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Week 7 Review
Week 8 Preview - Quit Pushing Me!
By:
David Bachman Fantasy Football Editor
10/27/04
Fantasy Football - McNair
May Need To Sit
Titans quarterback Steve McNair aggravated his bruised sternum
during Sunday's loss to the Vikings, and in all likelihood
he'll be out of the lineup this Sunday against the Bengals.
"This is not going to heal in one week or two weeks,
maybe three weeks," McNair said following the game.
"This is something if I don't get enough rest for it
to heal properly and if I continue to go out there and play,
it's going to give me some problems."
"I don't want to sit, but if I have to that's fine,"
McNair told the Titans' official site. "If I can't
go out there and perform, I'm not going to play."
McNair initially suffered the injury September 26 during
a 15-12 loss to the Jaguars. He was available as the emergency
quarterback the following week, but Billy Volek started
and threw for 278 yards and two touchdowns in a 38-17 road
loss to the Chargers.
McNair returned the following Monday night, throwing for
206 yards and two touchdowns as the Titans lit up the Packers
48-27. The next week, he was intercepted four times in a
20-10 loss to the Texans and bruised the lower part of his
sternum.
Sunday in Minneapolis, McNair was sandwiched between Viking
defensive tackles Chris Hovan and Kevin Williams on the
first play of the second quarter and was forced from the
game. Though he was not hospitalized, McNair had the same
difficulty breathing he did when he initially suffered the
injury.
Titans coach Jeff Fisher said a CT scan of McNair's chest
on Monday confirmed the current injury is "about the
same" as the initial injury. Of course, Fisher refused
to rule the warrior out of Sunday's contest.
"We will still see how he is," Fisher told The
Tennessean. "He was a little sore last week and we
held him out of practice Wednesday and he came back and
threw and was fine. "He's just going to have to work
through this and we'll just list him as day-to-day."
Dumb Moves Of The Week
Chris Berman congratulated Steve Young and Michael Irvin
on their nomination to the Football Hall of Fame on ESPN
Sunday Countdown. I think it's safe to say neither will
ever be nominated for the Broadcasting Hall of Fame. Unless
qualifications include continuous stammering and spitting
while you talk.
Steve Largent allowed Jerry Rice to "un-retire"
his number 80 for the Seattle Seahawks. Quite an amazing
act of selflessness considering Largent isn't even running
for office this year. The Fox pre-game crew blasted "whoever"
asked Largent to commit such an act, as though it was a
crime or something. I'm sure Jimmy Johnson never expects
special treatment just because of who he is or anything.
I accidentally caught "Hammerin" Hank Goldberg's
predictions on ESPN Sunday morning. It seems the Hammer
was already below .500 for the season coming into week 7.
His picks this week went 1-3-1. Gamblers, don't waste your
money on expensive handicapping books, or 800 number ripoffs.
I have a system here that will cost you nothing more than
having to look at Goldberg's ugly mug for a few minutes
every Sunday morning. So often times it happens that we
live our lives in chains, while we never even know we have
the key.
T.O. has B.O. That's some clever stuff there. You tend
to work up some good B.O. when you are catching long touchdown
passes all day. I really like it when T.O. tore those signs
down in Cleveland. I liked the sit up routine too, but when
you get up around eight or nine it just gives the opponents
to much time to think about coming over and cracking your
skull. Tearing down signs only brings the danger of receiving
a beer shower from the artist.
Yep, I finally benched Chad Johnson this week. I never
miss an opportunity to look like an ass.
Warming UP
Ahman Green, RB, GB – Ahman jumps
from the cold list to the hot list this week. On Sunday
the Packers were able to build a lead and ran the ball to
protect that lead. Green busted a 90-yard TD run to close
out the scoring. However, the Green Bay secondary, already
a sore spot, was hit with a couple of more injuries. All
Green owners in redraft leagues should take this opportunity
off the big game to try to deal him. There will be a few
more games where Green Bay is taken out of their usual offense
because the defense has put them in a hole. I would consider
dealing Ahman for a guy like Corey Dillon even straight
up if need be. The Patriots will be running the ball late
in the year with their great defense. The Packers on the
other hand don’t have the luxury of dictating how
the games will be played. Obviously, this advice is only
for redraft owners.
Shawn Alexander, RB, Sea – The Seahawks
have lost 3 straight including blowing a huge lead late
against the Rams and then a disturbing loss this week against
the Cardinals. During this 3 game losing streak Alexander
has not been given the opportunity to rescue the Seahawks.
Seattle as relied too much on Matt Hasselbeck and the receivers
who have dropped passes in crucial situations. Coach Holmgren
has admitted that they haven’t used Alexander enough.
When a coach says that, expect Shawn to get the ball a whole
bunch over the next few games. He could be a nice buy low
candidate.
Don't doubt every Dolphin
Miami will continue to lose often, but in their first
win on Sunday, they showed there is still some life in their
offense. Sammy Morris, who rushed for 83 yards and a score,
can at least keep defenses honest and gives the Miami some
balance. Chris Chambers finished with 128 receiving yards,
including a 71-yard TD, and he remains a very good starting
option every week. As bad as Jay Fiedler can be at times,
he has a great on-field relationship with Chambers, and
will always get him the ball a few times a game in key situations.
Randy McMichael, who caught a 42-yard TD pass, remains very
underrated, and is a must-start tight end every week.
Seeking depth
When you looked at your fantasy team before Week 1, did
you feel you had enough running backs? A decent No. 2 QB?
Extra receivers? Now in Week 8, I'd bet most of you would
have drafted a bit differently. Nobody thinks they'll need
three or four starting running backs back in August at the
draft. But today, you need 'em all. On one of my teams I
drafted running backs with the first four selections, precisely
for depth, whether I'd suffer injuries or players would
lose their jobs or I'd have trade bait. And it STILL wasn't
enough. One of the backs was Travis Henry (ugh). One of
them was Rudi Johnson. The first one was Clinton Portis.
And the fourth one was Quentin Griffin. You know, back in
August, that seemed impressive. I still got good QBs and
still got quality receivers. And after Week 1 I added Michael
Pittman. Now, in Week 8, who knew running back would be
my issue? So what can you do about this today? Well, remember
this in your next draft, no matter the sport, but especially
in FFL, and at RB. But also, if there's a quality player
on free agency in your league, don't leave him there for
someone else to grab and beat you head to head. You may
find you need the depth in a week or two.
Notables
CAR – Stephen Davis is listed as
OUT for this weeks game against the Seahawks.
BUF -- Coach Mike Mularkey has announced
that McGahee and Travis Henry are now "co-starters,"
according to ESPNews.
DEN – Quentin Griffin has been put
on IR for the year. Tatum Bell and that old guy will back
Ruben “stud” Droughns up now.
Jason Witten – DAL: As a Terry Glenn
owner his injury chaps my hide. If you’re a Jason
Witten owner, however, you should be doing the Snoopy dance.
It is no coincidence that with Antonio Bryant in Cleveland
and Glenn nursing a sprained foot that Witten was targeted
a season-high 10 times last Sunday. Even more intriguing
is that Witten caught 8 of those 10 balls for his best performance
to date: 112 yards and a TD. Entering Week 8 Witten is now
Testeverde’s second favorite target (41 passes), second
only to Keyshawn Johnson (50 passes). However, Witten has
a stranglehold on the team’s highest reception ratio:
a tasty 73.17%. Witten also has the same number of TDs (two)
and is only 61 receiving yards shy of Keyshawn’s 368.
Viewed differently, Witten has the 6th highest yards per
game for all tight ends with 51.2. Folks, that’s Santana
Moss/Chris Chambers territory. And most people would start
those guys as a #3 WR without thinking twice.
Dorsey Levens – PHI: This one is
a no-brainer. Westbrook cracked a rib and probably won’t
play in Week 8 so Levens is an obvious pick up. What might
not be so obvious is the following: he got 48 yards on just
7 carries for a sweet 6.86 ypc and tacked on another 12
yards on one reception… and he did that in less than
one quarter of play. I’m not saying Levens makes for
a stupendous play against Baltimore in Week 8. But beggars
can’t be choosers. So if you’re strapped for
a RB this week Levens could contribute something as a stand-in,
which is better than nothing.
Other guys I wanted to look at but
didn’t have enough time to research thoroughly:
Todd Pinkston – PHI: Caught 6 of
10 passes thrown his was last week. Could become more involved
if opponents ever figure out how to contain Owens;
Josh Reed – BUF: 10 passes thrown
his was last week; only caught four of them. If Bledsoe
keeps going to him and Reed’s hands ever start to
work he might be worth a look;
Shawn McDonald – STL: 11 passes
last week. Might be nothing but I’m keeping an eye
on this guy. Based on Week 7, opponents may have figured
out how to limit Holt, which could open the door for a productive
#3 WR in St. Louis;
Quincy Morgan – DAL: Sort of an
obvious pick up given Dallas’ pass-heavy game plan.
Also active in the return game;
Nate Burleson – MIN: Also an obvious
candidate. Caught 6 of 9 passes, 3 of which were in the
red zone. Missed a TD by 1 yard last week. Also active in
the return game;
Keenan McCardell – SD: Way too obvious
for feature consideration. But just in case you’re
coming out of a coma, he immediately stepped into a starting
role with the Chargers and caught 5 of the 9 passes thrown
to him after practicing with the team for less than a week
Sammy Morris – MIA: Call me crazy
but I’m a little gun shy when it comes to Miami’s
running game this year. Nonetheless Morris has contributed
double-digit points in each of the last two weeks. Since
you could do much, much worse in the way of production he
deserves consideration.
Mostly Overlooked
Byron Leftwich – Because Byron
started the season slowly, only his current owner may realize
how valuable he has been recently. Passing for 300 yards
in three of his past four games, and missing the fourth
game by only two yards against Kansas City.
Tim Rattay – His injury kept him
out of the minds of many early in the season. With the 49ers
needing to pass a lot to catch up in games, Rattay is rising
the quarterback rankings quickly. He is smart, and safe
with the ball.
Sammy Morris – Right now, Morris
is the Dolphins’ feature back. Though the team is
off to a poor start, 83 yards and a score – what Morris
accumulated against the Rams this week – is not too
shabby as a second back.
Mewelde Moore – The way that Moore
helps this offense, I would be surprised to see the team
use Michael Bennett upon his return. Onterrio Smith may
be administered at the goal line, but Moore is the man that
will help move the purple machine.
Michael Pittman – Pittman was a forgotten
man entering this season, but with Garner out and Alstott
now out for a few weeks, Pittman might continue to have
games like his most recent one: 23 carries for 109 yards
and a touchdown.
Emmitt Smith – Guess what? If Smith
gets 20+ carries a game, he can still do something with
them. This offense is starting to come together, and when
Boldin gets back, it will be even better. Smith has five
touchdowns on the year, which is not at all chump change.
Brandon Stokley – What Brandon has
been able to accomplish as a third receiver is outstanding.
He still has more yards receiving than Marvin Harrison or
Reggie Wayne.
Roy Williams – When healthy, Williams
is clearly already a number one fantasy wide receiver. He
was injured for a couple games but is still tied for 11
th place in the league in touchdowns. He is Harrington’s
favorite, and sometimes only, target.
David Patten – Patten is one of those
performers who never gets any publicity, but always ends
up being the fantasy starter whose total puts some owner
over the top. He also has five touchdowns this year. Brady
trusts him for big-play attempts and red-zone looks.
Michael Clayton – Nobody thought
Clayton would do this much this quickly. He has been thrust
into a starter’s role and responded with 505 yards
and two touchdowns. This rookie can be penciled in on most
fantasy rosters most weeks.
Mostly Overused
Steve McNair – Why start him when
his sternum is sore and he’s thrown for two more interceptions
than touchdowns. McNair is a fighter, but why suffer his
grueling losses with him?
Michael Vick – Vick, like McNair
above him, has thrown for four scores and seven... uh, make
that six, interceptions. He is not worth what you paid for
him.
Marshall Faulk – The Rams have been
passing more and running Steven Jackson a lot, which is
a poor combination for Faulk. He sports an average rushing
total (465) and touchdown count (3) to constitute a disappointment
for owners.
Kevan Barlow – Here is another disappointment,
but one that was rather obvious with all of the top-notch
competition. Barlow, on a bad overall team, has only gained
three touchdowns and 367 yards.
Peerless Price – He has no scores
and only 290 yards receiving. This is a far, far cry from
the way he was looking two years ago in the preseason.
Santana Moss – The aforementioned Moss has even fewer
yards than Price (243) and also has no scores so far this
season.
Last Thoughts
This last game was an overall great performance by the
Pack...that means next week they'll look like absolute crap
and get spanked by Washington...go figure.
I really don't see how the Pats are going to lose this year.
I know they will, the streak will end this year, but they
are going to have to beat themselves because nobody else
can do it.
John Madden could score a touchdown on the Chiefs' sorry
D, and the Falcons struggled to do so. I'm sure Vick owners
were drooling over this matchup, and yet another disappointment.
Give up on Vick this year...he doesn't have it.
The Cleveland Brown’s offense is legit with 2 good
RB's and Garcia running the passing attack. If the defense
stepped it up, they could contend for a playoff spot. They
really are just a couple players away from being a contender
again.
Buffalo should deal one of those RB's for a QB
Who would have thought the NFC Super Bowl team of last
year would be 1-5 and the Chargers would be 4-3. Remember...just
when you think you know, you don't know.
We'll file the "How in the hell does Miami score 31
points" in the X-files...no forkin' clue. This game
has to be an anomoliminy? amonomily? Ahh hell, this game
was just a fluke.
Have a Great Week. Try out our NFL Sportsbooks in the Review,
and good luck in week 8 everyone. Dave B.
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