t even think about benching him. Bowe, on the other hand, is worth a roster spot. He had only two receptions for 22 yards, but he is the only wide receiver option the Chiefs have.
The best part about LaMont Jordan’s back-to-back great games is that you might be able to sell him at peak value. He had 159 yards in this one, but don’t forget that Dominic Rhodes is coming back in week 5, and he will steal some of Jordan’s carries. Don’t hang onto Jordan too long. Jerry Porter was on the receiving end of Josh McCown’s only touchdown toss of 46 yards, but that was his only catch. Ronald Curry was silent as expected, gaining only 12 yards on two receptions. Curry will be startable as a WR3 in week 3 against the Browns now that Champ Bailey is out of sight and out of mind. Curry is still the wide receiver to own in Oakland, not Porter.
Jay Cutler wasn’t bad, but he wasn’t great either. He threw for 269 yards and a score, but also threw two interceptions. He remains a decent QB2, while he will continue to make Javon Walker a WR1. Walker had another 100-yard game on 8 catches, as he is tied with T.J. Houshmandzadeh for the league lead after two weeks with 17 receptions. Brandon Marshall awoke in week 2, going for 82 yards and a touchdown, while Brandon Stokley had 43 yards and a score. Marshall should be started as a WR3 based on matchup, while Stokley may be pushing for WR5 status. It is obvious that Travis Henry has earned the trust of head coach Mike Shanahan from 10-yard line to 10-yard line, but he hasn’t yet earned his trust near the goal line. Henry compiled 128 yards on 26 carries, but had a touchdown vultured by fullback Cecil Sapp from five yards out. The Broncos goal line situation will be one to watch in the coming weeks. The Shanahan factor may strike yet another Denver running back from fantasy greatness.
The only question I have is whether or not the Patriots will lose a game. Tom Brady was huge again, Randy Moss was huge again, and I see no reason why it won’t continue in the coming weeks. Wes Welker is clearly the middle man in the Patriots receiving game, catching another eight passes for 91 yards. He is becoming a legitimate WR3 start on a weekly basis. Donte Stallworth, on the other hand, is becoming the odd man out. I really saw him having a good game Sunday night, but it just didn’t happen. It was clearly Wes Welker underneath and Randy Moss down the field. Brady did attempt to get Stallworth the ball on a few occasions, but it was probably just so he didn’t feel left out. Stallworth clearly belongs on fantasy benches, but shouldn’t be dropped. Tight end Ben Watson got in on the act, catching 5 passes for 49 yards and one touchdown. He should remain a low end TE1 and a great TE2. Laurence Maroney owners are beginning to hate both head coach Bill Belichick and backup running back Sammy Morris. Belichick seems unwilling to commit to a one running back system, and appears ready to give anyone but Maroney a shot to score in the red zone. You shouldn’t cut bait with Maroney unless you can get 1st round value (likely where you drafted him), but he certainly can’t be trusted as a RB1 right now. If you own Maroney and you have a solid receiving core, you may need to think about dealing a wideout or two for a legitimate RB1. By the way, Sammy Morris should not be on your free agent list.
LaDainian Tomlinson literally went nowhere in this game, gaining only 43 yards on 18 carries. While he didn’t score, he did have another four receptions, even though they only went for 15 yards. No need to worry though, Tomlinson is too good and head coach Norv Turner is too running back friendly to let this go bad. Antonio Gates was Antonio Gates, and Philip Rivers will right the ship next week in Green Bay. Start both Rivers and Vincent Jackson, along with Tomlinson and Gates with confidence in week 3. The Chargers will have a big offensive outburst.
Jason Campbell looked pretty good in this game, but people are getting a little out of hand regarding his fantasy status. He is worth a bench spot at best, and to be honest, I wouldn’t pick him up if I had the chance. His solid play does do some things for other’s fantasy status, including both Clinton Portis and Santana Moss. Portis is looking every bit like the steal I thought he would be before the year began, taking another touchdown in and rushing for 69 yards on 17 carries in week 2. He has pushed Ladell Betts back to 3rd down running back status, and Portis is looking like a great RB2, and a possible low end RB1. If he has been rotting on your bench, wait not longer to get him in your starting lineup. Santana Moss caught 6 passes for 89 yards, and he should be a solid WR2 and great WR3 for the rest of the season. Antwaan Randle El came back down to earth as expected, gaining just 44 yards on 4 receptions. He remains worth a bench spot at the very best.
Anytime Donovan McNabb fails to throw a touchdown, something is not right. It is obvious that McNabb’s knee is not game ready, and this situation screams trouble. As a matter of fact, it wouldn’t surprise me to see McNabb miss some games in the coming weeks. If you have a decent alternative quarterback option on your bench, it is time to use it. With McNabb having issues, Reggie Brown and Kevin Curtis are skeptical starts at WR. Again, if you have better options at wideout, use them. It became clear Monday night that the Eagles lone option is Brian Westbrook, as he chewed up his usual big yardage. Even Westbrook didn’t escape the game without problems, as a knee issue has suddenly become part of the news. It appears he’s going to be okay for week 3, but this could lead to an eventual failure to play in all 16 games this season.
Feel free to email me at Jdimaggio5@aol.com with any questions you might have regarding your own team.
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