Arizona Cardinals - Anquan Boldin should be close to full health, so he's as safe to use this week as he's been all season. Hightower and Wells continue to split carries in a backfield that's unusable in fantasy leagues for now.
Atlanta Falcons - Roddy White continues to be limited some in practice during the week, but he's certain to play in week 10.
Baltimore Ravens - None.
Buffalo Bills - Trent Edwards will return as the starting quarterback this week, thrilling fantasy owners all around the nation. Terrell Owens has been hobbled by a hip injury all week, and while he's been extremely limited, he has a history of never missing games except for serious injuries. Regardless, he's a poor play when healthy, much less when he's hobbled. I wouldn't bother with him.
Carolina Panthers - DeAngelo Williams has been battling a knee injury, missing 2 practices this week. He's probably a full-blown game time decision, and both Williams' and Stewart's owners should check the game day inactive list. Stewart is a borderline RB2 play most weeks, but he would vault into a must-start should Williams sit out.
Cincinnati Bengals - None.
Chicago Bears - None.
Cleveland Browns - Fantasy wasteland.
Dallas Cowboys - Marion Barber is still playing like he's hobbled by his leg injury, but you should continue starting him as a RB2 thanks to his scoring potential.
Denver Broncos - Knowshon Moreno and Correll Buckhalter are back to splitting time, making both very risky RB2 plays. Moreno is the better play as he gets the goal line looks. Royal put up a solid game last week, but he never seems to string them together. Take a wait-and-see approach with him before using him again.
Detroit Lions - Stafford and Calvin Johnson appeared limited by their injuries last week, but both will play again this week. Stafford is obviously best left on benches, but Calvin Johnson should be in all lineups.
Green Bay Packers - No injuries to mention here, but it's worth noting that the offense had a closed door meeting this week to discuss their problems. Rodgers has been a top tiered fantasy QB despite the mess, but they have obviously been hampered by poor protection so far. Hopefully that will get fixed in the 2nd half of the season.
Houston Texans - Bye week.
Indianapolis Colts - Donald Brown practiced all week, and while he's not startable, Addai owners will need to reserve him again as they will move back to a committee. Addai is the better bet to score, but hopefully you have a more reliable yardage option. Anthony Gonzalez is still out.
Jacksonville Jaguars - MJD missed a little practice time this week, but he's going to start in week 10.
Kansas City Chiefs - This backfield is a mess again. Despite talking all week about how this was Jamaal Charles' chance, he still split carries with Kolby Smith. Given the Chiefs will likely stay in pass-first mode the rest of the year, Jamaal Charles will see the field more, but Kolby Smith will likely take inside and goal line carries. Nobody on this team other than Dwayne Bowe is worth using. I know Chris Chambers opened some eyes last week, but I highly doubt he'll come close to doing that again. Make him prove himself before using him.
Miami Dolphins - None.
Minnesota Vikings - None.
New England Patriots - Sammy Morris is expected to miss another week, and Laurence Maroney has mostly looked good recently. He's a RB2 again this week.
New Orleans Saints - Another ever-changing backfield. Pierre Thomas looks to have risen back to the lead back, and he's a safe start as an RB2. Despite all the madness in this backfield so far this year, Thomas is still the most talented runner on this team, and I think Sean Payton knows it. Bell and Bush won't go away, but Thomas will lead the team in touches, and he looks to have reclaimed the goal line role, although you can't rule out the other two getting a play called for them either.
New York Giants - Bye week.
New York Jets - The bye week figures to have served Jerricho Cotchery well, so the Jets should be a full strength on offense for the stretch run.
Oakland Raiders - Fantasy wasteland, although Zach Miller continues to be a viable low tier TE1 despite the mess.
Philadelphia Eagles - Brian Westbrook, after being a surprise inactive last week, practiced both Thursday and Friday and will resume starting this week. He's a RB2 despite the headache he has provided his owners this year as he will see the most touches in the backfield when he's healthy.
Pittsburgh Steelers - None.
San Diego Chargers - LT has a hip injury that has been bothering him, but he's going to play this week. Starting him at this stage in his career is simply hoping for a TD, so he's only a RB2 play.
San Francisco 49ers - None.
Seattle Seahawks - Is Julius Jones back as the workhorse? Last week showed he is. None of these guys are worth using, however, although I guess Jones can be used as a desperate RB2 play.
St. Louis Rams - None.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Josh Freeman showed some potential last week in an inspired effort, so Kellen Winslow can be used as a TE1 moving forward.
Tennessee Titans - Justin Gage will miss several weeks with some fractures in his lower back after his highlight reel catch, which means Kenny Britt will start in his plate. As I said last week, the Titans' WRs are very risky WR3 plays as Vince Young simply doesn't throw down the field very often.
Washington Redskins - Clinton Portis is out, so Ladell Betts will start in his place. I was going to suggest Betts as a solid RB2 play, but he's not 100% either, battling a foot sprain. It's bad enough that coach Jim Zorn suggested a committee is possible, and considering the strong Broncos' run defense, it's best to avoid the situation.
Friday, November 13, 2009
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Week 10 Waiver Wire
Thanks to other obligations I did not have a chance to write this article yesterday, but the only player worth picking up was Ladell Betts, whom I've noted several times was necessary for Portis owners and a speculative pick for non-owners. We'll re-examine the WW pool next week.
Week 9 Thoughts
Arizona Cardinals - Warner posted his best game of the season, smoking the over-matched Bears defense. Wells again looked great, but is being limited by his playing time, and more specifically, his carries. Fitzgerald exploded, predictably, with Boldin missing. He's continuing to make progress in the passing game, and with his talent running the ball, expect more work down the stretch. Hold on tightly as great RB insurance.
Atlanta Falcons - Atlanta's passing attack fell flat again as Ryan has had some ups and downs in his 2nd year, but it's been mostly positive. White had an off-game, but Gonzalez posted a solid week. Michael Turner has turned the corner. 2 weeks ago Atlanta adjusted their running plays, and he's looked like the stud from last year the last two weeks. He's shown a lot more quickness and explosion...a key part of his game that was missing prior to that. Expect a strong finish if he can stay healthy.
Baltimore Ravens - Flacco had another rough game, but Cincy's surprising D was motivated and played at maximum level all game long. He's still a QB1 in most match-ups. Ray Rice once again dominated the backfield, and most importantly, executed a 2 yard goal line carry. Rice is officially the every down back for Baltimore, and while the pass-first offense limits his carries a bit, he's a top 10 RB.
Buffalo Bills - Bye week.
Carolina Panthers - Delhomme continues to be a game manager as the team clearly does not trust him, so you have to wonder why he's still starting. Steve Smith's fantasy value continues to be wrecked by Delhomme's play. DeAngelo Williams has actually been an RB1 this season, and amazingly enough, he's on a similar pace as last year. There's still concern that Stewart will eventually take goal line duties, but Williams did score from 6 yards out last week. It's a situation worth monitoring.
Cincinnati Bengals - Carson Palmer came out firing, but slowed greatly in the 2nd half as the defenses dominated. Chad Johnson played great again, but lost a fumble to harm his pedestrian stat line. Chris Henry is done for the season with a broken forearm, so they'll need Laveraneus Coles to step up like he did this week. Cedric Benson is on an alarming pace of carries, but thanks to the heavy workload, he's a great RB1. He's the new Rudi Johnson.
Chicago Bears - Cutler posted an outstanding fantasy day, but that masks the fact this offense looked terrible again. With the running game not working, and Matt Forte owners cursing out the offensive line, this team is built to pass, which bodes well for Cutler's value in the 2nd half. Greg Olsen finally had a big day, including making plays down the field, so those expecting a big leap from him this season hopes this jump starts him in the 2nd half.
Cleveland Browns - Bye week.
Dallas Cowboys - Tony Romo continues firing on all cylinders, but Miles Austin is starting to attract heavy defensive attention as he was doubled most of the game. While Austin created another big play, he was limited to one catch. This warrants monitoring to see how the Cowboys and Austin adjusted. Roy Williams was the beneficiary posting one of his best receiving days on the season, but provided nothing in the way of big plays. Jason Witten is still not doing much of anything. He's still obviously a TE1, but he's not giving his owners what they paid for. Of concern is the lack of work Marion Barber is getting. I'm not sure if his legs are still bothering him, but his lack of carries and big plays are worth worrying about moving forward. Keep him going as a RB2, but he's nothing more at this point.
Denver Broncos - Kyle Orton threw his first 3 real interceptions of the season, and while you can use him in the right match-ups, he's not evolving into the QB1 I expected. His lack of arm strength is great for the short-intermediate passing game, but Denver isn't even trying to throw the ball deep. Eddie Royal turned in his 2nd most productive receiving game of the season, but as usual, it's impossible to rely on him until he gives you more than 1/4 productive games.
Detroit Lions- Mathew Stafford was not at all helped by the return of Calvin Johnson as Stafford was clearly off in this one, not only throwing 5 interceptions, but also throwing erratic passes constantly after his strong start in the first quarter. Calvin Johnson was clearly upset with Stafford's performance, at one point refusing to talk to his quarterback. He'll bounce back. Kevin Smith returned as the primary ball carrier, and while the team around him fell apart, it's great news for his value down the stretch.
Green Bay Packers - So much for that offensive line improvement. They gave up pressure and sacks all day to a poor Tampa Bay defensive line, and while Rodgers posted another monster fantasy day, it's continuing to kill Greg Jennings. Until the protection improves, Jennings is nowhere near a WR1. Ryan Grant looked great again.
Houston Texans - Schaub posted another great performance, spreading the ball around and utilizing Kevin Walter more with Daniels out of the lineup. The backfield is a complete mess as Moats posted a very below average game, and he lost a fumble at the one yard line. It's simply a mess right now, but luckily for Slaton owners, he converted a 1 yard TD run later in the game. I'm not going to attempt figuring out who will play what role next week.
Indianapolis Colts - Manning and company keep humming right along, and Addai posted another great fantasy day with Brown sidelined. He'll continue to be a solid RB2 for as long as Brown is out.
Jacksonville Jaguars - MJD's high workload allowed for a great fantasy day, but I'm sure his fantasy owners expected a much better per-touch efficiency. Mike Sims-Walker exploded once again, and he's an excellent fantasy option moving forward.
Kansas City Chiefs - Cassel posted one of his best games against the season, although keep in mind this was against one of the worst secondaries in the NFL. KC barely bothered running the ball, but when they did, it was a split between Charles and Kolby Smith. Smith will likely handle most of the between-the-tackles work while Charles gets mixed in and is the preferred passing game option. This is a situation to stay away from in terms of starting either of these guys.
Miami Dolphins - Miami had its rushing attack mostly stuffed, but Brown tossed a TD from the wildcat, and Williams took a pitch from Pat White and ran 15 yards for his own TD. Brown is a RB1 thanks to his greater workload and goal line presence while Williams continues to be a RB2/Flex option even as the lesser option.
Minnesota Vikings - Bye week.
New England Patriots - Brady torched Miami's corners, but unfortunately for his fantasy owners, they just couldn't get it into the end zone consistently. Maroney had another solid performance, racking up 20 carries and being productive with them including a touchdown.
New Orleans Saints - Just another day at the office for Brees and company. Of note here is that Pierre Thomas is slowly moving back to his feature RB role as he dominated touches and scored from 10 yards out.
New York Giants - Eli Manning looked very close to 100% this week, which is great news for his owners moving forward. I would feel confident putting him back out there as he looked the best he has since coming down with his heel injury. Manningham and Nicks continue to split snaps at WR, making both risky WR3 plays, and Steve Smith owners will be happy with Manning's recovery. Jacobs suffered a slight knee injury which cost him some carries, but he was effective again and he's set up for a rewarding good 2nd half.
New York Jets - Bye week.
Oakland Raiders - Bye week.
Philadelphia Eagles - McNabb continued his Jeckyl/Hyde approach to playing quarterback as he threw up another poor performance against the Cowboys. Brent Celek continues his emergence as one of the great young TEs in football with another strong performance. Westbrook continues to be a massive headache for his owners between the concussion and his continued ankle problems, so hopefully those who invested highly in him this season have protected themselves with LeSean McCoy.
Pittsburgh Steelers - Business as usual for the Steelers as Big Ben as the passing game hum along while Mendenhall churns out the yardage on the ground.
San Diego Chargers - Much like the Steelers, Rivers and the Chargers passing game keeps moving along as well, and Vincent Jackson continues to be a beast. LT again had problems near the goal line (and on pretty much every other carry), but at least he's getting plenty of chances. Not much positive to say about him otherwise, unfortunately.
San Francisco 49ers - Alex Smith has certainly changed the identity of the offense as they are clearly more comfortable passing the ball, and he's effectively moved the team during his time on the field. He's made Vernon Davis an even better fantasy TE as he has elevated himself to the #1 TE in FF with Daniels' injury. This only helps Frank Gore who has a great match-up against a reeling Bears D Thursday night.
Seattle Seahawks - Hasselbeck and the Seahawks, despite preseason rumblings about being a run-first time, continue to sling the ball around the field. They have a poor offensive line and no RB that can make things happen by himself, so it makes sense. Julius Jones actually had a productive all-around day, but we've been through this with him before, and he's only a desperate RB2.
St. Louis Rams - Bye week.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Fantasy wasteland.
Tennessee Titans - The passing game isn't much to speak of with Vince Young behind center, but their offense as a whole looks better crazily enough. Chris Johnson scored a 2 yard TD, proving that he is officially the every down RB for the Titans. LenDale White is a non-factor and only a pure backup at this point. Considering his value has hit rock bottom, Johnson owners should consider making a small deal for White before the trading deadline to secure his handcuff.
Washington Redskins - Portis was knocked unconscious, so Ladell Betts took over and posted a solid game in his place. Portis looks like to miss at least one more week.
Atlanta Falcons - Atlanta's passing attack fell flat again as Ryan has had some ups and downs in his 2nd year, but it's been mostly positive. White had an off-game, but Gonzalez posted a solid week. Michael Turner has turned the corner. 2 weeks ago Atlanta adjusted their running plays, and he's looked like the stud from last year the last two weeks. He's shown a lot more quickness and explosion...a key part of his game that was missing prior to that. Expect a strong finish if he can stay healthy.
Baltimore Ravens - Flacco had another rough game, but Cincy's surprising D was motivated and played at maximum level all game long. He's still a QB1 in most match-ups. Ray Rice once again dominated the backfield, and most importantly, executed a 2 yard goal line carry. Rice is officially the every down back for Baltimore, and while the pass-first offense limits his carries a bit, he's a top 10 RB.
Buffalo Bills - Bye week.
Carolina Panthers - Delhomme continues to be a game manager as the team clearly does not trust him, so you have to wonder why he's still starting. Steve Smith's fantasy value continues to be wrecked by Delhomme's play. DeAngelo Williams has actually been an RB1 this season, and amazingly enough, he's on a similar pace as last year. There's still concern that Stewart will eventually take goal line duties, but Williams did score from 6 yards out last week. It's a situation worth monitoring.
Cincinnati Bengals - Carson Palmer came out firing, but slowed greatly in the 2nd half as the defenses dominated. Chad Johnson played great again, but lost a fumble to harm his pedestrian stat line. Chris Henry is done for the season with a broken forearm, so they'll need Laveraneus Coles to step up like he did this week. Cedric Benson is on an alarming pace of carries, but thanks to the heavy workload, he's a great RB1. He's the new Rudi Johnson.
Chicago Bears - Cutler posted an outstanding fantasy day, but that masks the fact this offense looked terrible again. With the running game not working, and Matt Forte owners cursing out the offensive line, this team is built to pass, which bodes well for Cutler's value in the 2nd half. Greg Olsen finally had a big day, including making plays down the field, so those expecting a big leap from him this season hopes this jump starts him in the 2nd half.
Cleveland Browns - Bye week.
Dallas Cowboys - Tony Romo continues firing on all cylinders, but Miles Austin is starting to attract heavy defensive attention as he was doubled most of the game. While Austin created another big play, he was limited to one catch. This warrants monitoring to see how the Cowboys and Austin adjusted. Roy Williams was the beneficiary posting one of his best receiving days on the season, but provided nothing in the way of big plays. Jason Witten is still not doing much of anything. He's still obviously a TE1, but he's not giving his owners what they paid for. Of concern is the lack of work Marion Barber is getting. I'm not sure if his legs are still bothering him, but his lack of carries and big plays are worth worrying about moving forward. Keep him going as a RB2, but he's nothing more at this point.
Denver Broncos - Kyle Orton threw his first 3 real interceptions of the season, and while you can use him in the right match-ups, he's not evolving into the QB1 I expected. His lack of arm strength is great for the short-intermediate passing game, but Denver isn't even trying to throw the ball deep. Eddie Royal turned in his 2nd most productive receiving game of the season, but as usual, it's impossible to rely on him until he gives you more than 1/4 productive games.
Detroit Lions- Mathew Stafford was not at all helped by the return of Calvin Johnson as Stafford was clearly off in this one, not only throwing 5 interceptions, but also throwing erratic passes constantly after his strong start in the first quarter. Calvin Johnson was clearly upset with Stafford's performance, at one point refusing to talk to his quarterback. He'll bounce back. Kevin Smith returned as the primary ball carrier, and while the team around him fell apart, it's great news for his value down the stretch.
Green Bay Packers - So much for that offensive line improvement. They gave up pressure and sacks all day to a poor Tampa Bay defensive line, and while Rodgers posted another monster fantasy day, it's continuing to kill Greg Jennings. Until the protection improves, Jennings is nowhere near a WR1. Ryan Grant looked great again.
Houston Texans - Schaub posted another great performance, spreading the ball around and utilizing Kevin Walter more with Daniels out of the lineup. The backfield is a complete mess as Moats posted a very below average game, and he lost a fumble at the one yard line. It's simply a mess right now, but luckily for Slaton owners, he converted a 1 yard TD run later in the game. I'm not going to attempt figuring out who will play what role next week.
Indianapolis Colts - Manning and company keep humming right along, and Addai posted another great fantasy day with Brown sidelined. He'll continue to be a solid RB2 for as long as Brown is out.
Jacksonville Jaguars - MJD's high workload allowed for a great fantasy day, but I'm sure his fantasy owners expected a much better per-touch efficiency. Mike Sims-Walker exploded once again, and he's an excellent fantasy option moving forward.
Kansas City Chiefs - Cassel posted one of his best games against the season, although keep in mind this was against one of the worst secondaries in the NFL. KC barely bothered running the ball, but when they did, it was a split between Charles and Kolby Smith. Smith will likely handle most of the between-the-tackles work while Charles gets mixed in and is the preferred passing game option. This is a situation to stay away from in terms of starting either of these guys.
Miami Dolphins - Miami had its rushing attack mostly stuffed, but Brown tossed a TD from the wildcat, and Williams took a pitch from Pat White and ran 15 yards for his own TD. Brown is a RB1 thanks to his greater workload and goal line presence while Williams continues to be a RB2/Flex option even as the lesser option.
Minnesota Vikings - Bye week.
New England Patriots - Brady torched Miami's corners, but unfortunately for his fantasy owners, they just couldn't get it into the end zone consistently. Maroney had another solid performance, racking up 20 carries and being productive with them including a touchdown.
New Orleans Saints - Just another day at the office for Brees and company. Of note here is that Pierre Thomas is slowly moving back to his feature RB role as he dominated touches and scored from 10 yards out.
New York Giants - Eli Manning looked very close to 100% this week, which is great news for his owners moving forward. I would feel confident putting him back out there as he looked the best he has since coming down with his heel injury. Manningham and Nicks continue to split snaps at WR, making both risky WR3 plays, and Steve Smith owners will be happy with Manning's recovery. Jacobs suffered a slight knee injury which cost him some carries, but he was effective again and he's set up for a rewarding good 2nd half.
New York Jets - Bye week.
Oakland Raiders - Bye week.
Philadelphia Eagles - McNabb continued his Jeckyl/Hyde approach to playing quarterback as he threw up another poor performance against the Cowboys. Brent Celek continues his emergence as one of the great young TEs in football with another strong performance. Westbrook continues to be a massive headache for his owners between the concussion and his continued ankle problems, so hopefully those who invested highly in him this season have protected themselves with LeSean McCoy.
Pittsburgh Steelers - Business as usual for the Steelers as Big Ben as the passing game hum along while Mendenhall churns out the yardage on the ground.
San Diego Chargers - Much like the Steelers, Rivers and the Chargers passing game keeps moving along as well, and Vincent Jackson continues to be a beast. LT again had problems near the goal line (and on pretty much every other carry), but at least he's getting plenty of chances. Not much positive to say about him otherwise, unfortunately.
San Francisco 49ers - Alex Smith has certainly changed the identity of the offense as they are clearly more comfortable passing the ball, and he's effectively moved the team during his time on the field. He's made Vernon Davis an even better fantasy TE as he has elevated himself to the #1 TE in FF with Daniels' injury. This only helps Frank Gore who has a great match-up against a reeling Bears D Thursday night.
Seattle Seahawks - Hasselbeck and the Seahawks, despite preseason rumblings about being a run-first time, continue to sling the ball around the field. They have a poor offensive line and no RB that can make things happen by himself, so it makes sense. Julius Jones actually had a productive all-around day, but we've been through this with him before, and he's only a desperate RB2.
St. Louis Rams - Bye week.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Fantasy wasteland.
Tennessee Titans - The passing game isn't much to speak of with Vince Young behind center, but their offense as a whole looks better crazily enough. Chris Johnson scored a 2 yard TD, proving that he is officially the every down RB for the Titans. LenDale White is a non-factor and only a pure backup at this point. Considering his value has hit rock bottom, Johnson owners should consider making a small deal for White before the trading deadline to secure his handcuff.
Washington Redskins - Portis was knocked unconscious, so Ladell Betts took over and posted a solid game in his place. Portis looks like to miss at least one more week.
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