|
|
If TSN's Vinnie Iyer suffers from a case of the Mondays, then I must have a mutated form of that virus. I can't stand Tuesdays.
I admit, in a season where I have more 3-3 teams than winners, Tuesdays usually have meant looking over recently finished games and wondering where Peerless Price disappeared to this week. (I was at Monday's game, and I still didn't see him.) It also doesn't help that Tuesday has turned into the Playmakers marathon on ESPN.
The worst part of Tuesdays is digging through my mail. Before the clock runs out on the Monday night game, my inbox is already overflowing with questions about which players to start the following week. Give me a chance to do the rankings, people.
ADVERTISEMENT
And as the new governor of California said in Kindergarten Cop, stop whining.
If your team is 5-1 but has its top receivers on the bye this week, tough cookies.
There are many things worse than being 5-2 after seven weeks. Marvin Harrison
and Hines Ward will be back next week. Edgerrin James? Now, that's a different
story. Feel free to vent. NFL Tickets
BYE WEEK BLUES
Arizona: Jeff Blake,
Marcel Shipp, Anquan Boldin, Freddie Jones.
Indianapolis: Peyton Manning, Edgerrin James, Ricky Williams, Marvin Harrison,
Reggie Wayne, Dallas Clark, Marcus Pollard, Mike Vanderjagt.
Jacksonville: Byron Leftwich, Fred Taylor, Jimmy Smith.
Pittsburgh: Tommy Maddox, Amos Zereoue, Jerome Bettis, Hines Ward, Plaxico Burress,
Jeff Reed.
MOVIN' ON UP
(3) Brad Johnson,
Buccaneers, at San Francisco. An undefeated Johnson owner wrote in after Sunday's
game asking why his starting QB wasn't in the top 10. He is now. Johnson has
thrown seven touchdown passes the past two weeks, and he should keep scoring.
Without Mike Alstott to push the ball over the goal line, the Bucs could end
up throwing more in the red zone.
(12) Quincy Carter, Cowboys, at Detroit. If a team doesn't have a good pass
rush or solid secondary, Carter will have the chance to hook up frequently with
his top three receivers. Only six teams have fewer sacks than the Lions, and
the team is 25th in the league in pass defense. Carter's favorable matchup makes
him a decent fill-in starter for Peyton Manning owners this week.
(17) Vinny Testaverde, Jets, at Houston. Only Chicago and Arizona have fewer
sacks than the Texans, the league's worst pass defense. Chad Pennington could
return in Week 8. Call it a hunch, but expect Testaverde to go out with a big
performance in what could be his final NFL start. NFL Tickets
COMIN' BACK DOWN
(14) Donovan McNabb,
Eagles, at N.Y. Giants. McNabb has said his thumb injury could affect him the
rest of the season. Fantasy owners are sick of letting his poor performances
affect them. The Giants have allowed 237 passing yards per game, but that average
is just 121 yards over the past two weeks. Feel free to sit McNabb.
(16) Kerry Collins, Giants, at Philadelphia. The Eagles gave up five passing
touchdowns in the first two weeks, but have allowed just two since. Collins
hasn't thrown a touchdown the past two weeks, but he has thrown seven interceptions.
Wait, that doesn't help. Nor will starting him this week.
(28) Kyle Boller, Ravens, at Cincinnati. Brian Billick summed up his team perfectly
at Monday's press conference: "We're playing great defense, we're leading
the league in rushing, we're playing very, very good special teams. So naturally,
you all want to talk about the passing game." Those are the breaks when
your starting QB fails to top 100 yards in three of his five games. Billick
will get the passing attack moving, probably at a brisk 150-yard-per-game clip.
Don't bother with Boller as your backup because you'll never start him. NFL
Tickets
Week 7 Running Back rankings
MOVIN' ON UP
(10) William Green,
Browns, vs. San Diego. Remember a couple weeks ago when owners were swearing
him off? A couple 100-yard games later, their tune has changed. Expect him to
top the century mark for a third straight week. The Chargers' run defense is
in the bottom five in yards and touchdowns allowed.
(25) Brian Westbrook, Eagles, at N.Y. Giants.. The Eagles' backs are sharing
way too much to satisfy fantasy owners, but Westbrook is still being productive
with his limited chances. He has scored in his past three games despite getting
no more than 11 carries in any of them. Owners shouldn't be totally comfortable
starting him, but for some, he might have to do. NFL Tickets
(26) DeShaun Foster, Panthers, vs. Tennessee. Take a look at your team. Does
it need a minor nip-and-tuck, or are we talking about major surgery? Teams needing
a big boost should stop messing around with running-back committees and start
looking for a difference-maker. Foster could be the guy. He figures to get some
more touches in the next couple weeks, and if anything happens to Stephen Davis,
you suddenly have a No. 1 back on your squad.
COMIN' BACK DOWN
(13) Tiki Barber,
Giants, vs. Philadelphia. Visa recently released outtakes from its filming of
the Barber brothers commercials. Most of the gaffes involved Tiki dropping his
card, merchandise or anything else he had in his hands. Barber's fumble problems
should concern owners, and his lack of time in the end zone is worrisome, too.
As if he isn't having enough problems, Barber faces the league's top run defense
this week.
(30) Warrick Dunn, Falcons, vs. New Orleans. The sad thing about Dunn's 23 rushing
yards Monday is that it was his highest total since Week 2. The Saints seem
to be a good matchup, but most Dunn owners aren't going to start him at this
point.
(36) Antowain Smith, Patriots, at Miami. Even if Smith's shoulder injury doesn't
keep him out for a second straight week, he is hardly worth starting. Kevin
Faulk has re-emerged as the team's leading back, at least for this week, and
the Dolphins' defense has allowed just 70.8 rushing yards per game.
Week 7 Wide Receiver rankings
MOVIN' ON UP
(29) Terry Glenn,
Cowboys, at Detroit. Glenn has alternated between doing nothing and putting
up 100-yard games, but we think we have found the trend. When the Cowboys have
a favorable passing matchup, Glenn tends to produce. He isn't a week-to-week
starter, but owners have to like his chances against the Bad News Lions.
(30) Justin McCareins, Titans, at Carolina. The first of our Mc-receivers moving
around this week, McCareins has established himself as a decent choice thanks
to Steve McNair's penchant for passing. McCareins has been held under 40 yards
just once this season, and his average production the past three weeks has been
73.6 yards. Carolina's pass defense is probably better than the numbers show,
but there's no disputing that offenses can pick up yards through the air against
the Panthers.
(33) Darnerien McCants, Redskins, at Buffalo. Anyone who scores four times in
the first six weeks draws our attention. He was held without a catch in Week
4, but in Weeks 3, 5 and 6, he averaged four catches for 66 yards and a score.
The Bills aren't a great matchup, but Buffalo's recent struggles make starting
McCants more plausible.
COMIN' BACK DOWN
(49) Eddie Kennison,
Chiefs, at Oakland. Kennison has caught just two passes in each of his past
three games, and he would have caught just one six-yard pass last week if the
game had ended in regulation. Johnnie Morton has played a larger role, and Priest
Holmes and Tony Gonzalez are hogging most of the touchdowns.
(58) Josh Reed, Bills, vs. Washington. Reed had the perfect chance to step up
with Eric Moulds out last week. Instead, he failed to top 50 yards for the fifth
time in six games. Reed has yet to score this season, so owners aren't rushing
him out to face the 'Skins this week.
(63) Ed McCaffrey, Broncos, at Minnesota. There was some talk this past offseason
that McCaffrey might consider retiring. He didn't officially announce it; instead,
he has let his play do the talking. McCaffrey has eight catches for 73 yards
after five games. Consider him done. NFL Tickets
Week 7 Tight End rankings
MOVIN' ON UP
(13) Itula Mili, Seahawks, vs. Chicago. Mili isn't a top tight-end option, but he could produce this week. In five games, the Bears have given up four touchdowns to tight ends. Mili has a good chance at scoring for the second straight week, so he could help owners needing a bye-week replacement.
COMIN' BACK DOWN
(28) Daniel Graham, Patriots, at Dolphins. He still has plenty of potential, but his shoulder injury might force owners to drop him for now.
Week 7 Kicker rankings
MOVIN' ON UP
(6) John Kasay, Panthers, vs. Tennessee. Only four kickers in the league have averaged more points per game than Kasay. Carolina's run-crazy offense will keep getting the team in position to score, so Kasay is worth starting every week.
COMIN' BACK DOWN
(10) David Akers, Eagles, at N.Y. Giants. Akers seemed to be the obvious choice as the preseason No. 1 at his position. Now, Philadelphia's offensive struggles have him 26th in scoring among kickers. He would be dropping even further if he didn't face New York this week. As readers must know by now, no one in the league has allowed more field goals than the Giants. NFL Tickets
Week 7 Defense/Special Teams rankings
MOVIN' ON UP
(8) Dallas, at Detroit. A Detroit back has yet to top 75 rushing yards this season, and the Cowboys have the league's No. 3 run defense. With the running game stuck in neutral -- or even reverse -- Joey Harrington will have to win this game, and he'll have to do it without Charles Rogers. The Cowboys should be able to make it a long day for Harrington.
COMIN' BACK DOWN
(20) Oakland, vs. Kansas City. The Chiefs are No. 1 in the NFL in scoring, and the Raiders are No. 32 in the league in teams that are playing poorly. What, that's not a statistical category? Well if you want to get technical, Oakland is last in the league in run defense, and the Chiefs have this Priest Holmes guy who is pretty good.