Week 10
11/9/07
Steppin' Up
Ben Roethlisberger, PIT: Not known for his passing prowess in
years past, Ben Roethlisberger is having a career year for himself
this season. Having never thrown for more than 18 touchdowns previously,
the 4th-year vet out of Miami of Ohio has already reached 20 in
that category. His 1742 passing yards through 8 games has him
on pace to finish with more than 3400 for a second consecutive
season as well.
With an upcoming four game stretch against Cleveland, the New
York Jets, Miami, and Cincinnati, Big Ben has possibly the most
inviting remaining schedule to close out the season for quarterbacks
in fantasy leagues. In fact, a Week 14 road contest against New
England is the only foreseeable match-up that could cause problems
for him.
After that he takes on a Jacksonville unit currently allowing
246.1 passing yards per game followed by the St. Louis Rams in
Week 16. With that schedule its possible Roethlisberger will pass
the career high he set for himself last season of 3528 yards passing.
Consider him a solid start throughout the remainder of the year.
Steppin' Down
Vince Young,
TEN: A surprise factor at the QB position last year within
fantasy leagues, Vince Young has left much to be desired from
his owners this season. In 7 games played he has thrown for just
855 yards, with only 3 touchdowns and 8 interceptions. His rushing
numbers, which made him such a threat a year ago, have also been
lacking.
While taking off 47 times, Young has rushed for just 165 yards
so far in 2007. At 3.5 yards per carry he'll have a long way to
go before matching the 553 yards he posted on the ground as a
rookie. He also has just 2 rushing touchdowns - 5 less than the
7 he finished with in 2006.
With 8 games remaining on the schedule Young still has time to
turn things around, but at this point he can't be viewed as a
reliable option going forward. His averages of 122 passing yards
and 23.5 rushing yards per game aren't going to cut it if you
plan on making a deep run within your leagues playoffs.
Steppin' Up
Justin Fargas,
OAK: Following LaMont Jordan's quick start to the season, Justin
Fargas was little more than an afterthought in fantasy leagues.
Even after his Week 4 179-yard outing against the Dolphins, Dominic
Rhodes was the Raider tailback most were expecting to eat into
Jordan's carries. Rhodes came back from his 4 game suspension
at the start of the year however and has carried just 9 times
since then with 1 reception. Fargas meanwhile has 81 carries this
season, averaging 5.4 yards per rushing attempt for a total of
437 rushing yards.
Last week the former USC standout was given the starting nod by
head coach Lane Kiffin. He responded by scoring his first touchdown
of the year while rushing for 104 yards on 23 carries. With LaMont
Jordan struggling since injuring his back in the Miami game, the
job is now Fargas' to lose throughout the remainder of the year.
Given the success a healthy Jordan had prior to his injury, along
with the numbers Fargas has put up throughout the season, there's
good reason to expect solid production from the Raiders ground
game going forward. Fargas is likely to have his share of poor
outings, but at the moment he looks like a great option as a third
running back.
Steppin' Down
DeShaun Foster, CAR: A few weeks ago it was mentioned here that
DeShaun Foster may record his first thousand yard season provided
he stays healthy throughout the remainder of the year. While that
still holds true (Foster's on pace to finish with 1058 rushing
yards) he has done little to make himself a worthwhile option
in fantasy leagues.
During his past 4 games the 6th-year vet out of UCLA has rushed
72 times for a lackluster 227 yards and 1 touchdown. His reception
totals have also been disappointing, totaling just 5 of them for
17 yards within that same span. The loss of starting quarterback
Jake Delhomme hasn't boded well for him either as the Panthers
have had to turn to both David Carr and Vinny Testerverde at times
during the past few weeks. With no threat of a passing attack
teams are able to focus more on stopping the Panthers ground game.
It also equates to less scoring opportunities.
If you were hoping Foster would have a breakout season it's now
time to abandon those thoughts. He may be good for a couple 100-yard
outings over the second half of the year, but he's to unreliable
to place in your starting line-up even when he has a favorable
match-up. Keep him on your bench and consider him no better than
a weak third option at the running back position.
Steppin' Up
David Patten,
NO: A free agent acquisition by the Saints this off-season, not
much was expected to come from David Patten in New Orleans. With
Marques Colston, Reggie Bush, and Devery Henderson considered
the top options in their passing game there wasn't going to be
enough balls to go around to make Patten a worthwhile addition.
As it turns out however, Patten has emerged as the starting receiver
opposite Colston the past few weeks and is making quite an impact.
As a starter in the last 2 games the 11th-year veteran has caught
9 passes for 190 yards and 1 touchdown. He also had a breakout
performance in Week 6 when he caught 8 passes for 113 yards. He
is currently averaging 17.6 yards per reception and figures to
be an active member of the offense throughout the remainder of
the year. If he's still available pick him up and consider him
a solid number three wide out in fantasy leagues the rest of the
season.
Derrick Mason, BAL: Despite coming off his least productive outing
of the season things are looking up for Derrick Mason. Over the
next three weeks Baltimore faces Cincinnati, Cleveland, and San
Diego. All three of those opponents are currently allowing 230
passing yards or more per game. Cincinnati and Cleveland have
also let up a league leading 20 touchdown passes each.
Mason's 62 receptions this year currently tie him with T.J. Houshmanzadeh
for most in the league. With the defenses he'll face in coming
weeks he's likely to keep pace and remain among the league leaders
in that category, making him a valuable option in leagues that
reward points for receptions. He's likely to improve upon his
2 scores during those contests as well, so even if you don't get
points for receptions he's worth a start as a number two or three
receiver during his next few games.
Steppin' Down
Patrick Crayton DAL,: Crayton was a hot commodity during a recent
3 game stretch in which he caught 18 passes for 303 yards and
4 touchdowns. In 2 outings since then however he has caught just
2 passes for 19 yards, including zero last week in the Cowboys
38-17 blowout against the Philadelphia Eagles. Prior to that 3
game stretch during weeks 4-6 Crayton wasn't doing much either,
recording just 6 receptions for 78 yards during the first 3 games
of the season.
With weapons such as Terrell Owens and Jason Witten commanding
so much attention from Tony Romo in the passing game, there are
few looks left for Crayton on a weekly basis. Factor in the number
of passes thrown to Marion Barber and Crayton becomes even less
of a reliable starter on a weekly basis.
He's sure to come through with some more productive outings before
the end of the year, but at the moment he's more of a fourth option
at the receiver position as opposed to a player you want to start
every week.
Roy Williams,
DET: With the Lions committing to the run game more often
in recent weeks, along with a few sub par outings from quarterback
Jon Kitna, Roy Williams has seen his value begin to tail off a
bit. He currently has 3 touchdown receptions, but hasn't scored
since the third week of the season. He's also posted more than
70 receiving yards just once in his last 5 games.
With an outing this week against the Arizona Cardinals 7th ranked
pass defense the former first round pick may continue to disappoint
his owners. It'd be ill advised to bench a receiver of Williams'
caliber, but realize he may only perform as a mid-to-lower lever
number two receiver in coming weeks as opposed to the number one
option many envisioned him as at the start of the year.
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