Week 5
10/5/07
Steppin' Up
Matt Hasselbeck, SEA: Hasselbeck may not get mentioned as a top
five fantasy quarterback often, but he sure can play like one.
He is currently averaging more than 250 passing yards per game,
thrown 7 touchdown passes, and completing an impressive 67.2%
of his attempts.
Last year’s acquisition of wide receiver Deion Branch from the
New England Patriots appears to be paying off. After getting shutout
in the opener, the duo has connected 20 times for 329 yards and
a score over the past three weeks. He's also been making good
use of veteran Bobby Engram, finding him 17 times for 250 yards
and 2 touchdowns.
In his 10th-season out of Boston College, the one-time Green
Bay Packer is on pace to throw for more than 4000 yards. It also
appears there is a good chance he'll reach at least 25 touchdowns
for the second time in his career.
His upcoming game against the Pittsburgh Steelers is one of the
more difficult defenses he'll face this year, but look for him
to play well in subsequent weeks against the New Orleans Saints
and St. Louis Rams. He should also feast on Cleveland's secondary
following the Week 8 BYE.
Steppin' Down
Marc Bulger, STL: It may be two weeks late, but Scott Linehan
has finally decided to bench his starting quarterback due to the
broken ribs he sustained a few games back. Expected to come well
within range of last year’s totals (4301 passing yards,
24 touchdowns), Bulger has struggled early in the season. Outside
of his Week 2 performance against the 49ers, the 7th-year veteran
has failed to throw for more 167 yards in an outing.
Along with the injuries of Orlando Pace and Steven Jackson, the
nicked-up Bulger has looked particularly bad his last two games
with no touchdowns and four interceptions. Now that he's benched,
there are no guarantees of success once he does return in a week
or two.
In the meantime Gus Frerotte will replace the ailing QB. Given
the state of the Rams, don't expect much from the long-time veteran
despite the fact he is familiar with Coach Linehan’s system. He
might have a surprise outing if you are really in a pinch at the
quarterback position.
Steppin' Up
Ronnie Brown,
MIA: Following his poor start to the season, Ronnie Brown
has emerged in the Dolphins backfield with two productive weeks.
After totaling 141 yards in his first two games combined, the
former first round pick surpassed that total with his Week 3 effort
alone. Rushing for 112 yards on 23 carries, Brown added 99 more
on 6 receptions. He also scored 3 touchdowns (2 rushing, 1 receiving)
as the Dolphins lost 31-28 against the Jets on the road.
This past week against the Raiders Miami's tailback managed more
of the same. He handled the ball 21 times (15 carries, 6 receptions),
totaling 207 all-purpose yards and reaching the endzone for the
4th time in his last two games. His recent outings should be enough
to halt the speculation that Jesse Chatman will eat into his carries.
While Brown has rebounded nicely from his slow start, don't jump
to the conclusion that he suddenly one of the elite fantasy backs
in the league. Look at it as a sign that he isn't a wasted pick
after all, but he could be the perfect trade bait in the league
where you have your running back position covered and others covet
Brown’s recent production.
Steppin' Down
Thomas Jones, NYJ: Thought Jones would be a solid starter for
your fantasy team--think again. Acquired during the off-season
via trade with the Chicago Bears, Jones isn't fairing any better
than the trio of backs the Jets used last season. Through 4 games
he has carried 75 times for just 254 yards (3.4 ypc) and no scores.
Following back-to-back 1200-plus yard seasons with Chicago, some
were expecting even better results from the former Bear once he
joined the Jets as their featured back. In New York however, Jones
doesn't have a reliable defense that allows the offense to work
the clock with the run game. His offensive line isn't as strong
as the one he ran behind in Chicago either.
It's early in the year, but Jones is clearly not going to perform
as a solid contributor on a weekly basis. If he can string two
solid performances together it would be a good idea to try and
move him before you're stuck with him.
Steppin' Up
Braylon Edwards, CLE: Despite playing on an offense like the Browns,
Edwards has proven himself a valuable receiver whenever he's been
healthy enough to play since his 2005 rookie season. In 10 games
that year the former Michigan Wolverine caught 32 balls for 512
yards (16.0 ypr) and 3 touchdowns.
He could have accomplished even more if it weren't for a season-ending
injury to his right knee that was expected to cost him the early
parts of 2006. Edwards' rehab from a torn ACL went so well however,
that he was back on the field in time for Opening Day. At less
than 100%, he would finish his sophomore campaign with 60 receptions,
for 897 yards, and 6 touchdowns.
Now in his third season, Edwards is off to the best start of
his career. He has 4 touchdowns in 4 games to go with his 375
receiving yards. He is also a proven deep threat as evidenced
by his 20.8 ypc this season. Also playing into Edwards' favor
is the minor emergence of quarterback Derek Anderson. While Anderson
hasn't been perfect, he's helped lead the Browns to victory over
the Bengals and Ravens, and has been a considerable upgrade from
Charlie Frye.
This week's match-up against New England could be a difficult
one for Edwards, but look for him to have some big games over
the second half of the season following Cleveland's BYE in Week
7.
Steppin' Down
Steve Smith,
CAR: Smith's value isn't taking a hit due to any fault of
his own, but the QB situation in Carolina right now is cause for
concern. Jake Delhomme missed last week's game with a strained
right elbow. He is also expected to miss this Sunday's contest
against the Saints. Delhomme is hoping that with rehab he'll be
able to get himself back on the field. At that moment however
there is speculation he may require season-ending surgery to have
the elbow fixed.
With David Carr making his first start of the season last week,
Smith finished with 5 receptions but only totaled 32 yards. A
week prior to that against the Atlanta Falcons he finished the
game with just 1 catch for 10 yards. These numbers are a far cry
from the 15 receptions, 271 yards, and 4 touchdowns the team's
franchise receiver totaled during the first two weeks of the season.
Smith has the talent to make things happen even while playing
with a weak option at the QB position, but his number of opportunities
is likely to decrease with Carr under center. If Delhomme is done
for the year, it might be a good idea to trade Smith before your
league's deadline.
Steppin' Up
Donald Lee, GB: Most of us would feel pretty good about our tight
end position if we knew the guy we were starting would finish
with 64 receptions, 688 yards, and 4 touchdowns. At the moment
those are exactly the totals Green Bay Packers tight end Donald
Lee is on pace to record. He has 4 catches in every game this
season, and has seen his yardage increase week after week.
Lee may not be the ideal tight end to own in fantasy leagues,
but he has clearly become a frequent target of quarterback Brett
Favre. You may never get the 80-120 plus yards and a touchdown
type outing from him, but he is currently a valuable back-up and
capable starter if you are struggling at the position.
Steppin' Down
Randy McMichael, STL: While McMichael has caught at least two
passes in each game to date this season, he is yet to make much
of an impact in fantasy leagues. His most productive outing came
in Week 2 against San Francisco when he made 2 receptions for
40 yards. He has failed to post more than 24 yards in any of his
three other outings.
At the moment he is likely waiver wire fodder in most leagues.
The only value McMichael would currently possess is if Gus Frerotte,
starting in place of the injured Marc Bulger, began to look to
his way and target him more frequently.
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