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Enron Mail |
Hi Folks,
Let's jump right into our Upgraded and Downgraded Players.? As we head dow= n=20 the home stretch, identifying those players moving up or down can be the= =20 difference between making the playoffs or watching from the sidelines.? As= =20 we head into our 11th week of listing these players, it=01,s inevitable th= at=20 some players will have made both the upgrade or downgrade list.? Make sur= e=20 you understand, what we=01,re talking about is players that are moving.? In= =20 other words, a player like TE Chad Lewis could appear on the downgrade lis= t=20 and still be good enough to be a starter in your league.? It just means I= =01,m=20 concerned about the way he seems to be heading.? Likewise, a player like WR= =20 Laveranues Coles may make the upgrade list even though he=01,s still fairl= y far=20 down the list of WRs.? It=01,s all about which direction players are movi= ng.? =20 Keeping an eye on these trends can very often make all the difference. Joe ? Upgrades and Downgrades.? Some of these players are obvious moves up or do= wn=20 and some aren't as clear.? Here's my list of guys I see moving this week. QBs Moving Up QB Jeff Blake (NO)?? Heard a funny thing on ESPN's Monday Night Pregame= =20 show.? The guys said that with the troubles in St. Louis, the road to the= =20 Super Bowl now runs through New Orleans.? It's been a while since you've= =20 been able to say that.? Blake struggled in the preseason but has become mo= re=20 comfortable with each game.? With a great rushing game featuring Ricky=20 Williams and a star WR in Joe Horn, Blake's looking great. QB Trent Dilfer (Bal)? Shannon Sharpe predicted that when the Ravens =20 finally scored a TD, they'd score a bunch of them.? The big TE was prophet= ic=20 as Dilfer threw for 3 TDs Sunday.? He scrambled, improvised, and made=20 excellent decisions.? A little confidence may be all he needed.? He doesn'= t=20 have a stellar WR corps with Qadry Ismail, Jermaine Lewis and Patrick =20 Johnson but he does have a great TE in Sharpe and a solid RB in Jamal =20 Lewis.?=20 QB Brian Griese? (Den)? As expected, Griese's recent off the field troubl= es=20 had little impact to his performance on the field.? 327 yards and a couple= =20 of TDs is strong against a good Jets team.? The biggest reason for his=20 upgrade though is the smashing return of RB Terrell Davis.? If Sunday was= =20 any indication, this offense could make some serious noise. QB Shaun King (TB)? With back to back solid games, Shaun King is turning = =20 some heads.? He only passed for 110 yards Sunday but squeezed every yard f= or=20 all it was worth with 3 TDs.? He continued to target Keyshawn Johnson even= =20 to the point of forcing the ball in places it probably shouldn't have been = =20 thrown.? It's tough to rely on a QB who plays in this conservative offense = =20 but if you're thin at QB, King might be worth a shot. QB Jim Miller (Chi)? Miller clearly gave the Bears a boost with his solid = =20 play Sunday.? Not only was he more accurate than the injured Cade McNown, = he=20 showed a better arm to boot.? Miller's gain will be McNown's lost and I lo= ok=20 for Miller to gain plenty over the next few weeks. QB Danny Kanell (Atl)? Kanell came in when Chandler left with a =20 concussion.? He played pretty well with 2 TDs on 218 yards.? Chandler look= s=20 to possibly miss this week's game and Kanell could be a nice play against = a=20 Detroit Defense. ? RBs Moving Up RB Lamar Smith (Mia)? He's made this list several times already this =20 year?but it's worth noting how good he's been lately.? Sunday's 2 TD / 125= =20 yard day earned him the #1 RB ranking in many scoring systems.? I don't se= e=20 many reasons why he won't have continued success. RB Terrell Davis (Den)? In one of the more heartening performances of the = =20 day, Terrell Davis looked great.? He showed the power and the burst that = =20 we've come to expect from Davis over the years.? Coach Mike Shanahan said = =20 during last week's practices that Davis looked as good as he'd ever seen = =20 him.? After watching the game, I have to agree with him.?=20 RB J.R. Redmond? (NE)?? According to coach Bill Belichick and Boston Glob= e=20 columnist Frank Dell'Apa, Redmond injured his foot during practice and was= =20 supposedly going to be limited Sunday.? Kevin Faulk was unimpressive early= =20 and Redmond never looked back after getting a chance.? He's productive=20 without being impressive as he only averaged 2.8 yards per carry on 24=20 attempts but did get the score.?=20 RB Jamal Lewis (Bal)? Much had been made of the Raven's troubles but Jamal= =20 Lewis had been running hard and effectively.? Lewis was held out of the =20 endzone once again but he rolled up 179 total yards with 109 rushing and 70= =20 yards receiving.? If Trent Dilfer and the passing game can keep things =20 rolling, I see no reason why Lewis can't hold up his end of the offense. RB Justin Watson (StL)? As you know by now, Marshall Faulk had knee surger= y =20 Monday and will miss 2-3 weeks.? We've had Watson on our Waiver Wire Wonder= =20 list for a while as the guy who'd get a shot if Faulk went down.? He was = =20 less than impressive yesterday with only 12 yards on 12 carries but he did= =20 get the TD.? Plus, coach Mike Martz said the game plan had been designed= =20 around Faulk and the skills he brings.? Look for Watson to perform better= =20 with a week to prepare.? Although Marshall Faulk is the only guy who'll gi= ve=20 you Faulk like numbers anytime soon in this offense. RB Warrick Dunn? Dunn had 18 carries Sunday and he continues to play a=20 bigger role in this offense. It's coming at the expense of Mike Alstott.? = It=20 seems strange to see Dunn carry the load but that's exactly what he's been= =20 doing.? After the Minnesota game last week, Keyshawn Johnson said he told = QB=20 Shaun King that he needed to get the ball to "19 and 28" (Johnson and Dunn= )?=20 King evidently listened.? Makes you wonder who's really coaching this team= ... RB Jermaine Fazande (SD)? Fazande looked to be in danger of losing carrie= s=20 last week but he responded Sunday with a nice day carrying the ball 22 tim= es=20 for 74 yards (3.4 ypc) He also tacked on 37 yards receiving.? The Chargers= =20 are still struggling but Fazande could be a nice addition if you're thin a= t=20 RB. ? WRs Moving Up WR Keyshawn Johnson (TB)?? Johnson told QB Shaun King he wanted the ball.= ?=20 King obliged and Johnson's made the most of it.? He only had 3 receptions= =20 for 47 yards but he managed TDs on 2 of those catches.? I don't look for h= im=20 to score every other time he touches he ball down the stretch but I do thi= nk=20 he could continue the roll.? You can bet the Bucs won't mess around with= =20 what's working for them. WR Joe Horn (NO)? Can you imagine if Elvis Grbac still had Joe Horn in KC= ??=20 QB Jeff Blake's certainly glad to have him and Horn surely likes the role = of=20 the #1 WR.? He put together a great game Sunday with 167 yards on 9 =20 receptions.? WR Keith Poole isn't carrying his share of the load but RB =20 Ricky Williams is more than making up for it. St. Louis WRs? I'd look for Isaac Bruce, Az-zahir Hakim, and Torry Holt to= =20 all increase their production in the wake of Marshall Faulk's injury.? =20 Synergy can be a strange thing.? On most teams, I'd view the loss of the = =20 star RB as a negative toward the WRs.? The Rams have so many passing weapo= ns=20 though, I think they can carry the team with a lesser RB in the backfield.= ?=20 WR Donald Hayes (Car)? Apparently, the loss of Wesley Walls can be =20 overcome.? Hayes made some great plays Sunday.? Not unlike Keyshawn Johnso= n,=20 he only caught 3 passes, but he made the most of them with 58 yards and a= =20 TD.? He looks to be back on track. WR Muhsin Muhammad (Car)? I received a few emails asking how in the world = =20 could I continue to rank Muhammad as high as I did last week.? He's good, = =20 that's how.? Sure, the Rams had something to do with his play (and the =20 ranking) but I like his activity.? He caught 6 passes for 83 yards Sunday = =20 night and should continue to play well. WR Derrick Mason (Ten)? I said a few weeks ago that Mason could be the bes= t =20 WR on the team.? Now I'm sure of it.? Of course, it's a team that doesn't= =20 throw the ball very well and when they do throw, the TE is the primary =20 target.? Still though, he's a solid contributor and you could certainly do = =20 worse at WR.? His special teams play is a nice bonus if your league let's = =20 you "double dip" the WR and special teams categories. WR Laveranues Coles (NYJ)? Coles continues to play great football.? He=20 ranks as the #26 WR over the last 3 games.? Keep an eye on him for keeper= =20 leagues as his play is very encouraging considering his lack of experience= .?=20 He should only get better. WR Marcus Robinson (Chi)? I told you Robinson doesn't seem to care who's = =20 throwing the ball and Robinson came through Sunday with 90 yards and a TD.?= =20 New QB Jim Miller definitely gave the Bears a spark and Robinson benefited= =20 from it.? Don't be surprised to see him keep it rolling. ? TEs Moving Up TE Shannon Sharpe?(Bal)? Sharpe led the charge as the Ravens came roaring= =20 back.? He's clearly the best receiver on the team and you can bet QB Trent= =20 Dilfer will continue feeding him the ball. TE Ricky Dudley (Oak)? Dudley was a guy who kept raising eyebrows on our = =20 weekly cheatsheets.? Even though he made the downgrade list a couple of =20 times, we kept him fairly high on the overall list just based on potential= .?=20 Dudley finally showed some of that potential Sunday with a couple of TDs.?= =20 It's worth noting that he scored 9 TDs in 1999.? 7 of them came in the=20 second half of the season. TE Jay Reimersma? (Buf)? Reimersma seemed less rusty Sunday as he hauled= =20 down 6 receptions for 49 yards.? Flutie will probably get another start th= is=20 week and look for him to continue leaning on the big TE. ? Players Moving Down QBs Moving Down QB Donovan McNabb?(Phi)? McNabb only completed 56% of his passes Sunday.?= =20 And even for the ones he completed, he only averaged 9.9 yards per =20 completion which is a bad sign.?? He doesn't seem to be?making the=20 improvements and progression you'd like to see from a QB with his =20 experience. QB Charlie Batch (Det)? Batch was banged around repeatedly Sunday.? He =20 eventually left with a concussion and his status for this week will be =20 determined probably by Wednesday.? You've probably seen it by now, but coa= ch=20 Bobby Ross resigned.? I doubt that'll have too much effect on the offense. QB Drew Bledsoe (NE)? Bledsoe suffered a very Brett Favre like banged up = =20 thumb as he hit a defender's helmet.? He was in obvious pain on the =20 sidelines and looked extremely frustrated not being able to play.? X - rays= =20 were negative but he's still hampered by it.? They'll make a decision on it= =20 this week but even if he can go, he could be limited. QB Chris Chandler (Atl)? Once again, Chandler was led off the field lookin= g =20 punch drunk.? It wasn't pretty.? Danny Kannell actually played pretty well= =20 and could get the start this week. ? RBs Moving Down RB Corey Dillon (Cin)? As expected, the dream became reality vs a tough = =20 Baltimore defense.? I traded him in my league last week and hope you did t= he=20 same.? I'll say it again, a RB can only do so much when there is absolutel= y=20 no threat of the QB throwing the ball.? Akili Smith is world class awful.?= =20 RB Mike Alstott (TB)? As Warrick Dunn becomes a bigger part of the Buc =20 offense, Alstott is playing a reduced role.? Part of the reason is likely = =20 his fumbling problems but the effectiveness of Dunn is playing a part I'm = =20 sure.? That and Keyshawn said to give it to Dunn... RB Kimble Anders (KC)? The "featured" back in KC had 2 carries Sunday.? = =20 Never ever trust a Kansas City RB.? No matter what I might tell you in the = =20 future, don't believe it.? They'll break your heart every time.?=20 RB Travis Prentice (Cle)? Prentice averaged 1.4 yards per carry Sunday.?= =20 That won't get it done. Like a lesser version of Corey Dillon, beware RBs= =20 with QBs who don't scare anyone throwing the ball.? Doug Pederson doesn't= =20 scare anyone...=20 ? WRs Moving Down WR Johnnie Morton (Det)? Morton's inability to take up the slack for the = =20 departed Germane Crowell has been a huge disappointment.? He came up small = =20 again Sunday and one has to wonder what will change in the future. WR Herman Moore (Det)? Let's put it this way:? JJ Stokes is the #4 WR in= =20 San Francisco and he had a better day than Moore... WR Jacquez Green (TB)? Like Alstott is suffering in the wake of Warrick = =20 Dunn's success, Green is suffering as Keyshawn Johnson commands more =20 attention.? He only had 2 receptions and simply isn't getting the looks he = =20 was earlier in the year. WR Raghib Ismail (Dal)? In what's become the uncomfortable norm, Dallas ha= s =20 lost another WR to knee surgery.? There was so much promise this Summer wi= th=20 Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith, Joey Galloway and Raghib Ismail.? Things can=20 change quickly. WR Carl Pickens (Ten)? Pickens injured his hamstring again this week.? I= =20 was high on him coming over to the Titans but he's been a non factor.?=20 Derrick Mason is the best WR on the team.? By a mile. ? TEs Moving Down TE Chad Lewis (Phi)? After a hot start, Lewis has struggled of late as =20 defenses bracket him.? With no WR to take some heat on the downfield route= s,=20 it's not too hard to shut down the TE.?? Until McNabb and Charles Johnson?= /=20 Torrance Small get going, his troubles will likely continue. TE Tony McGee (Cin)? McGee should be a nice weapon for the struggling QB = =20 Akili Smith but he doesn't seem to be utilizing him as you'd expect.? He = =20 caught only 2 passes Sunday.? The sad part is that almost made him the =20 leading receiver.?=20 ? ? To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: cheatsheets-unsubscribe@egroups.com
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