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Week 10 -
Glad That Week Is Over
By:
David Bachman Fantasy Football Editor
11/17/04
Lets Get At It
I've got to keep this short this
week. I've come down with a wicked cold. Plus I might
be flying home for a bit. My sister is very ill. If you
don't have any fantasy updates for a week or so I'd recommend
you just sit tight there's plenty of other great sites
out there. Just make sure you bookmark WagerOnFootball.com
and keep coming back. Thanks.....Dave B.
Bears' Urlacher to miss 4-6 weeks
- Just when their defense was playing at a high level
and sparking a three-game winning streak, the Chicago
Bears lost standout linebacker Brian Urlacher.
Urlacher will be out from four to six weeks after suffering
an injury to his lower left leg that required a surgical
procedure yesterday to relieve the pressure of internal
bleeding. The four-time Pro Bowl player was injured during
Sunday's 19-17 overtime victory over the Tennessee Titans,
but the severity did not surface until later.
"He suffered a blow yesterday to his lower leg,"
Bears coach Lovie Smith said, adding he didn't know when
Urlacher would be released from a hospital.
"Last night, we could tell something was wrong.
So my immediate reaction, of course, you know what that
was. Brian Urlacher is a great player, a big part of what
we are doing around here."
Hunter Hillenmeyer, who filled in for Urlacher when he
was out earlier in the season, will move back to middle
linebacker. Joe Odom will move into Hillenmeyer's spot
on the outside. Lance Briggs is the other starter at linebacker.
Let me just say this now.......OUCH. That hurts. This
unit is taking a huge hit now, and has to be downgraded
to IFFY this week against the COLTS who are coming to
Soldier Field firing on all cylinders. The Bears won't
be able to get out alive from this mess this week.
Deadline looms: time to take action -- The trade deadline
is quickly approaching in most fantasy-football leagues,
heck it might of already passed. Owners of all types of
teams should be poring over every roster to find that
player who can push them over the top.
If your team is a powerhouse — two losses or less
— you've probably got good depth all around and
should be willing to deal some of it for a stud. No one
would blame you for standing pat, but it's more fun to
intimidate your competitors by making a big splash.
If your team is a contender — three, four or five
losses — depth could be an issue, so it may be time
to take a chance or two. For instance, think about dealing
your No. 3 running back for a receiver even if it leaves
you vulnerable if one of your RBs gets injured.
If your team is out of it, don't make any deals that
could make it look like you're colluding. For keeper leagues,
it's a good time for bottom-feeders to go after a big-time
producer and get ready for next year.
When looking for player(s) to pinpoint, there are two
things I give most of my attention to: Schedule and recent
performance. It's simple: Bad defenses give up a lot of
fantasy points, so go for players who have a few nice
matchups the rest of the way, especially late. Recent
performance isn't as simple because a slumping player
could get it going at any moment and a hot player could
hit the skids as defenses adjust. It's up to you to predict
who will do what.
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The weekly bonehead
fantasy team decision on my part was to bench Jimmy
Smith in one of my leagues in favor of Donald Driver.
I looked at the pre game weather report in Jacksonville
and it didn't look good. 30mph winds were on the forecast,
and my pregame sources told me it was a howling wind.
Well I sit Jimmy Smith....what does he do?? Yup 130yds
and a TD to win the game in OT. Nightmare !!!! |
Fantasy owners may have to sit down Hasselbeck
Seahawks QB Matt Hasselbeck continues to cement himself
as one of the biggest fantasy disappointments this season.
Facing a vulnerable St. Louis secondary, he completed
15-of-36 passes for 172 yards and one interception. TE
Jerramy Stevens was his leading receiver with three catches
for 34 yards. Hasselbeck was under pressure much of the
game and was plagued by dropped passes from his inconsistent
WR corps. Head coach Mike Holmgren has tried to simplify
the offense for Hasselbeck, and it seemed to help with
solid, winning performances the previous two weeks. But
vs. St. Louis, Hasselbeck reverted back to the poor form
that has plagued him often this season. If you own Hasselbeck,
it’s probably time to sit him down, at least for
this week vs. Miami and its top-rated pass defense.
Whichever Steelers running back is the starter
is a must-play
Jerome Bettis gained 103 yards rushing on 29 carries
with two TD runs vs. the Browns last Sunday, following
up on an impressive performance (33-149) the week before.
That means that the Steelers’ lead running back
has rushed for 90-plus yards in eight of nine games this
season and more than 100 yards in six of nine games. The
offensive line is playing well right now and rookie QB
Ben Roethlisberger is doing a great job at managing the
game, so it’s a must to start either Duce Staley
(when he comes back from his hamstring injury) or Bettis
(10 TDs this season) each week the rest of the way.
Ravens WR Moore is becoming a red-zone threat
and worth a look
With QB Kyle Boller (19-of-33 passing, 213 yards, two
TDs last week) starting to show some progress, rookie
WR Clarence Moore is beginning to emerge as a red-zone
weapon for a Ravens offense in need of playmakers. Moore,
a tall target at 6-6 who has great leaping ability, caught
two TD passes last Sunday vs. the Jets and proved he is
a top target on jump-ball passes in the endzone. Moore
had a team-high five catches for 45 yards, two weeks after
catching three passes for 82 yards in Week Eight. If you
are in a keeper league and have room on your roster for
an up-and-coming wideout, look Moore’s way.
Don’t get excited about the Ramsey-for-Brunell
switch in nation’s capital
It’s actually amazing that Joe Gibbs stuck with
Mark Brunell as long as he did. It has been sad to see
Brunell play so poorly this season, but he really hasn’t
shown any signs of snapping out of his slump. He was downright
awful early in the Redskins’ 17-10 loss to Cincinnati,
misfiring on seven of his first eight throws, including
tossing an interception. His lone completion went for
six yards. That was finally enough for Gibbs, who inserted
backup Patrick Ramsey into the lineup. Ramsey led the
team to 10 fourth-quarter points, but he only completed
18-of-37 passes for 210 yards and a touchdown. He also
was picked off twice. Ramsey certainly didn’t light
it up, and you shouldn’t expect any kind of big
numbers from him the rest of the season. Just know that
it looks like he’ll be the starter the rest of the
way and that Brunell is likely done — not only in
Washington but for his career.
Have a Great Week. Check out the Fantasy Football page
for this weeks NFL fantasy player rankings, studs &
duds, who's Hot and who's NOT, as well as the NFL fantasy
football waiver wire.
Try out our NFL Sportsbooks
in the Review, and good luck in week 11 everyone. Dave
B.
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