11/19/08
- Off the top, raise your hand if you accurately predicted
that the Cardinals and Titans would be the only two teams with
the possibility of clinching a playoff berth in week 11. The
Cardinals can clinch the NFC West with a win over the Giants
and losses by the 49ers and Seahawks. The NFC West title would
be the franchise's first division title since 1975. The Titans
can clinch a wildcard spot with a win over the Jets and losses
by Miami, Baltimore and Pittsburgh.
- One week after unsuccessfully handing the ball off to Brian
Westbrook twice in attempt to gain two yards late in the
fourth quarter against the Giants, Eagles head coach Andy Reid
inexplicably gave his star running back just 17 touches this
week against the Bengals and their lackluster rushing defense
while throwing it 60 times. With the Eagles needing a win to
stay afloat in the playoff race, Reid's game plan was questionable
unless the Eagles are hiding the extent of Westbrook's injuries.
So far this season, he has had ankle, rib and knee injuries
and it appears they are limiting his effectiveness. He hasn't
scored a touchdown in three weeks and has just 226 total yards
over that period even though two of the games were against poor
defenses (Cincinnati and Seattle). With the Eagles facing the
Ravens, Giants and Redskins over the next five weeks, it might
be time to move Westbrook to your bench if you have other viable
options with good match-ups.
- Redskins running back Clinton
Portis made a valiant effort to help his team in a key division
match-up this week against Dallas but it appears that his sprained
MCL is adversely affecting his rushing ability. After piling
up 29 yards on the Redskins first drive, Portis only gained
39 yards the rest of the way and failed to reach the end zone.
After averaging 139 rushing yards per game over a five game
stretch, Portis has tallied just 119 yards on the ground over
the past two weeks against the Steelers and Cowboys. In addition,
the back-up situation in Washington appeared to have resolved
itself with Ladell
Betts back in the line-up after missing three games with
a knee sprain. However, he aggravated the injury and was replaced
by Shaun
Alexander. The Redskins have a nice match-up this week against
Seattle before facing the Giants and Redskins. That's followed
up with games against the Eagles and Bengals so whoever is healthy
in the Redskins backfield has an opportunity for at least three
solid games over the next five weeks.
- Owners of Rams running back Steven
Jackson need to start hedging their bets on whether he will
return to action in 2008. The team ruled him out for their week
12 match-up against the Bears on Monday. Reading between the
lines, the message is that he's not playing until he's fully
healthy. Having signed a long-term extension in training camp
and with the team going nowhere fast, this isn't much of a surprise.
However, the odds are he will return at some point because it's
unlikely he will accept being placed on injury reserve and the
fact is he is their best player and head coach Jim Haslett is
attempting to secure the team's head coaching position in 2009.
It's worth noting that the Rams offensive woes will likely get
worse with news that offensive tackle Orlando Pace will miss
two to four weeks with ligament damage in his right knee and
guard Richie Incognito play with a sore shoulder. Pace and Incognito
are easily the team's two best offensive linemen. The good news
is that Antonio
Pittman solidified his spot as Jackson's back-up with 95
yards on the ground this week against the 49ers.
- With Earnest
Graham being placed on injured reserve with an ankle injury,
the Bucs will turn to veteran Warrick
Dunn to carry the load. The 33-year old Dunn has proven
a capable back-up with 683 total yards in nine games this season
but the team is unlikely to have him carry the full load at
running back. With rookie Clifton
Smith having fumbled three times over the past three games
and Cadillac Williams admitting that he's not yet capable of
a major role, the team would seem to be in a bind at the position.
However, head coach Jon Gruden will likely throw Williams into
the mix and hope for the best, possibly risking a future asset
in an attempt to get the team into the playoffs this year. Fullback
B.J. Askew
scored on a one-yard plunge this week, his first carry of the
season, and it's likely he will be the team's short yardage
back with Jameel
Cook leading the way at fullback.
- The big news out of Arizona occurred when the team moved
veteran Edgerrin
James out of the starting line-up in favor of rookie 5th
round pick Tim
Hightower. However, James didn't move into Hightower's role
as back-up and third down back. The team has used J.J.
Arrington as their third down and change of pace back and
he has put up solid numbers in two of the last three weeks.
He put up 119 total yards against the Rams three weeks ago and
had 61 total yards this week to go along with two touchdowns
against the Seahawks. The middle game was a one-yard performance
against the 49ers. However, with the Cardinals tied for the
second most points in the league, Arrington makes a decent play
as a flex option depending on the match-up.
- Speaking of Hightower, he's come back down to earth after
posting 109 yards and a touchdown in his first start against
the Rams. Over the past two weeks, he has 85 total yards and
hasn't scored.
- The Seahawks finally got quarterback Matt
Hasselbeck and wide receiver Deion
Branch into the lineup this week, ending five-game absences
for both players. The team struggled to move the ball through
the air against the Cardinals, picking up only 170 yards passing
with Hasselbeck also tossing a touchdown and three interceptions.
Branch had four catches for 55 yards while fellow wideout Bobby
Engram caught two balls for 30 yards. It's debatable as
to which player has more upside coming down the stretch but
with the Redskins, Cowboys, Patriots and Jets on tap over the
next five weeks, it's probably not a good idea to be relying
on any of them.
- This week against the Giants, the Ravens extended their streak
of not allowing an individual 100-yard rushing performance.
Of course, that was only a consolation considering they gave
up 207 rushing yards to the Giants trio of Brandon
Jacobs, Derrick
Ward and Ahmad
Bradshaw. Jacobs had 70 yards and two touchdowns in the
first quarter and would have topped 100 yards had he not missed
time with a knee sprain. Look for the Ravens to get back on
track this week against the Eagles.
- Despite averaging just 3.2 yards per carry, Bengals running
back Cedric
Benson has impressed the team's management since being signed
prior to week five. Unlike his stint in Chicago, Benson has
been praised by players and management for his positive attitude
and good solid work habits. Nonetheless, Benson had a tough
game this week against the Eagles, gaining just 42 yards on
23 carries and things aren't likely to improve for the team's
rushing attack anytime soon. With left tackle Levi Jones (leg)
and left guard Andrew Whitworth (high ankle sprain) likely out
this week and back-up tackle/guard Scott Kooistra suffering
from a knee injury, the team may be forced to start rookie 4th
round pick Anthony Collins and Nate Livings in their places.
This isn't exactly a recipe for success against a tough Steelers
defense. The Bengals then face the Ravens, Colts, Redskins and
Browns, making Benson a tough start for most of the team's remaining
games.
- Looks like it might be time to jettison Saints running back
Deuce
McAllister from your roster. McAllister enjoyed a decent
stretch of games but there are plenty of warning signs that
he might not be a significant part of the team's game plans
over the balance of the season. McAllister had just eight carries
for 18 yards and a touchdown this week while Pierre
Thomas had 88 yards rushing and a touchdown on 16 carries
to go along with 56 receiving yards. McAllister also faces a
league disciplinary hearing this week and could be suspended
for four games. If the suspension occurs but isn't announced
until next week, he will be out for weeks 13 to 16, missing
most FF league playoffs. Fellow back-up Aaron
Stecker was placed on injured reserve this week but the
team chose to sign former Bronco Mike
Bell to take his roster spot. If you have any kind of depth
at running back, it's time to dump McAllister.
- One name to consider at running back is the Seahawks T.J.
Duckett, who managed two touchdowns this week against the
Cardinals.
- Another option at running back is the Giants Derrick
Ward, who has been a revelation as the team's back-up running
back. His lowest output of the season was 50 total yards in
week five and he is averaging 80 total yards per game. With
the team leaning towards keeping Brandon Jacobs out this week
as a precautionary measure, Ward figures to be the team's feature
back in a solid match-up against the Cardinals.
- Here's another name to consider - Lions rookie Kevin
Smith. Smith followed up his week 10 best performance of
the year against the Jaguars with a better performance against
the Panthers. At this point, it's unlikely he's available but
he's a worthy trade target.
- One name to avoid is Raiders running back Darren
McFadden. The 1st round pick has had a horrible season due
to injuries and managed just three carries this week after missing
the team's past three games. His workload this week is a pretty
clear indication that he hasn't fully recovered from his turf
toe injuries and, although the team has some favorable match-ups
coming up, he is a risky play until he posts double digit carries.
Not to mention, the Raiders haven't scored a touchdown for 13
straight quarters and scored only two touchdowns in head coach
Tom Cable's six games.
- Keeping with Oakland, don't be fooled into picking up wide
receiver Ronald
Curry after he caught a season-high seven passes this week
for 73 yards. Curry was inactive the previous week, only dressed
as the team's third receiver because of Javon
Walker's injury and then played regularly after rookie 7th
round pick Chaz
Schilens suffered an ankle injury. The team has announced
Curry will remain a back-up going forward.
- Bucs quarterback Jeff
Garcia has quietly put together a nice four game run, averaging
283 yards passing per game. With Detroit, New Orleans, Carolina,
Atlanta and San Diego on tap, his remaining schedule is favorable.
- Time to give up on Bills quarterback Trent
Edwards. Edwards continued his trend of repeatedly dumping
the ball off this week and offensive coordinator Turk Schonert
hasn't shown the creativity to get the ball to wide receiver
Lee Evans,
which reduces the team's ability to manufacture big plays. Basically,
the Bills passing game is revolving around dumping the ball
off to running backs Marshawn
Lynch and Fred
Jackson and hoping for the best.
- Saints wide receiver Marques
Colston continues to disappoint since returning from a thumb
injury four weeks ago. His ineffectiveness would make some sense
if he was returning from a leg or knee injury but he has posted
just 226 yards receiving and no touchdowns, including being
held without a catch against the Panthers. If he doesn't get
it going this week against the Packers, it might be time to
start him only when the team has a good match-up.
- So much for the theory that the Texans were going to permanently
reduce rookie running back Steve
Slaton's workload. After getting just six touches in week
10 against the Ravens, Texans head coach Gary Kubiak explained
Slaton's reduced role as being the result of the rookie needing
some rest. As it turns out, Kubiak was merely saving Slaton
from the Ravens tough run defense and he resumed his regular
workload this week, carrying the ball 14 times for 156 yards
and a touchdown. Unfortunately back-up Ahman
Green has taken over the short yardage role and he scored
two touchdowns this week.
- Nice move by the Chargers to claim Michael
Bennett off waivers from the Bucs this week. With Darren
Sproles a free agent at season's end and the team unlikely
to offer him a large contract, Bennett is the odds on favorite
to be the team's back-up to LaDainian
Tomlinson over the next two seasons. He is signed for 2009
and 2010 at a salary of $1.5-million per season. Based on that,
Tomlinson owners in keeper leagues should be picking him up.
- Looks like I was wrong on the Saints tight end situation.
Billy
Miller failed to see a pass thrown his way this week while
Jeremy
Shockey had eight targers. If Miller is your back-up, you
need to move on.
- Another back-up who I would continue to hold onto is Mewelde
Moore of the Steelers. He had only six touches this week
but one was a goal line carry and the team failed to move the
ball in adverse weather conditions against a Chargers defense
that played well. With Parker's injury issues and Moore's production
as a starter, he's worth keeping.
- In IDP leagues, here are a couple of names to consider -
Xavier
Adibi of the Texans and Eric
Barton of the Jets. Subbing in for an injured Morlon
Greenwood, Adibi posted 14 tackles and an assist against
the Colts. With David
Harris out of the line-up, Barton has 29 tackles, six assists,
a half sack and a forced fumble and a fumble recovery over the
last three weeks.
- It might be time to dump safeties Sean
Jones and Bob
Sanders from your rosters. Both players continue to be hampered
by injuries, with Jones limping off this week with an ankle
injury and Sanders out due to swelling in his knee, the sixth
time this season he has not dressed. Jones had complained about
his reduced playing time earlier in the week. With ankle and
knee injuries this season, it might be time to give up on him.
- A player to consider at defensive back is Bills cornerback
Terrence
McGee. McGee put up two solid IDP performance over the first
two weeks of the season before injuring his knee which resulted
in him being out of the line-up or ineffective for six weeks.
Over the past two weeks, he has 12 tackles and eight passes
defensed.
- There was some optimism that Packers linebacker A.J.
Hawk would thrive after being moved to middle linebacker
to replace the injured Nick
Barnett but that failed to materialize this week, Despite
the Bears giving a heavy workload to running back Matt Forte,
Hawk only managed six tackles and an assist. The team felt he
performed well but in IDP leagues, you generally want a better
performance that what Hawk came up this week.
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