Tuesday, October 7, 2008

FANTASY FOOTBALL WEEK 5 RECAP AND A LOOK AHEAD TO WEEK 6

I'm curious about something.
Has anyone out there every drafted Detroit Lions backup QB and former UConn star Dan Orlovsky of Shelton or picked him up on the waiver wire, even for just a lark?
Just wondering.

The big news for me last weekend wasn't the great performances of Carolina Panthers back DeAngelo Willimas, Giants back Brandon Jacobs or even Chicago Bears quarterback Kyle Orton...
What got my attention in Week 5, especially since I have some of these guys in my leagues, is how some players just plain disappeared off the fantasy football radar.
What the heck is Kansas City Chiefs' back Larry Johnson's deal? Three weeks ago he rushed for 100 yards, two weeks ago he rushed for 198 yards and on Sunday he goes two yards on seven carries? Ouch!
On Sunday I was ready to drop this guy but as usual, after a day or two, I came to my senses. You just have to live with these kind of games from Johnson who historically struggles early in the season and having a coach like Herm Edwards doesn't help either. However, one of the reasons I drafted Johnson in a couple of leagues is he has great matchups late in the regular season, especially during fantasy football playoff time.
Other players who stunk up the joint were San Diego Chargers back LaDainian Tomlinson (12 carries, 35 yards), Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers (13-for-28, 159 yards), Tampa Bay Buccaneers back Earnest Graham (10 carries, 59 yards), Washington Redskins receiver Santana Moss who didn't have a reception, and Denver Broncos receivers Brandon Marshall (three catches, 25 yards) and Eddie Royal (three catches, 23 yards).
Watch for all these guys to pick it up next week and take advantage of decent matchups.

By the way kudos to the Giants who seem to never cease to amaze me. No Plaxico Burress and the Giants crush Seattle 44-6. At this stage all Giants receivers have to be considered potential pickups, especially Domenik Hixon (who?) who took advantage of Burress' absence to showcase his speed and ability to reel in four catches for 102 yards, including a 32-yard touchdown pass. I bow to all the fantasy football owners who had the foresight to not only pick up Hixon on your waiver wire but also start him.

Sunday, October 5, 2008

WEEK 5 SUNDAY PRE-GAME PLANNER

Many issues in Week 5 are centering around injuries (and at least one suspension) and the second week of byes (Jets, Oakland, Cleveland and St. Louis are off), resulting primarily in replacement needs at receiver and running back.
For those of you who have been wrangling with who to start at receiver, especially with Plaxico Burress serving a one-game suspension, some guys still on waiver wires that I've seen are Arizona's Steve Breaston, Jerry Porter, Reggie Brown, Amani Toomer and Chris Henry (first game back for Cincinnati after serving a four-game suspenion).
With all that said, I'm telling you to ignore all the national "fantasy football experts" who are insisting you should keep Seattle receivers Deion Branch and Bobby Engram on the bench for at least this week.
Both players are finally healthy after coming off injuries that have kept them sidelined so far this season. Both players are anxious to get on the field and play. Seattle has struggled miserably with a rash of injuries at receiver (backup Logan Payne lasted one game before an injury sidelined him for the season).
In addition, quarterback Matt Hasselbeck finally has his 1-2 receiving punch back and he's anxious to start posting some decent numbers and begin turning the Seahawks season around.
Granted, doing it on the East Coast against the Giants isn't the best scenario in the world. But I believe Hasselbeck, Engram and Branch will all put up impressive numbers to make that game competitive.
And don't ignore the Bengals' Chris Henry. The Bengals have been pitiful but their fans have been calling Henry their savior of the season. He will play more than expected and he should contribute.
At running back I would stay away from the Steelers' Mewelde Moore against a very tough Ravens defense.
Again, the national fantasy football experts making six-figure salaries are telling you to stay away from Deuce McAllister since New Orleans is playing the tough Vikings defense. Fellas, you gotta look outside the box in fantasy football.
How many think the Vikings will beat the Saints in New Orleans? What's that, one hand, two being raised?
Who will think the Saints will win easily against the Vikings? There ya go! Look at all those hands jumping up.
The Saints should put the Vikings away early and admittedly it will likely be done through the air led by QB Drew Brees. But with the game in hand by the end of the third quarter, the Saints will be looking to kill the clock and that's where a slew of hand-offs will be offered up to McAllister. He won't give you 200 yards and 4 TDs. But I can see 70-80 yards and possibly a touchdown, certainly a decent bye-week replacement.
There ya go, great advice you can bank on and thanks to those great folks at the Register who sign my paycheck, you get this advice FOR FREE!