Truism of fantasy football:
every year there are players that will not be drafted in a fantasy football
draft but will emerge to be solid additions for a fantasy football team,
sometimes exploding to stud status. A quick trigger in the free agent
market can make a bad team good, but in the same token a good team bad.
Before just adding the players listed below to your team, here are a few
guidelines to help ensure that the former happens rather than the latter.
1. Do not just randomly grab a player or drop a player solely based
on the information given below -
use some discretion - as the quality of
the player varies from league to league due to the size and scoring system
of each league. In addition, team needs vary from fantasy team to fantasy
team, so some discretion can go a long way. The list posted below is
to bring some players to your attention and give you a comment or two regarding
their possibilities.
2. Generally, it is not a good idea to drop any player you drafted
in the first 10 rounds of your draft (at least in the first few weeks).
Be patient, particularly with wide receivers as they are very inconsistent
in most scoring systems, posting a horrible week one week and then backing
it up with a good performance in the following week.
3. Be quick to grab running backs, especially as new starters are
announced or as players emerge with huge games. This does not mean
dropping a traditionally good player in order to pick up one of these running
backs, but if you have an extra D, K, TE, or even a lower tier WR, it is
probably in your best interest to drop one of them and take a chance.
RBs are in high demand and almost always carry value provided they are a
primary back for a particular NFL team.
Welcome to the Team (a.k.a. Pick-Up)
DeAngelo Williams, RB, CAR – Williams had his best day as a pro exploding on the Chiefs for 123 rushing yards, 2 rushing TDs, 25 receiving yards, and 1 receiving TD. If you were in bind due to BYE weeks and were forced to start Williams this week, the grin you are currently sporting is no where close to going away. Williams and Jonathan Stewart split duty getting 20 and 19 rushing attempts respectively. Stewart’s day wasn’t horrible, but it wasn’t great either (72 rushing yards, 8 receiving yards, and 1 fumble). One game doesn’t push Stewart one way or the other, but it does mean Williams is not ready to go away and will command a few extra touches in future games than he would have otherwise received. Stewart is still the safer fantasy play, but Williams proved he can produce and be a fantasy factor if the circumstances are right. If nothing else you can pick up Williams and then ransom him for a big trade with the owner that has Jonathan Stewart in your league.
Steve Slaton, RB, HOU – Picked as a
2008 FootballDocs' Sleeper in the preseason and now plugged several weeks in a row on this column, this is the last week Slaton is on the list as he is largely unavailable in many leagues. However, just in case you missed the memo: run, don’t walk to the waiver wire if Slaton is available. He had another big fantasy day rushing for 93 yards and 2 TDs.
Kyle Orton, QB, CHI – Detroit will make any player look like a superstar, so we do need to pallet Orton’s 334 passing yard / 2 TD / 0 INT performance a bit. However, Orton did show that if the match-up is favorable, he can produce.
Andre Johnson, WR, HOU – Just in case a frustrated owner dumped Johnson, it should be noted he had a great day on Sunday pulling in a whopping 9 receptions for 131 yards and a TD. Classic example of not to panic on proven performers.
Steve Breaston, WR, ARI – With Anquan Boldin out recovering from his injury suffered in week 4, Breaston’s role in the Cardinals’ offense is on the rise. He had a very solid day in week 5, pulling in 7 receptions for 77 yards. This is back-to-back weeks where Breaston had a solid outing, and he has proven to be a viable fantasy option for those in deeper leagues or point-per-reception leagues. It is only a matter of time before the TD comes.
Isaac Bruce, WR, SF – Bruce is ancient, but he runs very good routes and is a reliable option at receiver. He had another nice fantasy showing on Sunday posting 49 receiving yards and 2 TDs. It also doesn’t hurt that he is very familiar with Mike Martz’s offense.
Sinorice Moss, WR, NYG – With Plaxico Burress watching from the sidelines, Moss carved out a nice fantasy day grabbing 4 receptions for 45 yards and 2 TDs. We like the 2 TDs, as Manning was locked on Moss when the Giants were in the redzone. Granted this game was a blowout and the Giants were able to try a few things late they normaly wouldn’t try (like give David Carr some PT), but QB-WR chemistry is an odd thing. Even with Burress back, Moss may have shown to Manning he warrants a few looks and may continue to show upward progress up the fantasy rankings.
Mike Walker, WR, JAX – With the attention on Matt Jones, Walker was able to post a nice day to the tune of 6 receptions for 107 yards. With Matt Jones trial for a felony cocaine possession charge starting this week, Walker’s role in the offense may be going up.
Devin Hester, WR, CHI – Hester proved to be a viable fantasy WR start on Sunday pulling in 5 receptions for 66 yards and a TD. Anytime you get Hester on speedy artificial turf, his juke capability goes through the roof. If in a pinch due to BYE weeks, Hester warrants spot-start consideration if playing on artificial turf.
Greg Camarillo, WR, MIA – If in a super deep league, it should be noted Camarillo pulled in 6 receptions for 68 yards and a TD. Pennington looked Camarillo’s way several times during the game, and you never know when QB-WR chemistry is going to click. Perhaps this is the sign of more good things to come.
Show 'em the Door (a.k.a. Drop)
Charlie Batch, QB, PIT - Batch hurt his collarbone and is out for the year. Byron Leftwich will serve as the back-up to Ben Roethisberger for the rest of the year.
Tom Brady, QB, NE - Bradly tore his knee in several places in week 1 and is lost for the remainder of the season.
Chris Brown, RB, HOU - No thanks to his back, Brown didn't even make it to the start of the season without suffering a season ending injury.
Nate Burleson, WR, SEA - An already thin receiving core for the Seahawks just got thinner as Burleson was lost for the remainder of the season with a knee injury.
Ahman Green, RB, HOU - It is the Steve Slaton show in Houston.
Tarvaris Jackson, QB, MIN - Jackson lost the starting job prior to week 3. Until a decision is made otherwise, Jackson doesn't warrant a roster spot for your team.
Alex Smith, QB, SF - Smith's hurt shoulder is going to cause him to miss the entire season. He blew his golden opportunity to be the starting QB in Mike Martz's system.
Cadillac Williams, RB, TB - Williams suffered a brutal injury last year, and some maintain it may cost him his career. This injury continues to hold him back in 2008.
Vince Young, QB, TEN - Young sprained his MCL in week 2 and is out for at least 2 - 4 weeks, perhaps longer. We weren't big fans of Young entering the season perfectly healthy, so we would drop him from your roster for now to make room for another player with better upside.
Note: This advice is intended for redraft leagues only.
