Week 6
10/13/06
Week 6 is here and with it, a lot of teams on bye with more to
come in Week 7. Doesn't the NFL factor fantasy football into their
decision making when coming up with the schedule? If you're one
of many owners who find themselves looking at an unrecognizable
line-up this week,here are some suggestions that may be able to
help you out. It's always difficult to find viable options at
the running back position, but hopefully you can grab some of
these quarterbacks and wide receivers to fill in for those players
that get the day off this Sunday.
Steppin' Up
Bruce Gradkowski, TB: Filling
in for an inured Chris Simms, Gradkowski had an impressive showing
against the Saints on Sunday. Making his debut as the Buccaneers
starting quarterback, the sixth round pick out of Toledo completed
20 of 31 passes for 225 yards and 2 touchdowns without throwing
an interception. He'll face stiff competition in the coming weeks
as he goes against the Bengals, Eagles and Giants before facing
the Saints again in Week 9. Nonetheless, he'll have the opportunity
to put up some impressive totals once again. All three of those
teams have high scoring offenses, and if the Bucs find themselves
playing from behind, they'll be forced to rely heavily on the
arm of their young signal caller. Gradkowski may not lead your
team to a championship, but he could make for a decent back up
the rest of the way. He may even help you pick up a win during
your starter's bye week.
Damon Huard, KC: Since filling
in for an injured Trent Green on opening day, Huard has completed
70.2% of his passes, averaged 7.4 yards an attempt, and thrown
5 touchdown passes without any interceptions. While Green continues
to recover from a concussion suffered in a week one loss against
the Bengals, Huard has thrown 2 touchdowns, and amassed over 200
yards in each of the last two games and will remain the Chiefs
starter until at least week nine. While Huard isn't a recommended
starter on the road this Sunday against Pittsburgh, the absence
of playmaker Joey Porter (hamstring) from the Steelers linebacking
core will certainly help his cause.
Matt Leinart, ARI: Leinart was
first mentioned here in week one's edition before the season had
started. At the time, it was suggested you look into grabbing
the tenth overall pick out of USC due to the talent that would
be surrounding him once he took over for the aging Kurt Warner.
That opportunity came a little sooner than expected when Dennis
Green pulled the plug on the former two-time MVP, making the switch
to Leinart following the Cardinals 1-3 start. In his NFL debut
as a starter, Leinart completed 22 of 35 passes for 253 yards
and 1 interception in a 23-20 loss against the Chiefs. He'll have
a difficult time going against the vaunted Chicago defense this
Monday night, but in the following weeks he has favorable match-ups
against the Raiders and Packers before reaching the bye in week
nine. Keep Leinart on your bench this week, but consider him a
viable starting option when he goes against the weaker defenses
in the league.
Jake Delhomme, CAR: What a difference
Steve Smith makes. Without the services of his favorite target
to start the season, Delhomme got off to a poor start completing
just 52.8% of his passes for 367 yards, with no touchdowns and
1 interception through the first two weeks of the schedule. In
three games played since Smith's return to action, Delhomme has
completed 61 of 94 attempts (64.9%) and thrown 4 touchdowns with
zero interceptions. His yardage totals may not be impressive on
a weekly basis, but as long as Smith is on the field, Delhomme
will remain a productive fantasy QB worth starting every now and
then throughout the season.
Steppin' Up
Deuce McAllister, NO: McAllister
came into the year with questions concerning his health and his
role in the Saints backfield. After tearing his ACL early in the
2005 campaign, it was uncertain whether or not he'd be able to
return at, or near 100% in 2006. That, coupled with the Saints
selection of Reggie Bush in this years draft, had fantasy owners
leery of selecting him as anything more than a #3RB in drafts
this year. While that seemed like good reasoning at the time,
McAllister has gone on to score in 3 of the Saints 5 games played,
while rushing for 380 yards on 79 carries (4.8 YPC). He'll continue
to share time in the backfield with Bush, but for the time being
McAllister is producing like a #2 fantasy back. If he continues
finding the endzone as often as he has, expect him to keep that
status the remainder of the season.
DeShaun Foster, CAR: Foster's
season totals aren't overly impressive (373 yards, 4.2 YPC, 1
TD), but he has picked up his play as of late. He rushed for over
100 yards in each of the last two games, and within the last three
has totaled 293 yards on 60 carries (4.9 YPC) with 1 touchdown.
First round pick DeAngelo Williams had been performing well with
the limited number of reps he has gotten, and was expected to
push Foster for playing time throughout the year. However, Williams,
sprained his ankle on his first carry against the Browns last
week and is listed as OUT for this Sundays game against the Ravens.
It's possible he'll miss another week or two with the injury.
While Williams is sidelined, expect Foster to see 20 carries a
game and play him with confidence as your #2RB. If you have other
starting RBs with more favorable match-ups though, it may be best
to go that route this week since the Ravens defense has been playing
well against the run.
Steppin' Down
Jamal Lewis, BAL: Coming off
a disappointing outing in 2005, there were many fantasy owners
that wanted nothing to do with Jamal Lewis this year and it turns
out they had good reason. Through five games, Lewis has carried
the ball just 88 times for 311 yards (3.5 YPC) with 1 touchdown.
Not only is his lack of scoring a concern, but for a power back
like Lewis, he's going to need more than the 17.5 carries he's
been averaging per game in order to be effective. He makes for
a solid #3RB, but if you had hopes he could perform as a reliable
#2, it's time to look for other options.
Mike Bell, DEN: It appears Mike
Bell has become an afterthought in the Broncos backfield. Named
the starter during the preseason, Bell has carried just 27 times
in 4 games and has lost the starting job to Tatum Bell. He received
zero carries last week against the Ravens, and carried just 4
times the week prior to that. A promising prospect at the start
of the season, it now appears Mike Bell's only true value is as
a handcuff to those that own Tatum.
Steppin' Up
Bernard Berrian, CHI: With the
emergence of Rex Grossman and the Bears passing game has come
Bernard Berrian. His 49-yard touchdown reception in week one wasn't
all that surprising, as it's something he has done before. After
all, Berrian has been considered a dangerous deep threat since
entering the league. It's what he has done since then that has
been making people notice him. Berrian has now scored in 4 of
the Bears 5 games and is averaging an astonishing 21.7 yards a
catch on 19 receptions. If he keeps this up, he'll be a #1 WR
at season's end. For the time being, value him as high end #2
WR in leagues.
Wes Welker, MIA: Welker has
27 receptions for 299 yards this season and is coming off his
best performance of the year. While he's been getting a lot of
looks in the Dolphins offense, he is yet to find the endzone and
his 11.1yards per catch isn't all that appealing. That said, he
is making his presence known among fantasy players and makes for
a solid #4 WR in point per reception leagues.
Eric Parker, SD: Parker isn't
going to single handedly win any games for your fantasy team,
but he could make for a reliable #4/#5 receiver the rest of the
way. After catching just 2 balls the first 2 games, Parker has
reeled in 9 for 123 yards the last two weeks and is averaging
16.9 yards a reception. If you're dealing with issues at WR due
to the byes this week, Parker is worth a start as he goes up against
the 49ers secondary this Sunday.
Reggie Brown & Hank Baskett, PHI:
No Stallworth? No problem. With Donte' Stallworth sidelined due
to a hamstring injury last week, Brown and Baskett combined for
7 receptions, 191 yards and 2 touchdowns (one each). Baskett will
continue to start in Stallworth's absence, and with the way McNabb's
been throwing the rock, is worth adding as a #4/5 WR. Like Baskett,
Brown should continue seeing extra looks while Stallworth is out
and makes for a solid #3WR.
Bryant Johnson, ARI: An injury
to Larry Fitzgerald has opened the door for this former first
round pick. While Johnson isn't the same caliber of player that
Fitzgerald is, he is capable of producing some solid numbers in
his absence. Don't expect much from him this weekend as the Cardinals
will be facing a difficult Bears defense, but he may be worth
starting in the following weeks against the Raiders and the Packers
if Fitzgerald is still unable to go.
Troy Walters, ARI: There are
rumblings out of Arizona that Walters may earn the starting role
while Fitzgerald recuperates. The former Viking and Colt is a
dependable veteran that has seen more targets in recent weeks.
Even if Walters earns the starting nod, expect Bryant Johnson
to see significant time.
Steppin' Down
Hines Ward, PIT: This will be
an important week for Ward's fantasy owners. Through four games,
he has been one of the bigger disappointments at wide receiver
this season with just 13 receptions, 148 yards and 1 touchdown.
After watching Anquan Boldin and Bryant Johnson combine for 10
receptions, 153 yards and a touchdown against the Chiefs last
week, Ward should be able to have his best game since the opener.
If not, it could be a sign of more disappointing outings to come
from Ward and the Steelers passing game this season.
Larry Fitzgerald, ARI: Fitzgerald
is expected to miss anywhere from 2-5 weeks with a hamstring injury
suffered against the Chiefs last week. When healthy, he remains
one of the elite receivers in the league, but he won't do your
fantasy team any good while he's sitting on the sidelines.
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