Movers And Shakers Week 2

Posted 9/15 by Jeff Pasquino and Jeff Tefertiller, Exclusive for Footballguys.com

This will be a weekly contribution to the Footballguys.com schedule. Each week, either Jeff Pasquino or myself will take a deeper look at the players with the greatest movements in our dynasty rankings. The focus will be on the players that move the most and why. The emphasis will be on the long-term talent and situations more than the performance in a given week.

You can find the dynasty rankings here

Quarterbacks

Kevin O'Connell, NYJ (-8) O'Connell went from being the primary backup to Tom Brady to being QB3 for the New York Jets. He was rosterable with Brady recovering from knee surgery but is worth little in New York, playing behind rookie Mark Sanchez. For this reason, I dropped him out of the rankings. He is not worth rostering unless in the largest of leagues. O'Connell is still young and can develop into a starting professional passer, but he is far from that level at this time.

Matt Flynn, GB (+ 15) The Packers have finally given up hope on former second rounder Brian Brohm. Flynn has looked decent in spot duty and has proven he could be effective if called upon. He does have upside with the injury history of starter Aaron Rodgers. Yes, Rodgers made it through all of last season in one piece, but the odds are not strong that he can duplicate the feat. The Bears were able to get god hits on Rodgers Sunday evening. The Packers have a cache of receiving weapons at the disposal of Rodgers. If Flynn was thrust into starting, he could easily be a starter in fantasy leagues. With an arsenal of Greg Jennings, Donald Driver, Jordy Nelson, and James Jones, Flynn could put up good passing numbers.

Brett Favre, MIN (-11) Favre is the starter in Minnesota for now. He has stated that he does not know if his body will hold up for the entire season. This should be a huge red flag for the fantasy football world. The odds are extremely remote that the graybeard can make it through the 2009 season healthy and play in 2010. For that reason, he is nothing more than a short-term QB2 option in fantasy leagues. He is not worth rostering unless you have few other options to cover bye weeks. His arm has yet to fully recover from the offseason surgery. This situation has the feel of one that will not end well ... not that Favre's previous stops have ended on a high note.

Running Backs

Jonathan Stewart, CAR (-7) I have been a big Stewart fan for a long while. I have not given up on him by any means, but he is not a Top 10 dynasty back for me until I see him healthy and at full speed for more than a few games. Yes, Stewart played decently against the Eagles, but he needs to show he is a premier back. While this drop is not a huge one, it is for backs ranked this highly. I still like Stewart as a dynasty running back, but he needs to prove he belongs in the elite ranks. He is only 22 years old and has plenty of time to improve. The Panthers would like to use the hard running style of the 5'10", 235-pound runner to pound on defenses.

Rashard Mendenhall, PIT (-13) I must confess, I expected way too much from Mendenhall. He does not have the look of a NFL primary back. Thursday night's game confirmed that notion. He does not run with authority. Mendenhall is another youngster that still has a lot to prove. The Steelers want to be a power running team, but it is obvious they do not have faith in Mendenhall. It is best to watch and wait before expecting much until we see him run with power and quit dancing.

Ray Rice, BAL (+8) Rice has been anointed as the lead ball carrier for the Ravens. The team will look to run the ball a lot this season. He has surpassed Willis McGahee on the depth chart. While they may split carries to an extent, Rice will get most of the receptions. He is a very good receiver out of the backfield. The Ravens want to assert their dominance with a strong running game and aggressive defense. The team has few playmakers on offense. Derrick Mason is the only reliable wide receiver. Mark Clayton is inconsistent and injury-prone. Quarterback Joe Flacco will look to utilize his hard-running back in the passing game. Rice will be a surprisingly good fantasy RB2 many weeks. He is a great fit for the Cam Cameron offense.

Leon Washington, NYJ (+11) Coach Rex Ryan promised to get Washington more involved in the offense. In the preseason, the coach remarked that he wanted to get the playmaking back 300 touches this season. While that may be hyperbole to an extent, it is an indication of his desire to get Washington heavily involved in the offense. The Jets are another team that is void of playmaking receivers and will try to get Washington into space so he can make a big play. Washington is a very good pass receiver. Rookie passer Mark Sanchez will look to dump off a lot passes to the diminutive runner. Washington and Thomas Jones split touches pretty evenly in the game against the Houston Texans. This is a very good sign for Washington owners.

Wide Receivers

Marques Colston, NO (-5) Colston has as much talent and ability as many of the top pass receivers in the league. He plays in the prolific, pass-happy Saint offense. So, why drop him in the rankings? I just do not have confidence in Colston's ability to remain healthy. He is coming off microfracture surgery and has battled knee injuries throughout his short career. He is a player I would look to sell high if possible after the touchdown against the Lions.

Michael Crabtree, SF (-7) This season is pretty much a washout for the unsigned rookie. He has missed valuable time in camp and preseason. This is the time that rookies work on the finer parts of the position. The wide receiver position is one that is very difficult to make the transition to the professional level as it is, but a prolonged holdout spells trouble in the short-term. This dropping in ranking is the admission that Crabtree will not make much of a difference for fantasy owners until the 2010 season...even if he signs shortly.

Chaz Schilens, OAK (+14) This is a strong move up the rankings for a player that is out of action with a broken foot. Schilens was THAT impressive in the first preseason game against the Dallas Cowboys. The Raiders have few other options at the wide receiver position. I expect Schilens to be the primary target for quarterback JaMarcus Russell. Schilens is just entering his second season from a smaller college and will improve greatly.

Justin Gage, TEN(+17) Thursday night's game showed me that I had Gage way too low. He was productive last season and could be a valuable flex option, especially in PPR (Points Per Reception) leagues. I do not expect Kerry Collins to pass that often every game, but it illustrates the potential. The Steelers were able to contain the Titan running game on Thursday evening. Chris Johnson and LenDale White will be productive in many games. But, Gage will still get his targets. He is the receiver Collins looks to for the clutch reception. Gage also gets his share of redzone targets.

Tight Ends

Visanthe Shiancoe, MIN (+4) I move Shiancoe up to the fantasy starter range. He looks very good, especially with the improvement at quarterback. Anything is an improvement from Gus Frerotte and Tarvaris Jackson last season. We, as fantasy footballers, are all too soon to forget that Shiancoe was TE5 last season. He can easily duplicate the feat and is still fairly young.

Billy Miller, NO (-NA) I dropped Miller out of the rankings after he tore up his knee in preseason. I had hopes for Miller, but he is now waiver wire fodder. The strong showing by Jeremy Shockey this week could make it even more of a difficult climb back to the Saint roster next season.

Until we meet again...