Week 10
11/10/06
Steppin' Up
David Garrard, JAC: Two weeks
ago, when Garrard made his first start of the season, it was believed
that was it. When he filled in again for an injured Byron Leftwich
last Sunday, the QB picture in Jacksonville began to get a little
cloudy. Heading into their game against Tennessee, Jaguars head
coach Jack Del Rio, stood by his claim that Leftwich would remain
his starting quarterback once he recovered from a sprained left
ankle. What Del Rio didn't mention however, is that he doesn't
believe Leftwich's ankle will heal completely before the end of
the season. That being the case, it now appears the starting position
is Garrard's to lose.
In Garrard's first start of the year, in windy conditions against
the Eagles, he completed 10 of 17 passes for 87 yards with no
touchdowns and no interceptions. He also ran 8 times for 36 yards.
Last week against the Titans, the 4th round pick out of East Carolina
threw 3 touchdown passes, completing 12 of his 22 attempts for
177 yards. While last week's performance is encouraging, his outing
against the Eagles is reason for fantasy owners to be weary of
relying on him as a weekly starter. As an NFL quarterback, expect
Garrard to continue his solid play, but remember that won't always
translate into fantasy points. In Garrard's 9 career games with
20 attempts or more, he has thrown for over 200 yards just 3 times,
and he had more than 30 attempts in each of those games. That
being the case, his production in fantasy leagues will rely largely
on how many touchdowns he can throw, while limiting his number
of turnovers, as opposed to him gaining big yardage through the
air.
Steppin' Down
J.P. Losman, BUF: When Losman
was named the Bills opening day starter, edging out Kelly Holcomb
in the process, it gave reason for fantasy owners to monitor his
status as a contributor in fantasy leagues. Eight games into the
season however, the former first round pick has given little reason
for any of us to add him to our rosters. While Losman is completing
a respectable 61.3% of his passes, he is averaging under 180 passing
yards per game, and is on pace to throw for no more than 15 touchdowns
this season. With running back Willis McGahee out of action for
the foreseeable future with three broken ribs, Losman will be
without one of the Bills' top weapons on offense, making it even
less likely we'll see a jump in his production over the second
half of the schedule. If you own a QB on a high scoring offense
as your starter, with Losman as your back-up, you may be better
insured by dropping the Bills quarterback and adding your starters
back-up should an injury occur.
Steppin' Up
Anthony Thomas, BUF: With Willis
McGahee out indefinitely, Anthony Thomas will now serve as the
Bills primary back. Seeing extensive action for the first time
this season, Thomas carried the ball 20 times for 95 yards and
a touchdown in a 24-10 victory over the Packers. While Thomas
hasn't been a force in fantasy football since the 2003 season,
there is reason to believe he could sustain a fair level of success
as a starter in Buffalo. Thomas' best seasons came in the early
parts of his career as a member of the Chicago Bears. His coach
during that time was Dick Jauron. Despite the loss of McGahee,
expect the Bills offense to continue emphasizing their rushing
attack, meaning 20-25 carries a game for Thomas. It's uncertain
how many games McGahee will miss with his injuries, but if you
need help at running back and were unable to acquire Thomas off
the waiver wire, he's worth pursuing in a trade and using as a
#2 RB if your other options are lacking.
Steppin' Down
Dominic Rhodes, IND: To start
the season Rhodes was a serviceable #2 RB, scoring in 3 of the
Colts first 4 games, and receiving no less than 14 carries in
the first 5. Over the past three weeks however, there has been
a rapid decline in his production. During that span he has had
just 20 carries for 29 yards with no scores. In comparison, Joseph
Addai has carried the ball 46 times for 221 yards and a touchdown
over the same span. For the season, Rhodes now has 99 carries
for 312 yards (3.15 YPC) while Addai has carried 105 times for
490 yards (4.6 YPC). As expected, the Colts first round pick is
beginning to take over a larger role in the backfield with Rhodes
getting less and less touches per game. Expect that trend to continue
over the second half of the season. If you own Rhodes, it may
be best to try and trade him to the Addai owner in your league,
as any significant value he would have going forward is only likely
to come if an injury occurred to the rookie running back.
Steppin' Up
Eric Parker, SD: After recording
just 2 receptions the first 2 weeks of the season, Eric Parker
has become a more prominent figure in the Chargers offense. In
the last 6 games he has caught the ball 27 times for 371 yards,
an average of 13.7 yards per reception and 4.5 receptions per
game. While he is yet to reach the end zone, the 5th year vet
is on pace to record career highs in both receptions and yards.
Parker isn't a receiver that will single handily win games for
your team, but at his current pace he makes for a solid #3 or
#4 WR in most leagues.
Steppin' Down
Reggie Williams, JAC: Reggie
Williams' start to the 2006 season was the best of his career.
Through the first 5 games, he had 25 receptions for 296 yards
and 4 touchdowns. Over the past 3 weeks however, he has been almost
nonexistent, totaling 26 yards on 2 receptions. If you have the
roster space, hold onto Williams in the hopes he will once again
become more involved in the Jaguars offense, but don't hesitate
to drop him for more productive receivers that may still be available
in free agency.
Steppin' Up
David Martin, GB: With Robert
Ferguson lost for the season with a sprained foot, Koren Robinson
suspended for the year due to off field issues, and rookie Greg
Jennings hobbled with a bad ankle, second string tight end David
Martin has been getting more looks recently from QB Brett Favre.
In his last 3 games, the 6'4", 265 pound Martin has 10 receptions,
130 yards and 2 touchdowns, and has even lined up as the teams
slot receiver at times. Due to the circumstances surrounding the
Packers wide receiver situation, expect Martin to continue getting
looks from Favre on a weekly basis over the second half of the
season.
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