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Steppin' Up Steppin Down
Week 10
11/10/06

Quarterbacks

Steppin' Up

David Garrard, JAC: Two weeks ago, when Garrard made his first start of the season, it was believed that was it. When he filled in again for an injured Byron Leftwich last Sunday, the QB picture in Jacksonville began to get a little cloudy. Heading into their game against Tennessee, Jaguars head coach Jack Del Rio, stood by his claim that Leftwich would remain his starting quarterback once he recovered from a sprained left ankle. What Del Rio didn't mention however, is that he doesn't believe Leftwich's ankle will heal completely before the end of the season. That being the case, it now appears the starting position is Garrard's to lose.

In Garrard's first start of the year, in windy conditions against the Eagles, he completed 10 of 17 passes for 87 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions. He also ran 8 times for 36 yards. Last week against the Titans, the 4th round pick out of East Carolina threw 3 touchdown passes, completing 12 of his 22 attempts for 177 yards. While last week's performance is encouraging, his outing against the Eagles is reason for fantasy owners to be weary of relying on him as a weekly starter. As an NFL quarterback, expect Garrard to continue his solid play, but remember that won't always translate into fantasy points. In Garrard's 9 career games with 20 attempts or more, he has thrown for over 200 yards just 3 times, and he had more than 30 attempts in each of those games. That being the case, his production in fantasy leagues will rely largely on how many touchdowns he can throw, while limiting his number of turnovers, as opposed to him gaining big yardage through the air.

Steppin' Down

J.P. Losman, BUF: When Losman was named the Bills opening day starter, edging out Kelly Holcomb in the process, it gave reason for fantasy owners to monitor his status as a contributor in fantasy leagues. Eight games into the season however, the former first round pick has given little reason for any of us to add him to our rosters. While Losman is completing a respectable 61.3% of his passes, he is averaging under 180 passing yards per game, and is on pace to throw for no more than 15 touchdowns this season. With running back Willis McGahee out of action for the foreseeable future with three broken ribs, Losman will be without one of the Bills' top weapons on offense, making it even less likely we'll see a jump in his production over the second half of the schedule. If you own a QB on a high scoring offense as your starter, with Losman as your back-up, you may be better insured by dropping the Bills quarterback and adding your starters back-up should an injury occur.

Running Backs

Steppin' Up

Anthony Thomas, BUF: With Willis McGahee out indefinitely, Anthony Thomas will now serve as the Bills primary back. Seeing extensive action for the first time this season, Thomas carried the ball 20 times for 95 yards and a touchdown in a 24-10 victory over the Packers. While Thomas hasn't been a force in fantasy football since the 2003 season, there is reason to believe he could sustain a fair level of success as a starter in Buffalo. Thomas' best seasons came in the early parts of his career as a member of the Chicago Bears. His coach during that time was Dick Jauron. Despite the loss of McGahee, expect the Bills offense to continue emphasizing their rushing attack, meaning 20-25 carries a game for Thomas. It's uncertain how many games McGahee will miss with his injuries, but if you need help at running back and were unable to acquire Thomas off the waiver wire, he's worth pursuing in a trade and using as a #2 RB if your other options are lacking.

Steppin' Down

Dominic Rhodes, IND: To start the season Rhodes was a serviceable #2 RB, scoring in 3 of the Colts first 4 games, and receiving no less than 14 carries in the first 5. Over the past three weeks however, there has been a rapid decline in his production. During that span he has had just 20 carries for 29 yards with no scores. In comparison, Joseph Addai has carried the ball 46 times for 221 yards and a touchdown over the same span. For the season, Rhodes now has 99 carries for 312 yards (3.15 YPC) while Addai has carried 105 times for 490 yards (4.6 YPC). As expected, the Colts first round pick is beginning to take over a larger role in the backfield with Rhodes getting less and less touches per game. Expect that trend to continue over the second half of the season. If you own Rhodes, it may be best to try and trade him to the Addai owner in your league, as any significant value he would have going forward is only likely to come if an injury occurred to the rookie running back.

Wide Receivers

Steppin' Up

Eric Parker, SD: After recording just 2 receptions the first 2 weeks of the season, Eric Parker has become a more prominent figure in the Chargers offense. In the last 6 games he has caught the ball 27 times for 371 yards, an average of 13.7 yards per reception and 4.5 receptions per game. While he is yet to reach the end zone, the 5th year vet is on pace to record career highs in both receptions and yards. Parker isn't a receiver that will single handily win games for your team, but at his current pace he makes for a solid #3 or #4 WR in most leagues.

Steppin' Down

Reggie Williams, JAC: Reggie Williams' start to the 2006 season was the best of his career. Through the first 5 games, he had 25 receptions for 296 yards and 4 touchdowns. Over the past 3 weeks however, he has been almost nonexistent, totaling 26 yards on 2 receptions. If you have the roster space, hold onto Williams in the hopes he will once again become more involved in the Jaguars offense, but don't hesitate to drop him for more productive receivers that may still be available in free agency.

Tight Ends

Steppin' Up

David Martin, GB: With Robert Ferguson lost for the season with a sprained foot, Koren Robinson suspended for the year due to off field issues, and rookie Greg Jennings hobbled with a bad ankle, second string tight end David Martin has been getting more looks recently from QB Brett Favre. In his last 3 games, the 6'4", 265 pound Martin has 10 receptions, 130 yards and 2 touchdowns, and has even lined up as the teams slot receiver at times. Due to the circumstances surrounding the Packers wide receiver situation, expect Martin to continue getting looks from Favre on a weekly basis over the second half of the season.