Quarterbacks

Off The Top

Daunte Culpepper, OAK – I’m going to reiterate what I said prior to Week 1. In 2005, Daunte averaged around 30 fantasy points per game. Got it? And in his 2007 debut, he accounted for five TDs – two passing and three on the ground. The only downside is that he only totaled 75 yards on 5-for12 passing, and he’s on a bye this week. Regardless of the passing numbers and the upcoming bye, he should be owned in every fantasy format at this point.

Digging Deeper

Joey Harrington, ATL – Joey’s been playing better, I’ll give him that. Last week, he was 23-for-29 for 223 yards with two TDs against the Houston Texans. But he’s only a fantasy option given the right matchup. While Tennessee is tough versus opposing quarterbacks, he’s got the Saints and Giants in the next couple weeks, and the Falcons offense has newfound potential with their willingness to throw it downfield.

Chad Pennington, NYJ – Everybody loves to count this guy out, but he’s proven time and time again you just can’t. He’s got good receivers and the offense looks a lot better. His upcoming schedule is favorable as well (@NYG, PHI, @CIN, BUF, WAS) and he seems to be healthy – for now.

Scouring The Barrel

David Garrard, JAC – His schedule is not too favorable in the upcoming weeks (@KC, HOU, IND, @TB) but if you’re willing to settle for a guy that’s consistently in the 15-20 point fantasy range, Garrard is your man.

Updates

Jeff Garcia, TB – Not a huge day versus the Panthers – but he did run for a TD and has yet to turn the ball over in 2007.

Brian Griese, CHI – Ugh. It’s only a matter of time before the Bears give Kyle Orton a try.

Kyle Boller, BAL – Steve McNair started, looked bad and lost. Maybe Orton won’t be the only Kyle getting the starting nod in the coming weeks.

David Carr, CAR – Almost as gross as Griese, but not quite.

Patrick Ramsey, DEN – Cutler was fine, so put Ramsey out of your mind for now.

Kurt Warner, ARI – Sharing playing time with Leinart, Warner looked sharp enough to warrant taking over the starting position, but Cards HC Ken Whisenhunt seems enthralled with using the both the veteran Warner and Leinart as a tandem. Neither QB has any real fantasy value until that changes.

Trent Edwards, BUF – In the rookie’s debut, he finished 22-of-28 for 234/1/1. He’ll remain the starter until Losman gets back from his knee injury, but he’s only a stretch as a #2 fantasy QB at this point.

Running Backs

Off The Top

Warrick Dunn, ATL – While he won’t be available in 90 percent of the leagues out there, it’s possible somebody left him on the wire or dropped in favor of a “flavor of the month” fantasy pickup like DeShawn Wynn or Earnest Graham. Dunn has played well thus far in 2007, and is an experienced, shifty and versatile back who excels in open space and in the passing game. He’s averaging just 3.5 YPC so far this season, but he’s yet to break a big TD run, something he’s done every year dating back to 2002. The Falcons schedule isn’t that difficult and though he’s an old man by RB standards now and has been just a reliable fantasy producer thus far this season, his best games are ahead of him on ’07.

Selvin Young, DEN – You all know what Broncos RBs are capable of in that system, and if anything long-term proves to be wrong with Travis Henry’s knee, I don’t need to tell you this guy is going to blow up. I’m not a doctor, so you’ll need to keep an eye on the injury report, but if your waivers must be submitted now and Young’s available, I’d grab him.

Digging Deeper

Leon Washington, NYJ – I admit it, I love Leon Washington. He’s an electric player, he’s involved in the passing game and special teams, his upside keeps getting bigger, and from what I’ve seen, he’s just a flat-out better runner than Thomas Jones, who’s bound to get hurt one of these weeks. The way I see it, it’s only a matter of time before he’s the starting RB for the Jets.

Kenton Keith, IND – Adding this guy is an essential move for any Joseph Addai owner. It’s not a bad move for any fantasy owner, to be honest, no just because Addai was injured on Sunday and his status for next week in uncertain, but because he’s been used frequently to spell Addai – who split carries for most of 2006. Keith had 10 carries for 80 yards in relief of Addai against the Broncos, not too bad for an undrafted second-year player out of New Mexico State.

Scouring The Barrel

Dominic Rhodes, OAK – Rhodes is a proven north-south runner with above-average running abilities. While he’s small and can’t handle the load by himself, if LaMont Jordan misses any significant amount of time, Rhodes will probably be the back the Raiders go-to guy. In that case, the only real concern you should have is that Culpepper and his magic knees take all the rushing touchdowns away from the Oakland backfield.

Justin Fargas, OAK – In relief of an injured Jordan, Huggy Bear’s kid ran wild on Miami, tallying 22/179/0. That’s an 8.1 YPC average and reason enough to get him on your roster, but the team’s on a bye in Week 5 – giving Jordan time to recuperate. Rhodes will also be back from his suspension, making the Raiders backfield a bit too crowded and complicated for Fargas to be the clear-cut favorite.

Michael Pittman, TB – Carnell Williams is out for the season, and possibly the rest of his career. Because the Bucs will be using a RBBC to replace him (and had already started mixing in Both Pittman and Earnest Graham even before Cadillac got hurt) Pittman retains more value in yardage and PPR leagues than Graham, who’s been the Bucs goal line and short yardage back.

Updates

Correll Buckhalter, PHI – 17/103/0 and 4 catches for 35 yards. Not too bad for a fill-in, huh?

Aaron Stecker, NO – A decent #3 RB option this week versus the Panthers.

Brian Leonard, STL – 15/68/0 isn’t anything to get excited about, but it was against a tough Dallas D. Steven Jackson will still be out, so he’s not a bad play versus the Cards on Sunday.

Kenny Watson, CIN – He’s on a bye, and Rudi should be back by Week 6.

Sammy Morris, NE – Bingo. Slammin’ Sammy ran for 117 yards and a TD on 21 carries, had two catches for 15 yards and rushing, and validated his inclusion in this column with a spectacular fantasy day.

Earnest Graham, TB – I advised against grabbing this guy last week, but with Cadillac up on blocks for the rest on the season, he’s a solid acquisition – even though he’ll be splitting carries with Michael Pittman.

Wide Receivers/Tight Ends

Off The Top

WR Patrick Crayton, DAL – I’m not going to name names, but some people in my league actually dropped this guy after he didn’t show up in Week 2. Well, that’s quite a shame, because he was the top fantasy receiver on Sunday, setting career highs in every statistical category. The rest of the top ten included some other unlikely names – Dwayne Bowe, Michael Jenkins, Andre Davis, Jerry Porter and Sidney Rice. Don’t hesitate to pick up Crayton now that we know what’s he capable of – busting open defenses and outrunning the entire secondary.

WR Dwayne Bowe, KC – It’s time to stop beating around the bush – pick this guy up. Seriously, I listed him here two weeks ago, and I nearly pulled the trigger that week on him during the open acquisition period that starts in my league on Saturday morning. But I didn’t – and now I’m regretting it because he’s had two beautiful weeks in a row.

TE Dallas Clark, IND – Sure, he might not still be out there in many formats, but his presence on the injury report last week could mean he got dropped by anxious owners in some leagues. The guy is blowing up right now and Manning is loving him in the red zone. Need any more reasons to make him your starting TE if he’s available?

Digging Deeper

WR Michael Jenkins, ATL – He’s almost always a so-so free agent acquisition, but the time might be right to add Jenkins, who’s had six catches in each of his last two games. Like I said with White last week, the game plan is changing in Atlanta, which means more lobs down the field and more direct pressure on opposing safeties and corners. His schedule isn’t terrible, and he’s a tall, athletic receiver the Falcons coaches have a lot of confidence in.

WR James Jones, GB – You’ve got to like any slot receiver that’s got Brett Favre throwing him the rock. He’s had at least 4 catches in every game this season and just got his first TD, something that could lead to bigger and better things, starting in Week 5 against the Bears. I have some concerns that the return of Greg Jennings will reduce the number of targets Jones gets, but he’s still worth taking a shot on.

WR Anthony Gonzalez, IND – With Marvin Harrison out for at least this week, Gonzalez might be a nice addition to your fantasy roster. He needs to cut down on the mental errors, but Gonzalez was a first-round pick for the Colts in 2007 and they should jump at the opportunity to give him looks with Harrison on the shelf.

Scouring The Barrel

WR Sidney Rice, MIN – At 6’4” 202, he’s still a bit skinny for an NFL receiver, but Mr. Rice has a great receiving frame, with long arms and big paws. He’ll be a great red zone weapon for the Vikings and has started to emerge as a viable target in the passing offense, which has sputtered but is getting better. Rice isn’t yet a starter, but if he isn’t by the end of the season, the Vikings coaching staff is dumber than I thought.

TE Chris Baker, NYJ – Baker has caught a couple TD passes so far this season and should probably get another this week against the Giants. He’s not a top-tier TE in any format, but he’s a decent #2 TE if that’s the way your league rolls, and he’s a favorite of Chad Pennington in the red zone

Updates

WR Kevin Curtis, PHI – How did this guy not show up against the Giants? Was it that the Lions defense just didn’t bother accounting for him and the giants did, or is he going to be a Joe Jurevicius-type that blows up once in a blue moon and then shuts down? Either way, he’s most likely gone on every wire there is, and he’s on a bye.

WR Roddy White, ATL – Apparently I picked up the wrong Atlanta WR from the free agents list this week. Michael Jenkins stole the show from Roddy, who managed a paltry 3/64/0 compared to Jenkins’ 6/64/2.

WR Brandon Jones, TEN – Atlanta, Tampa, Houston and Oakland are on the way during the next four weeks – and if Vince Young’s as good as he thinks he is, he’ll help Jones make the most of those opportunities.

WR Nate Burleson, SEA – Decent matchups coming up, but Deion Branch is finally emerging as the #1 receiver he’s supposed to be, leaving Burleson and Engram to pick up the scraps.

WR Roscoe Parrish, BUF – Not a great week to play him (versus Dallas) but stay tuned to his production with Trent Edwards at the helm.

IDP

Off The Top

DB Leigh Bodden, CLE – Steadily emerging as a better fantasy option than Sean Jones in the Cleveland secondary, Bodden seems always to be in the right place at the right time. That’s something we can all use out of a fantasy DB.

DL Osi Umenyiora, NYG – Add him – he’s a complete beast. More on the significance of this in the “Updates” section.

Digging Deeper

DB Atari Bigby, GB – It’s always a good idea to pick up guys who are facing the Bears, and Bigby has shown he’s a solid playmaker on a defense that’s getting better and better. I wouldn’t hesitate to add him if you need a DB and the pickings are slim.

LB Michael Boley, ATL – Consistency personified. Boley never goes completely nuts with specialty points like sacks and INTs, but he gets his tackles week in and week out.

Scouring The Barrel

LB D’Qwell Jackson, CLE – The Browns defense will be on the field a lot in Week 5 against the Pats, and Jackson should get a boatload of tackles. He’s been a consistent fantasy performer in the past, and he been okay this year, making him a solid choice in deeper IDP leagues.

LB Channing Crowder, MIA – He’s pretty much been MIA so far this season, but I have a feeling he’ll show up in the coming weeks. He had some nice stretches of consistency in 2006 as well – kind of like a poor man’s Michael Boley.

Updates

DL Jared Allen, KC – Not much, but it’s a long season. On a more brutal note, I traded DeAngelo Williams and Osi Umenyora prior to the Week 4 games for Allen and A.J Hawk. Not the right week to make that move. In my own defense, I’m loaded at RB and Osi had done little up until his six-sack breakout against Philly.

LB Angelo Crowell, BUF – Eight tackles, three assists. Nice week for a guy who’s shouldering the load in Buffalo.

LB Derrick Johnson, KC – Johnson made up for a pedestrian tackling day with an INT, a sack and a pass defensed. That’s a great fantasy day on a team that’s loaded at LB.

DB Marlin Jackson, IND – I nailed this one. Marlin was all over the field against the Broncos, tallying 6 tackles, an assist, a FR, an INT and a PD.

LB Stephen Cooper, SD – Seven total tackles = not bad.

DB Ellis Hobbs, NE – His role will diminish once Rodney Harrison comes back, but he’s played well in his absence.