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Hi Folks,
Once again, our Footballguy Scott Luebke throws out what he sees for this week's Upgrades and Downgrades. Enjoy. Joe /**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/ Upgrades QB - Tom Brady - Brady has remains the starter in New England despite the return of Drew Bledsoe from injury. Some analysts may question the fact that Bledsoe lost his job due to an injury, but no one can question Brady's effectiveness on the football field. A 258 yard, 4 touchdown performance keeps Brady entrenched as the Patriots starter. Keep in mind, the Patriots have a bye in week 16. QB - Kordell Stewart - Stewart looked good on Sunday with his second consecutive multiple touchdown game. Stewart finished the game with 254 passing yards, 54 rushing yards and 3 total touchdowns. The schedule looks good for Stewart down the stretch, especially with games against Detroit and Cincinnati in weeks 15 and 16. QB - Jay Fiedler - Fiedler has found a quality weapon in rookie Chris Chambers. Fiedler has been an up and down quarterback this season, but his upside is good. A quality schedule throughout the remainder of the season should allow ample opportunity for solid fantasy stats. QB - Alex Van Pelt - Since stepping into the lineup for Rob Johnson, Van Pelt has been a fantasy star. With two consecutive 300+ yards games to match with 5 touchdowns, Van Pelt deserves starter consideration against weaker opponents. Look for another quality performance against the 49ers this weekend. RB - Dominic Rhodes - With Edgerrin James sidelined for the season, Rhodes has been asked to do a lot in the Colts offense. He produced on Sunday with 147 total yards and 2 touchdowns. Two consecutive difficult games against Baltimore and Miami will slow Rhodes down, but a strong finish to the season is in store. With Manning and the passing game throwing interceptions, look for Coach Mora to run a more conservative offense featuring Rhodes. RB - Antowain Smith - Smith jumps into the upgrades category once again with 153 total yards and 2 touchdowns. However, now is the time to trade Smith away. His value has hit an all-time high and the remainder of the season will be difficult with Cleveland, Miami and a bye week remaining. RB - Ahman Green - Green has struggled the last few weeks, but was able to bust out on Thanksgiving Day with 150 total yards and 2 scores. Look for the Green Bay offense to revolve around Green for the remainder of the season. As the winter weather approaches, Favre and the passing game will become more conservative, which will result in more dump off passes to the talented Green. Don't be surprised if Green receives 30+ touches/game the remainder of the season. RB - LaDainian Tomlinson - Tomlinson's statistics have suffered over the last several weeks with the opposition focusing on the run. In order to get the ball in Tomlinson's hands more often, Turner called several short passing plays to get LT in the open field. The plan was successful as Tomlinson caught 13 passes for 72 yards. The fantasy playoffs look good for Tomlinson with Oakland, Kansas City and Seattle on the schedule for weeks 14, 15, and 16. RB - Garrison Hearst - Hearst looked strong again on Sunday with 106 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns. In the last 4 games, Hearst has averaged 106 rushing yards/game. With rookie Kevan Barlow separating his shoulder on Sunday to go along with an already injured quad, Hearst will continue to see 20+ touches per game and be a quality fantasy option in the fantasy playoffs as long as he remains healthy. WR - Derrick Alexander - Good news for Alexander owners...it appears that he is 100% healthy for the first time this season. WR - Eric Moulds - Throughout the week, Moulds was complaining about the lack of balls thrown in his direction and how the team was using him. Well, the complaint department contacted management and Moulds got the ball. What happened when the ball was thrown to Moulds? He produced (196 yards and 2 touchdowns). WR - Chris Chambers - The talented rookie struck once again on Sunday with 101 receiving yards and 2 fabulous touchdowns. Chambers is the big play threat in the Miami offense and should continue to see action. Keep in mind, Chambers is a boom/bust option at receiver. He'll dazzle you one week and disappear the next week. This guy is going to be special, so grab him in dynasty leagues. WR - David Boston - Plain and simple...the man. A few weeks ago, the knock on Boston was his lack of touchdown scoring. Well, 4 touchdowns in 3 weeks should quiet the critics. WR - Kevin Johnson - Johnson jumped back in the scoring column on Sunday with 113 yards and a touchdown. Johnson is Tim Couch's clear cut #1 receiver and should remain a consistent fantasy threat for the rest of the season. WR - Troy Brown - Brown continues to produce quality numbers on a consistent basis. With 7 catches for 91 yards and a touchdown on Sunday, Brown continues to have a quality rapport with QB Tom Brady. Keep in mind, New England has a bye in week 16, so Brown will not be available for the majority of championship games. Plan accordingly. /**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/ Downgrades QB - Trent Green - Green's disappointing season continues. He looked good with 256 passing yards and zero interceptions on Sunday. However, he was unable to throw any touchdowns and that stat leads to the downgrade. With the healthy return of Alexander at wide receiver, Green's stock could be on the rise in the near future. Green's value is at its lowest point, so you could probably get him for relatively cheap. He's not an every week starter, but he might have a few big games left for this season. QB - Donovan McNabb - McNabb has looked horrendous in the pocket over the last two weeks (221 passing yards and 1 touchdown). His pride of wanting to be a quality pocket passer is getting in the way of his production. McNabb's value will be dependent on his ability to scramble and make some plays. Right now, McNabb should still be considered a top 10 fantasy quarterback. However, if his lack of production continues, his stock will drop quickly. QB - Brian Griese - Griese's receiving options are limited, which is directly affecting his production. Rod Smith limped through Thursday's game with an ankle injury. A healthy return of Smith will boost Griese's stock. However, Griese needs some quality production from the other receiver position. His production is limited, if he is forced to throw to the tight end position the majority of the time. QB - Daunte Culpepper - Culpepper did not pass/score a touchdown for the first time in his two seasons as the starting quarterback for the Vikings. Another difficult challenge at Pittsburgh is upcoming this week. RB - Anthony Thomas - Thomas was held out of Sunday's game with a hamstring injury. He's expecting to play this weekend against Detroit, but this is not a guarantee. With James Allen being effective, it would not surprise me to see the Bears hold Thomas out for another game to ensure a healthy hamstring for the stretch run towards the playoffs. A big game looms in two weeks against Green Bay and the Bears will need a healthy Thomas in that game. RB - Emmitt Smith - Smith was held to 9 yards on 9 carries during the Thanksgiving Day game. Until the Cowboys can establish a passing game, Smith's numbers will remain meager. RB - Ron Dayne - With Tiki Barber establishing himself as the first option in the rushing game, Dayne's fantasy value has dropped very low. Dayne had 26 yards on 6 carries. Barber had 124 rushing yards on 19 carries, 5 receptions for 41 yards and a touchdown. Keep Dayne on your bench. RB - Jason Brookins - Brookins broke his foot in Sunday's game against the Jaguars. He is expected to be out for 4-6 weeks. Drop him and add someone else to the roster. RB - Eddie George - George's disappointing season continues with 58 yards on 15 carries this past Sunday. George is currently tied with Randy Moss for "Fantasy Disappointment of the Year". RB - Maurice Smith - Smith sprained his ankle on Sunday and managed to return to the game. However, Smith gained a meager 57 yards on 21 carries and seemed to be bother by the ankle sprain. Evaluate his progress later this week. WR - Jimmy Smith - Smith tested positive for cocaine in his system after being pulled over by police. No legal action will occur, but some sort of suspension could be handed down by the commissioner's office. Not a good sign as we head closer to the fantasy playoffs. WR - Peter Warrick - Warrick suffered a bruised shoulder against Cleveland on Sunday. He was held to 1 reception for 22 yards and has not scored a touchdown since week 4 of the season. Keep him on your bench until the Cincinnati passing game reappears. WR - Randy Moss - Moss was held to 25 yards on 4 catches Sunday night. Moss is the most talented receiver in the league, but appears to lose concentration from time to time. Keep in mind, his potential for explosive games is enormous. /**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/ Waiver Wire Keep in mind, the waiver wire analysis selections are based off of 12 and 14 team leagues. QB - Alex Van Pelt - Since stepping into the lineup for Rob Johnson, Van Pelt has been a fantasy star. With two consecutive 300+ yards games to match with 5 touchdowns, Van Pelt deserves starter consideration against weaker opponents. RB - James Allen - Allen stepped in for the injured Anthony Thomas and performed admirably. With Thomas bothered by a hamstring injury, it's highly possible that Allen could start against the lowly Detroit Lions this weekend. Chicago's defense is strong and the Bears like to grind it out on the ground. RB - Travis Minor - With Lamar Smith averaging just 2.3 yds/carry over the last 6 games, Minor may be given his opportunity to shine very soon. In his limited touches, Minor has looked good and could give the Dolphins offense a much needed spark. WR - Chris Chambers - This guy is good. See description in upgrades section. TE - Eddie "Boo" Williams - I had Williams on the list last week and his play on Sunday deserves another mention. Although he had just 2 catches for 44 yards, Williams has explosive potential. He nearly scored on a 25 yard pass play, but had the ball ripped out of his hands at the last second. With Cam Cleeland remaining out with an injury, Williams is a tight end with quality upside. /**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/ Bryant Analytics, Inc. All Rights Reserved 1999-2001 To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: cheatsheets-unsubscribe@egroups.com Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
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