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Must Start:
Justin Fargas
v. DEN: Fargas has very quietly put up good numbers since taking
over the starting job from LaMont Jordan with 566 combined yards
and two touchdowns over the last five weeks. The Denver run defense
has been horrible since the season started and it isn’t like Daunte
Culpepper is doing anything to build confidence in the Raiders’
passing game.
Clinton
Portis v. BUF: Portis has put up back-to-back disappointing
efforts. Luckily, the Bills are coming to town, guaranteed to
make opposing running backs look like All-Pro’s. With the passing
of teammate Sean Taylor, expect a focused and inspired team to
be out on the field this week.
Thomas Jones @ MIA: This will finally be the week Jones gets
into the end zone. With 227 touches, he still hasn’t even
gotten a sniff of a touchdown, which is truly unbelievable. Miami
will be very accommodating though; it’s not like they have
much choice with the group of has-beens and unproven youth on
their roster.
Earnest
Graham @ NO: With Michael Pittman out for another week, Graham
will continue to be the clear-cut starter in Tampa. He has touchdowns
in each of his last three games and two 100-yard efforts over
that span as well. He is loudly stating his case for fantasy surprise
of the year. With all the running back injuries teams have sustained
this year, a guy who can go out and get 100 yards and a touchdown
every week is a must-start.
Going Out On a Limb:
Kenny Watson
@ PIT: With Rudi Johnson returning and DeDe Dorsey stealing touches,
Watson has been all but forgotten in many leagues. Even with his
limited touches, Watson continues to show the coaching staff he
is the more dynamic player. Cincinnati will have to score a lot
of points to keep up with the Steelers and Watson’s skill set
is much more suitable for that role than Johnson’s.
Grab A Gatorade:
Ron Dayne @ TEN: The Fat Man has been a decent play with Ahman
Green out, but a couple factors are conspiring to limit his fantasy
value this week. First, Green is expected back and will steal
at least a few touches from his replacement. Second, the Titans
have a solid defense and Dayne’s 3-yard plough up the center,
the only play he knows, won’t be particularly effective.
Kolby Smith v. SD: Smith looked surprisingly good last week against
the Raiders. That was more a product of Oakland’s deficiencies
than any skill on Smith’s part. A better test of his abilities
will be this week versus the Chargers. If he can go over 100 yards
again, I will be a believer.
Laurence
Maroney @ BAL: Although he has scored in each of the last
two games, Maroney still isn’t getting enough touches or doing
enough with them to make a fantasy impact. The last two weeks
he has touched the ball a total of 16 times. Considering how easily
most teams have found passing to be in Baltimore, Maroney’s workload
is not going to go up much this week, even if Kevin Faulk is out.
 Rudi
Johnson @ PIT: With the running pie being split two or three
ways in Cincinnati with Kenny Watson and DeDe Dorsey sharing the
touches, Johnson is a tough start in the best of situations. Facing
a Pittsburgh team that can score points very quickly, the Bengals
may find themselves playing from behind early, limiting Johnson’s
usefulness as he still can’t seem to run for more than a couple
yards per play.
Reuben
Droughns @ CHI: Assuming Derrick Ward plays this week as expected,
Droughns’ already limited upside takes a huge hit. Splitting touches
in an inconsistent offense makes it tough to get any sort of solid
production from a good back, so imagine how terrible it will be
with a mediocre runner like Droughns. The Giants are melting down
and their backfield is muddled, making it almost certain there
are better options available elsewhere.
Wide Receivers
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