QUARTERBACKS
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Brian Griese, CHI – Recommended. Griese threw for a season-high 381 yards and three touchdowns in Sunday’s 34-31 loss to Minnesota. Despite the loss, Griese was impressive in the fourth quarter, tossing a pair of scores, including an 81-yard strike to Devin Hester to tie the game at 31 apiece. Unlike the former Bears’ starter, Rex Grossman, Griese has the ability to lead a team from behind with poise and a big-play mentality. However, Griese has been playing like Grossman in terms of ball security, or lack thereof, with six interceptions and three fumbles (one lost) in three starts this season. If Griese can protect the ball a little better, he should be a fantasy force in the second half of the season. Over the next four games, the Bears face average or below average pass defenses with Philadelphia, Detroit, Oakland and Seattle on the schedule.
Jeff Garcia, TB – Recommended. Garcia did not have a big game statistically in Sunday’s 13-10 win over Tennessee, passing for 274 yards and a touchdown, but had a 65 percent completion percentage and protected the ball well with no turnovers. In fact, Garcia has not thrown a single interception or lost a fumble in six games this season. Garcia, always a threat to score a touchdown on the ground, has a juicy matchup in Week 7 facing a suspect Lions’ secondary. Garcia is a solid quarterback and probably worth a pickup for the long haul, although the schedule for the Buccaneers is a mixed bag over the second half of the season. One thing is fairly certain though - this is definitely the week to pickup and start Garcia.
Damon Huard, KC – Recommended. Huard was originally ruled out of Kansas City’s Week 6 game against Cincinnati after suffering a shoulder injury in Week 5. Huard was not only able to start at home versus the Bengals, but played quite well in the 27-20 win with 264 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Huard is a smart and accurate quarterback that makes up for his lack of arm strength by consistently getting the ball to the team’s best players (Tony Gonzalez, Dwayne Bowe and Larry Johnson out of the backfield). Huard is starting to utilize youngster Jeff Webb, who has good size and speed and finished with seven catches for 78 yards on Sunday. Huard has a solid matchup in Week 7, facing an average Oakland secondary. Things get a bit tougher for Huard and the Chiefs after their Week 8 bye with strong pass defenses such as Indianapolis and Denver (twice with Champ Bailey and Dre Bly) on the schedule.
Cleo Lemon, MIA – Not Recommended. Despite tossing a pair of interceptions in Sunday’s 41-34 loss at Cleveland, Lemon put up some nice numbers in his first start since replacing Trent Green (concussion). Lemon finished with 256 yards passing and two touchdowns while adding a couple of scores on the ground. Lemon showed good mobility not just on his touchdown runs, but in and out of the pocket, scrambling to find receivers down the field. The Dolphins do have some weapons with veterans such as Chris Chambers and Marty Booker as well as talented younger players like Ronnie Brown and rookie speedster Ted Ginn Jr. But for all the positives, it’s hard to recommend Lemon. He’s young and inexperienced, plays on a terrible team with a suspect offensive line and the schedule gets very difficult for the Dolphins with New England, the Giants, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh in four of the next five games. Finally, second-round pick John Beck waits in the wings and is highly regarded by coach Cam Cameron. Should Miami continue to struggle, it would not be much of a surprise to see Beck in the starting lineup, regardless of Lemon’s play.
Vinny Testaverde, CAR – Not Recommended. Testaverde’s performance in Sunday’s 25-10 win at Arizona was quite remarkable. Testaverde had just signed with the Panthers in the middle of the week and was thrown into the starting lineup when the team decided to sit out David Carr (back). The savvy veteran passed for 206 yards with a touchdown and did not turn the ball over once. Testaverde was smart as he found Steve Smith early and often on Sunday as well as hooking up with the speedster on a pretty 65-yard touchdown pass. It was a historic day for Testaverde as he put his name once again in the NFL record book. With Carolina’s victory, Testaverde became the oldest quarterback in the history of the NFL to win a game and his scoring strike to Smith extended his league record to 21 straight seasons with at least one touchdown pass. The Panthers have a bye this week and David Carr is expected to return in Week 8 so while Testaverde’s story is nice, it will probably end after one start.
Running Backs
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Leonard Weaver, SEA – Recommended. Weaver had a nice 37-yard run in Sunday’s loss to New Orleans, showing a nice burst for a bigger back. Weaver also added some value as a receiver, catching four passes for 53 yards. However, the biggest news coming out of Sunday’s game was the benching of Shaun Alexander in the fourth quarter. Alexander has struggled over the last two games with 25 carries for just 60 yards and does not seem to be the same back he was two years ago when he ran for 1,880 yards and scored 28 touchdowns. While it’s silly to think Alexander will completely be forgotten in Seattle, the door is slightly open for Weaver to become a bigger part of the offense. Weaver plays a lot of fullback because of his size, but do not be fooled – he has some running skills. Coach Mike Holmgren appears to have a lot of confidence in Weaver, deciding to give him the ball on a key fourth down carry late in Sunday’s game. Maurice Morris is officially listed as Alexander’s backup, but Morris has not done much in six years as a pro after a prolific career at the University of Oregon. Grabbing Weaver off the waiver wire is somewhat based on speculation, but there are a couple of things to like about him with his running skills and Alexander’s weak play of late. Najeh Davenport, PIT – Recommended. Davenport appears to be the goal line back in Pittsburgh. Davenport also ripped of a 45-yard run in that game and added four receptions for 38 yards. Davenport is a prototypical power back, but with one difference – he has a lot of speed. Willie Parker is the workhorse back in the Steelers’ running game, but he has just one touchdown this season and has been pulled frequently on third downs. Davenport is one of those backup players that would probably excel if the starter, Parker, missed time with an injury. Do not expect Davenport to steal too many carries away from Parker, but Davenport will get a lot of snaps on third down and at the goal line, making him a valuable fantasy commodity. after he scored a pair of short touchdowns in the team’s last game before the bye.
Kevin Faulk, NE – Recommended. Faulk stepped in for Sammy Morris (chest) during the second half of Sunday’s win at Dallas and finished with 13 carries for 50 yards and three catches for 24 yards. New England was already thin at running back because Laurence Maroney (groin) missed his third straight game. The injury to Morris does not appear to be too serious and Maroney could return this week, but the Patriots often play things safe with injuries because they feel their offensive system is good enough to allow any player to succeed. Because of this reason, Faulk would probably fare well in a starting role. Even though Faulk is a smaller back, he can pound it inside a little bit and his receiving skills have always been excellent. Faulk’s normal role is a few carries a game and some work on third down so his value is typically more dramatic to New England as oppose to fantasy teams. But keep an eye on the status of Maroney and/or Morris and only pick up Faulk if both are not going to play.
Michael Bennett, TB – Recommended. Bennett was traded from Kansas City to Tampa Bay late on Monday night, boosting Bennett’s fantasy value dramatically. Bennett, one of the fastest players in the league, has had success in the past, rushing for 1,296 yards in 2002. Bennett has been the backup to Larry Johnson over the last few seasons and obviously has not received much work with Johnson’s heavy workload. The Buccaneers do not have much at running back outside of Earnest Graham and he’s never been in a featured role during his four-year career. Graham will probably be the goal line back, at minimum, so do not think that Bennett will be your savior. However, Bennett should be in the mix on an offense that lacks speed so pickup him up immediately if you have the space.
Jerome Harrison, CLE – Not Recommended. Harrison earned some extra playing time in Sunday’s 41-34 win over Miami because of a foot injury to Jamal Lewis. Jason Wright got the start, but Harrison was productive and a factor with eight carries for 57 yards and added one catch for 15 yards. Harrison is not a big player, but is quick and a decent change of pace back. Wright received 20 carries and scored a short touchdown on Sunday so he looks to be the featured guy in Lewis’ absence. The Browns have a bye in Week 7 and even if Lewis does not return soon, Harrison’s upside looks limited right now.
Samkon Gado, HOU – Not Recommended. Gado saw some snaps in Sunday’s loss at Jacksonville, running the ball four times for 15 yards and catching three passes for 26 yards. Ahman Green (knee) returned from a two-game absence and was the featured back with 16 carries, although he ran for only 44 yards. Ron Dayne, who started both of the games Green missed, was inactive on Sunday, presumably because Gado can play special teams and Dayne cannot. Unless Green gets injured again, expect Dayne and Gado to rotate being inactive each week, which makes neither one particularly useful.
WIDE RECEIVERS
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Kevin Walter, HOU - Recommended. Clearly the pickup of the week, Walter had a monster game in the loss to Jacksonville in Week 6 (12 catches, 160 yards). And with Andre Johnson possibly being out until Week 11, it appears that Walter will be a solid #3 at worst for the next 3 weeks (#2 in PPR leagues).
Marques Hagans, STL - Recommended. See comments from Don (aka Gusto) in his Upgrade/Downgrade Column. With Bulger coming back this week, keep an eye on the status of Isaac Bruce, who would cut into Hagans's playing time...
Ben Obomanu, SEA - Slightly Recommended. Obamanu had a good game against the Saints on Sunday night, but with word that D.J. Hackett (see below) might be back this week, along with the fact that the Seahawks have a bye in Week 8 and Deion Branch is scheduled to be back Week 9, Obomanu may be nothing more than bye-week filler.
D.J. Hackett, SEA - Recommended. A very trendy pick during the preseason (especially by "The Football Scientist", K.C. Joyner), Hackett has been injured since Week 1, but should make a strong impact as soon as he is back in the lineup.
Chris Henry, CIN - Recommended. Henry is expected back in Cinci's lineup in a few weeks, so it wouldn't hurt to get a jump on him early, so long as you have an open roster spot. A lot of people seem to forget how explosive Henry was when he was healthy last season, and I expect him to be a strong WR3 when he comes back.
David Patten, NO - Not Recommended. I realize that Gusto named Patten as one of his his Upgrades this week, but given the state of the Saints WR's right now, I'm not going near him.
Devin Hester, CHI - Not Recommended. Yes, he is a fantastic Special Teams player. And he caught an 81 yard TD this past week. But in 6 games, he has been targeted a total of 5 times. I'm not math major, but that works out to be less than one pass thrown his way per game. Let someone else in your league waste a spot on him...
TIGHT ENDS
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Donald Lee, GB - Recommended. Although 60 of his 75 yards came on one play last week, Lee has been very consistent this year, especially in PPR leagues. And considering that GB still has no running game, it appears that Lee might be in for a career season.
David Martin, MIA - Recommended. He only had 18 yards receiving last week, but those 2 TD's show that Martin is clearly a safety blanket for Cleo Lemon. You could do worse as a bye-week fill-in.
Zach Miller, OAK - Not Recommended. While Miller did have a decent game against the Bolts on Sunday, he has a total of 71 yards receiving on the year. Given the fact that Culpepper has been pretty shaky throwing the ball thus far, I'd stay away...
Kyle Brady, NE - Not Recommended. Although it is tough to not recommend any Patriots on the offensive side of the ball, Brady only becomes option #10 this week (behind Mike Vrabel) if Watson is out this week. Unless you play in a league that starts two TE's and both are on a bye this week, there's no reason to add Brady to your roster.
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