Week 14
12/9/06
Steppin' Up
Joey Harrington, MIA: Harrington
replaced a disappointing Daunte Culpepper in Week 5 against the
New England Patriots--an opponent he'll be facing again this Sunday.
In that first start of the season for the former first round pick,
he threw for 232 yards and completed 63.4% of his passes on 41
attempts. It would have been a fine outing for the 5th-year vet
in his Dolphins debut, if it weren't for his lack of a touchdown
pass and two interceptions. Since then however, Harrington has
proven to be a capable starter for Miami and fantasy owners alike.
In 8 starts this season, the one time Detroit Lions QB has completed
59.2% of his passes, thrown 11 touchdowns, and averaged 248 yards
passing per game. While there's no question Harrington is a risky
start this Sunday, he should be able to surpass the 200-yard mark
once again against the Patriots. If he is able to connect with
one of his targets in the end zone while keeping his turnovers
down, he'll provide another productive, if unspectacular, outing
in fantasy leagues. He could also prove useful for owners in a
pinch at the QB position during Weeks 15 and 16, when he goes
against the Buffalo Bills and New York Jets.
Steppin' Down
Rex Grossman, CHI: Grossman's
Cinderella season has come to an astonishing halt over the past
three weeks. Having begun the year completing 57.2% of his passes,
throwing 17 touchdowns, and averaging 210 passing yards an outing
through the first 10 games of the season, his numbers have taken
a nose dive recently. In Chicago's last 3 games, Grossman has
thrown 6 interceptions and just 1 touchdown pass. He's completed
32 of 75 attempts for a completion percentage of 46.2%, and averaged
a miserable 109 yards per game through the air during that span.
Had these disappointing outings come against the more elite defenses
in the league, there may not be as much concern with Grossman
going forward. As it stands however, the only formidable defense
the Bears faced during their last three games was that of the
New England Patriots. If Grossman gets himself back on track,
he should be a gem of a starter in coming weeks against the Rams,
Buccaneers and Lions, before closing out the regular season against
the Green Bay Packers. His recent woes however are reason for
owners to be hesitant before inserting him back into their starting
line-up.
Steppin' Up
Tatum Bell, DEN: After missing
3 of Denver's previous 4 games with turf toe injuries in both
feet, Tatum Bell returned to action last week against the Seattle
Seahawks. He finished the game with 23 carries for 133 yards,
and looked to be back to the form that had him on pace for career
highs prior to the set back. Before attempting to play through
the pain in Weeks 8 and 10, Bell had averaged 4.7 yards per carry
on 124 attempts. In 3 of those 6 games, Shanahan ran the 3rd-year
back more than 20 times. With no reports of Bell experiencing
any pain following Sunday night's performance, it appears safe
to insert him into your starting line-up, and expect him to carry
nearly 20 times a game the remainder of the season. He'll face
a tough run defense in San Diego this Sunday, so consider other
options if you have them, but he should fair quite well in following
weeks against the Arizona Cardinals, Cincinnati Bengals and San
Francisco 49ers.
Jerious Norwood, ATL: The 3rd
round pick out of Mississippi State had been impressing Atlanta's
coaching staff since camp opened in late July. In fact, he made
enough of an impression early on, that the Falcons felt comfortable
trading away T.J. Duckett, in order to use the rookie as a second
option to starting tailback, Warrick Dunn. After last Sunday's
9 carry, 107 yard, 1 TD performance against the Redskins , Norwood
has now totaled 518 yards on just 77 attempts--an amazing 6.7
yards per carry this season. While Norwood's lack of carries on
a regular basis keeps him from consideration as a starter in fantasy
leagues, he should be owned in most of them and could help you
pull out a victory if you need to start him due to a lack of better
options on your roster.
Steppin' Down
Leon Washington, NYJ: Despite
a four game stretch near the middle of the season, in which he
carried 69 times for 339 yards (4.9 YPC) and 2 touchdowns, Washington
has failed to emerge as the featured back in the Jets backfield.
In four games played since then, the rookie out of Florida State
has averaged just 8.5 carries and 28.5 rushing yards per game.
Despite last weeks outing in which he scored his 3rd touchdown
of the year, and combined for 66 yards on the ground and through
the air, Washington can't be considered any better than a #4 RB
at this point in time. The return of 2nd year back Cedric Houston
three weeks ago has also eaten into the number of touches Washington
has been getting in games. If there are better options available
in your leagues waiver wire, don't hesitate to drop Washington
in order to acquire them.
Steppin' Up
Reche Caldwell, NE: Despite
a slow start to the season with his new team, Caldwell has become
a frequent target of quarterback Tom Brady, lately. Over the first
5 games of the season, the former San Diego Charger had posted
just 10 receptions for 118 yards and no touchdowns. In the 7 games
since then however, he has scored 3 times, averaging just over
5 receptions, and 65 receiving yards per game. While Caldwell
is far from being a must start every week, he makes for a productive
#3 WR in point per reception leagues, and a reliable #3-4 WR in
leagues that score based solely on yardage and touchdowns.
Michael Jenkins, ATL: Michael
Jenkins' reception and yardage totals aren't all that impressive
(32 receptions, 365 yards), but he has been a frequent visitor
of the end zone as of late. Having scored a touchdown in 5 of
the Falcons last 7 games, the 6'4", 212 pound target has
raised his total to 6 for the year, with 4 games remaining. Due
to his low totals in the other receiving categories, the 3rd-year
vet will remain hit-or-miss the rest of the season, but he's worth
owning as a back-up in case one of your starters goes down with
an injury.
Steppin' Down
Muhsin Muhammad, CHI: The recent
struggles of Bears quarterback Rex Grossman, have also been effecting
the production we've been seeing from his wide receivers. Muhammad
began the year with 24 receptions in the teams first 4 games,
totaling 324 yards with 1 touchdown. Since then, he had his moments
during a 3-game stretch from Weeks 8 through 10 (14 receptions,
230 yards, 3 TDs), but he's also had 6 games in which he failed
to record any more than 3 receptions. His last 3 outings in particular
have been brutal--totaling just 6 receptions for 71 yards and
no scores. Like Grossman, Muhammad should bounce back over the
remaining 4 games on the schedule when the Bears face the Rams,
Buccaneers, Lions and Packers, but if the QB continues to struggle,
it's likely his receivers will as well.
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