Week 4
9/28/07
Steppin' Up
Tony Romo,
DAL: Entering this season, many considered Romo to be a top
12 quarterback in fantasy leagues. Just how high he would finish
among those top 12 however, was a topic open for debate. After
replacing an ineffective Drew Bledsoe as the Dallas starting QB
eight weeks into 2006, the undrafted Eastern Illinois product
began turning heads. In his first 5 starts Romo threw 10 touchdown
passes, averaged 278 passing yards per game, completed 71.2% of
his attempts, and threw just 2 interceptions while leading the
Cowboys to a 4-1 record during that span. However, his next five
starts weren't quite as successful.
Beginning with a week 13 match-up against the New York Giants
Romo went on a run. He threw 8 interceptions to close out the
regular season. He also threw 6 touchdown passes during that same
time frame averaging just under 250 passing yards per contest.
But Dallas backed into the playoffs winning only 2 of their last
5 games. Romo's performance in the wild card round didn't do much
to silence his critics as he threw for just 189 yards and a touchdown
in a 21-20 loss to the Seahawks.
At the start of the 2007 season the 5th-year vet is again performing
in the fashion that made him such a hot commodity after taking
over for Bledsoe last year. Through 3 games he is currently averaging
286 passing yards per contest and already thrown for 8 touchdowns.
Two of those outings have been 300-yard performances and he has
also thrown at least 2 touchdown passes in each game. His play
on Sunday night against the Chicago Bears top-notch defense has
only further added to his appeal this season.
With such weapons as Terrell Owens and Jason Witten in the passing
game, along with the duo of Julius Jones and Marion Barber III
in the backfield, expect Romo to continue performing as one of
the top QB's in the league this year. At this point his fantasy
value is just below the likes of Peyton Manning, Carson Palmer
and Tom Brady.
Steppin' Down
Matt Leinart,
ARI: While I wouldn't jump the gun with expectations of Kurt Warner
being on the verge of replacing Leinart in the Cardinals starting
line-up, it is clear the former first-round pick isn't living
up to expectations early in the year. In his three starts this
season, the USC product has thrown just 2 touchdown passes with
3 interceptions. He is also averaging a sub-par 151 passing yards
per game while completing a lowly 54.1% of his attempts.
In his latest outing against the Ravens, an ineffective Leinart
was pulled from the game in the 4th quarter with the Cardinals
down 23-6. Warner (who also made a brief appearance in the first
half) was able to put the game within reach for the Cardinals
as he finished the afternoon completing 15 of his 20 attempts
for 258 yards and 2 touchdowns. By comparison, Leinart completed
just 9 of his 20 attempts for a paltry 53 yards and no scores.
Kurt Warner's appearance was due to the large deficit Arizona
faced and as coach Ken Whisenhunt explained, his ability to run
the no-huddle offense more effectively than Leinart. Nonetheless,
one has to be concerned with Leinart's poor performance. Many
expected him to emerge as a useful starter on a weekly basis.
With next week’s opponent being the Pittsburgh Steelers it may
not be until October before Leinart breaks out of his current
funk. The weapons he has at wide receiver (Anquan Boldin, Larry
Fitzgerald) suggest he will still be a valuable back-up in fantasy
leagues, but at the moment his play has been far too disappointing
to suggest he can be used as anything more than that.
Steppin' Up
DeShaun Foster, CAR: Throughout his career DeShaun Foster has
battled the impression that he is injury-prone. While both of
those implications might have been rightfully attributed to Foster
at one point, in recent years he has done his best to shed himself
of those unflattering perceptions.
During the 2005 season Foster was splitting carries with Stephen
Davis, although his 206 rushing attempts and 882 rushing yards
were both team highs. Davis however, handled all of the goal-line
work and scored 12 touchdowns with Foster scoring just twice on
the ground. The following year Foster would again handle more
than 200 carries, rushing for 897 yards and 3 touchdowns. With
Stephen Davis' departure via free agency, rookie DeAngelo Williams
split carries in the backfield with Foster last season. Williams
would carry 121 times for 501 yards and 1 touchdown.
Given Williams' rookie performance, and his status as a first
round pick in the 2006 draft, many were expecting the second-year
back to further eat into Foster's touches this season. But through
three games that has not been the case. To date, Williams has
rushed 34 times for 140 yards (4.1 ypc). He has also added another
33 yards on 6 receptions, but is yet to reach the end zone. Meanwhile,
Foster is off to the best start of his career, rushing 46 times
for 238 yards (5.2 ypc) and 1 touchdown. He has also caught 6
receptions for 40 yards and another score.
While it will take more than three games for Foster to prove
himself as the primary back in Carolina, his solid start should
be enough to silence his critics. Coach John Fox is committed
to Foster as his starter and will continue giving him more and
more opportunities on a weekly basis. It's early in the year,
but with a little luck (an injury free season) Foster should go
over the thousand-yard mark for the first time in his career while
scoring five to eight times during the season.
Steppin' Down
Larry Johnson,
KC: Following two stellar seasons in Kansas City, it appears
Larry Johnson is finding it difficult to duplicate that past success.
As a first round pick in the 2003 draft, Johnson's first two seasons
in the NFL were spent backing-up the talented Priest Holmes. Although
he handled 120 carries for 581 yards and 9 touchdowns in 2004,
it wasn't until the 2005 campaign that Johnson got to truly showcase
his talents.
Johnson again began that season backing-up Holmes, but a spinal
injury suffered midway through the year to the Chiefs franchise
back would lead to the Penn State alumnus starting the final nine
games. During that span, Johnson would carry the ball a remarkable
261 times (29 carries per game) for 1351 yards (5.2 ypc) and 16
touchdowns. He ran for more than 100-yards in each of those contests
and finished with a total of 1750 rushing yards and 20 touchdowns.
The following year Johnson was back at it again. With Priest
Holmes out for the season due to complications from the spinal
injury he suffered a year prior, Johnson was finally the Chiefs
Opening Day starter. He would set an NFL record for most carries
in a season with 416, while rushing for more than 1700-yards and
scoring 17 touchdowns. But it appears the mileage may finally
be taking its toll on the 6th-year back.
Through the first three games of 2007 Johnson is yet to rush
for more than 55 yards in an outing and still hasn't found the
end zone. His yards per carry stands at a dismal 2.8, and with
upcoming games against San Diego and Jacksonville it may not be
until week 6 against the Cincinnati Bengals that Johnson gets
himself back on track.
At the moment he is worth trading if you can get value equal
to where you selected him in the draft. That said he should have
much better outings over the second half of the season if you
can afford to wait that long in order to get the results you hoped
for when selecting him.
Steppin' Up
Bobby Engram, SEA: Bobby Engram isn't a name on the tip of an
owner’s tongue when discussing wide receivers to own in
fantasy leagues. However, he is a player worth owning and someone
that can be a valuable start during the coming bye weeks. A long-time
veteran Engram has been a valuable slot receiver for the Seahawks
dating back to 2001. Since that time he has had three seasons
with 50 or more receptions while posting more than 600 receiving
yards in each of them.
Last year a thyroid condition limited the former second round
pick to just seven games and five starts. As a result, he finished
with his lowest reception totals and receiving yardage since his
rookie season with the Chicago Bears. With the thyroid condition
behind him this year, Engram is off to a very solid start. He
currently has 13 receptions for 197 yards and 1 touchdown. His
present 15.2 yards per reception is also a career best at the
moment.
While it's unlikely you'll see the Penn State alumnus receive
for more than 700-750 yards, or record more than 3-5 touchdowns
this season, he usually does a very good job of having his stats
distributed evenly throughout games during the course of the year.
It is that attribute that makes him a solid #4 WR in fantasy leagues
and a capable #3 WR should an injury occur to one of your starters.
Steppin' Down
Donte' Stallworth,
NE: The Patriots offense continues scoring points although
Donte' Stallworth is nowhere to be found. A free agent acquisition
during the offseason, many expected the former New Orleans Saint
and Philadelphia Eagle to be one of the primary deep threats for
quarterback Tom Brady. Instead it’s been Randy Moss and Wes Welker
who have stolen the show.
Both Moss and Welker have already recorded 20 receptions apiece
(Moss has 22) while Stallworth is still working to reach a total
of five. With the Patriots having already scored more than 30
points in each of their first 3 games, one is left to wonder what
type of impact Stallworth will have in the offense over the remainder
of the year.
At the moment he is worth keeping as a fourth or fifth wide receiver
in fantasy leagues, but don't hesitate to drop him if clearly
better options are available on the waiver wire. If he fails to
get involved in upcoming games against Cincinnati, Cleveland,
and Dallas it may be time to cut your losses.
Steppin' Up
Marcedes
Lewis, JAC: A first round pick one year ago in the 2006 draft,
Marcedes Lewis had a disappointing season for himself as a rookie.
In 15 games with 3 starts, the 6'6", 265-pounder was targeted
just 21 times for 13 receptions, 126 yards, and 1 touchdown. For
much of the season it was tight end George Wrighster receiving
most of the attention at the position. He finished the year with
39 receptions for 353 yards and 3 touchdowns.
At the start of the 2007 season however, Lewis was moved ahead
of Wrighster on the depth chart and has so far delivered with
admirable results. Through the first 3 games he has been targeted
14 times and recorded 9 receptions for 118 yards, though he has
yet to catch one in the end zone. Nonetheless, the numbers Wrighster
put up last season, along with the solid start Lewis has had this
year, proves you can get meaningful statistics out of the Jacksonville
Jaguars starting tight end.
While Lewis isn't yet at the level that would make you want to
play him on a weekly basis, he's proving himself to be a valuable
back-up in fantasy leagues. Don't be surprised if his performances
increase throughout the season. He may even prove himself worthy
of starting later in the year. With the Jaguars on a bye this
week, now might be the perfect time to snag him off the waiver
wire before he begins to get noticed.
Steppin' Down
Daniel Graham, DEN: There were those of us who thought Graham
might be a legitimate sleeper prospect at the tight end position
this year upon hearing of his 5-year, $30 million dollar contract
agreement with the Broncos this offseason. Through the first three
games however, it appears that is not to be.
Graham, who’s been lauded for his blocking skills since
entering the NFL, is using that attribute to make his primary
impact in Denver this year. Unfortunately, that doesn't translate
well into fantasy leagues. To date he has just 4 receptions for
33 yards and no scores with little reason to expect a major increase
in his role as a receiver throughout the season.
If you grabbed him late in your draft with the hope he might
emerge as a regular target for quarterback Jay Cutler, now is
the time to drop him for someone that can make a better contribution
to your team. If you still need a back-up tight end there is likely
better options available in your leagues waiver wire.
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