WEEK 6 BODOG FANTASY THOUGHTS

Bulbous Bettis

Nobody was going to confuse Jerome Bettis with Mary-Kate Olsen anyway, but he's even more yacht-like this year than any other time. After missing much of training camp and the first four weeks of the season, Bettis isn't in great shape. Which leads me to a series of troubling questions. First, will Bettis' always-wobbly knees hold up? Second, can he survive a 10-carry game without his heart exploding. Third, what am I supposed to think when Dominos calls their pizza "man fuel?" These questions leave me feeling skeptical about Bettis' prospects for the year (and with a strange desire to wear leather). You might want to shop Bettis to the team with Willie Parker before he breaks down.

Hands of Clay

Somehow Michael Clayton has managed to escape my scrutiny to this point, but no more. The Buccaneer receiver turned heads last year and earned a lot of early draft-day selections this season, but he's been inexcusably awful. He has no touchdowns, and he's managed just three receptions over the past three games. That's just three more receptions than Jm J. Bullock, Count Chocula, Emo Phillips, and George "The Animal" Steele have managed. And, aside for a mild shoulder injury, he has no excuses. After all, the team's No. 2 receiver, Joey Galloway, hasn't had any problem posting solid stats. Add in an injury to starting quarterback Brian Griese, and there's little reason to expect an improvement.

Williams vs. Brown, Week One

Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown might be teammates, but in fantasy terms, they're enemies to the death. Yes, this backfield isn't big enough for the two of them. We want one of them to emerge as the primary back. Through one week, the narrow winner is Ronnie Brown, by virtue of his touchdown. Brown didn't exactly cement the job with just 22 rushing yards, but Williams wasn't any better, managing just eight yards on five carries. Brown helped his cause with 44 receiving yards, twice as many as Williams. Another plus for Brown is that Williams' offseason weight loss has left Brown as the bigger back and probable goal line guy.

 

Hard Times for Johnson

I've got more bad news for those of you with Rudi Johnson. You've already suffered through four lousy games without a touchdown or 100-yard game. He scored last week, but as you look ahead, you might start yearning for another of his 80-yard games. Note the team's matchup against Green Bay in week eight, because it's the only time Johnson will see an easy matchup until week 14. Get a load of the Bengals' other six upcoming opponents:
Week 7: Pittsburgh (3rd vs. points; 4th vs. run)
Week 9: at Baltimore (11th vs. points; 6th vs. run)
Week 10: bye
Week 11: Indianapolis (1st vs. point; 18th vs. run)
Week 12: Baltimore (11th vs. points, 6th vs. run)
Week 13: at Pittsburgh (3rd vs. point; 4th vs. run)

Add in Chris Perry's increasing role (especially near the stripe), and this Johnson looks awfully limp. The only upside for Johnson is a relatively easy fantasy playoff schedule that features Cleveland, Detroit, Buffalo and Kansas City in weeks 14-17. But will he play well enough in weeks 7-13 to lead your fantasy team to the playoffs?

American Son

Steve Smith's second quarter touchdown illustrated why he's an elite fantasy receiver. He caught the ball in heavy traffic, with five Lions defenders around him. Using his 4.35 speed, he found an angle, and simply out ran all five Lions. I wouldn't trade him for any other receiver, but I've got a borderline homoerotic obsession with him. Asking around the Fanball office, most of our writers rank Terrell Owens and Randy Moss ahead of him, and some prefer Chad Johnson. I get plenty of predictions wrong, but I nailed Smith by ranking him in my top-six and repeatedly calling him my sleeper of the year.

Definitely Dump Daunte

It's time to drop Daunte Culpepper. No, I didn't say "trade," I said "drop." Culpepper has no trade value left, and there are probably better quarterbacks on your waiver wire. There are myriad problems facing Culpepper. First, his knee injury is really impacting his game. When healthy, Culpepper buys time by using his running ability to escape pressure in the pocket. It's possible that the Vikings will choose to bench him long enough for his knee to heal. Second, his confidence has been completely shattered. He looks scared and disoriented in the pocket. Third, his antics on Lake Minnetonka's Tice-tantic could result in missed games due to suspension. Fourth, the Vikings have scored one touchdown in their last 24 (!) possessions. Heard enough?

Recognize This Redskin

I begrudgingly admit that Mark Brunell has turned into a safe fantasy starter. Based on his career track record and surrounding talent, I didn't see him producing consistent fantasy numbers. But to Brunell's credit, he's thrown multiple touchdown passes in a career-high four straight weeks. More importantly, the Redskins' schedule is supremely easy, with only one game left this year against a team that ranks in the top third in points allowed and only one game against a team that ranks above 18th against the pass. If Brunell hasn't been picked up, grab him. Santana Moss is already on a team, but David Patten might be a nice second-half sleeper.