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)
Ladell Betts, RB, WAS – We have now moved past the point where Betts is an insurance morsel for Portis owners. Betts has reached the point he is looking tasty enough for any roster needing RB help. Portis is really showing signs of a long season of abuse. He sustained yet another injury that forced him out of the game this week. This time it was his neck. While he did return, the injuries are piling up and so is the probability that Portis will miss time before the regular season is complete. Betts is very familiar with the offense and was a fantasy force this time of year a couple of years ago. He won more than a few teams fantasy championships that year.
Sammy Morris, RB, NE – Morris is back and wasted no time notching a TD. While his official return from injury was in week 12, he did sustain a slight injury that kept him out of most of the game. Week 13 was our first real look at Morris since his return, and he ran well against a very tough Steelers Defense nailing 45 yards on just 10 carries in addition to a 12 yard reception. While the Pats will be using a RBBC, if in a TD heavy league, Morris stands the best chance to get the goal line totes.
Mark Clayton, WR, BAL – What didn’t Clayton do on Sunday? In addition to pulling in five receptions for 164 yards and a TD, he also tossed a 32 yard TD strike to Derrick Mason. Mason is a reliable receiver that has helped carve out space for Clayton due to keeping defenses honest. Clayton has been a disappointment for most of the year, but he is starting to show some serious signs of heating up and getting on the same page with his young QB, Joe Flacco (In the previous week Clayton nailed 76 receiving yards and a TD).
Amani Toomer, WR, NYG – With Burress in trouble after shooting himself in the leg this weekend, Toomer stepped up his game to the tune of 5 receptions for 85 yards and a TD. The TD was a 40 yard bomb, which is an added plus for bonus leagues. Burress could face up to seven years in prison if convicted, and the Giants will need their receiving core to raise their game a notch. The veteran Toomer looks like the best bet to make a connection with Manning while Burress is out.
Domenik Hixon, WR, NYG – Hixon is another bet that could see substantial increased production with Burress out. Hixon pulled in 5 receptions for 71 yards on Sunday, and he has a quicker step than Toomer.
Kevin Curtis, WR, PHI – The Eagles are playing with a load of emotion right now, and Curtis is starting to get back in the swing of things after missing the first half of the season. Anytime a team plays with emotion and has a veteran QB that feels he has something to prove, the stock of receivers on that team gets a slight bump up. While DeSean Jackson is gone in almost every league, Curtis is still available in the vast majority of leagues out there. Curtis has a quick step and developed chemistry with McNabb last year, so the potential is there for him to provide a stop-gap receiver for your team if hurting at the wideout position. The hidden stat for Curtis is that he has been averaging nearly 10 targets per game over his last 4 games.
"Vs. STL Rams" Defense – The St. Louis Rams' offense is fantasy gold for fantasy defenses. They are a special fantasy train wreck that is turnover prone, sack friendly, and completely inept at scoring. If you have a super-stud defense already, this advice is not for you; however, if your defense has been less than stellar, then read on. With that in mind and if your roster will let you, we’ve got the “vs. STL” defenses all lined up (take a look at the numbers for yourself). The best part about this advice is that most of these defenses should be available for immediate pick-up in most leagues. If your roster won’t let you horde players, then perhaps one or two key “vs. STL” defenses can carry you while your primary defense has a tough match-up on a particular week.
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Arizona Cardinals Defense – This is your week 14 spot-start defense.
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Seattle Seahawks Defense – This is your week 15 spot-start defense.
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San Francisco 49ers Defense – This is your week 16 spot-start defense.
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Atlanta Falcons Defense – This is your week 17 spot-start defense.
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.
Brodie Croyle, QB, KC - Croyle is an injury waiting to happen, and unfortunately he got hurt (yet again) and is lost for the season.
Ahman Green, RB, HOU - Green is a walking injury, and he has hurt his hamstring multiple times this year. Unless in a mega-deep, extremely TD heavy league, it is time to let him go.
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.
Jon Kitna, QB, DET - Kitna's 2008 season is done. He has a bad back and has been placed on injured reserve.
Laurence Maroney, RB, NE – Maroney's bad shoulder has landed him on the IR, making him lost for the year.
Randy McMichael, TE, STL – Unfortunately McMichael's 2008 season has come to an end due to a leg injury.
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.
Kenny Watson, RB, CIN – The Bengals running game is a mess and the Bengals have lost faith in Watson.
Cadillac Williams, RB, TB - Williams suffered a brutal injury last year, and some maintained it may have cost him his career. While to his credit he is playing now, this injury continues to hold him back in 2008.
Vince Young, QB, TEN - Young sprained his MCL in week 2 and has lost his job to Collins. We weren't big fans of Young entering the season perfectly healthy, so we would drop him from your roster to make room for another player with better upside.
Note: This advice is intended for redraft leagues only.
