Quarterbacks

Off The Top

Trent Edwards, BUF – Trent threw four TDs last week – two to TE Robert Royal and two to late-season stud Lee Evans. He’s got the best matchup for a QB in football this week and he’s starting to look more confident handling the pressure. I’d give him a shot over a ton of regular fantasy starters this week.

Digging Deeper

Troy Smith, BAL – What else do the Ravens have to lose? He scored a rushing TD late in the Indianapolis game and looks like the best option they have at this point. If they give him the start, Miami is an opponent even a rookie with very few game snaps could exploit. In my opinion, he’s everything that Steve McNair used to be, without the prototypical height – which probably won’t matter as much as some scouts have indicated it would.

Kyle Orton, CHI – I think the Vikings secondary is in for a letdown game, and Orton could be the sleeper of the week. In 2005, he didn’t light up the scoreboard, but the Bears have improved their WR corps, TEs and overall passing game since then, giving him more weapons to get things done in the red zone.

Scouring The Barrel

Sage Rosenfels, HOU – IF he keeps the starting spot, he might be a decent pickup, since he’s played well in relief of Matt Schaub. But with Denver on the docket, you have to be wary of getting too enthusiastic.

Luke McCown, TB – If Jeff Garcia’s back bothers him again and he can’t go on Sunday, McCown is a great start versus the reeling Falcons, who got shredded by Drew Brees and the Saints Monday night and looked pitiful in the red zone. But it looks like Garcia should be able to go Sunday, so only get McCown if Garcia encounters problems this week.

Updates

Rex Grossman, CHI – He got hurt early in the Thursday game, and he’s done for at least the next couple weeks with a knee injury. Orton gets his shot this week.

Tarvaris Jackson, MIN – Jackson’s Vikes won’t ever be confused for the ’98 Vikes, especially since their RBs do most of the scoring, but even 16-for-25 for 163 yards with a TD during Week 14 was better than I got from Carson Palmer.

Kellen Clemens, NYJ – He’s throwing for yardage but too tosses many picks and not enough TDs. And he’s facing the Pats this week.

Brodie Croyle, KC – I guess it could be the offensive line, but Croyle’s been pretty pitiful.

Chris Redman, ATL – Some good things came out of his performance on Monday night (TD passes to Roddy White and Michael Jenkins), but he’s definitely not the QB of the future for the Falcons.

Vinny Testaverde, CAR – He was terrible last week and there’s really no reason to start him against the Seahawks.

JaMarcus Russell, OAK – The early word is that he’ll play – but not start – versus the Colts on Sunday. Stay tuned – he might be worth a desperation play at QB #2 if he does start.

John Beck, MIA – The young QB got pulled last week after getting sacked three times in the team’s first three possessions and turning the ball over early – yet again. Stay far away.

Running Backs

Off The Top

Aaron Stecker, NO – The pickings may be slim on the RB waiver wire, and Stecker might be the only guy worth picking up this week in that regard. Since Reggie Bush has most likely been shelved for the year, Stecker’s the only reliable show in town for the Saints. He played well Monday night versus the Falcons and the Saints got the win, so he’s got obvious RB #2 value this week against the Cards.

Selvin Young, DEN – Is he available on your league’s waiver wire after the Broncos announced Travis Henry would be the starter? Well, if he is and your team is hurting at RB, you’ve got no choice but to get him in your lineup this week against one of the league’s most generous defenses to fantasy RBs.

Digging Deeper

Darius Walker, HOU – Ron Dayne’s a bit dinged up and will see limited action versus the Broncos, making Walker the go-to-guy in the Houston backfield. But the Broncos are playing much better defense, so temper your expectations and give Walker a shot in PPR leagues only.

Samkon Gado, MIA – Gado rushed for 52 yards and 2 TDs on just 12 carries against the Bills. If he gets the start against the Ravens, he could be worth a flyer.

Scouring The Barrel

Pierre Thomas, NO – Wait a minute. I almost forgot about Pierre! If something should happen to Stecker, Thomas will take over the carries. He’s also of some value in PPR leagues, since he sometimes lines up as a WR, even with Stecker in the backfield.

Garrett Wolfe, CHI – Neither Adrian Peterson lived up to his billing last week, and Wolfe could see increased touches as the Bears are all but mathematically eliminated from playoff contention.

Updates

Ryan Grant, GB – Another solid performance moves Grant into the top 20 fantasy backs for ‘07, despite his limited playing time throughout the first half of the season. Now he’s got 754 rushing yards and 4 TDs over his last seven weeks.

Reuben Droughns, NYG – Brandon Jacobs got the bulk of carries against the Eagles, but Droughns did manage 34 yards on just three carries.

Ron Dayne, HOU – An ankle injury forced him out on Sunday, rendering him of little value to fantasy owners.

Chris Brown, TEN – Just 16 yards rushing, but he found paydirt yet again. I expect Brown to be more involved in the final few weeks.

Lorenzo Booker, MIA – He caught six passes for the second consecutive week – so there’s some value in PPR leagues. The Ravens defense is very aggressive, so you could see some dump-offs and screens go his week in Week 15.

Wide Receivers/Tight Ends

Off The Top

WR Jabar Gaffney, NE – It’s incredible how he’s come on in the last few games, and it’s safe to assume he’s a better fantasy start than Donte Stallworth going forward. It’s frustrating that his 7/122/1 didn’t come completely out of nowhere, given his recent increased number of targets, but his limited involvement early in the season made me think the game with the late TD pass against the Ravens might have been the best we’d see out of him. It just goes to show fantasy owners that it pays to think like Bill Belichick down the stretch and ride the hot hand.

WR Anthony Gonzalez, IND – He was the #2 fantasy WR in Week 14, second only to the breathtaking Randy Moss. While I don’t expect a repeat performance, his value certainly ascends with his second big game in three weeks and Marvin Harrison’s continued unavailability.

Digging Deeper

WR Jerheme Urban, WR – It was Urban, not Bryant Johnson, who got the start alongside Larry Fitzgerald on Sunday, and things could not have gone much better for the third-year WR out of Trinity University in Texas. Urban snagged 6/123/1 and seems to have jumped Johnson on the Cards depth chart.

WR David Patten, NO – It’s very difficult to tell when Patten’s going to break out with one of his big games, but he’s definitely worth a roster spot and a few matchup-dependent starts. This week, the Saints WRs go against the Cardinals, who surrender lots of fantasy points to opposing receivers.

Scouring The Barrel

WR Devard Darling, BAL – The young Ravens WR might see a significant number of targets if Troy Smith gets the start against the Dolphins, making him a fine Week 15 sleeper in deep formats. He’s had a couple nice games under his belt, and he’s probably worked a lot with Smith over the past few weeks.

Updates

WR Mike Furrey, DET – He was effectively blanketed by the Cowboys secondary, but might be a factor in the coming weeks, with the Lions seeking new ways to move the football versus the Chargers and a decent matchup against the Chiefs.

WR Bobby Engram, SEA – He finished Sunday with 4/55/1 – a solid game from a dependable wideout. Carolina poses another exploitable matchup this week.

WR Joe Jurevicius, CLE – The week I give him some props, he has his worst fantasy week in ’07. I’m through with him, folks.

WR Bryant Johnson, ARI – He had a TD, but just one catch in Week 14, while Urban and Fitzgerald saw the rest of the action.

WR Roscoe Parrish, BUF – Another poor week, but this Sunday he faces the Browns, and everybody gets theirs against the Browns secondary.

TE Leonard Pope, ARI – 4/16/0 last week, but he’s reportedly out for the season and is headed to the IR. Oh, Leonard, we hardly knew you.

IDP

Off The Top

LB Chad Greenway, MIN – He’s probably not available in every format, but folks just seem to gravitate more to E.J. Henderson – and with good reason – than Greenway. This week, I think there will be enough IDP points to go around for both Minnesota LBs to post solid lines, and the possibility of multiple turnovers looms large with Kyle Orton manning the Chicago offense.

DB Asante Samuel, NE – Another guy who might have been snagged off the wire following his huge Week 12 but could be out there in some formats, Samuel is a must-start this week against a Jets offense that gives up the second-most IDP points in football to DBs. Play him with confidence despite his past two quiet games.

Digging Deeper

DL Robert Mathis, IND – He practiced Monday and should be okay when the Colts face the Raiders on Sunday, making him an automatic start versus that horrid offensive line.

DB Michael Lewis, SF – Lewis was once a solid fantasy starter, but got benched in Philly before finding a new home in San Fran. He’s been playing much better lately and could be a nice sleeper pick this week against the Bengals, since we all know how much Carson Palmer likes throwing the ball into the hands of defenders when he’s not letting opposing safeties destroy his receivers over the middle.

Scouring The Barrel

LB D’Qwell Jackson, CLE – He’s come on strong the past few weeks and he’s a capable tackler on a team looking for consistency from its LBs. I can definitely see the Bills working the running game a lot in this one before trying to open it up downfield, so Jackson’s a solid play despite the tendency for Browns DBs to hog all the IDP points.

LB Joey Porter, MIA – Like Mathis, he’s dinged up, but gets a great matchup. Against the Ravens, I expect the confident Porter to play through the pain and be involved in nearly every defensive series.

Updates

DB Marcus Trufant, SEA – I didn’t think it was possible to surpass my Week 9 James Harrison selection (which I made prior to his career day versus the Ravens) but it appears I did just that last week with Trufant, who returned one of his 3 INTs a whopping 84 yards for a TD Sunday against the Cards. Trufant also finished with 6 total tackles and 3 passes defensed. Am I the IDP waiver wire king or what?

LB Lance Briggs, CHI – He tallied 5 total tackles, despite a great matchup. Maybe it was the curse of the NFL Network.

LB Freddy Keiaho, IND – I expected more than just 6 total tackles and no junk points.

LB Rocky McIntosh, WAS – McIntosh finished with 6 total tackles a a PD – good enough to equal his average for the season but not enough to warrant a waiver pickup.

DB Oshiomogho Atogwe, STL – 8 total tackles is a respectable line for a DB , but O.J. didn’t steal the show with any PDs or INTs like Trufant. I guess that’s why he was listed where he was and vice versa.

LB Omar Gaither, PHI – Finally, Gaither comes through for me. 10 total tackles is good enough for any LB on any day.

DL Elvis Dumervil, DEN – 4 tackles, an assist and 3 big sacks – my second-best IDP call of the week, without a doubt.