Week 11 Upgrades/Downgrades

Upgrades

QB Drew Brees, NO - The Saints are playing great football and Drew Brees deserves all the praise. The Saints lost on Sunday, but it wasn’t due to play from Drew Brees. Playing without Joe Horn, Drew still managed to post 398 passing yards and 1 TD. He had a key scramble to keep the last drive alive and completed a long pass downfield to Terrance Copper (only to have Copper fumble the ball away). Over the last three weeks, no QB has been hotter (1,095 yards and 7 TDs).

QB Aaron Brooks, OAK - Andrew Walters has been horrible playing in relief of Brooks. We expect Brooks to be named the starter this week even if he is not 100% recovered from his injury.

QB Jason Campbell, WAS - He has been promoted to first string of the struggling Redskins. We don’t expect miracles, but he is at least a starter in this league. If you are desperate at QB, he might be your man.

QB Matt Hasselbeck, SEA - He was throwing the ball with zip in the pregame warm-ups on Sunday so we fully expect him to return this week. He gets San Francisco and Green Bay in weeks 11 and 12 which should help him dust off the rust quickly.

QB Byron Leftwich, JAX - Sometimes it’s not what you do, but what the other guy does. Garrard threw 4 interceptions (although only one was clearly his fault) and also lost the game against the Texans. Losing to the Texans was enough to bench Leftwich before. It possibly could have the same effect here. At best Garrard holds onto the job, but is a quick hook from losing the gig going forward.

QB Steve McNair, BAL - The Ravens fell behind early, but McNair guided them to a big win by throwing on most downs. He finished with 373 passing yards, 3 TDs and 9 rushing yards in the effort. The Ravens defense should keep McNair in most games. He has the arm to make the most of it.

QB Carson Palmer, CIN - He was clearly in the zone the first half of the game and looked like the Palmer of 2005. He was not nearly as effective the second half, but still looked sharp. He finished the day with 440 passing yards, 3 TDs (and had a sure TD dropped by Chris Henry).

QB Philip Rivers, SD - When the Chargers got behind early, Philip Rivers took charge and passed the ball with confidence. LaDainian Tomlinson made the headlines (with his 4 TDs), but Rivers hit key pass play after play to sustain these drives. He finished the day completing 67% of his passes while posting 337 passing yards and 3 TDs (against no interceptions). A defense can no longer just load up the box to try and stop Tomlinson.

QB Tony Romo, DAL - Since taking over for Drew Bledsoe, Romo has been nearly flawless. He looked great again on Sunday completing 20 of 29 for 308 and 2 passing TDs. No one is questioning the decision now. Romo is rolling.

QB Vince Young, TEN - He failed to throw a TD pass, Young but did complete over 50% of his passes while finishing with 211 passing yards, 39 rushing yards and a rushing TD. This was likely Young’s best game as a pro and it happened against a great defense (Baltimore).

RB Joseph Addai, IND - He continues to outplay Dominic Rhodes most weeks and was the back that ran out the clock when they needed it to ice the game. He finished with 124 combined yards and a TD (on 20 touches). The Colts will likely continue to use both Rhodes and Addai, but it’s not hard to see that Addai is the more talented back going forward.

RB Shaun Alexander, SEA - Alexander has been cleared to practice. If he makes through the entire week of drills, he'll return to the starting lineup in week 11.

RB Marion Barber III, DAL - For the backup RB, he continues to get a lot of action. He finished with 65 rushing yards and a TD (and outplayed Julius Jones). Barber is the better goal line back and is making a case that he deserves the production to be split going forward.

RB Kevan Barlow, NYJ - Just when you think you can forget about him, Barlow has a good game. He finished with 75 yards and a TD and had nearly twice the carries of Leon Washington. It looks to us like he may have won the starting gig back with this performance against the Patriots.

RB Ladell Betts, WAS - He ran strong in relief of the injured Portis. Portis is expected to be out many weeks (if not the whole year) so Betts’ stock is flying high. He finished with 83 yards on 20 carries.

RB Reggie Bush, NO - He scored a TD. But better than that, he ran inside without dancing at the line of scrimmage. He is still a work in progress and had a costly fumble, but Bush finding the endzone merits an upgrade. With as good as Brees is playing, more things may open up for Bush soon.

RB T.J. Duckett, WAS - He hasn’t shown up at all this season, but could get the goal line work while Portis is out with a broken hand. He finished with 16 yards on just 2 carries in relief.

RB Samkon Gado, HOU - Another week, another starting RB. Gado looks like he wrestled the job away from Lundy again with a fine performance. He finished the day with 67 rushing yards on 17 carries. Lundy gained just 34 yards on 16 carries (but did score).

RB Frank Gore, SF - He was on pace for a HUGE day only to miss most of the second half with a concussion. He is likely to return to the lineup for week 11, but needs to be cleared first. Despite the missing time, he ended up with 173 combined yards and a TD (on 24 touches).

RB Travis Henry, TEN - He managed 107 rushing yards and a TD against the Ray Lewis less Ravens. Better yet, rookie LenDale White did not have a single carry so despite the Titans’ record the team is playing the best player.

RB Steven Jackson, STL - The loss of Orlando Pace could hurt Jackson so this upgrade is more to acknowledge another hard day of running and catching the football. He finished with 93 yards rushing and a rushing TD (on just 18 carries) and added another 40 yards on 6 catches.

RB Brandon Jacobs, NYG - Big and strong, he has become one the best TD vultures in the game. Tiki Barber sets it up and Jacobs closes the deal. He finished with 2 carries for 9 yards and 2 TDs.

RB Thomas Jones, CHI - Cedric Benson had 7 yards on 6 carries while Thomas Jones mauled the Giants for 113 yards and a TD (on 30 carries). Those waiting for Benson to overtake Jones might be waiting a long time.

RB Willie Parker, PIT - He had his best game as a professional and carried the Steelers to a big win. He broke off two long 70 yard runs and finished those runs a few plays later by driving hard to the endzone. He finished the day with 213 rushing yards, 2 rushing TDs and added 12 yards on 2 receptions.

RB Anthony Thomas, BUF - In relief of injured Willis McGahee, Thomas ran hard and kept the Bills in the game against the Colts all day. He did not score but gained 109 yards on 28 carries. He was the only RB to have carries for the Bills all day.

RB LaDainian Tomlinson, SD - We said last week would be his last upgrade. Well, I guess we lied. Over the last 4 weeks, Tomlinson has 728 combined yards and 11 TDs (on just 98 touches). Wow.

WR Drew Bennett, TEN - Bennett finally had a nice game with a six-catch, 115-yard outing against the Ravens. In the last two games, Bennett has 166 yards and a TD. Those are stellar numbers, but the trend shows that Bennett is improving.

WR Mark Bradley, CHI - Bradley established himself as the clear #2 WR in the absence of Bernard Berrian. As long as Berrian sits, Bradley should be a nice fantasy option.

WR Reche Caldwell, NE - While he is far from consistent, Caldwell now has posted two solid outings in his last three games. In weeks eight and ten, Caldwell had 16 catches for 174 yards and two TDs. Of course those outings are sandwiched around a one-catch outing, so you can’t be too giddy over him. Still, Tom Brady and the Patriots are so desperate for a viable WR, and Caldwell is the only one showing the ability to fill the role.

WR Mark Clayton, BAL - Against Cincinnati and Tennessee, Clayton has posted his best back-to-back games of the season. In those two contests, he has caught 15 balls for 198 yards and a TD.

WR Marques Colston, NO - Ho hum…another huge day (10 catches and 169 yards) for Colston with Joe Horn on the sidelines. Colston is enormous this year.

WR Terrance Copper, NO - Welcome to the Saints offense, Mr. Copper. Considering he came into the game with four receptions for 66 yards, a six-catch, 92-yard and one-TD effort makes Copper an obvious upgrade. Obviously, Copper loses value if Joe Horn is able to play, but if Horn sits again, Copper has finally shown the ability to shine.

WR Patrick Crayton, DAL - Crayton was thrust into a large role against the Cardinals after Glenn was a scratch due to injury. Crayton responded with 104 yards and a TD on five catches. If Terry Glenn can not play (and a bone-on-bone injury normally keeps people on the sidelines), Crayton will be an excellent option.

WR Donald Driver, GB - With Greg Jennings hobbled, Driver is the only legitimate WR in Green Bay. Brett Favre has the ability to find legitimate WRs almost at will, so Driver is getting a ton of looks, receptions, yards, and TDs.

WR Malcolm Floyd, SD - Floyd entered Sunday’s game with career stats of 11 catches for 139 yards and three TDs. He caught five balls for 109 yards and a score. You might have missed out on his best game of the year, so don’t fall over yourself picking him up. Still, he certainly warrants an upgrade.

WR Chad Johnson, CIN - Let’s see - 11 catches for 260 yards and two TDs. Do we need to explain why he’s on this list?

WR Derrick Mason, BAL - Stop the presses – Derrick Mason caught a TD. While the focus was certainly on Steve McNair and Mason facing their old Titans team (so good numbers are not surprising), a nice game like this could easily jump-start both players.

WR Muhsin Muhammad, CHI - Muhammad is certainly picking up the slack for Bernard Berrian. In his last three games, Muhammad has been thrown to 26 times. He has caught 14 of them for 230 yards and a TD in each contest.

WR Donte Stallworth, PHI - Late last week, OC Marty Mornhinweg said Stallworth was finally close to being 100% again. Of course Stallworth showed that his 100% is able to catch six balls for 139 yards and a TD. In his three 100% healthy games this season, Stallworth has totaled 17 catches, 361 yards, and three scores. That’s outstanding.

TE Stephen Alexander, DEN - The Broncos have almost completely ignored the TE this season, but Alexander had six catches for 49 yards against the Raiders. It’s not much, but it’s more than Alexander totaled in the eight prior games combined.

TE Bo Scaife, TEN - It’s not often that a top ten fantasy player is available on your waiver wire, but it’s probable that Scaife is sitting there. He has quietly become the team’s primary TE and sits as the league’s tenth best fantasy TE over the last three weeks.

TE Ben Utecht, IND - In the last four weeks, Utecht has been targeted 20 times and is becoming a valuable outlet receiver for Peyton manning. Against the Bills, Utecht caught a season-high seven passes for a season-high 66 yards. He is clearly a player on the rise.

TE Kellen Winslow Jr, CLE - Winslow has been a consistently valuable TE this season (seven games with either 50+ yards and/or a TD catch). Over the last three weeks, he has totaled 23 catches and 244 yards and seems to be improving as the season unfolds. For the superstitious among us, he has caught TD every three games and is due for one in week 11.

PK Shayne Graham, CIN - Graham and the Bengals offense faltered a bit to start the season, but they have come on recently (especially in week ten). Over the last three weeks, Graham has scored 28 points and is tied for third in points per game in that span.

PK Matt Stover, BAL - Stover continues to excel with Brian Billick calling the plays. Stover has been perfect on six FGs and ten PATs over the last three weeks and is tied for third in scoring over that time frame.

TD Green Bay Packers, GB - The Packers defense has really come on lately behind the rookie A.J. Hawk. In their last four games, they have forced six turnovers and have collected 17 QB sacks.

TD Oakland Raiders, OAK - Lost in the mire that is the Oakland offense is a very good Oakland defense. Over their last four games, they have allowed only 55 points while sacking the QB 13 times and forcing nine turnovers.

TD Seattle Seahawks, SEA - With their offensive stars sidelined, Seattle’s defense has picked up the slack. Over the last four weeks, this unit has led the league with 18 QB sacks. When Matt Hasselbeck and Shaun Alexander return, an improved offense should help the Seahawks’ defense even more.

Downgrades

QB Mark Brunell, WAS - Brunell has finally found the pine as the team has decided to turn to Jason Campbell as their starting QB. It would be a surprise to see Brunell take another snap. Of course in leagues that penalize for INTs, he might score more points for you now.

QB Marc Bulger, STL - One knock on Bulger in his career is the propensity for injury (he has never played a full 16-game season). With T Orlando Pace gone for the year, Bulger’s blind side will be open, and he’ll surely take more hits. Even if Bulger stays in one piece, the defensive pressure will be more disruptive to the Rams' offense in the second half of the season.

QB David Garrard, JAX - While a few of them weren’t his fault, Garrard throwing four INTs en rout to another loss to the Texans might make Byron Leftwich’s injury a little better. Of course that’s pure speculation, but after this performance, we wouldn’t want to start Garrard against anyone.

QB Damon Huard, KC - The Dolphins defense pressured Huard into looking quite ordinary in week ten. Trent Green is extremely close to being able to play, and it looks like Huard is incapable of consistently leading this offense.

QB Jon Kitna, DET - Wow. A high-powered offense is supposed to destroy a defense like the 49ers. Instead, Kitna barely found the 200-yard mark and threw a single TD.

QB J.P. Losman, BUF - Since his nice day against the Lions in week six, Losman has simply not put up many stats (378 total passing yards in three games). Such pedestrian numbers have become commonplace for Losman.

QB Eli Manning, NYG - Manning has come up extremely small in his last three games. In that span, he has totaled 454 passing yards to go along with only two TDs and three INTs. How bad are those numbers? Manning has been only slightly better than J.P. Losman. Yeah, that’s right…J.P. Losman.

QB Jake Plummer, DEN - Plummer does have five TDs in his last two games, but there were times against Oakland that he looked downright awful. His three INTs ranged from horrid to confusingly stupid. The only reason Plummer didn’t cause his team to lose in week ten was because they were playing the Raiders.

QB Alex Smith, SF - It has been an up-and-down season for Smith. He started the season with three nice games (814 total yards with three TDs and zero INTs). After that start, he has struggled with consistency (was held under 100 yards against the Chiefs but tossed three scores against the Raiders). Over the last three games, he has found consistency, but it’s been the wrong kind. He has not surpassed 150 yards passing since week six and hasn’t thrown a TD since week eight. Smith is simply not scoring many fantasy points right now.

QB Michael Vick, ATL - Vick has to be one of the most inconsistent QBs in the league. He has been very ugly over the last two weeks and is making bad throws and bad decisions. His turnovers against the Browns were simply awful.

QB Seneca Wallace, SEA - Wallace had a nice game against the Rams, but Matt Hasselbeck will return to the starting lineup either this week or in week 12.

QB Andrew Walter, OAK - It looks like Aaron Brooks will be healthy enough to play either this week or next, so Walter will likely return to the bench.

RB Mike Bell, DEN - Even though the team was concerned about Tatum Bell’s toes, Mike Bell was inactive on Sunday. That speaks volumes about his lack of value.

RB Cedric Benson, CHI - Against the Giants, Thomas Jones touched the ball 33 times and gained 123 yards while Benson touched the ball seven times for six yards. Benson is definitely not the man.

RB Ahman Green, GB - Green was disappointing against the Vikings and has another tough matchup in week 11 against the Patriots. After that, he should have easier time of it for a few weeks, but we’re tempering our expectations for now.

RB Kevin Jones, DET - This was a game where Kevin Jones should have lit up the scoreboard. Instead, the 49ers held him to just 44 rushing yards. Granted, Jones’ numbers ended up OK thanks to nine catches for 71 yards, but the overall performance was a disappointment. The lack of a TD was tough as well.

RB LaMont Jordan, OAK - The TD was the only thing that saved Jordan’s fantasy totals as the Broncos held him to 12 yards on 10 carries. After a week where Jordan complained about the team not calling enough rushing plays, this performance was nothing more than a thud.

RB Wali Lundy, HOU - Yes, Lundy did find the endzone, but the Texans clearly favored Samkon Gado down the stretch. In the second half, Gado had 16 carries while Lundy ran the ball twice.

RB Laurence Maroney, NE - Maroney is not completely right at the moment. He keeps getting touches, but his 11-carry, 37-yard performance against a poor Jets rush defense was very underwhelming.

RB Maurice Morris, SEA - It’s not often that you see a guy go for 124 yards and face a downgrade, but that’s life when you’re the backup to Shaun Alexander. Alexander has been cleared to practice and will play this weekend if his foot holds up. Morris will be back on the bench.

RB Clinton Portis, WAS - Portis will be out for three to four weeks with a broken hand. There is also speculation that if the team remains out of contention, they’ll sit Portis for the remainder of the season.

RB Michael Robinson, SF - Robinson did nothing in relief of Frank Gore. Maurice Hicks eventually took over for Robinson. Neither has a real shot at stealing time from Gore, who should be healthy enough to play in week 11.

RB Leon Washington, NYJ - Washington appeared to seize the primary RB role in week seven with a 129-yard, two-TD performance against the Lions. Since then, he has struggled and was outpaced by Kevan Barlow last Sunday against the Patriots. Barlow had almost twice as many rushes and over twice as many yards. Barlow also scored a TD while Washington did not find the endzone. The Jets’ ground attack looks to be a time-sharing proposition for the remainder of the season.

RB LenDale White, TEN - Travis Henry is showing no signs of letting White get much action. Against the Ravens, White saw no carries and only caught one pass while Henry rushed 27 times for 107 yards.

WR Mike Furrey, DET - One of the nice things about Furrey this season has been his consistency, but that went out the window in week ten with a two-catch, 13-yard performance against the 49ers. Those numbers are especially disappointing considering the weakness San Francisco has shown this season.

WR Doug Gabriel, NE - It appears that Gabriel has been passed in the pecking order by Reche Caldwell. He still has potential, but Gabriel can not be relied upon each week.

WR David Givens, TEN - Givens has struggled with his health this year but finally got back on the field against the Ravens. Sadly, he tore an ACL and will be lost for the remainder of the season.

WR Terry Glenn, DAL - After spending all week listed as probable, Glenn was scratch Saturday night with a bone-on-bone injury in the back of his knee. These injuries are tough to play through, so it would not be a surprise if Glenn misses more time this season.

WR Devery Henderson, NO - After an excellent week nine, Henderson didn’t get a single catch against the Steelers. Even worse, Henderson didn’t even get a target.

WR Chris Henry, CIN - Henry has put up the occasional great game this season, but he was disappointing against the Chargers (despite catching a TD). On a day when Carson Palmer threw 42 times for 440 yards, Henry caught only two balls for 18 yards. To make things worse, he dropped a TD on the Bengals’ final drive that could have tied the game.

WR Joe Horn, NO - Horn has scratched for two straight weeks with a bad groin. He was pointing toward returning in week ten but suffered a setback in Friday’s practice. Even if he does play in week 11, he could be slowed by the injury.

WR Greg Jennings, GB - The ankle injury has definitely slowed Jennings. He has played the last two weeks, but totaled only eight catches for 107 yards and no TDs.

WR Brandon Jones, TEN - Some of you may be holding on to this guy. He has two catches for 18 yards and zero TDs over the last three weeks. You don’t need to hold any longer.

WR Matt Jones, JAX - Jones entered the 2006 season loaded with potential, but he has fallen flat. Jones seems to be an excellent redzone option because of his size, but he has only one TD in his last 13 games.

WR Joe Jurevicius, CLE - There isn’t enough passing game in Cleveland to support multiple fantasy receivers. With Kellen Winslow Jr. and Braylon Edwards in town, Jurevicius has no chance to be a consistent option.

WR Ashley Lelie, ATL - Lelie showed some promise in weeks seven and eight (which coincided with Michael Vick’s huge games), but his stats in the last two games (three catches for 44 yards) have been sorely lacking. Michael Jenkins is clearly the team’s primary WR, so Lelie is left to find some scraps.

WR Randy Moss, OAK - This passing game is far from good, but it’s apparent that Moss has pretty much checked out for 2006. His only hope is that the return of Aaron Brooks will spark the Oakland offense, but relying on Brooks is a pretty scary thought.

WR Troy Williamson, MIN - Williamson has a total of one catch and four yards in his last two games. Does anyone still have him on their roster?

TE Chris Baker, NYJ - There has been a lot of talk recently about Baker getting more involved in the Jets’ offense. That’s encouraging, but the fact is that he has caught only one ball in each of the last three games.

TE Tony Gonzalez, KC - Gonzalez will likely miss two to three weeks with sprained left shoulder.

TE Jeremy Shockey, NYG - Eli Manning’s production has fallen greatly over the last few weeks, and Shockey’s numbers are obviously suffering along with that decline. His one catch for 15 yards performance against Chicago was very disappointing.

TE L.J. Smith, PHI - Since Donte’ Stallworth came back from injury in week eight, Smith has caught only two passes for 19 yards. Moreover, Smith has been targeted only six times in those two games. He can not produce with such limited opportunities.

TE Ben Troupe, TEN - Troupe has been one of the biggest disappointments at TE this season. In the last five games, he has only six catches for 33 yards and no TDs.

TE Ben Watson, NE - In the four prior games, it looked like Watson was ready to meet his preseason expectations, but he faltered in week ten. The Jets are far from an imposing defense, so Watson’s 16 yards on two catches performance (his worst outing of the year) is a head scratcher.

PK Jason Elam, DEN - Elam simply isn’t getting a chance to score. He has kicked only three FGs over the last three games. He’s made them all, but that’s just not going to win many fantasy games.

PK Neil Rackers, ARI - Larry Fitzgerald came back, but the Cardinals’ offense is still a mess. However, Rackers is struggling with consistency this season (six missed FGs in 19 attempts). Rackers has scored only six points in his last two games.

TD Cincinnati Bengals, CIN - Even before allow 49 points to the Chargers, this has been a bad group. They have forced only one turnover in the last four weeks.

TD San Diego Chargers, SD - It looks like the injuries and suspensions are catching up with the Chargers as they were absolutely torched by Carson Palmer.

TD Washington Redskins, WAS - Much like the Redskins’ offense, the Washington defense has simply been disappointing. They have allowed 82 points and almost 1200 yards in their last three games while getting only three sacks and zero forced turnovers.

TD New Orleans Saints, NO - The Saints looked really bad on two plays against Willie Parker as he gashed them on two rushes longer than 70 yards. Aside from that, they have looked very mediocre. In the last four weeks, they have only seven sacks and have forced only two turnovers.