Thursday, October 29, 2009

Week 8 Injury/Depth Chart Report

Arizona Cardinals - Anquan Boldin is slowly getting better, but he's still not 100%.  He's still productive when hurt, as evidenced by 70+ yards last week, but it's definitely hurting his explosion.  Chris Wells, while not the starter yet, has taken over the lead back in terms of amount of carries.

Atlanta Falcons - None.

Baltimore Ravens - Flacco battled through a sprained ankle in week 6, but the bye week should have him close to, if not 100%.  Ray Rice will dominate this backfield for the rest of the season, and it'd be great to see some goal line carries.

Buffalo Bills - Fitzpatrick will start again, giving hope to Lee Evans owners and making him a WR3.  Lynch has taken over the lead back, and Fred Jackson is now only his backup rather than his committee partner.

Carolina Panthers - None.

Cincinnati Bengals - Bye week.

Chicago Bears - None.

Cleveland Browns - Fantasy wasteland.

Dallas Cowboys - Roy Williams continues to be limited by his rib injury, not that he was very effective before that.  I wouldn't use him, even with bye weeks.  Despite Tashard Choice's great play and all-around game, Felix Jones went right back to being Barber's committee partner.  Jones is an injury waiting to happen, so I wouldn't drop Tashard Choice if you don't have to.

Denver Broncos - Kyle Orton and company return from their bye week, and I think you know what to expect.  Brandon Marshall will dominate targets, Eddie Royal will be insanely inconsistent, and Moreno/Buckhalter will split backfield duties, with Moreno getting the inside and goal line carries.

Detroit Lions - Stafford despite being limited, took all of the #1 snaps in practice this week, giving a strong indication that he'll return.  Despite some bright spots in his play prior to his injury, he'll likely be without Calvin Johnson.  Johnson did some practicing with his hip injury, but it's doubtful that he'll play this week.

Green Bay Packers - Grudge match #2 against the Minnesota Favres, although I expect GB to be really pumped for this one with the crowd.  Expect a big game from Rodgers, although the protection of his offensive line will get their biggest test against Jared Allen and company.

Houston Texans - Andre Johnson suffered a scary rib injury in week 7, but he's expected to be fine for week 8.  If he can put in a full practice by Friday, he'll likely avoid a game time decision status.

Indianapolis Colts - Anthony Gonzalez still isn't ready, so Collie and Garcon will continue to start, although Collie has passed him for targets and now has the better chance to start when Gonzalez returns.

Jacksonville Jaguars - Jacksonville returns from their bye week healthy at all positions.

Kansas City Chiefs - Bye week.

Miami Dolphins - Ted Ginn has essentially lost his starting role.  He might continue to start, although that's far from certain, and he's going to lose snaps to Brian Hartline.  There's going to be some rotation between Ginn, Harline, Camraillo, and Bess, making them all worthless on this run-heavy offense.

Minnesota Vikings - Bernard Berrian is going against the odds and putting some practice in, so there's a chance he might play.  There's no reason for you to start Berrian if he's not 100%, though.  Sidney Rice is the go-to receiver of this offense anyways, and Percy Harvin can be used as a WR3 if Berrian sits out.

New England Patriots - Bye week.

New Orleans Saints - Pierre Thomas and Mike Bell continue their carry split, with Bell getting the carries down the stretch of games.

New York Giants - Eli Manning appears to be struggling a bit with his heel injury as he has not looked sharp the last two weeks despite playing the entire game.  He's a risky QB1 until he looks comfortable moving around again.  Bradshaw went to see a specialist about his ankle, so we'll keep an eye on his practice schedule.  Nicks and Manningham will continue to split snaps across Steve Smith, although both are on the field in 3 WR sets.

New York Jets - Jerricho Cotchery is expected to return, which is good news for everyone involved on this offense.  Defenses have doubled Braylon relentlessly, and his best game as a Jet so far came with Cotchery detracting attention away from him.  With Leon Washington done for the year, Thomas Jones is a safer RB2 play, and Shonn Greene will get most of the other carries.  Expect new 3rd RB Danny Woodhead to get some 3rd down work as well.

Oakland Raiders - Justin Fargas can be used as a desperate RB2 this week as Robert Gallery's return will help open more holes for him.  Michael Bush has faded behind him.

Philadelphia Eagles - Brian Westbrook will miss at least one week.  No matter what Philly says, don't believe them as they have an important game with the Giants this weekend.  Westbrook won't play, and McCoy will start and be a decent RB2 in a tough match up.

Pittsburgh Steelers - Bye week.

San Diego Chargers - None.

San Francisco 49ers - Alex Smith is the new starting QB, so hopefully the combination of his ascension and Michael Crabtree's appearance will give this passing game some life over the rest of the season for the sake of Frank Gore.

Seattle Seahawks - Seattle returns from it's bye week mostly healthy.  Hasselbeck is a decent QB2, while Housh and Burleson are decent WR3s.  I would try my best to deal Burleson if anyone believe he'll keep this up.  The running game is worthless for fantasy purposes.

St. Louis Rams - None.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Bye week.

Tennessee Titans - Vince Young will be the starting QB this week, and given the enticing match up against the decimated Jacksonville secondary, whoever has some big balls could try starting him if they are that desperate for a starter.  It's hard to recommend any of the WRs with Young behind center despite the great match up, but I'd favor Washington the most if I had to pick.

Washington Redskins - Bye week.

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Week 8 Waiver Wire

QB:

Alex Smith - Smith took over for Shaun Hill in week 8, posting 206 yards and 3 TDs in the 2nd half.  That is obviously out of character for a team that employs a run-first offense, but Smith is definitely the most physically talented QB on the 49ers roster.  With Michael Crabtree in the fold along with youngster Josh Morgan and TE Vernon Davis, he has some talented pass catchers to get the ball to.  I think Smith will be a reasonable QB2 over the rest of the season, provided he stays healthy for once.

RB:

Jamaal Charles - With LJ The Retard blasting his head coach, KC fans, and probably you as well, he's yapped his mouth right out of the starting lineup.  Jamaal Charles is hardly a 20 carry-a-game RB, but he's very explosive and catches the ball well.  He's a good fit with the current state of the KC offense, and he should be targeted with your waiver pick.  He's not an immediate RB2, but I think he should have RB3 value as KC returns from it's bye in week 9.

Shonn Greene - Leon Washington is out for the season with a broken leg, so Greene will step in as Thomas Jones' primary backup.  He won't fill the exact role that Washington had because he's not the accomplished pass catcher that Washington is, but he will be #2 for carries and probably get at least 33% of them.

Jason Snelling - He looked good on limited carries in week 7.  If Michael Turner were to go down, Snelling would likely step in as the primary ball carrier.  That being said, he's a great stash for Turner owners who have a bench spot that can be used on his true backup.

WR:

Malcolm Floyd - This is a speculation pick, but as I've been saying for several weeks, SD really needs to get Chris Chambers out of the starting lineup.  Floyd would replace him, and I think he could put together some productive weeks.  He's worth stashing.

TE:

Fred Davis - Chris Cooley is done for the year with a broken ankle, so Fred Davis will step in and assume the pass catching TE role for the Redskins.  He's limited as a blocker so exactly how much he'll be out there is unknown, but he's definitely a threat and should post some decent games.  He's a TE2.

Monday, October 26, 2009

Week 7 Thoughts

Arizona Cardinals - At this point, you know what you're getting with the Cardinals.  Warner just doesn't go deep much anymore, but he's still effective.  Fitzgerald is limited to a possession receiver, but luckily the large amount of red zone looks help keep his value up as a WR1.  Beanie Wells is starting to come on, and he's slowly passing Tim Hightower as the lead back.  Hightower remains the starter, but he's showing the same problems as last year, while Wells looks decisive, explosive, and finishes his runs.  He put another ball on the ground, but there's no question he's a better runner.

Atlanta Falcons - Just a bad game.  They fell flat on their face.  I wouldn't worry too much about the passing game in this one, but Michael Turner again looks slow.  Luckily he keeps scoring thanks to his offense.

Baltimore Ravens - Bye week.

Buffalo Bills - Well, at least Fitzpatrick is using Lee Evans more than Trent Edwards did.  Evans has emerged as a WR3 option with Fitzpatrick behind center.  Lynch was stuffed quite a bit, but he did manage to score and post a decent fantasy day.

Carolina Panthers - Steve Smith was targeted more, and he posted a good yardage day, falling 1 short of 100 on the day.  Williams also looked good again, and it's amazing that Carolina didn't pound the ball more.  Delhomme is about done, and Carolina has to be thinking about using either AJ Feeley at this point.

Cincinnati Bengals - There's the Palmer we've been waiting for.  He executed a perfect game plan against the Bears Cover 2, finding all the soft spots and repeatedly hitting Chad Johnson for big gains.  They were constantly in the red zone, and Palmer tossed 5 TDs to various receivers.  He was perfect, so hopefully this jump starts him into a big second half.  Benson torched the Bears D as well, and unfortunately for his owners, it was mostly the Carson Palmer show near the end zone as Benson only scored once despite ripping off  long gains at will.

Chicago Bears - The Bears seem to be quite bi-polar this year.  Thanks to their defense, they were down big before they could find a rhythm on offense, and the ended up passing the ball almost all game.  Forte again had no holes to run through, and Cutler made some poor throws trying to force things to happen.  You gotta take the good with the bad with Cutler, and Forte has dropped all the way to a RB2 at this point.

Cleveland Browns - I'm not going to waste any words beyond these to describe this fantasy wasteland.

Dallas Cowboys - Holy Miles Austin.  Romo has a new toy, and he's back rolling again.  Austin, playing the role of Terrell Owens, is lighting up secondaries with his blend of size and speed.  He runs well, jumps high, and is great after the catch.  Expect him to open up this entire offense moving forward.  The rushing attack took a backseat in this one, but this is good news for everyone involved in this offense.

Denver Broncos - Bye week.

Detroit Lions - Bye week.

Green Bay Packers - Rodgers continues to spread the ball around to all of his receivers, and Donald Driver is the one making big plays.  This has become a serious problem for Greg Jennings as teams are keeping him from getting deep while letting other players beat them.  Expect this to change as the season moves along, but after nominating Greg Jennings as my top buy-low guy, this is disappointing to say the least.  Ryan Grant, the winter wonder man, turned in his best game of the season.  The dude digs running in cold weather for some reason.

Houston Texans - Schaub continues to roll along, and it looks like they survived a scare with AJ's chest as it doesn't appear to be a serious injury.  Owen Daniels is fantasy's top TE, and it doesn't appear like he'll slow down any time soon.  Slaton continues to be more productive in the passing game than the running game, and it was also encouraging that he scored from 1 yard out in the 1st half.  He fumbled again, but as long as he's productive, the coaching staff will apparently put up with it.

Indianapolis Colts - Manning had his 300 yard game streak snapped, but it's not like they needed it against the lowly Rams.  It appears as though Collie has passed Garcon in terms of targets, and he's the more desirable receiver to start.

Jacksonville Jaguars - Bye week.

Kansas City Chiefs - Right after singing Cassel's praises last week, he shits the bed this week.  He had been good at avoiding turnovers, but then he threw up the worst game of his season, including 3 interceptions.  This isn't surprising considering he lost his best offensive lineman on a poor offensive line.  As long as LT Brandon Albert is out hurt, he's going to be in trouble.  Dwayne Bowe continues to save his fantasy value by scoring.  Larry Johnson probably tweeted himself out of a job (he blasted just about everyone in another retarded rant), which isn't a bad thing considering that he's worthless as a RB right now.  Haley has been far too patient with the washed up windbag.

Miami Dolphins - Epic fail.  After going up 24-3 on the undefeated Saints, they allowed a TD sneak at the end of the 1st half, and it was all downhill from there.  This team has trouble passing the ball because no receiver can consistently make a play.  Ginn and Fasano, arguably the two most talented pass catchers on the team, both had bad drops that killed offensive drives.  Much to the dismay of Ronnie Brown owners, Ricky Williams had two 4 yard TD runs, at least one of which he took a direct snap out of the Wildcat.  Ugh.

Minnesota Vikings - The Steelers defense finally put an end to Favre-mania, much to the delight of almost every non-Vikings fan out there.  Favre had a bad fumble that was returned for a defensive TD, and Chester Taylor also had a bad dropped pass that was also returned for a defensive TD.  Both of those prevented probably scores, but the Vikings moved the ball fairly well against a tough defense.  Sidney Rice is turning into a stud.

New England Patriots - Business as usual for the Patriots, although more was expected of Moss in this one.  Maroney, ever the fantasy tease, saved his fantasy day with a late TD.  He certainly didn't take the job and run with it like Mendenhall did a few weeks ago.

New Orleans Saints - Brees had a pretty bad day in this one, taking 5 sacks and tossing 3 INTs, but he righted the ship in the 2nd half and led a ridiculous comeback.  Colston and Shockey both had big days, although all of Shockey's damage came in the 2nd half.  The Phins successfully stuffed Pierre Thomas, but then Mike Bell ripped them up down the stretch.

New York Giants - The Giants suddenly look vulnerable after being destroyed by the Saints, and then being dink and dunked to death by the new look Cardinals.  Eli mostly looked solid, but Manningham dropped some big plays, including a sure TD.  Steve Smith did his damage down the stretch, and Eli has to get him more involved early on after these last two games.  Jacobs looked much better, and it's surprising the Giants didn't try to run him more as he was as effective as he's been all year.  This is good news heading forward for Jacobs' owners.

New York Jets - Sanchez went back to managing the game in this one as the rushing attack dominated the putrid Oakland Raiders.  It's a shame for everyone, including myself, that started Leon Washington this week as a bye week fill-in as he would have posted his best game of the season.  Instead, on his 2nd touch of the game, he suffered a compound leg fracture and is done for the season.  Shonn Greene ripped it up in his absence, and he'll take on the lesser committee role with Thomas Jones moving forward.  Braylon Edwards in NY looks like Braylon Edwards in CLE.  Hopefully Cotchery can return soon.

Oakland Raiders - No.

Philadelphia Eagles - Monday night game.

Pittsburgh Steelers - Big Ben posted his worst game of the season, as did Hines Ward, in what looked like a great match up on paper against the Winfield-less Vikings' secondary.  Mendenhall struggled a bit against the Williams wall, but don't put too much stock in it.  It was simply an off-game for the entire offense, but they still managed a win.

San Diego Chargers - Rivers loves him some Vincent Jackson.  Jackson obliterated the KC secondary in the first half, and then took the 2nd half off as the Chargers went into kill-the-clock mode almost from the first minute.  LT looked spry on his first several carries, but repeated attempts to get him a TD resulted in a lot of stuffed runs.  It's hard to tell if it's the offensive line or LT's inability to finish runs anymore, but he doesn't have that goal line magic anymore.  He was stuffed on a LOT of carries inside the 5, so this could affect play calling down there moving forward.

San Francisco 49ers - Shaun Hill finally played himself out of the game, and Alex Smith gave the offense a much needed spark in the 2nd half.  I wouldn't get too excited about this, but Crabtree (who made some plays), Morgan, and Vernon Davis could give Smith enough weapons to close the season strong.  At the very least, it should help open things up for Frank Gore if Smith can continue to throw the ball well.  This warrants monitoring.

Seattle Seahawks - Bye week.

St. Louis Rams - Steven Jackson continues to give it his all, but the passing game and the defense are pretty much non-existent.  Donnie Avery did look mostly healthy, but had a touch match up against the stingy Colts pass D, although he did burn them long once.  A match up against Detroit looms...good news for Jackson and Avery.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Josh Johnson has also played himself out of a job, with rookie Josh Freeman set to take over.  Bryant finally looked healthy, catching his first bomb of the season, but the QB play will harm him over the rest of the season.  He could be a WR3 in the right match up.  Caddy and Derrick Ward are back to splitting time, but neither are worth using.

Tennessee Titans - Bye week.

Washington Redskins - Monday night game.