|
Must Start:
Clinton Portis v. DET: His knee issues are a concern, but playing
against the Lions makes everyone a little healthier. Portis has
had a bye week to rest up and prepare for the group of clowns
Detroit will trot out and call a defense. So far this year, Portis
has had at least 76 combined yards and a touchdown every week.
Who would have thought we would be calling Portis “Mr. Consistency”?
Michael Pittman @ IND: With the recent spate of running back
injuries, someone will be starting Pittman out of necessity. Don’t
worry – it really isn’t that bad. Tampa Bay will get
owned by the Colts, no argument here. In order to keep up, they
will be passing the ball a lot and Pittman has shown over the
years that he is pretty good at that facet of the game. Graham
will get some carries early in the game while the Bucs try to
milk the clock and keep Manning off the field. Expect to see a
lot of Pittman when that first plan is unsuccessful.
Thomas
Jones @ NYG: Everyone knows the Giants’ secondary is a joke
while they ignore New York’s less than stellar run defense. Other
than pound on Donovan McNabb when Winston Justice suddenly transforms
into a human turnstile, the Giants defense doesn’t do much well.
Jones will be called on to run early and often to keep the pressure
off Pennington and the Giants won’t be able to stop him. This
is the week Thomas Jones finally gets to cross the stripe for
six points.
Sammy Morris
v. CLE: Assuming Bill Belichick doesn’t decide the time is ripe
for screwing over fantasy owners, Morris is a great play against
a squishy soft Cleveland defense. New England won’t have any difficulties
running up the score and Morris will get a lot of touches. Even
if Laurence Maroney returns this week, Morris is a solid play.
He has touched the ball at least ten times every game this season
and gotten most of the goal line work.
Edgerrin James @ STL: Edge has had the misfortune of playing
the Ravens and Steelers already this season. When he played San
Francisco and Seattle he put up excellent numbers, showing he
can do some serious damage when facing weaker defenses. The Rams
definitely fall under the “weaker” category, having
given up a league leading seven rushing touchdowns through four
games. Regardless of which quarterback is behind center, he will
spend a lot of time handing the ball to James.
Grab A Gatorade:
Shaun Alexander
@ PIT: Alexander looks to be slowing down after the pounding
he has taken over the years, with his average yards per carry
falling into the threes and he has always struggled against physical
defenses like Pittsburgh’s. Teams may not be able to afford to
bench him with all the running backs already hurting this season.
At least lower your expectations and see if you can make a deal
for someone to plug into his spot. The Steelers have only given
up a single rushing TD this season.
Brian Leonard
v. ARI: Leonard did not look very impressive last week against
the Cowboys, rushing 16 times for 58 yards. With the Rams offensive
coordinator getting the boot this week, expect a week or two of
transition. Add in a change at quarterback and, while Leonard
may actually get more touches, his fantasy impact will continue
to be minimal. Until Gus Frerotte can show opposing defenses he
deserves some respect, Leonard will face extra men in the box
and he isn’t capable of producing under those conditions.
Cedric Benson @ GB: Bears coach Lovie Smith says the team will
give the ball to Benson more and help him wear down opposing defenses.
If he can’t stop fumbling and start producing, that plan
may be a pipe dream. Benson has been held to 50 or less yards
rushing in three of four games so far this season. He needs to
show that he is truly an NFL caliber running back. By the way,
the Packers have a pretty good rush defense, having allowed a
grand total of zero rushing TDs so far this season.
Derrick
Ward v. NYJ: Brandon Jacobs has guaranteed he will play this
week. While that doesn’t signal the death of Ward’s fantasy value,
no one is sure how the workload will be split between the two
backs, with a possible smattering of Rueben Droughns thrown in
for good measure. The Giants’ offense isn’t good enough for the
rushing touches to be split and still have a viable fantasy starter.
Kevin Jones
@ WAS: He is back earlier than owners had any right to expect,
but is splitting the load with Tatum Bell and, more importantly,
the Lions are spending most of their time passing the ball. The
Redskins aren’t slouches against the rush either. KJ is the most
talented back on Detroit’s roster and has also shown he is their
most brittle, which is impressive with Tatum Bell around.
Wide Receivers
|
