Week 8 Upgrades/Downgrades

Upgrades

QB Charlie Batch, PIT - Big Ben has a concussion and could sit in week 8. If that happens, Charlie Batch will get the start against a sub-par Oakland defense. If you are desperate at QB, Batch could be your man.

QB David Carr, HOU - It’s amazing what a little time to throw can do for a quarterback. The Texans’ offensive line is playing a lot better and it’s showing up in the box score. Andre Johnson is able to get deeper down the field and Carr has looked fantastic. He threw for 224 yards and 2 TDs (with no interceptions) this week against a usually tough Jacksonville defense. Better yet, he led his team to their second victory.

QB Jay Cutler, DEN - He could see time soon if Plummer continues to struggle. Through 6 games, Plummer has thrown just 4 TDs against 7 interceptions.

QB Joey Harrington, MIA - It took 62 pass attempts, but Harrington finished with 414 yards and 2 TDs (also threw 3 picks though). Miami looks like they will be forced to throw a lot going forward as they play from behind. You could do worse than Joey Harrington as your backup QB.

QB Damon Huard, KC - Huard continues to play well and should remain the starter. Trent Green will start practicing this week, but indications are that he could be out another 2-3 weeks. He finished with 232 yards and 2 TDs with no interceptions.

QB Brad Johnson, MIN - The Vikings abandoned the conservative play calling and threw the ball downfield more this Sunday. He only finished with 171 yards and a TD, but averaged 7.1 yards per attempt. He gets San Francisco, Green Bay and Miami in weeks 9-11 so the time to acquire him is now.

QB Jon Kitna, DET - The Mike Martz offense continues to post huge stats in the passing game. Through 7 games, Kitna has already thrown for 1,853 yards. From a points per game perspective, Kitna has been the 6th best QB this season. He has a bye in week 8 and a tough matchup against Atlanta in week 9 befre drawing San Francisco and Arizona (two games he should have excellent stats).

QB Peyton Manning, IND - He is quietly having another MVP-type season. He has thrown 12 TDs, rushed for two more while throwing just 2 picks. He led all QBs this week with 342 yards and 4 TDs with no interceptions. He has two tough matchups next (Denver and New England) but is obviously a must-start every week.

QB Philip Rivers, SD - He made some critical mistakes which hurt his team, but from a fantasy perspective he is on the rise. He posted 266 passing yards and 2 TDs while throwing one interception. With San Diego’s defense now looking much worse (Merriman suspension and injuries), Rivers will likely be asked to do even more soon.

QB Michael Vick, ATL - He threw for 232 yards, 4 TDs and ran for 40 yards. In a strange week, that was only good enough to be the third best QB. As teams gear up to stop the impressive Atlanta rushing attack, Vick has more opportunities to shine in the passing game. He threw the ball with a lot more touch this week (instead of his usual lasers) to great results.

QB Seneca Wallace, SEA - As long as Matt Hasselbeck remains on the sideline, Wallace has good potential with targets like Darrell Jackson and Deion Branch. That said, we aren’t overly excited about a very raw Wallace as a fantasy starter, but it looks like he’ll get at least a couple of weeks as the Seahawks starting QB. Seneca Wallace also is a threat with his feet which should yield him decent fantasy stats each week.

RB Joseph Addai, IND - We expected improvement after Indianapolis’ bye and he delivered. We expect the carries to start being 75% Addai, 25% Rhodes going forward. He is clearly the better runner now. And this gap is only going to widen.

RB Shaun Alexander, SEA - He was pleading his case to play this week, but was held out. But we fully expect he will hit the field this week. Maurice Morris has been awful in relief and Alexander will be able to protect unproven Seneca Wallace better. Look for the Seahawks to ride Alexander a lot going forward until they get Hasselbeck back.

RB Tatum Bell, DEN - He continues to get the majority of the carries. He had another great game getting 115 yards and a TD on 24 carries. This week he draws Indianapolis (who has been weak against the run).

RB Corey Dillon, NE - Laurence Maroney remains a talent, but he has been unable to wrestle away the carries from veteran Corey Dillon. Dillon got the majority of the work this week (14 carries to Maroney’s 8). Dillon also scored 2 TDs. So this looks like it will continue to be RBBC for the time being.

RB Warrick Dunn, ATL - He just made it through the toughest part of his schedule (Giants and Steelers) and still gained 215 yards with a pair of TDs. Now he gets to face Cincinnati, Detroit and Cleveland in the next three weeks, so his numbers should get even better.

RB Ahman Green, GB - So much for easing him back. He turned his 18 carries into 118 yards and a TD. As long as he is healthy, he will get the bulk of the carries. This pushes Noah Herron and Vernand Morency to the pine on your fantasy rosters.

RB Larry Johnson, KC - He ran hard on Sunday against a tough San Diego front. He led all RBs in fantasy points as he posted 132 rushing yards, 29 receiving yards and 2 TDs.

RB Kevin Jones, DET - He had 86 rushing yards (on just 15 carries) and added 57 yards and a TD on 6 receptions. He is so much better suited for the Mike Martz-offense this year. He has 740 combined yards and 5 TDs through 7 games. He should be in your lineup every week regardless of matchup.

RB Wali Lundy, HOU - He did not start the game, but he finished it. He finished the game with 93 yards and a TD on 19 carries. Many of these yards were in the second half with a lead when Jacksonville knew he was going to run. This performance should put him back as the starting RB in Houston.

RB Chester Taylor, MIN - The acquisition of Steve Hutchinson has helped the Minnesota offensive line immensely. Chester Taylor is benefiting greatly running behind this line as he is able to get deep into a defense going left on most plays. Yesterday, he broke off a huge run going left and finished the day with 169 rushing yards and a TD. He also added 4 catches. He gets San Francisco, Green Bay and Miami in weeks 9-11 so the time to acquire him is now.

RB Leon Washington, NYJ - The rookie gained an impressive 129 yards and 2 TDs on 20 carries. He is clearly the best running back on the Jets’ roster. Kevin Barlow did get 12 carries, but we think those numbers could decrease as Washington gets a bigger share of the workload going forward.

RB Brian Westbrook, PHI - Westbrook can score on any play. Yesterday he broke 6+ tackles to find his way to the endzone on what started as small pass play. He finished with 101 rushing yards (on just 13 carries) and 7 catches for 112 yards and a TD. We hate that he is always questionable on the injury report, but when he plays he is as good as anyone.

WR Marty Booker, MIA - Booker spent the week unsure if he’d even play against the Packers. He did play and turned in an excellent day with seven catches on a team-leading 13 targets for 110 yards and a TD.

WR Reggie Brown, PHI - Brown continues to consistently find the endzone and now has five games with a TD. In six games this season, Brown has either scored or surpassed the 100-yard mark.

WR Donald Driver, GB - Driver was the Green Bay receiving game after Greg Jennings went out with an ankle injury. Driver was targeted 13 times against the Dolphins (his highest number of the season) and caught 10 balls for 93 yards and a TD. If Jennings can’t go in week eight (or is at less than 100%), Driver should easily be Favre’s most popular target.

WR Mike Furrey, DET - Like everyone else, we were unsure if Furrey would continue to be a force in the Lions’ offense. After a big day against the Jets, we’re now convinced. Furrey is now a fixture and a viable fantasy WR. He is consistently targeted by Jon Kitna and currently ranks as the #30 WR in fantasy points per game.

WR Derek Hagan, MIA - Hagan has suddenly become a big part of the Dolphins passing game. In the last two weeks, he has been targeted 19 times. In those two games, Hagan has 11 catches for 119 yards and a TD. There is still a crowd at the position with Chris Chambers, Marty Booker and Wes Welker all vying for action, but Hagan has shown some consistent numbers for a couple of weeks.

WR Chris Henry, CIN - Henry is now eligible to come off his suspension. Also, his court case on charges stemming from Henry's arrest June 3rd for speeding and operating a vehicle under the influence was moved to November 27th. This gives Henry a few more games to play before possibly facing an NFL-suspension (which will most likely occur if were Henry convicted of either charge or entered a guilty plea to a lesser charge).

WR Santonio Holmes, PIT - We’d like to see Holmes find the endzone, but it looks like he’s slowly working his way into the Pittsburgh offense (almost 80% of his fantasy points have come in the three games since his bye week). Also, looking at his weekly yardage totals (6, 15, 30, 22, 58 and 91) shows a definitely upward trend. Holmes is clearly a player on the rise.

WR Chad Jackson, NE - It looks like Jackson’s injuries are finally behind him, and he is finally being worked into the offense (two rushes in the last three weeks and two TDs in the last four games). On a team that is lacking WR talent, Jackson could end up being the go-to WR before the season is over.

WR Darrell Jackson, SEA - Jackson has arguably been the subject of more worries than any other player. First was the concern over his health. Then came the thought that Deion Branch may have been brought in to assume the WR1 job. Now we obviously wonder how the loss of Matt Hasselbeck will affect the passing game. However, through it all, Jackson has turned in nice numbers this season. He currently ranks fourth among all WRs in fantasy points per game with 39 catches for 523 yards and three TDs. Jackson excels because he is talented and should continue to produce solid numbers.

WR Andre Johnson, HOU - Johnson has been amazingly consistent this season as he has had either 100+ yards or a TD in all but one game this season (and that game was a 9-catch 75-yard effort). This steadiness has Johnson atop the receptions and receiving yards lists and in the top five of fantasy WRs.

WR Ruvell Martin, GB - At the very least, Martin is now the team’s WR3. In that role, he should see at least a few targets every week. However, if Greg Jennings’ sprained ankle keeps him on the sidelines, Martin would move into the starting lineup. Being one of Brett Favre’s starting WRs is generally good for the statline.

WR Randy Moss, OAK - It appears that Randy Moss and the Raiders aren’t completely dead just yet. In the last two weeks, Moss has 12 catches on 26 targets for 215 yards and a score. Furthermore, he has three TDs in his last four weeks.

WR Marcus Robinson, MIN - While Robinson isn’t thought of as a starting WR, he has been Minnesota's most active receiver in the last three weeks. Since week four, Robinson has 12 catches on 18 targets for 180 yards and two TDs. By way of comparison, Travis Taylor has 10 catches on 20 targets for 97 yards and a score while Troy Williamson has five catches on 15 targets for 56 yards and no TDs.

WR Donte Stallworth, PHI - Stallworth was reportedly close to returning last week, so we expect him to see the field again very soon. Some people may have forgotten how good he was in the first two games of the season (11 catches on 20 targets for 222 yards and two TDs).

WR Javon Walker, DEN - Walker has been surprisingly good considering how poor Jake Plummer’s numbers have been this season. Plummer has only 984 passing yards, yet Walker has caught 495 of them (just over 50%). Plummer has only four TDs, yet Walker has caught two of them (50%).

WR Hines Ward, PIT - Well Ward certainly looked healthy against the Falcons with an eight-catch, 171-yard and three-TD performance. While we would normally worry about a team’s WR1 when his QB could miss action, Charlie Batch seems to be focused on Ward getting the ball (in only three halves this season, Batch has thrown three of Ward’s five TDs).

WR Nate Washington, PIT - Washington isn’t getting a ton of looks (15 catches on only 24 targets this season), but he seems to have a nose for the endzone (three TDs already this season with one in each of the last two games).

WR Reggie Wayne, IND - There are a couple of reasons to like Wayne even a little more than normal: 1) Peyton Manning is starting to heat up, and 2) Brandon Stokley is ailing right now. With Manning playing well and Stokley not around to steal targets, Wayne’s numbers will soar.

TE Courtney Anderson, OAK - While he certainly isn’t setting the world on fire, Anderson has quietly turned up his production lately. In the last two games, he has six of his 11 catches and 111 of his 162 yards. If the Raiders’ offense can continue to show a little life, Anderson should become a viable fantasy option for teams in need of a TE.

TE Desmond Clark, CHI - Clark opened the season with a pair of nice games but then struggled over the next four games (although his four catches for 61 yards game against the Cardinals was acceptable). There are a couple of reasons for the decline in stats: 1) Clark was hobbled a bit with injury, and 2) the schedule was tough. Look for Clark to rebound over the next three weeks as San Francisco, Miami and the Giants are all fairly weak against TEs.

TE Chris Cooley, WAS - Despite a Redskins’ offense that has struggled in almost every game this season, Cooley has been fairly consistent (at least over the last few weeks). He has caught four balls in four of the last five games and has a TD in each of the last two outings.

TE Alge Crumpler, ATL - Since their week five bye, Crumpler has caught 11 of his 22 receptions for 183 of his 311 yards and three of his four TDs on the season. While it’s unreasonable to expect Crumpler to have another game like he turned in against the Steelers (six catches for 117 yards and three scores), a performance like that could easily jumpstart Crumpler and the entire Falcons’ passing game.

TE Owen Daniels, HOU - He is certainly not an exciting option, but Daniels is a popular option at the goalline. While he has only nine receptions this season, Daniels has caught three TDs.

TE Tony Gonzalez, KC - Gonzalez needs to find some consistency, and he certainly needs to find the endzone more often (a single TD on the season isn’t too exciting). However, anyone torching the Chargers defense for 138 receiving yards definitely deserves an upgrade.

TE Randy McMichael, MIA - McMichael has become Joey Harrington’s favorite target with 33 passes being thrown his way over the last three weeks. McMichael has caught 21 of those balls for 233 yards. While it is bothersome that he is yet to find the endzone (zero TDs this season), McMichael’s involvement in the offense leads us to believe he’ll start scoring soon.

TE Ben Utecht, IND - Utecht has fought injury this season but turned in a nice game against the Redskins. With Brandon Stokley ailing, the Colts will look to other receivers to fill the void. If he can stay healthy, Utecht has a good opportunity to post consistently good numbers.

PK Morten Andersen, ATL - Andersen can still kick with accuracy. If the Falcons’ offense can build upon their performance against Pittsburgh, Andersen should be afforded tons of kicking opportunities.

PK Matt Bryant, TB - Bryant’s game-winning FG against the Eagles could be huge for him. Of course he should have plenty of confidence in himself after making the third longest kick in NFL history. More importantly, HC Jon Gruden has tons of confidence in his kicker.

PK Dave Rayner, GB - Rayner ranks tenth in PK scoring this season. However, that includes a week one game against the Bears where Green Bay was shutout. Since then, Rayner has consistently put up good numbers (9, 7, 9, 8 and 10 points).

PK Adam Vinatieri, IND - Vinatieri finally seems healthy again after missing three weeks. He came back in week seven and picked up right where he left off. In only three games, Vinatieri is perfect on 10 FGs and nine PATs. He ranks first among PKs in points per game.

TD Denver Broncos, DEN - Denver’s defense has been stellar this season. In their last three weeks, they have allowed 666 yards and 13 points. In that time, the also sacked the QB 11 times and forced eight turnovers. Those are quality numbers in any scoring system.

TD Arizona Cardinals, ARI - The Cardinals are a woeful team right now, but their defense has put up some good numbers lately. Over their last three games, they have forced 13 turnovers and accumulated 10 sacks.

TD New England Patriots, NE - The Patriots have been quite stingy lately. In their last two games, they have allowed only 539 yards and 16 points while forcing six turnovers. We’d love to see them get to the QB more often (only three sacks in their last two games), but in some scoring systems, the stinginess makes them a nice option.

TD Houston Texans, HOU - No the Texans defense is not suddenly a viable starting unit, but they aren’t as bad as most people think. They looked very good against a hobbled Jacksonville squad (holding the Jaguars to 230 total yards. While we’d be quite hesitant to rely on this group, they are certainly playing better than some squads right now (Washington for example).

TD Minnesota Vikings, MIN - Minnesota’s defense has quietly become one of the better fantasy units out there this season. In their last two games, they have allowed only 507 yards (a mere 69 on the ground) and 30 points while sacking the QB nine times and forcing seven turnovers.

Downgrades

QB Daunte Culpepper, MIA - Culpepper remains out and is still rehabbing his knee. HC Nick Saban says Culpepper is still experiencing some swelling in the knee and doesn’t yet have a target date for his return to action. It wouldn’t be a surprise if he doesn’t play again until next season.

QB Bruce Gradkowski, TB - Against an Eagles team that has given up a lot of passing yards, Gradkowski was only able to manage 104 yards while completing just 50% of his passes.

QB Trent Green, KC - With Damon Huard playing well, Green will likely continue to sit. He is expected to start practicing this week, but it could still be 2-4 weeks before he sees the field. And if Huard continues to shine, Green might not see the field the rest of the year.

QB Matt Hasselbeck, SEA - The initial diagnosis is that Hasselbeck with miss two or three weeks with a sprained MCL. Even when he does return, the knee could dampen his effectiveness.

QB Byron Leftwich, JAX - He managed only 125 passing yards against a soft Houston defense. Admittedly he was hurt (and played through the pain), but you have to wonder how many more bad performances will be tolerated before the team goes to David Garrard. Leftwich has easy games coming up, but has been too inconsistent to recommend.

QB J.P. Losman, BUF - He struggled in week 7 throwing for 193 yards, no TDs with an interception. He also lost 2 fumbles. He is on a bye this week.

QB Jake Plummer, DEN - The Broncos continue to win, but little has to do with Plummer's play. He took 41 pass attempts to manage just 209 yards (5.1 yards per carry) while throwing 1 TD and 2 interceptions. He has not looked good all year and many wonder if the Broncos will go with rookie Jay Cutler soon.

RB Kevan Barlow, NYJ - Barlow has officially started the last three games, but he has officially been out-produced by Leon Washington in every game. In those contests, Barlow has 29 carries for 93 yards and a TD while Washington has accumulated 54 carries for 288 yards and two TDs. The Barlow era is over; we hope you didn’t blink.

RB Ron Dayne, HOU - Dayne had his shot at carrying the load for the Texans and responded with a 2.9 YPC average. In week seven, he was inactive in favor of Wali Lundy and Samkon Gado. Lundy put up 93 yards on only 19 carries and will likely keep Dayne on the sidelines for the remainder of the season.

RB Samkon Gado, HOU - Gado started the game against Jacksonville but was easily outplayed by Wali Lundy. While Gado will likely be active each week, he is clearly #2 in the pecking order. We don’t believe there is much value in Houston’s RB2.

RB Edgerrin James, ARI - James is clearly struggling this season. He has only 432 rushing yards on 161 carries for a 2.7 average. His numbers in the last two games (49 carries for 89 yards) are especially nasty. Through seven games, he has found the endzone only twice. While his 24 receptions and 137 receiving yards help the overall numbers, he has been a disappointment so far.

RB LaMont Jordan, OAK - Jordan hurt a lot of fantasy teams by not playing in week seven. While we don’t necessarily fault the guy for being injured, the way he missed time was brutal. Jordan was probable on the injury report which for a starter generally means a player will play. Then he wasn’t on the inactive list which for a starter generally means a player will play. Obviously, he didn’t see the field.

RB Willis McGahee, BUF - After a nice start to the season (369 rushing yards in his first four games), McGahee has been quite mediocre in the last three weeks with 51 carries for 175 rushing yards in that span. We are also far from pleased with his one TD in seven games this season.

RB Maurice Morris, SEA - Morris finally got a shot to show he was talented enough to be a team’s primary RB. He has started three games in place of the injured Shaun Alexander and has been a big flop. In those starts, he has 51 carries for 158 yards and zero TDs. It is likely that Alexander will return to action this week, but Morris would merit a downgrade even if he remained the starter.

WR Hank Baskett, PHI - Baskett had a nice game against the Cowboys, but he has been largely a nonfactor this season. With Donte’ Stallworth’s impending return, Baskett’s role will be narrowed further.

WR Nate Burleson, SEA - When Bobby Engram had to sit due to illness, Burleson had another opportunity to produce. He didn’t take it. In the two games without Engram, Burleson has been targeted three times while D.J. Hackett has seen ten passes his way. Burleson is still clearly the fourth option.

WR Chris Chambers, MIA - Chambers is no longer the unquestioned top receiver for Miami. Against the Packers, Joey Harrington threw for 414 yards, but Chambers caught only two balls for 29 yards. Over the last two weeks, Chambers (16) has fewer targets than Randy McMichael (24), Wes Welker (19) and Derek Hagan (19) while Marty Booker was looked at 13 times in week seven alone.

WR Braylon Edwards, CLE - While we didn’t expect Edwards to roll up a huge day against the Broncos’ defense, a two-catch, six-yard outing is extremely disappointing. We also don’t like the fact that he has only one TD this season and hasn’t crossed the 100-yard mark since week three.

WR Lee Evans, BUF - As the saying goes, great players come up big in big games. If that’s true, Evans clearly has not joined the list of great players. We’re not completely soured on Evans, but we hate the one-catch for 11 yards effort against the rival Patriots.

WR Robert Ferguson, GB - Ferguson has officially been ruled out for the remainder of the season.

WR Joey Galloway, TB - Galloway has been very much an all-or-nothing WR this season. He has three games with four or more catches and three games with one or less receptions. Last week against the Eagles, Galloway caught zero balls (his second such outing this year). That is simply unacceptable.

WR Greg Jennings, GB - Jennings suffered a sprained ankle in week seven. While he claimed after the game that he’d be ready to go in week eight, HC Mike McCarthy said Monday that he “could potentially miss Sunday’s game”. Either way, ankle sprains have a way of bothering guys for a while, so Jennings gets the downtick.

WR Santana Moss, WAS - The Redskins’ offense is struggling this year, and Moss is disappointing right along with it. While he is always capable of a huge week (see week four against the Jaguars), Moss is likely killing many fantasy rosters this season. Excepting his huge game against Jacksonville, Moss is averaging four catches for 50 yards and no TD.

WR Eric Moulds, HOU - The problem right now with Moulds is that Andre Johnson has been absolutely fantastic lately. There simply isn’t enough passing game in Houston to make Moulds a viable fantasy option right now.

WR Reggie Williams, JAX - There are a few reasons to give Williams the downtick. First, his QB is hobbled a bit right now. Second, we expect Matt Jones to eventually return and move Williams out of the primary WR role. Finally, he was shutout by the woeful Texans. Being held without a catch by Houston should be embarrassing.

WR Troy Williamson, MIN - Williamson is really struggling lately and does not even resemble an NFL WR1. Over his last fives games, he has five catches on 15 targets for 56 yards and no TDs. He is currently being out-produced by both Marcus Robinson and Travis Taylor.

WR Cedrick Wilson, PIT - In the preseason, there was some thought that Wilson could possibly put up similar number to Hines Ward. That’s not going to happen. Even worse for Wilson owners is that he is currently being out-produced by both Nate Washington and Santonio Holmes.

TE Bubba Franks, GB - We hate kicking a guy when he’s down, but Franks simply isn’t getting the job down this season. Even worse for his prospects is the appearance of the next three teams on the schedule (Arizona, Buffalo and Minnesota). Those three defenses have been stout against opposing TEs this season.

PK David Akers, PHI - Lately, Akers has been kicking too many PATs and too few FGs. In the last four weeks, Akers has been perfect on 15 PATs but only three FGs for an average of only six points per game.

PK Rian Lindell, BUF - Lindell simply isn’t getting many opportunities to score. In his last three games, Lindell has only three FG attempts and three PAT attempts. While he’s perfect on those kicks, four points per game is horrible.

PK Nick Novak, WAS - There are a couple of big negatives facing Novak right now: 1) The Redskins offense isn’t giving him many chances (two FG attempts and four PAT attempts in his two games), and 2) Novak isn’t converting those chances (zero made FGs).

TD San Diego Chargers, SD - The Chargers are still a nice fantasy option, but this defense has taken some personnel hits this year – OLB Shawne Merriman (four weeks due to steroids), OLB Steve Foley (the entire season due to gunshot wounds), OLB Shaun Phillips (at least four weeks with a calf injury) and DE Igor Olshansky (two to three more weeks with a knee injury) will miss significant time on defense while the return game was already without Darren Sproles for the year with a broken leg. Until Merriman, Phillips and Olshansky return, this unit could be little better than an average group.

TD Indianapolis Colts, IND - It is amazing how unDungylike this defense is. It’s not all that surprising that an undersized group could be soft against the run, but the Colts have allowed 328 rushing yards in their last two games. That’s terrible. Still, we could overlook that weakness if this group was getting to the QB and forcing turnovers in bunches, but that’s not happening either (only one turnover and two sacks in their last two games).

TD Washington Redskins, WAS - In their last three games, Washington’s defense has allowed 1207 yards while accumulating only four sacks and forcing zero turnovers. Those are ugly numbers regardless of the scoring system.