The Shot Caller's Report strives to identify players that are borderline
fantasy plays and clarify whether they should be started or benched.
Rather than telling you to start Peyton Manning and bench Tarvaris
Jackson, the Report looks at those "stuck in the middle" guys and
evaluates if they will help your team win.
Two weeks into the fantasy football season and all is right with
the world, unless you are the proud owner of Maurice Jones-Drew,
Steven Jackson, or Lee Evans, among many other high profile players.
These guys are causing owners to rethink their strategies and shore
up positions they thought solid. It is still early; don't give up
on your studs yet. Lee Evans began last season just as horribly
as he has this one and still managed 1,290 yards and eight touchdowns.
Besides, these guys have seen their trade value slip, so you are
pretty much stuck with them.
I received an email last week asking why I am not listing tight
ends in the Report. Great question. Since this is about "calling
my shots", I am selecting players utilizing vast amounts of research,
cunning intuition, and the exceptionally reliable tea leaf reading
method. If that doesn't work, I break out the Ouija board. These
guys will perform either substantially better or worse than expected
and I am kind enough to tell you which. With TEs, if an owner has
one of the top few, they start him. Otherwise, it is hit or miss.
An average tight end will get a touchdown every 2-3 weeks and compile
a bunch of 50 yard games. Trying to divine which TEs will score
a touchdown each week is a losing proposition that I don't want
to stake my professional reputation on, for all that it is worth….
Keep those questions and comments coming. This column is still being
molded into its final form and your
feedback is part of that process. Whether it is an email praising
my selections or message board criticism, I read your comments and
appreciate you taking the time to help develop The Shot Caller's
Report.
Must Start: The Top 10
Jake Delhomme
@ ATL: I had him ranked in my top ten before the season started
and he has done nothing to disappoint. Rumors of David Carr taking
over the starting gig seem silly now. A couple more outstanding
performances and he will move into the weekly start category and
I won’t be able to call my shot on him any more.
 Ben
Roethlisberger v. SF: He’s another guy who started off the
season as a poor man’s #1 quarterback or even a backup in shallow
leagues. Five TDs against one interception thus far make him a
less risky player than many owners think. Big Ben is benefiting
greatly from the new offense in Pittsburgh.
Drew Brees v. TEN: Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice,
shame on me. Pick ‘em thrice and I must have a short memory.
This week the Saints finally get their offense on track against
the Titans. If not, I promise to not recommend Brees again this
season.
Jason Campbell
v. NYG: Um, you saw what Tony Romo and Brett Favre did to this
sad excuse for an NFL defense, right? Jason Campbell isn’t quite
in their league yet, but the Giants haven’t shown they could stop
a Pop Warner QB yet.
Jeff Garcia v. STL: Digging a little deeper for those in need
of quarterback help, here comes Tampa Bay’s old man straight
from the waiver wire. He looked pretty good last week, hooking
up with Galloway for a couple touchdowns. The Rams have never
been much on the defensive side of the ball. Surprisingly, their
offense has looked just as bad this season.
Grab A Clipboard:
Matt Schaub v. IND: I know the Texans are 2-0 and looking like
they belong in the NFL for the first time in their miserable existence.
I, for one, believe in the Texans. Unfortunately, I believe they
still suck and the first two weeks were an illusion. Indy will
tell us whether they have turned the corner as a franchise or
will continue to stockpile early draft picks to waste in the next
draft.
 Steve
McNair v. ARI: He looked atrocious when he was healthy and
is now trying to return from a groin injury. I squirm uncomfortably
every time I type “groin injury” or am forced to watch a Ravens
game.
Chad Pennington
v. MIA: Pennington is coming back from his own injury and faces
a solid Dolphins defense. He will be playing for his starting
job and will let himself and his owners down. Welcome to the Kellen
Clemens era, Jets homers!
Philip Rivers @ GB: He might slip in a touchdown pass to Gates
but two weeks have been enough to show everyone that his receivers
are pretty worthless. Will he get vultured by Tomlinson again?
When was the last time a QB seriously had to worry about their
running back out-gunning them?
Alex Smith
@ PIT: This isn’t an indictment of Smith or the San Francisco
offense. Pittsburgh has already embarrassed two quarterbacks.
One is now playing third string for a different team while the
other is hearing chants for his backup. This is not the week to
put all your chips on Smith.
Running Backs
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