Wideouts pile up lots of points
Published 10:43 pm Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Who needs defense, right?
Eight teams scored more than 30 points last weekend, including three that went over 40. Shootouts in Dallas, Denver and Detroit were coupled with teams like the New York Giants (41), San Francisco (33), Arizona (31) and Seattle (30) all posting a lot of points.
The biggest winners: wide receivers. Anquan Boldin (140 yards, 3 TDs) and Larry Fitzgerald (153 yards), Greg Jennings (167 yards), Brandon Marshall (18 catches, 166 yards), Isaac Bruce (153 yards), DeSean Jackson (110 yards), Terrell Owens (89 yards, 2 TDs), Santana Moss (164 yards, TD) and Calvin Johnson (129 yards, 2 TDs) all had monster weeks and led a lot of owners to wins.
With most NFL teams going to a running-back-by-committee approach, wide receivers continue their ascent in the world of fantasy.
On to the questions:
Is Jay Cutler this season’s Tom Brady?
The Broncos quarterback, who is flinging the ball all over the field so far this season, is on pace to throw for 5,200 yards and 48 touchdowns. Wow. Don’t expect him to reach those lofty numbers, but the guy is unreal, and because Denver’s defense is poor he’ll continue to post big numbers throughout the season. With Brady down and Peyton Manning not looking like himself, Cutler and Tony Romo are the top two quarterbacks in terms of fantasy this season.
Should LaDainian Tomlinson owners be worried?
Darren Sproles looked awfully good on Sunday, didn’t he? And LT’s toe doesn’t seem to be healing either. But bail on LT? Don’t do it. He sat out practice on Wednesday, but said his toe was feeling better. He’ll be OK in a couple of weeks and with San Diego’s defense struggling a bit, expect Tomlinson to post a huge second half of the season. So if you can deal for Tomlinson low, do it. As for Sproles, he may get a few more touches, but he’s not durable enough to do too much.
What can we expect from Koren Robinson?
Well, do you believe in destiny? Because if you do, pick up K-Rob. Why? How good of a storyline would it be to have Robinson return to the place he had so much trouble at and rescue a team that tried to give him so many chances. But this isn’t a Disney movie. Robinson will likely fill a gap for a couple of games as Deion Branch and Bobby Engram get back into game shape. He may catch a few balls, but the guy is an old 28 and he was a non-factor at his last two stops. My advice: Stay away.
How does Tarvaris Jackson’s benching affect Minnesota?
Sitting at 0-2, the Vikings turned their offense over to Gus Frerotte on Wednesday. Expect this to help everybody involved in that offense. Jackson struggled to make rudimentary throws and defenses were able to pack the box to stop Adrian Peterson. Now with Frerotte guiding the team, teams will have to respect the pass, opening holes for Peterson. Receivers Bernard Berrian and Bobby Wade should all benefit as well. Berrian is the only one worth owning, however.
Where will the shootouts be this weekend?
Expect there to be some points in these games: Arizona at Washington; Detroit at San Francisco; New Orleans at Denver; Pittsburgh at Philadelphia; and the Sunday night special: Dallas at Green Bay. If you have fringe players on these teams, and you have a third WR spot or a flex position to fill, play that guy. Players like Steve Breaston, Antwaan Randle-El, Bryant Johnson, Devery Henderson, Eddie Royal, Hank Baskett, Patrick Crayton and James Jones all have a chance to have breakout games.
Contact Aaron Swaney at aswaney@heraldnet.com. For more fantasy news, links and more, check out cmg-northwest2.go-vip.net/heraldnet/realitybites.
