NFL WEEK 9 FANTASY TIPS

November 2, 2005 4:00 AM ET

Trend: Simms Crashes Cadillac
It's been a few years since this likely scenario: former Giants quarterback and current NFL analyst Phil Simms rides shotgun while his son, Chris, learns to drive. Any parent who's been in that situation knows the feeling of sheer terror: fingernails ripping into the dashboard, foot pressing through the floor reaching for the imaginary brake, mouth locked in a silent scream as the teenage driver careens down the street.

So maybe Phil can drop a dime on Carnell Williams to let him know what kind of ride he's in for.

Simms' stat line from Sunday's start against the 49ers wasn't that bad—264 yards and a touchdown—but his presence did absolutely nothing for Cadillac's book value. The Niners, not exactly emulating the 85 Bears this season, held Williams to 20 yards on 13 carries by taking him out of the equation and daring Simms to beat them.

Obviously, Simms failed in that regard.

And we don't expect the road to get any smoother for Cadillac with Simms at the wheel. The Bucs face all three NFC South foes twice, along with the Redskins, Bears, and Patriots, and only the Saints have allowed more rushing scores than the Niners. Maybe Phil needs to hop in and give his boy another lesson before he runs this Cadillac into the ground.

Mirage: Porter Sighting
We really should have seen it coming.

After all, it was right around this very time last year where we pulled the plug on Jerry Porter, only to watch him blow up for 113 yards—his season-to-date high by 30 yards—and his first touchdown of 2004.

So we put him back on the radar screen and were rewarded with three more weeks of hibernation. Of course, he got kicked to the curb again, just in time to miss out on his 135-yard, three-touchdown abuse of Champ Bailey on national television.

Porter finished relatively well, scoring five more touchdowns and notching another 100-yard effort the rest of the way. So why aren't we buying his latest comeback, the 123 yards and two scored he dropped on Tennessee on Sunday?

Multiple reasons, as a matter of fact. First, last year's resurgence was keyed by an utter lack of a Raider running game, zero help from other Oakland receivers, and Porter's contract drive. This year, the Raiders have LaMont Jordan, some guy named Randy Moss opposite Porter, and Jerry's already cashed his big checks.

Oh, and Porter isn't going to see Pacman Jones—who was spun around like a figure skater on meth on Jerry's first touchdown, then tackled like a figure skater on Porter's second score—again this year.

If you've stuck it out this long with Porter, congratulations. Cut out the part of last year's stats where Jerry turned it on after that first big game and start selling. Unfortunately for you, we're not buying.

Trend: Broncos Stampede
Earlier in the season, the possibility of both Chiefs backs being worthwhile fantasy starts was a hot topic of debate. Lately, that debate has been expanded to include the Steeler and Bronco backfields.

As Meat Loaf said, two out of three ain't bad.

Priest Holmes' head trauma has the KC backfield in a mild state of disarray—at least until, in his inimitable fashion, Priest shrugs off injury, takes the field, and rushes for 200 and two—but there's no doubting the merits of starting both Bronco backs.

Last week, both Mike Anderson and Tatum Bell topped 100 yards and scored. In fact, over the past six games if your fantasy squad featured an all-Broncos backfield you'd have received a 100-yard rusher six times and a total of nine touchdowns in that span. As a team, the Broncos are rushing for 199 yards per game over the last six.

Next week's date with the Chargers, who held Denver to 107 rushing yards combined in last year's season series, is the only major hiccup on the horizon for an Anderson/Bell tandem. After that game, four of Denver's next seven opponents rank 19th or lower against the run, including dates with the 30th-ranked Jets and 31st-ranked Bills. A tough stretch against the seventh-, eighth-, and ninth-ranked run defenses can be tempered by noting that the Chiefs are ranked No. 8 and the Broncos already took them for 221 and a couple scores earlier this season.

Astute fantasy owners who nabbed the Denver handcuff now have a full house backfield on their hands—and that's the kind of problem any fantasy owner would dearly love to have.

Mirage: Troupe Leader
If the Tennessee Titans were the cast of "Gilligan's Island," Ben Troupe would be Ginger and Erron Kinney would be Mary Ann.

Troupe is the more glamorous fantasy play. He's a higher draft pick, has scored three times this season, and is generally regarded as the Titans tight end fantasy players want to have on their team.

Erron Kinney is the afterthought, the plain Jane, the dumpoff guy who hasn't scored a touchdown yet this season. Fanball Commissioner statistics indicate that this is a widely held belief, because Troupe is owned and started in twice as many leagues as Kinney.

But just like Mary Ann provides a little something extra in those tight denim shorts that makes her a sneaky favorite among well-heeled observers, Kinney brings more to the table than meets the eye as well.

For example, Kinney is second among NFL tight ends in catches; Troupe ranks 10th. Kinney is fourth in league among tight ends in receiving yardage; Troupe is 17th. A side-by-side comparison reveals that Kinney has outperformed Troupe in seven of the Titans' eight games this season—aside from touchdowns, of course.

Troupe left last Sunday's game with an ankle injury, and his status for this week's tilt remains uncertain. Meanwhile, Kinney keeps plugging along at more than a catch per game better and with almost twice as much yardage. If you're in a performance league, don't let the hype surrounding Troupe—okay, as much hype as there can be surrounding a second-year tight end on a team with a losing record—cloud your judgment; Kinney is every bit as valuable.