WRAP UP OF FANTASY FOOTBALL
START SIT WEEK 4
September 30, 2008
Nostradamus (a.k.a. psychic)
Start:
JaMarcus Russell, QB, OAK – You probably didn’t feel very good about starting Russell in week 4. Watching him and the Raiders offense can be very frustrating. However, Russell has started to get it done in the fantasy arena. Russell is starting to remind us of the good version of Daunte Culpepper minus Randy Moss. Russell didn’t disappoint on Sunday by throwing for 277 yards and a nice 63 yard TD. His 2 turnovers kept this performance from being really superb, but you have to like the fact that Russell has been getting it done on the bottom line. You can’t say that for some of the other lauded QBs out there. Ahem, Ben Roethlishberger, we’re talking to you.
Jamal Lewis, RB, CLE – Coming into this week’s game, Lewis averaged 52 rushing yards per game and he had zero TDs on the season. However, we told you that the Bengals were going to get Lewis and the Browns on track. Lewis didn’t disappoint with 79 yards rushing, 2 receptions for 15 yards, and a TD. That’s right! Nothing makes you feel better than predicting a player’s first TD in a long time. The bad news is that we had a relative unknown drop a TD on us after we told you to bench him. That comes later. Let’s focus on the positive right now!
Trent Edwards, QB, BUF – With many of the NFL’s top (and not so top) passers out on bye in week 4 (Peyton Manning, Jon Kitna, Eli Manning, Matt Hasselbeck, Chad Pennington, and Matt Cassel), some teams needed to dig deep. We suggested Edwards as a solid start and he delivered a solid game. He did have an INT, but his total yards were over 200, he threw a TD pass, and he threw for a 2 point conversion. That 2 point conversion helped Edwards make the good start list. Without it, he might have been just a so-so. When you are filling in for a bye, you have to take what you can get and we will absolutely take a 2 point conversion.
Steve Smith, WR, CAR – Smith only had 70 yards and he didn’t score in his first week back from suspension. We just wanted to make sure your concerns were calmed. Smith probably won’t make the start sit again all season. You can just go ahead and plan on starting Smith each and every week the Panthers play.
J.T. O'Sullivan, QB, SF – We had a nice hot streak in week 4 for starting QBs that had 2 point conversions. O’Sullivan just made the good start calls thanks to his 2 point conversion and TD pass. Things get a lot tougher for O’Sullivan next week against the Patriots, so we hope you enjoyed this feast of easy pass defenses.
Steve Slaton, RB, HOU – Only 33 rushing yards is a huge disappointment. Add to that the fact that Slaton had no rushing TDs and you have to assume that he made some magic happen in the passing game. Slaton did just that with 83 yards receiving and a TD catch. This was a great game from Slaton. Slaton is quickly becoming a rookie sensation.
Bench:
Willis McGahee, RB, BAL – All of McGahee’s injuries were really starting to concern us, so we told you to stay away from him. McGahee did play on Monday night, but he had a poor game. He didn’t score and he only had 61 yards of total offense. McGahee was a good bench call in week 4.
Brandon Lloyd, WR, CHI – Lloyd had emerged as the #1 WR threat for the Bears going into week 4, but we expected him to have a down week against Asante Samuel. Lloyd only managed 2 catches for 33 yards. Lloyd had to leave the game early due to a knee injury. Either way, you were better off for leaving this bench call on your pine.
Marc Bulger, QB, STL – We threw Bulger out there just so people knew he was getting benched for Trent Green. We won’t be surprised to see Bulger back on the field, but we don’t know how he will do. We hope Bulger gets better. He can’t get much worse. Right?
Antonio Bryant, WR, TB – After being targeted 19 times the previous week, Bryant was put out there as a bench call. He fulfilled that prediction with only 39 yards. This was a bit of a bold call, but we just didn’t see Tampa Bay airing it out like they did in week 3. We hope you kept Bryant out of your lineup.
Farmer's Almanac (a.k.a. not so bad/not so good)
Start:
None this week.
Bench:
None this week
Weather Forecast (a.k.a. oops better luck next time)
Start:
Selvin Young, RB, DEN – It is safe to say that we were just as shocked as the rest of the NFL to see the Broncos lose to the Chiefs. A large part of that was the sad performance of the Denver rushing attack. All 3 of the Denver RBs were equally worthless. Young was a huge disappointment. If you can find a better option than Young on the waivers, you might want to go get it. Learn this lesson and learn it well … the Denver RB situation will just cause you a great deal of frustration.
Maurice Jones-Drew, RB, JAX – Jones-Drew AND Fred Taylor had tough days against a relatively weak rush defense. We are officially RE-concerned about the Jaguars’ rushing attack. If you can get a good deal for Jones-Drew, we might take it at this point. Jacksonville has just suffered too many injuries on the offensive line.
Bench:
Matt Schaub, QB, HOU – WOW! We got Schaub-ed on this one. Out of nowhere, Schaub rolled in over 300 yards passing, 24 yards rushing, 0 INTs, and 3 TD passes. This was a huge day and we couldn’t have been more wrong about Schaub. Perhaps Schaub can get things going and become a fantasy factor again. So much for Jacksonville’s stout defense.
Bernard Berrian, WR, MIN – Despite the fact that Berrian played against a very tough Titans’ secondary, he had a big game. This really surprised us. It is time to go get Berrian if you can. He is going to make a very nice WR 3 in most leagues with WR 2 upside. Berrian caught 5 balls for 78 yards on Sunday. It is now only a matter of time before the TDs start to come.
Miles Austin, WR, DAL – Austin blew us away by producing on back-to-back weeks. Don’t start expecting this from him, but you never know. Those of you in deep leagues might want to consider adding him. VERY deep leagues!
LATE WEEK INJURIES
These two guys were recommended as good starts. However, after the start recommendation was made, they appeared on the injury report.
Bryant Johnson, WR, SF – HAMSTRING
Carson Palmer, QB, CIN – ELBOW
