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“You can mark it down. The Raiders will be in the playoffs in 2009.” — Richard Seymour after Oakland’s 13-9 win over Philadelphia
“I don’t think we could have beaten an Oakland high school team today.” — Richard Seymour after Oakland’s 38-0 loss to the NY Jets the following weekend.
CRAIG’S COMMENT: This is great stuff. Hey Richard, I appreciate the enthusiasm initially, but a high school team? It got even better when JaMarcus Russell basically said the loss wasn’t his fault. No, it was everyone else’s fault you were a train wreck and led your offense to ZERO points.
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…Back in 2005, FantasyFootball.com senior writer Andy Pino used to write a column called “The GM Perspective”. Those of you who were inmates back in the day remember this piece. It was clearly one of the best articles we had running on the site for two straight years until Pino decided to retire to spend more time with his family. The article was a basic, weekly overview of all things fantasy, and covered players injuries, news, trends, etc. It had it all. Mr. Pino, your columns have been missed.
OPEN DATE: Bengals, Chiefs, Patriots, Steelers, Bucs, and Redskins
STORYLINE OF THE WEEK
Who is this Miles Austin character and can he be counted on every week? Good question. As I’ve been telling people for weeks, Austin was being groomed to fill in for Terrell Owens when he packed his bags and headed for Buffalo. The problem, initially, for Austin was that he couldn’t hold onto the ball. He ran very good routes, had (has) blazing speed, did a decent job blocking downfield, but simply couldn’t catch the ball consistently. As the problem continued through the pre-season, Dallas coaches had no choice but to bump him down the depth chart behind Patrick Crayton and even Sam Hurd.
Austin was only given a chance when Roy Williams suffered a rib injury and the Cowboys had to make a choice… Austin or Hurd. Since Austin had the speed to get behind Kansas City’s secondary, HC Wade Phillips thought he’d give the third-year receiver from Monmouth College a chance to shine. He did. Over two games, Austin has hauled in 16 catches for 421 yards and four TDs and shows no signs of slowing. Austin went undrafted out of college and was luckily discovered by Jim Garrett, Cowboys scout and father of offensive coordinator Jason Garrett.
What the Cowboys appear to have in Austin is a Terrell Owens replica, with better speed and absolutely no fear of going over the middle. The only difference is… Austin isn’t complaining about not getting the ball and when passes don’t come his way, he can be seen blocking a defender downfield. Is he for real? As long as he doesn’t revert back to his old ways of dropping passes, yes. If nothing else, Austin possesses the speed to be a deep threat on any play, which gives him instant fantasy value. One TD reception from Austin could be worth 13 fantasy points by itself. He’s definitely the “real deal” and should finish the season with over 1,000 yards and 10 TDs. Not bad for a fourth stringer, eh?
GETTIN’ GRADED (AFC NORTH)
Baltimore Ravens — B-
They Crystal Ball Says: Baltimore seemed to be headed in the right direction at the beginning of the season, but fell into a bit of a funk with a three-game losing streak heading into the bye week. So after six games, the Ravens sit at 3-3, but haven’t lost a game by more than 6 points all season. The good news is, the offense seems to be clicking on all cylinders despite having “average” talent at WR. The bad news is, this defense is no longer a juggernaut as it used to be. The Ravens DST really isn’t even worth owning as they’ve scored just 44 fantasy points (ranked 14th) in a standard scoring league. If 33 points allowed to the Vikings wasn’t enough, how about 24 points by the Chiefs or 26 by the Chargers? From a fantasy perspective, the emergence of Ray Rice has been a pleasant surprise for his owners as it appeared, at least early on, that Willis McGahee was going to be the TD muncher in this offense. Rice is clearly an every week starter and even more valuable in a PPR league. Their schedule doesn’t let up until Week 14 either, having to face the Broncos, Bengals, Steelers, Colts and Packers in five of the next six weeks. Ouch. If they can get through that stretch of games winning at least four games, they still have a shot at the playoffs.
Cincinnati Bengals — A-
What The Crystal Ball Says: If you remember back a few years ago when the Bengals were a playoff team, what common denominator do you see with this year’s team? A running game. Cedric Benson provides something they haven’t had since Rudi Johnson was having his 1,000-yard, 10 TD seasons. Benson is coming off a game in which he carried the ball 37 times and the Bengals had their most complete, nearly flawless offensive performance of the year. Carson Palmer missed just four passes all game, Chad Ochocinco proved to be an every week starter, and even Laveranues Coles got into the act. The defense is also playing much better despite losing DE Antwaan Odom to a season-ending Achilles injury. Leon Hall and Jonathan Joseph are two of the better, unknown corners in the league and the LB corps has improved 150%. It’s all there for a post-season run, and I believe (barring injury) they’ll get there. The strange loss to Houston is the only reason this team doesn’t get an A+, because, to be honest, I don’t even count that first loss as a real loss… kinda fluky if you ask me.
Cleveland Browns — F
The Crystal Ball Says: When you can’t run the ball or stop the run, your chances of winning games is slim-to-none. I’d like to commend whoever’s idea it was to allow rookie RB James Davis to practice without shoulder pads. I’m not sure if this was a “rookie hazing” event or what, but now the best RB prospect they’ve had in quite some time is on IR and they have to rely on Jamal Lewis and Jerome Harrison to carry them the rest of the season. They also traded away their best, young WR in Braylon Edwards, leaving them with rookie Mohammad Massaquoi and Chansi Stuckey. Oh, and Kellen Winslow was shipped to Tampa Bay earlier in the year, leaving them with injured Robert Royal and Steve Heiden. Nice work gentlemen, nice work. At least there’s always a chance for Josh Cribbs to take a kick or punt back to the house, but by that time the Browns are usually down by a few scores. This franchise is a train wreck and I see virtually no fantasy value anywhere.
Pittsburgh Steelers — B+
The Crystal Ball Says: Well, it hasn’t gone quite as planned coming into the season for the defending Super Bowl Champs, but they’re still in position for another run at the title as they enter their bye week. Two, three-point losses to Chicago and Cincy put the Steelers at 1-2 after three games, but they’ve since reeled off four straight wins, including last week’s defensive masterpiece (27-17 win over Minnesota). After the bye, the Steelmen face Denver, Cincinnati, Kansas City and Baltimore over the next four weeks… which could tell us a lot about the state of the AFC North. Ben Roethlisberger currently stands second in the NFL in passing yards (2,062) which means he’s throwing for nearly 300 yards per game. For a guy in a “run first” offense, that’s pretty impressive. He’s tied for 8th in total TD passes with 11 and has already thrown 6 INTs, but the biggest concern is the fact he’s already been sacked 20 times compared to 2 on Peyton Manning, 3 on Brett Favre, 6 on Matt Ryan and 8 on Tom Brady. Big Ben simply cannot continue to take this sort of abuse or his numbers will surely decline. Keep an eye on Mike Wallace. Though he’s listed as the third WR on the depth chart, I believe he’s more of a threat to score a TD than Santonio Holmes (he already has a 2-1 advantage in that department). Willie Parker owners need to be very worried as both Rashard Mendenhall (5.4) and Mewelde Moore (3.5) have a better YPC average than him (3.1). Mendenhall has four rushing TDs… Parker has none.
WALKING WOUNDED
QB Trent Edwards (concussion) — Ryan Fitzpatrick gets his second straight start… but this time he won’t be as fortunate. Please don’t tell me you have to start him.
QB Matt Hasselbeck (ribs) — Though he didn’t practice, Hasselbeck will start Sunday vs. Dallas. Given a full extra week to rest, Hasselbeck should be at full strength this weekend.
RB Brian Westbrook (concussion) — Doubtful to play this week, and even if he does go, I absolutely would not suggest starting him.
RB Darren McFadden (knee) — Will miss yet another week with his knee injury. Justin Fargas gets another start and will split time with Michael Bush. Against San Diego’s porous run defense, Fargas could be a sneaky flex start this week.
RB Donald Brown (shoulder) — Currently listed as questionable with a bum shoulder. Even more reason to start Joseph Addai this week. However, please keep in mind the Niners actually do a decent job against opposing running games, so don’t expect Addai to go nuts.
RB Jonathan Stewart (Achilles) — Re-aggravated the Achilles injury and was forced to leave Sunday’s game vs. Buffalo. Probably not a good start this week against an Arizona run defense that ranks #8 in the NFL vs. fantasy RBs.
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WR Andre Johnson (chest) — Don’t really think you can bench this guy, but keep this injury in the back of your mind when setting your lineup Sunday. Continue to check back here at FantasyFootball.com for ongoing updates.
WR Anquan Boldin (ankle) — Remember, this is a high ankle sprain that won’t heal without rest. If you have better options this week, you might want to give Boldin a rest on your bench. For example, I’m starting Nate Burleson and Greg Jennings over Boldin this week.
WR Calvin Johnson (knee) — Very questionable this week. You’d really like to have him available vs. a terrible St. Louis defense, but only time will tell. If he goes, you almost have to start him.
WR Reggie Wayne (groin) — This is not a good sign right now. He hasn’t practiced all week and might not practice at all. Even if he goes, there’s no way he can be 100% effective. I’m not suggesting you bench him, but don’t be surprised if his numbers aren’t “Reggie Wayne-like”.
WR Jerricho Cotchery (hamstring) — This is a touch situation because Cotchery hasn’t played in two weeks, but David Clowney and Brad Smith are both injured too. It might be a situation where the Jets have to use Wallace Wright and/or Danny Woodhead. Don’t decide your lineup with any of these receivers until Sunday.
Nothing like wood screws to hold together your leg...
TE Chris Cooley (broken tibia) — Several different reports have Cooley missing anywhere from 4-12 weeks, depending on who you believe. No matter what you believe, Fred Davis is a good pickup even though the ‘Skins are on a bye this week. By the way, could someone please tell Chris he’s got to do something about that hair?
TE Jermichael Finley (knee) — You wonder why Spencer Havner showed up in the box score for the Packers last week? Exactly… Finley was injured and forced to leave the game. Right now he’s 50/50 to play against the Vikings.
TE Kevin Boss (neck) — I’m sure you saw the injury he suffered Sunday night. Didn’t look good and I’m surprised he’s only listed as questionable. Still, against the hard-hitting Eagles I’m not sure this is a good week to starting him if he does go.
FOR THE REST OF THE WEEK 8 INJURY REPORT, CLICK HERE…
START ‘EM? — EH, MAYBE (MARGINAL TALENT/GOOD MATCHUPS)
David Garrard vs. Tennessee — An obvious downgrade if the Titans injured corners return, but I’m liking what I see so far.
Marc Bulger vs. Detroit — The Lions have allowed 17 passing TDs so far this year.
LaDainian Tomlinson vs. Oakland — If he can’t get it done this week, he never will.
Kevin Smith vs. St. Louis — The Rams simply can’t stop the run, and with Calvin Johnson ailing, the Lions want to pound Smith over and over again.
Donnie Avery vs. Detroit — Could be his best chance to put up gaudy numbers.
Johnny Knox vs. Cleveland — After getting pummeled by the Bengals last week, the Bears will bounce back and do the same to the other Ohio team. Knox, seemingly forgotten, should have a good game.
Tony Scheffler vs. Baltimore — Baltimore gives up more PPG than you might think, and with Orton finally comfortable in this offense, Scheff should be targeted often.
CAN’T BENCH THESE GUYS, CAN YOU?
Donovan McNabb vs. NY Giants — Giants rank #8 in the NFL against fantasy QBs and McNabb hasn’t really looked all that good recently.
Brett Favre vs. Green Bay — The Packers are actually better against the pass than you might think and Favre could press in this game in an attempt to prove to Packers fans that management made a mistake by letting him go.
Knowshon Moreno vs. Baltimore — Not only does he face the Ravens run defense, he also has to contend with Correll Buckhalter for touches.
Willis McGahee vs. Denver — Same as Knowshon… tough run defense and losing touches to Ray Rice.
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Michael Crabtree vs. Indy — It might be easy to think Crabtree is a “must start” with a new QB and the fact the Niners will likely be playing from behind, but Indy’s pass defense is one of the best in the league.
Mario Manningham vs. Philly — The emergence of Hakeem Nicks has cut into Manningham’s targets, not to mention the Eagles are pretty darn good against the pass.
Visanthe Shiancoe vs. Green Bay — Packers rank 11th in the NFL vs. fantasy TEs and you know with Berrian ailing, the Pack will be focused on keeping Shiancoe in check in the passing game.
STOCK UP
- Miles Austin has 16 receptions for 421 yards and four TDs in his last two games and gets a Seattle secondary that was torched by Arizona two weeks ago. And since Austin’s value is up, that must mean his QB, Tony Romo, has seen an increase in value as well.
- Roddy White has been a completely different player since coming back from his bye week. Four TDs in four games and over 100 yards twice.
- Hakeem Nicks has scored in each of the last four weeks now, with his last one being on a fluke tipped pass. He’s scoring and that’s all you need to know.
- Steve Slaton has moved up from outside the top 30 to inside the top 5 in PPR leagues. Why? Because Gary Kubiak has finally decided to get this guy involved in the passing game. Gotta love his matchup vs. Buffalo this week.
- Vernon Davis not only caught three TD passes last week, but now has six for the season and has been targeted 10 or more times in three different games.
- Ricky Williams scored three times last week vs. New Orleans which matched his season total… now giving him 6 for the year. Miami will continue to run the ball more than any team in the NFL, giving him immediate value every week.
STOCK DOWN
- Greg Jennings is still sliding, having not caught a TD pass since Week 1 and not getting any red zone looks.
- Jason Witten should start to improve as Miles Austin gets more attention, but you can’t ignore the fact this guy just isn’t finding the end zone.
- Terrell Owens … not sure he can fall any further.
- Tony Gonzalez has definitely slowed since Week 3, having failed to score a TD in three of his last four games.
- Tashard Choice is the odd man out when Felix Jones and Marion Barber are both healthy.
- Chris Johnson has struggled to match his 2008 numbers because opponents simply don’t respect the passing game anymore. I think he’ll improve over the course of the season, but definitely disappointing thus far.
IMAGE OF THE WEEK (courtesy of Katchop.com)
Mark Sanchez had apparently eaten so many hot dogs he finally had to start throwing them to his recievers...
- Don’t forget to check us out on our Sunday Edition of Two Feet In Bounds Radio Podcast, LIVE at 12 pm ET. It’s a one-hour podcast that will definitely get you ready for Week 6 of the NFL season… just one hour before kickoff on Sunday. We take live phone calls (347-539-5114), emails (craig@fantasyfootball.com) and have an interactive chat room (www.fsc.fm). Be there!!
Hey Craig, do you know when you will have the full podcast from Tuesday up? only 9 minutes show up now
Sorry bro… Blog Talk Radio informed me that they screwed up somehow and the podcast got fried. My apologies, but it was out of my control. Join us Friday and Sunday for more shows.
[...] The GM Perspective — Week 8 Craig Davis 10/29/2009 [...]