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Enron Mail |
Hi Folks
It's crunch time so let's jump right into our Upgraded and Downgraded=20 Players.? As we head down the home stretch, identifying those players movi= ng=20 up or down can be the difference between?dominating the playoffs or watchi= ng=20 from the sidelines.? As we head into our 15th week of listing these player= s,=20 it=01,s inevitable that some guys will have made both the upgrade or downg= rade=20 list.? Make sure you understand, what we=01,re talking about is players th= at=20 are moving.? In other words, a player like TE Ricky Dudley could appear on= =20 the downgrade list and still be good enough to be a starter in your league= .?=20 It just means I=01,m concerned about the way he seems to be heading.? Like= wise,=20 a player like WR Willie Jackson may make the upgrade list even though he= =01,s=20 still fairly far down the list of WRs.? It=01,s all about which direction= =20 players are moving.? Keeping an eye on these trends as they can very often= =20 make all the difference. Joe ? Upgrades and Downgrades.? Some of these players are obvious moves up or= =20 down and some aren't as clear.? Here's my list of guys I see moving this= =20 week. QBs Moving Up? QB Aaron Brooks (NO)? We keep hyping the kid and he keeps delivering.? =20 Another outstanding game Sunday where he rolled up 441 yards and 2 TDs as h= e =20 went 30 for 48.? The Saints rushing game is clearly struggling so it appea= rs=20 Brooks will continue to air the ball out.? Yes, he'll make some young QB= =20 mistakes and I'd be surprised if he didn't throw as many interceptions as = he=20 does TDs.? I expect him to throw a lot of both.? I almost started him over= =20 Peyton Manning in my local league but didn't pull the trigger.? Manning wa= s=20 solid but Brooks was better. QB Kordell Stewart (Pit)? Kordell made our upgrade list last week and here= =20 he sits again.? It took a few years, but he's showing folks that maybe 199= 7=20 was no fluke.? He showed guts coming back in the game after being knocked= =20 out with a bad knee or calf (depending on whether you listen to coach Bill= =20 Cowher or Stewart)? The TD rush was highlight material.? His problem all= =20 along seems to have been confidence and he's surely brimming with it now.?= =20 Kent Graham was so bad I won't even mention him in the downgrades but he p= ut=20 on a horrid display when he was in the game.? He's awful. QB Jay Fiedler (Mia)? Dan Fouts said on Monday Night Football a few weeks= =20 ago that a nice pass just thrown by Fiedler "was as pretty as anything Dan= =20 Marino ever threw".? Fiedler has those moments and he was having them fair= ly=20 often against the supposedly tough Bills where they were supposedly going = to=20 have an advantage in their cold weather.? Didn't play out that way.?=20 Fiedler looks pretty darn good. QB Jeff Garcia (SF)? We had him high in week 14 like we have all year and= =20 he didn't disappoint.? WR Terrell Owens was a huge help and apparently=20 Jerry Rice's wife?harping on the radio had some sort of positive effect.? = =20 The Chargers had been very tough against the pass and Garcia shredded them= . QB Brett Favre (GB)? I have a hard time putting a finger on it but this gu= y=20 just does what it takes to get the job done.? He'd be much better off if W= R =20 Antonio Freeman earned 10% of his paycheck but in the meantime, Bill=20 Schroeder's doing a great job.?=20 QB Jeff George (Was)? Lil Danny Snyder removed the primary obstacle to=20 keeping his QB Jeff George off the field by firing Norv Turner Monday.?=20 George looks to start this week and possibly for the rest of the year.?=20 Although tying Snyder to anything past the next series is a stretch.? I'm = a=20 Jeff George fan though and he does give the team a big arm.? We'll see how= =20 it goes but at least it looks as if he'll get his shot. ? RBs Moving Up RB Mike Anderson (Den)? Like you need me to tell you this.? The fact that= =20 he ran buck wild on a tough New Orleans defense made the effort all the=20 more impressive.? He bruised a knee but seemed to bounce back and looks to= =20 be good for Sunday.? Clearly, the Denver OL is the star on this team so if= =20 you own Anderson, it's probably not a bad idea to grab KaRon Coleman for t= he=20 stretch run.?=20 RB Fred Taylor (Jac)? For all the early?ripping I've done to Taylor, he's = =20 performed just as we predicted he would lately - like a madman.? You don't = =20 need me to tell you he's been awesome. RB Warrick Dunn (TB)? Can the little guy take up the slack for Mike=20 Alstott?? I've got a couple hundred reasons that says "yes".? Ok, rushing= =20 for 200+ against Dallas is nothing special (it's happened in 23% of the=20 Cowboys games this year) but you have to admit Dunn looked great Sunday.? RB Corey Dillon (Cin)? One can only salivate about what he might do if he= =20 played for a team like Denver.? The fact he can continue to roll up huge= =20 yardage on this team is amazing.? New QB Scott Mitchell is a huge boost as= =20 he looks like Peyton Manning back there compared to Akili Smith... RB Ahman Green (GB)? Green's a guy that's finally living up to his =20 potential.? You always knew he had the physical skills but now he seems to = =20 be catching up mentally as well.? He showed a nice nose for the endzone =20 Sunday with the 2 TDs. RB Lamar Smith (Mia)? So much for the cold weather hamstring worries.?=20 Smith carried the load Sunday in frigid Buffalo and looked great.? It look= s=20 to me like he's picking up right where he left off. RB Terrell Fletcher (SD)? It's not exactly the same as earning the startin= g=20 RB job in Tennessee or Indianapolis, but Fletcher does seem to have nailed= =20 down the #1 RB slot in San Diego.? And that's worth something.? You have t= o=20 decide how much... RB Fred Beasley (SF)? We loved Beasley early in the season as he racked up= =20 TDs.? He got back in the mix Sunday with 5 carries and a TD.? The FB for S= an=20 Francisco has always been a valuable FF slot and Beasley might be worth th= e=20 roll of the dice if you're thin at RB. RB Shawn Bryson (Buf)? Finally, Bryson does something besides make me look= =20 bad for hyping him.? He rolled up 88 yards on just 12 attempts Sunday and= =20 looks to take advantage of Sammy Morris' ankle troubles.?=20 RB Terry Allen (NO)? Allen made an appearance Sunday and with Jerald Moore= =20 and Chad Morton failing to astound anyone, Allen could get more looks.?=20 Whether he's got anything left in the tank remains to be seen. ? WRs Moving Up WR David Boston (Ari)?? Boston turned in a huge game Sunday and has to be = =20 considered an upgrade.? He's a streaky guy but with Frank Sanders a total = =20 non factor, Boston is getting most of QB Jake Plummer's attention these =20 days.? And with Arizona almost certain to be playing from behind, he could = =20 do some damage. WR Darrell Jackson (Sea)? Jackson was red hot several weeks ago but had=20 cooled of late.? He warmed up again Sunday with Jon Kitna under center.?= =20 It's tough to depend on the Seahawk passing game but Jackson could be wort= h=20 a shot. WR Curtis Conway (SD)? Conway has benefited the most from the Ryan Leaf = =20 resurgence.? He caught 7 passes Sunday and should benefit as Leaf continues= =20 to improve. WR Willie Jackson (NO)? Jackson's officially moved past the "flash in the= =20 pan" stage with another solid day.? Aaron Brooks continues to look good at= =20 QB.? Jackson may suffer a bit when Jake Reed gets healthy but for right no= w,=20 he's looking good. WR Joe Horn (NO)? Again, QB Aaron Brooks delivers and Horn is the prime = =20 recipient.? Joe Horn is one of the better stories of 2000 and he should =20 continue to shine especially if the rushing game doesn't get untracked. WR Bobby Shaw (Pit)? Shaw may still be available in your league as the=20 starting WR opposite Hines Ward.? He found the endzone again and continues= =20 to make some noise with Kordell Stewart quarterbacking. WR Terrell Owens (SF)? The best news for Jeff Garcia owners had to be a=20 solid day from Terrell Owens.? He's a huge boost to the offense when he ca= n=20 go and it looked like he'd made progress with the toe.? Keep an eye out fo= r=20 how he responds after the game but I liked what I saw. WR Shockmain Davis (NE)? Ok, I'll be honest.? I'm pretty much just includi= ng=20 him here because he's the owner of the coolest name in the league... ? TEs Moving Up TE Dwayne Carswell (Den)? Carswell's finally starting to emerge as the TE = of=20 choice in Denver.? His 62 yards Sunday were second only to San Diego's=20 Freddie Jones.? You have to worry about Desmond Clark stealing time but I'= d=20 have no trouble starting Carswell each week. TE Reggie Kelly (Atl)? One of the few bright spots for Atlanta has been th= e=20 play of Kelly.? He caught 4 passes for 44 yards Sunday with a TD.? New QB = =20 Doug Johnson may lean on him as he settles in. TE Mark Bruener (Pit)? Bruener makes the list not only for having another= =20 solid game but for making one of the best TD runs after the catch Sunday a= s=20 he piggy backed a defender into the endzone after refusing to go down at t= he=20 5 yard line. TE Andrew Glover (NO)? Obviously, the play of Aaron Brooks raises the leve= l=20 of play for all the Saints receivers.? Glover made a couple of nice plays= =20 Sunday including a good looking TD catch. ? Players Moving Down QBs Moving Down QB Shane Matthews (Chi)? Take a seat Shane.? Cade McNown likely makes his = =20 return.? Folks can hardly wait... QB Troy Aikman (Dal)? Emmitt Smith owners had to love it but did it seem= =20 strange to anyone else that the Cowboys felt the best way to come back fro= m=20 a huge deficit against Tampa was to feed the ball to Emmitt?? Clearly, the= =20 team has zero faith in Aikman's ability to throw the ball. QB Shaun King (TB)? I know he's had trouble with the back but 65 passing = =20 yards?? That's a joke.? He'll be better but I've seen enough. QB Brad Johnson (Was)? It's the Jeff George show.? At least until?George = =20 looks bad for a few series... QB Rob Johnson (Buf)? In leagues that penalize for interceptions, you'd ha= ve=20 been better off starting yourself this weekend than you would've Rob=20 Johnson.? Once again, he starts the game but finishes holding a clipboard= . ? RBs?Moving Down RB Jamal Anderson (Atl)? Anderson's not playing too badly but the team is= =20 in shambles.? After QB Chris Chandler was benched, Anderson vented some = =20 frustrations saying for all he knew, "he might be punting this week".? I = =20 don't think we'll see that but I also don't think we'll see the days of him= =20 seriously rushing the ball for the rest of the year. RB Shaun Alexander (Sea)?? RB Ricky Watters has proven to be less than an= =20 ideal playmate refusing to share the ball.? Actually, he's played so well= =20 that Mike Holmgren has been reluctant to do anything to disrupt the flow o= f=20 his star.? When the team is struggling as badly as it is, you don't mess= =20 with the one thing that's working. Philadelphia RBs? Forget about them.? This team will live and die by =20 Donovan McNabb. RB Jermaine Fazande (SD)? Evidently, Fazande is the 2nd choice behind=20 Terrell Fletcher now.? That's gotta hurt... ? WRs Moving Down WR Joe Jurevicius (NYG)? This has nothing to do with the play of Jureviciu= s=20 as he's been very solid but you have to think Ike Hilliard will be a facto= r=20 when he returns.? He's no lock to go this week but he may be close. WR Terrance Mathis (Atl)? Mathis continues to struggle on a team that's in= =20 a tailspin.? New QB Doug Johnson seemed to like throwing to Shawn Jefferso= n =20 which could spell more bad things for Mathis. WRs Torrance Small / Charles Johnson (Phi)? Forget about it.? Donovan McNa= bb=20 can be a solid QB without WRs. WRs James McKnight / Wayne McGarity (Dal)? These guys just aren't very=20 McGood.? QB Troy Aikman is a mere shadow of his former self. WR Marcus Robinson (Chi)? Robinson's back troubles were apparently more=20 serious than many had expected.? It was announced Monday that he'll likely= =20 miss the rest of the season with a bulging disk in his back.? It appears h= e=20 can get by without surgery but he's certainly not looking good. ? TEs Moving Down TEs Marcus Pollard / Ken Dilger (Ind)? Neither of these guys did much=20 Sunday.? This offense clearly isn't in the same groove it was earlier this= =20 year.? =20 TEs Jackie Harris / David LaFleur (Dal)? More bad news associated with Tro= y=20 Aikman.? Neither of these guys were much value Sunday and I don't see that= =20 changing very quickly. TE Pete Mitchell (NYG)? One of the bigger disappointments at TE this seaso= n,=20 he just can't get untracked. ? ? ? ? To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: cheatsheets-unsubscribe@egroups.com
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