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<< Previous   of   Next >>   ADVERTISEMENT   CONTACT THE HERALD Report scores and results to 425-339-3470 or 1-866-6-SCORES (Call after 4:30 p.m.) E-mail information including items for Tuesday's Communities Sports Roundup and Thursday's Outdoor Calendar, to sports@heraldnet.com Kevin Brown, Sports Editor kbrown@heraldnet.com   Published: Thursday, October 9, 2008 Who to play, who to bench? By Aaron Swaney Herald Writer It's around this time every year that fantasy owners start to figure out what kind of team they have. There's the teams that are riding high: Owners who have stars performing well, who haven't been bitten by the injury bug, and who have a couple of sleepers that are paying off. Then there's those on the other end of the spectrum: Owners who have guys like Braylon Edwards, Matt Hasselbeck and Chad Ocho Cinco (Please pray for the owner who has all three of those guys). If you throw in a couple of injuries, these guys are likely in last place. So the question now is what to do with underperforming players who aren't injured. There's no doubt you've received a couple of low-ball trade offers (Hey, how about Mewelde Moore for Roy Williams?) and even maybe considered them. Due to that I'll dedicate this week's column to discussing a few of the players struggling most, and help you decide whether to hang on to them or cut bait. What should I do with Ocho Stinko? The artist-formerly-known-as-Chad-Johnson caught three passes for 43 yards last week in Dallas. The scary thing? That was the most yards he's had in a game all season. He has 14 catches for 159 yards and one TD over five games -- that was one great game for him a year ago. Rotting on most owners' benches, Ocho Cinco's trade value has never been lower, so forget dealing him. But should owners try and deal low for him? Here's what I expect: If he stays healthy, Ocho Cinco will finish around 1,000 yards and eight TDs, which means he'll spread out 850 yards and seven scores over the next 11 games. He's going to have his spots (I like him against the Jets, Indy, Houston, Cleveland and Kansas City), but really he's no better than the wide receivers you've likely picked off the waiver wire. Will Hasselbeck turn things around? Injured and out of rhythm with his wideouts, Hasselbeck is not having fun this season. He has yet to throw for more than 200 yards in a game or toss multiple touchdowns in a game, and is now sitting out practices because of issues with his knee. Owners are running away from him like a burning building. So should those owners turn around and try to put out the fire? I say yes. It looks like his production is going to decrease by a quarter from last season, which leaves him with 2,500 yards and 19 TDs left to throw over 12 games. The thing is, it may take awhile for him to get back on track, but his six home games and a handful of road games (Arizona, San Francisco, Dallas and St. Louis) look promising. Speaking of Seahawks, will Ryan Grant finally break out Sunday? The Packers running back has yet to score a touchdown and has two catches for minus-4 yards. He also has two games in which he rushed for 20 yards. He had a nice game last week against the Falcons (18 carries for 83 yards), but he has yet to really reach the kind of numbers that made him a second-round pick. That said, try and steal Grant. He may not have a great game Sunday, but expect him to run roughshod over the Colts in two weeks. The Packers will likely get him more involved in the passing game as well and he's going to score at least 8 TDs over the next 11 games, so try and grab him if you can. Is Torry Holt done? The Rams wideout has had one solid game (six catches, 76 yards, 1 TD in Week 2) and one stinker (one catch, 9 yards in Week 1). So who's the real Holt? It's hard to tell. The Rams have now lost two receivers -- Randy McMichael for the season and Dane Looker to an undisclosed brain injury -- over the bye week, and still seem to be struggling to pick up Al Saunders' offense. The switch back to Marc Bulger will help a little, but, at this point, I don't think having Holt on your roster is a plus. If he's already on your team, keep him on your bench until he proves he can post good numbers again. Who should I play this week? Three games that just feel like shootouts to me: Cowboys-Cardinals, Rams-Redskins, and, don't ask me why, Dolphins-Texans. Use the players from these games liberally. For owners who have been waiting for Willis McGahee to break out, this is your week. Ditto for Maurice Jones-Drew against Denver. Also this is the week to trot out Ocho-Cinco, and find a place in your lineup for Santana Moss (don't worry about last week's goose-egg). Finally, play all your Browns. Just trust me. Contact Aaron Swaney at aswaney@heraldnet.com. For more fantasy news, links and more, check out www.heraldnet.com/realitybites. READER COMMENTS Be the first to comment. You must be a registered user and verify your e-mail address to post comments to blogs or articles on HeraldNet. To register, click here. To read other terms and conditions, click here. Log out

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