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In an effort to continue to bring you new and differing views on players and situations, we would like to introduce you to Christopher Hester as a new writer to The Whiz. Agree or disagree, Christopher will now bring you his thoughts in this week's WIRED UP!
Week 4 showed us that no matter how much you think you know about the world of Fantasy Sports, there will be weeks that make us feel helpless. Donovan McNabb looked like a league MVP in week 3 against the Lions, but couldn’t do anything right against the blitzing Giants defense. Brian Westbrook was a late scratch; Alex Smith goes down after throwing just one pass, Cadillac Williams tears up his knee and is more than likely out for the season. There are Fantasy General Managers everywhere scuffling around looking for Waiver Wire players to help their roster and I’m here to help!
Obvious Players
Patrick Crayton WR DAL: Many general managers went and grabbed Crayton when Terry Glenn’s injury was announced, and they were quickly disappointed. Suffering from a broken finger, Crayton had back-to-back disappointing games forcing his owners to either bench or drop him. Those who watched his first couple games closely, however, may have seen enough to hang on to him. He may not have put up stats worthy of a roster spot, but it was obvious that Tony Romo was looking for Crayton in a number of key situations which is always a good sign. This week those who kept him around were rewarded and those who dropped him were left saying “of course, NOW he performs!!”. Go out and pick him up if he’s available, the Dallas offense looks tremendous and Crayton will be the #3 guy and still return kicks if/when Terry Glenn comes back.
Earnest Graham/Michael Pittman RBs TBB: Starting tailback Cadillac Williams suffered a potential career ending injury Sunday when he tore the patellar tendon in his right knee. This means Michael Pittman and Earnest Graham will see more carries in the Gruden offense. Graham has never been an “every-down” type of running back so expect Pittman to get a few more carries along the way, but both guys are worthy of roster spots. They will make solid “bye” week plays and may help owners who drafted Maurice Jones-Drew and are suffering from his awful start.
Justin Fargas RB OAK: The Oakland Raiders running game has been great so far this year, whether it is Lamont Jordan or Justin Fargas handling the load. Jordan re-injured his back in the first half Sunday against the Miami Dolphins which forced Fargas into action, and he responded nicely, rushing for 179 yards in relief. Jordan started the season in spectacular fashion rushing for 424 yards in just 3 ½ games but he has never shown the ability to carry the full load a #1 back requires. Fargas should be worth a roster spot for the remainder of the year because Jordan is sure to miss more time as the season moves forward.
Trent Edwards QB BUF: Rookie quarterbacks typically are scary fantasy players, but if you are in desperate need you could do a lot worse than Trent Edwards. The former Stanford Cardinal took over for J.P. Losman this week and the Buffalo offense showed signs of life for the first time this season. Edwards completed 22 of 28 passing attempts for 234 yards and one score. With the Bills off to a dreadful start and Losman out for at least another week or two, Edwards will certainly get his chance to run the team for a few more weeks. Lee Evans also had his best game of the season which shows the rookie at least knows an offensive weapon when he sees one!
Dwayne Bowe WR KCC: The Kansas City Chiefs have been looking for a solid WR to compliment their franchise RB and TE; they may have found one in Dwayne Bowe. The first round draft pick out of LSU has stepped in for the injured Eddie Kennison and helped take some of the pressure off of the slow-starting Larry Johnson. The Chiefs QB situation is still questionable week-to-week but Damon Huard is starting to take hold of the job which should help speed up Bowe’s development. At 6'2" 221 pounds, Bowe has decent enough size that he should be a great red-zone target for Huard and the Chiefs offense. Look for him to continue to develop into a great “Keyshawn Johnson” type receiver in the league.
Sammy Morris RB NEP: With starting RB Laurence Maroney out with a groin injury for the Monday night game against the Cincinnati Bengals, veteran Sammy Morris got the chance to start and took full advantage of it. Running behind one of the best offensive-lines in the game, Morris ran for 117 yards and one touchdown. Groin injuries are always the type of injury that linger for a while, so with the Patriots seemingly on cruise control right now, do not be surprised if they give the youngster plenty of time to recuperate. If that is indeed the case, expect to see a lot of Sammy Morris during Maroney’s absence.
Brian Leonard RB STL: Steven Jackson has a partially torn left groin muscle (that doesn’t sound good at all) and is expected to be out a “minimum”’ of two weeks. That means Leonard will be starting week 6 against the Arizona Cardinals. The St. Louis offense has been almost non-existent so far this season and things may get worse considering they lost yet another starter on their beat-up offensive line. Leonard’s value may be based on the health of Marc Bulger (which is up in the air right now) so you may want to monitor him during the week. If you are in a deep league and/or are in desperate need for a RB, I would go ahead and grab Leonard while you can. Make sure to continue to monitor Jackson’s and Bulger’s health.
Worth a Risk
Joey Harrington QB ATL: After watching his hold on the starting job slip away with the signing of Byron Leftwich, Harrington has completely turned it around in the last two weeks. After getting sacked 13 times and throwing 2 interceptions with no touchdowns in the first two games of the year, Harrington has now thrown 4 touchdowns with no interceptions and has only been sacked 3 times in the last two. While he is not an every week starter, he could make a nice bye week filler against the right defense.
Selvin Young RB DEN: Travis Henry missed some time in Sunday’s game against the Colts due to an ankle injury. He returned later in the game but will have an MRI done on Monday. Young got the majority of the carries during Henry’s absence and took advantage of his time on the field. Young ran for 81 yards on just 8 carries and caught 2 passes for 19 yards during his few moments in the backfield. Henry will probably be okay, but Young may be worth a risk if you have enough room on your roster for a “sleeper” pick.
Correll Buckhalter RB PHI: Brian Westbrook has an abdomen injury that may just be more serious than we are hearing. Rumors were circulating Sunday night that the tear was in the 40% range, which makes it dangerous to run him back on the field. Buckhalter got the start Sunday night and showed why he was once considered good enough to be the #1 guy in Philly. In a game where seemingly NOTHING went right for the Eagles, Correll was the lone bright spot, running for 103 yards behind a make-shift offensive-line. Buckhalter showed the ability to spot and burst through the holes the line was able to make for him. The Eagles have a bye week next week but I would keep my eye on Westbrook’s status for upcoming games. If you have a roster spot you could use, I would go ahead and grab Correll now before it’s too late.
Kenton Keith RB IND: After Joseph Addai had to leave the Colts game against the Broncos Sunday afternoon, everyone assumed you would see a lot of Peyton Manning throwing the ball around the field. No one possibly could’ve expected to see little known Kenton Keith step in and produce the way he did. Rushing for 80 yards on just 10 carries, Keith showed head Coach Tony Dungy that he was more than ready to step up if needed. Addai’s injury doesn’t seem to be serious, but with shoulder injuries, one wrong hit could easily reaggravate it. Until Addai is completely cleared to be back out on the field, Keith is worth keeping your eye on.
Jerry Porter WR OAK: Anytime you catch over half of the completed passes from your QB you are worth some attention. Of course, when your QB only completes 5 passes in the game, maybe not! Jerry Porter, however, is worth keeping your eye on in the next couple weeks. Daunte Culpepper completed just 5 passes Sunday afternoon but 3 where to Porter and 2 of them ended in a touchdown celebration. We have all seen what Culpepper is capable of and it seems (from what we saw in just the 1 start so far) that Daunte has his eye on Porter when he needs to make a play. Jerry has always had the “potential” label stuck to him and maybe it’s time for him to show what he’s made of. The Raiders are running the ball effectively enough that there should be plenty of opportunities to throw the ball down field. That being the case, Porter could be in line for a few big games in the near future.
Very Risky
David Carr QB CAR: With Jake Delhomme probably out for a few weeks, Carr is the default starter. Against Tampa in week 4 he had a lot of trouble moving the offense and completed only 19 of 41 passes with 1 touchdown and 1 interception. He was also sacked 3 times. With the suddenly toothless New Orleans defense coming to town in week 5, followed by Arizona, Carr could be an “okay” bye week filler. Remember this is still David Carr we are talking about.
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