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Hi Folks Before we get started... Congratulations on being in the playoff hunt.? That's something to be prou= d=20 of.? You have to be a little bit lucky to get this far but don't hesitate = to=20 pat yourself on the back as skill plays a huge part.? Judging from the=20 emails, tons of you are still in mix.? Don't forget about our Wall of=20 Champions feature where we'll showcase league winners.? Stay tuned for mor= e =20 details. It's crunch time so let's jump right into our Upgraded and Downgraded=20 Players.? As we head down the final weekend for many teams, identifying=20 those players moving up or down can be the difference between?dominating= =20 your Fantasy Bowl or just finishing in the money.? As we head into our 16= th=20 week of listing these players, it=01,s inevitable that some guys will have= made=20 both the upgrade or downgrade list.? Make sure you understand, what we=01,r= e =20 talking about is players that are moving.? In other words, a player like T= E=20 Ricky Dudley could appear on the downgrade list and still be good enough t= o=20 be a starter in your league.? It just means I=01,m concerned about the way= he=20 seems to be heading.? Likewise, a player like WR Willie Jackson may make t= he=20 upgrade list even though he=01,s still fairly far down the list of WRs.? I= t=01,s=20 all about which direction players are moving.? Keeping an eye on these =20 trends as they can very often 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 Jeff Garcia (SF)? Cheatsheets.net Poster Boy Jeff Garcia continues to= =20 roll.? No coincidence that Terrell Owens returned with a vengeance this we= ek. QB Donovan McNabb (Phi)? Mixed emotions here as I've been hyping McNabb fo= r=20 weeks as the guy carrying the Eagles offense.? But seeing him on my=20 opponent's roster in the FanEx playoffs yesterday was less than heartening= =20 throwing for 4 TDs and 390 yards.? Just be aware the Eagles are off this= =20 week and won't return till week 17.?=20 QB Jon Kitna (Sea)? Like Mike Holmgren, maybe I've been too critical of=20 Kitna.? He continues to play well and while it likely won't be in Seattle,= =20 he looks like a starter for some team in 2001. QB Aaron Brooks (NO)? A telling mark of a great QB is how he performs when= =20 he comes with less than his "A" game.? Brooks looked much less in synch=20 Sunday and clearly struggled at times making a few bad throws and missing= =20 open receivers.? Yet he hung in and still posted outstanding numbers.? His= =20 108 rushing yards quietly add to the points.? He's a player.? I'm starting= =20 him with few reservations.?=20 QB Kerry Collins (NYG)? You have to believe his confidence is sky high.? H= e=20 obviously benefited from the return of Ike Hilliard (who looked very good)= ?=20 This team is looking very tough and very balanced right now.? The running= =20 game is just good enough to be a real worry for the defense but not so=20 dominant that it hurts the QB. QB Mark Brunell (Jac)? It's really weird.? When the hype finally subsides= =20 about this guy, he starts delivering Fantasy numbers worthy of hype.? Go= =20 figure.?=20 QB Kurt Warner (StL)? This may have been the greatest QB performance in th= e=20 history of the league without scoring a TD.? The guy was incredible=20 completing 84% of his passes (27 of 32)? Completing 84% with an average pa= ss=20 of 12.8 yards is sick.? The TDs will come as Warner looked as good as I've= =20 ever seen him placing the ball perfectly and directing his offense. QB Ray Lucas (NYJ)? Keep an eye on Vinnie's groin.? Better yet, watch the= =20 injury reports for news on Vinnie's groin.? That's better.? We should know= =20 more soon but if it's serious, Lucas will get the start. ? RBs Moving Up RB Marshall Faulk (StL)? I know you don't need me to list him here but it'= s=20 worth noting I think he may be the best player in the league right now.?= =20 Martz fed him the ball 25 times and he delivered. RB Eddie George (Ten)? George showed outstanding pass receiving skills and= =20 added 2 receiving TDs to go with his rushing TD.? He reinjured his sore to= e=20 but looks to be ok.? Keep an eye on it though. RB Fred Taylor (Jac)? What a shocker.? Taylor runs wild again as we=20 predicted.? He did tweak a knee so watch that but if he can go full speed,= =20 he's a no brainer starter against just about anyone. RB James Allen (Chi)? If departed Offensive Coordinator Gary Crowton was= =20 dead (don't get excited Bears fans, he's not), he'd be spinning in his gra= ve=20 to see Allen garner 37 carries Sunday.? Be a little leery though as a 2.6= =20 ypc carry average only works when you carry the ball a ton.?=20 RB Travis Prentice (Cle)? After fading badly, Prentice comes roaring back= =20 with a 2 TD performance.? He only had 46 yards on 17 attempts but the TDs= =20 are huge.? The Brown offense featured some crazy looks with Kevin Johnson= =20 occasionally at QB but they looked much better. RB Mike Anderson (Den)? What else can you say?? The Denver OL is having=20 another Pro Bowl season.? Anderson is a must start vs any team right now. RB Ahman Green (GB)? I'm very nervous if I'm Dorsey Levens right now.?=20 Green's been an offensive stalwart carrying the load week after week.?=20 Everyone always knew he had the potential to be this good but now he's=20 delivering. RB Emmitt Smith (Dal)? As was mentioned on the broadcast yesterday, "Someo= ne=20 forgot to tell the Redskins this game is a rivalry"? You know the Cowboys= =20 and Emmitt in particular had to enjoy humiliating the Redskins.? It would = be=20 a bold move even for him but I wouldn't be surprised in the least to see= =20 Danny Snyder fire Terry Robiskie before his obligatory three games are up.= ?=20 RB Jamal Lewis (Bal)? Once again, Lewis rolls over the opponents and makes= =20 me look bad for dissing him this Summer...? Against the Cardinals this wee= k,=20 he has the chance to be even better. RB Warrick Dunn (TB)? If Dunn had any help, the Bucs would scary.? Right= =20 now, he's doing it all by himself.? Which probably isn't a bad thing for= =20 Dunn owners. RB Tony Richardson (KC)? Richardson netted 5.2 ypc on 17 carries.? Donnell= =20 Bennett looks to have cartilage damage to his knee so Richardson's workloa= d=20 should increase.? It's a shame someone has to get hurt for Gunther=20 Cunningham to give Richardson more looks. RB Tshimanga Biakabutuka (Car)? Don't hold your breath but Biakabutuka is= =20 making noises about returning to the lineup this week.? We'll see... RB Terry Allen (NO)? In a lesser version of Denver's OL, it appears most= =20 anyone can run effectively behind these guys.? Allen looked rejuvenated=20 Sunday and should only get better as he gets familiar with the system. RB Chris Warren (Phi)? Remember that he's off this week but if your league= =20 runs through week 17, he could be a factor.?=20 ? WRs Moving Up WR Sean Dawkins (Sea)?? Dawkins is quietly posting some very strong=20 numbers.? As is Jon Kitna.? Dawkins is drawing a lot of looks and could=20 continue his roll. WR Torrance Small / Charles Johnson (Phi)? Look what QB Donovan McNabb can= =20 do when his WRs decide to show up.? If they can continue to play well, thi= s=20 team could be scary.? Remember they're off this week but return in week 17= . WR Amani Toomer (NYG)? Of the resurging Giants, Toomer's leading the=20 charge.? He's making plays all over the field and even had a nice run agai= n. WR Terrell Owens (SF)? The scary part is he could have been even better th= an=20 the 129 yard / 1 TD performance Sunday.? He looked very good coming back= =20 from the toe injury and should only get better.? The 49ers are trying to= =20 nail down their WR corps for 2001 and Owens is making a statement. WR Ed McCaffrey (Den)? It's easy to get excited whenever he outplays Rod= =20 Smith but the truth of the matter is that they're both excellent WRs.? I= =20 love McCaffrey and his 6th grade shoulder pads.? He's the anti-Eric=20 Dickerson when it comes to pads (or lack thereof)? Easy Ed goes with prett= y=20 much the Helmet and Pee Wee Shoulder pads and that's it.? Oh yeah, he's al= so=20 a great WR... WR Darrell Jackson (Sea)? Jackson made the Upgrade List last week and=20 delivered.? I see few reasons why he won't continue to shine. WR Torry Holt (StL)? It's tough to predict which Ram WR will catch the=20 passes from Warner but as I said several weeks ago, Holt may be the best W= R=20 on the team.? And that's no sleight to Isaac Bruce - Holt's that good.?=20 WR Terry Glenn (NE)?? Glenn's putting together one of his most complete=20 seasons.? And Bledsoe's continuing to play pretty good football which help= s. WR Willie Jackson (NO)? 1 catch.? 1 TD.? You gotta like a guy who gets rig= ht=20 to the point.? Joe Horn is the clear #1 threat but Jackson is a serious=20 option too. WR Germane Crowell (Det)? This didn't look like a guy returning from a=20 broken leg.? He should continue to get better as he becomes more involved = in=20 the flow of things.=20 WR Bobby Shaw (Pit)? It seems hard to believe, but Bobby Shaw is a=20 legitimate starter in many leagues.? He's getting lots of looks and the=20 Steeler are throwing the ball.=20 WR Ike Hilliard (NYG)? Hilliard looked well rested as he roared back onto= =20 the scene.? An sprained knee suffered by Joe Jurevicius will likely increa= se=20 Hilliard's playing time even further. WR Donald Hayes (Car)? Hayes looked better as expected and turned in a nic= e=20 game catching 5 passes for 77 yards.? The Panthers need to remain focused= =20 but if they can, Hayes could contribute. ? TEs Moving Up TE Johnny McWilliams (Min)? McWilliams again was active catching 5 passes= =20 for 53 yards.? I like any receiver on this team. TE Andrew Glover (NO)? Glover's starting to become a very integral part of= =20 the New Orleans passing game.? It's hard to imagine this team losing=20 Ricky?Williams, Jeff Blake and Cam Cleeland. TE Kris Mangum (Car)? He's no Wesley Walls but he's more than adequate. TE Greg Clark (SF)? He only had 24 yards but the 4 receptions were a nice= =20 bonus.?=20 ? QBs Moving Down QB Scott Mitchell (Cin)? The clock struck midnight as Mitchell became the = =20 guy we remembered.? This team is pretty much Corey Dillon and a roll of the= =20 dice with Peter Warrick for his big play potential. QB Jeff George (Was)? I've gotta say I'm really surprised George didn't = =20 post some great numbers.? Albert Connell isn't nearly as good as he thinks = =20 he is and that may be part of the problem. QB Steve Beuerlein (Car)? It's clear to everyone that 1999 was a career = =20 year.? He's still subject to a great game here and there but he's just too = =20 streaky to lean very heavily on. QB Shaun King (TB)? This guy just isn't very good. QB Charlie Batch (Det)? I've never been a big Charlie Batch fan although= =20 he's certainly had his days.? He looked a bit lost at times Sunday and=20 possibly losing Herman Moore won't help.? (Although German Crowell is back= ) QB Troy Aikman (Dal)? I hope Aikman does himself a favor and gives Steve = =20 Young a call.? A sore back is one thing.? Not remembering your kid's names= =20 is an entirely different matter. It's not worth it, Guy. QB Ryan Leaf (SD)? Part of it was Baltimore.? A large part of it was Leaf= . QB Jay Fiedler (Mia)? Fiedler suffered a torn rotator cuff on his non =20 throwing shoulder.? The Dolphins will make a decision Wednesday likely =20 whether it'll be Fiedler or Huard this week at QB. QB Vinnie Testeverde (NYJ)? Vinnie suffered a groin injury that may or may= =20 not be serious.? He's not getting any younger though so keep an eye on this= =20 one. ? RBs Moving Down RB Ron Dayne (NYG)? It's just hard to get excited about starting this guy = =20 as he's such a risk to be taken out of the gameplan.? He's always liable to= =20 grab that short yardage TD but you just don't know when or where they'll = =20 happen. RB Jerald Moore (FA)? Things change quickly in this league.? A few weeks= =20 ago, Moore looked to be the #1 RB.? Now he's unemployed. RB Darnell Autry (Phi)?? I'd expect that Chris Warren will cut into his = =20 time when they return. RB Jamel White (Cle)? Travis Prentice carried the load while White watched= =20 this week. RB Brad Hoover (Car)? He came back to reality this week.? On top of that,= =20 it looks like his days may be numbered as Tshimanga Biakabutuka looks to t= ry=20 and return this week. ? WRs Moving Down=20 WR Herman Moore (Det)?? Moore suffered?a neck stinger Sunday.? He could= =20 likely give way to Germane Crowell who looked very good returning from his= =20 injury. WR Tai Streets (SF)? Conventional wisdom had Streets seeing more action a= s=20 the 49ers tried to see what they had for 2001 but with the return of Terrel= l =20 Owens, it looks like Streets will be limited. WR Courtney Hawkins (Pit)? He's losing time to Bobby Shaw.? The Steeler W= Rs=20 seem to be pretty well set with Hines Ward and Shaw. WR Danny Farmer (Cin)? Farmer had made a little noise pushing for a spot = =20 alongside Peter Warrick but it doesn't look like it's going to make any =20 difference. WR J.J. Stokes (SF)? Like Tai Streets, Stokes suffers from the return of = =20 Terrell Owens.?=20 WR Sylvester Morris (KC)? Morris continues his regression which should se= nd=20 red flags as owners look towards 2001. WR Keyshawn Johnson (TB)? With Shaun King struggling, I don't see a brigh= t=20 future for Keyshawn ahead.? He sounds like a politician conceding when he= =20 speaks of the team finding it's identity in running the ball.?=20 ? TEs Moving Down TE Anthony Becht (NYJ)? In the up and down season from Anthony Becht, it = =20 looks like he's headed down a bit.? The injury to Testeverde affects his = =20 stock in a negative way. TE Tony McGee (Cin)? Not that McGee was carrying many FF teams but he =20 suffered a broken ankle. TE Jeff Thomason (Phi)? Looks like Chad Lewis has resumed his role as the = =20 primary TE.?=20 TE David LaFluer (Dal)? Between injuries to himself and QB Troy Aikman, = =20 LaFluer was limited and it looks like it may not be changing anytime soon. ? ? To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: cheatsheets-unsubscribe@egroups.com
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