Week 3
9/22/07
Steppin' Up
Jake Delhomme, CAR: Jake Delhomme has emerged once more as a prominent
starting quarterback in fantasy leagues. He first produced at
that level during the 2004 season by throwing for more than 3800
yards and coming just 1 touchdown shy of reaching 30 for the year.
Delhomme joined the Panthers in 2003 and performed admirably as
a first-time starter, leading the Panthers to the Super Bowl after
spending three seasons as a backup within the Saints organization.
Building on his successful start with Carolina, Delhomme had
another strong outing in 2005, completing 60.2% of his passes
while throwing for 3421 yards and 24 touchdowns. It appeared Delhomme
was poised for more success following strong outings during each
of his first three years, but the 2006 season would prove to be
a difficult one for the Panthers franchise quarterback.
He began the season throwing for less than 200 yards in 4 of
his first 5 games. Late in the year he would miss three outings
due to an injured right thumb--finishing with 17 touchdowns and
2805 yards passing in 13 starts. A year later and it appears the
'Ragin Cajun' is back to his old form.
While only 2 weeks in, Delhomme has already thrown 6 touchdown
passes with just 1 interception this year. He has also completed
45 of his 68 attempts (66.2%) and accumulated 508 yards through
the air. With a healthy Steve Smith as his primary target and
upcoming games against the Falcons, Buccaneers, Saints and Cardinals
before reaching the BYE in week 7 look for Delhomme to have continued
success in the weeks ahead.
Steppin' Down
Rex Grossman, CHI: Grossman became a hot commodity last year when
he began the season averaging 265 passing yards per game over
the first 4 weeks of the season and totaled 18 touchdown passes
in his first 10 outings. Beginning in Week 12 however Grossman's
numbers took a turn for the worse.
Over the final 6 games of the year the Bears starting quarterback
saw his average drop to 163 passing yards per game. He also threw
9 interceptions during that same span with 5 touchdown passes.
For the season he would finish with totals of 3193 passing yards,
23 touchdowns, and 20 interceptions while completing just 54.6%
of his passes. Considering the way he started the year, it's hard
to believe Grossman finished with less than 3200 yards passing
by season’s end.
Unfortunately for Grossman and his fantasy owners alike, it appears
the 5-year vet is picking up where he left off last year. Through
2 games he is yet to throw for more than 160 yards in an outing
and has already thrown 3 interceptions. He is also completing
just 57.0% of his attempts. Most NFL quarterbacks are expected
to be no lower than 60% in that category; especially for a player
that averages just 6.6 yards per pass throughout his career.
Upcoming games have the Bears facing Dallas, Detroit, Green Bay,
and Minnesota. Three of those four teams are currently allowing
more than 230 passing yards per game. If Grossman can't deliver
meaningful stats in at least two of those outings then it will
be time to look for another QB to replace him on your roster.
Steppin' Up
Clinton
Portis, WAS: After rushing for more than 1500 yards in 3 of
his first 4 seasons (he rushed for more than 1300 in the other
one) Clinton Portis' fantasy production finally came to a halt
last year. It began when during the first game of the preseason
he dislocated his left shoulder while making a tackle following
a Jason Campbell interception.
The injury forced him to the sideline for the rest of the Redskins
exhibition games, though Portis was healthy enough to return to
the field for Opening Day. Coach Joe Gibbs would bench his star
running back the following week before having Portis return to
action and take part in the team’s next seven games.
A fifth straight thousand-yard season was not meant to be for
Portis however, after a broken hand suffered in a Week 10 loss
to the Eagles would bring a premature end to his 2006 campaign.
Portis would finish the year with 523 yards on 127 carries (4.1
ypc) and 7 rushing touchdowns. He also contributed 17 receptions
for another 170 yards.
Heading into the start of the 2007 season Portis did little to
rekindle hopes of himself producing in the same fashion he had
prior to last year. Tendonitis in his right knee kept him from
handling a single carry during the preseason while also limiting
his participation during practice. The injuries, combined with
the success Ladell Betts found during Portis' absence last season
left many wondering which back, if any, would receive the majority
of work in the Redskins backfield. Through the first two games
of the season it appears we have our answer.
Week 1 saw both Portis and Betts carry the ball 17 times in a
win over Miami. Portis would rush for 98 yards and a touchdown
while Betts finished with 59 yards on the ground and no scores.
This past week against the Eagles Portis would again carry the
ball 17 times and find the end zone while rushing for 69 yards.
In comparison Betts finished with just 14 yards on 6 carries.
For the season Portis is currently averaging 4.9 yards per rush
with Betts averaging just 3.2 ypc.
Injuries along the Redskins offensive line to both Jon Jansen
and Randy Thomas will no doubt hinder the Redskins offense throughout
the year, but at the moment Portis is producing as a fine #2 RB
in fantasy leagues and should continue starting until we see otherwise.
Steppin' Down
Laurence Maroney, NE: Second-year back Laurence Maroney is off
to a solid start for himself this season. His production on Sunday's
for the Patriots however hasn't translated into much success for
his fantasy owners. Through two games he has rushed 35 times for
149 yards, but is yet to reach the end zone or contribute with
any receptions.
The presence of offseason acquisition Sammy Morris is also proving
to be a hindrance for Maroney's fantasy owners. Morris has rushed
for more than 50 yards in each of New England's first two games
while averaging an even 5.0 yards per carry in the process. His
one rushing touchdown is also one more than that of his partner
in the backfield.
Another possible setback for Maroney comes in the form of Randy
Moss. While Moss' ability to stretch the field should provide
New England's tailback more space to operate against opposing
defenses, it may also limit the amount of touchdowns we would
come to expect from Maroney this season.
A deep strike to Moss could eliminate goal line opportunities
for the former first round pick. At the same time the Patriots
could be just as likely to look for Moss with a pass near the
goal line as they would be to punch it in with one of their two
halfbacks.
Maroney is sure to have some fantastic outings this season in
New England, but if you are looking for consistent scoring on
a weekly basis from him you may find yourself dealing with lots
of frustration.
Steppin' Up
Brandon
Marshall, DEN: Two games in and it appears Brandon Marshall
is already establishing himself as a consistent and reliable target
for quarterback Jay Cutler. While Javon Walker continues to rack
up yardage and receive most of the attention among Broncos wide
receivers, Marshall has done an admirable job himself hauling
in 5 receptions during each of Denver's first two games. His current
totals have him averaging 13.4 yards per catch on 10 receptions
(134 yards) with 1 touchdown.
Upcoming games against Jacksonville, Indianapolis, and San Diego
could prove difficult match-ups for the Broncos passing game as
a whole in the weeks ahead, but at his current pace Marshall is
playing about as strong as you could expect for any #3 WR on most
fantasy teams.
If he goes through a rough stretch as the Broncos face some tougher
defenses leading into their BYE week, look to add Marshall to
your roster and feel free to start him on a weekly basis in leagues
that start more than two wide receivers.
Steppin' Down
Reggie Brown,
PHI: Two games into the season Brown has totaled just 3 receptions
for 41 yards and no scores. The lack of results however isn't
necessarily all his fault as quarterback Donovan McNabb can share
in the blame.
Kevin Curtis, the receiver starting opposite Brown hasn't had
much come his way in the form of results either, totaling 81 yards
on 6 receptions with no scores. Surprisingly it has been slot
man Jason Avant that has been the most productive of the three
catching 8 balls for 109 yards with 1 touchdown.
Once Philadelphia gets the passing game in synch Reggie Brown
should produce as a very solid #3 WR in fantasy leagues. At the
moment however he's playing no better than a #4 WR and is a questionable
start until he begins to provide results on the field.
Upcoming games against the Detroit Lions and New York Giants
secondary should give us a good idea as to which direction the
Eagles offense is headed this year. For that reason if you lack
a clearly better option it may be worth plugging Brown into the
line-up over the next two weeks before giving up completely on
him.
Steppin' Up
Dallas Clark,
IND: Dallas Clark, the tight end that never seems to quite
meet his fantasy potential. Clark has intrigued many ever since
he took over as the starter in Indianapolis following the departure
of Marcus Pollard to the Detroit Lions after the 2004 season.
Since then, the 5th-year vet has had some solid outings though
injuries always seem to get in the way and limit his overall production.
The start he has had to this season should have fantasy owners
gaining interest in him yet again however.
In Week 1 Clark showed glimpses of what he is capable of as he
hauled in 2 receptions for a total of 48 yards. Nothing too spectacular,
but in fantasy leagues there are a lot of teams that would take
that production from the tight end position unless they own one
of the top 5 projected players.
This past week Clark delivered as if he were among the top 5
projected tight ends in the league, catching 7 passes for 69 yards
and 1 touchdown. While he remains a bit of a hit-or-miss prospect
from week to week he is well worth owning and a sufficient starter
if you are otherwise relying on a player like Vernon Davis to
rack up your points at the tight end position here in the early
goings.
Steppin' Down
David Martin,
MIA: This offseason the Dolphins allowed starting tight end
Randy McMichael to leave via free agency and sign with the St.
Louis Rams. To replace him they brought in David Martin out of
Green Bay. Martin enjoyed brief success last year with the Packers
after seeing increased playing time due to injuries Green Bay
had suffered at the wide receiver position. Martin began lining
up in the slot, as well as tight end, and during a 3-game midseason
stretch caught 10 passes for 130 yards and 2 touchdowns.
Based on that short stint of success, along with the belief somebody
would need to replace the contributions McMichael provided to
the Dolphins offense, Martin was considered by some to be a legitimate
sleeper at the position this year. So far that doesn't seem to
be panning out. Martin has just 3 receptions for 21 yards in two
games and at the moment there is little reason to expect we'll
see much more from him on a regular basis.
Keep him as a back-up if you can afford the roster space in case
he emerges. Otherwise consider him the first player to cut from
your team if you need to make room for a waiver wire acquisition.
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