Archive for November, 2007

Several teams have faced injuries and complete breakdowns thus far this season. Who is beefing up for a strong finish and who should you avoid?I got your answers…bet you thought I was going to leave you hanging on that one.

Green Bay went from being unexpectedly good at throwing the ball to developing a running game–with just one RB too. Now that they have Ryan Grant, they might even pose a threat to the Cowboys in the NFC. A Super Bowl for the NFC like the Colts-Patriots was for the AFC could happen in week 13 when the Packers face the Cowboys on Thursday night. I am sure they are going to lose–Go Cowboys!–but regardless of who wins out, if you can grab any starter off Green Bay, go after them. They will keep throwing the ball even with a good RB.

In addition to the regular waiver wire advice, I’d like to add to it a couple of players that I have read about who I don’t trust at the moment, but they could prove to be valuable assets to your team if you want to sit on them a week to see how they do or–if you are ballsy enough–use them this week.

Leonard Pope, TE Arizona Cardinals

The big boy had 2 TDs against Detroit last week after putting up only 2 TDs in nine games.  If Warner starts to use him like he did in the Detroit game more regularly, he could be a consistent starting TE.  Otherwise, lightning strikes every now and then.   Arizona plays the Bengals this week.  Considering the defense those Cincinnati boys don’t play, he could be worth grabbing and starting this week.  Fine, I said it.

I’ll make this week brief because, frankly, there aren’t too many players worth grabbing in leagues that aren’t probably already grabbed.  Here are a few notes gathered from suggestions around the Web.  If they are available, go after them, but don’t be too hopeful that they will be there in the free agent pool.

Kellen Clemens, QB New York Jets

I have talked about him before, but if he is still available, grab him now.  He is coming off a bye week of practice as the starting QB and should have a nice core of healthy receivers to throw to in Week 11.

JaMarcus Russell, QB Oakland Raiders
John Beck, QB Miami Dolphins

I’ll lump these two together because they are purely speculative.  If you are mopping it up in a dynasty league, you should definitely have one of these two on your roster as a QB of the future.  If you are hurting so bad at QB that you don’t have tears anymore, use a roster spot for Russell he could–emphasis on “could”–have a big impact with the Raiders when they finally decide to stop bruising McCown week after week.

The games aren’t even over, but already, there have been several injuries that could go on to help your team. On the injury side…

Brian Griese, QB Chicago Bears

Brian Griese was knocked out for the Bears this week, so Rex Grossman may or may not be returning top his fluctuating position as one of the most inconsistent and sometimes just plain bad starting QBs in the league.

Adrian Peterson, RB Minnesota Vikings

Two running backs had season-changing events in the Packers/Vikings game. Adrian Peterson–the star (only existent member) of the Vikings offense–went down with an injury to his knee. Watch the injury reports but now might not be a bad time to make sure Chester Taylor isn’t available on you wire if you are in need of a solid running back. Don’t expect fantastic “All Day” AP numbers from Taylor, but if you remember the guy, he was good for a few fantasy points years back.

Making a run for the playoffs? If you have already locked up your place, it’s time to start thinking about who you can acquire to blow up in those crucial three weeks. Don’t go doing anything drastic like dropping your studs or trading away top performers for a slew of average Joes, but if you can pick any of these guys off the waiver wire or find some “equal value” trades without letting on your motive, go for getting guys with good schedules.

The top teams to target are the Cleveland Browns, Cincinnati Bengals, Buffalo Bills, Green Bay Packers and Tennessee Titans according to the stats and analysis of CBSSports.com. Try getting part of the Browns offensive explosion, Carson Palmer and his receivers, Marshawn Lynch or the JP Losman/Lee Evans connection, Favre and his receivers or Ryan Grant or LenDale White as long as he stays healthy.

See CBS Sportsline for more stats and teams to avoid.

With the Patriots eliminating the Colts in the “Battle of the Unbeatens” this past Sunday, only a couple of teams remain on the Patriots roster that could stop them from breaking the famous Miami undefeated season.

Apparently, the NFL has decided to take advantage of the hunt to take down the beast. After the Colts showdown had unusually high results for Sunday afternoon football ratings–surprise, surprise considering there are usually a couple of decent games going on at the same time with equal amount of hype–the Patriots game against the Steelers was pushed back to the same time slot rather than being an “early” 1 p.m. game. The time slot perhaps suggests that the NFL, or at least CBS, believe that the Steelers will be the one to take down Brady’s boys. If they play like they did Monday night against the Ravens, they just might.