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Hi Folks, A couple of quick notes before we get to this week=01,s Upgrades and Downg= rades. ? Replacing Ricky Williams:?? Contrary to published reports, Ricky Williams= =20 bypassed surgery today to seek another opinion according to ESPN.? The wor= d=20 is that Jim Haslett will likely not go outside the team for a back.? Chad= =20 Morton and Jerald Moore will likely be the choices with Morton getting fir= st=20 shot.? Morton=01,s a little undersized at 5=01, 8=018 and 186 but so is Sa= n=20 Francisco's Charlie Garner and he manages pretty well.??Morton came from a= =20 big time program at USC and averaged 20+ carries a game last year so it=01= ,s=20 not like he isn=01,t used to carrying the load.? We=01,ll see. Don=01,t Count Out Brett Favre:? According to ESPN, Brett Favre=01,s foot = is much=20 better and he may practice this week.? Even if he doesn't practice, he=20 thinks he may be able to play and keep his record streak of consecutive=20 starts intact. Akili Smith Benched.? Not just benched.? Benched for Scott Mitchell.? Tha= t=01, s gotta hurt. Marshall Faulk Raring to Go?? With Trung Canidate out for the year with a= =20 broken wrist, Marshall Faulk has reportedly told the coaches he may be abl= e=20 to play this week.? Most think that=01,s too optimistic but it=01,s nice t= o see=20 the desire there.?=20 Jeff George to Start??According to the Redskins, Jeff George will start = =20 again this week at QB.? Coach Norv Turner has stated the starting QB job is= =20 Brad?Johnson's when he's?healthy, possibly in?week 13. ? ? 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.? A= s=20 we head into our 12th week of listing these players, it=01,s inevitable th= at=20 some players will have made both the upgrade or downgrade list.? Make sure= =20 you understand, what we=01,re talking about is players that are moving.? I= n=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= =20 down and some aren't as clear.? Here's my list of guys I see moving this= =20 week. QBs Moving Up QB Mark Brunell (Jac)?? I=01,m one of those guys who quickly points out= =20 Brunell has never put together fantasy numbers to warrant the hype he =20 receives but you can=01,t deny what Brunell has done lately.? Behind a beat= up=20 line, he=01,s standing in there (while taking a beating) and delivering th= e=20 ball.? Jimmy Smith made a roaring comeback and paired with Keenan McCardel= l,=20 they=01,re one of the better WR tandems in the league.? =20 QB Kerry Collins (NYG)? A few weeks ago, I took some (deserved) lumps for= =20 my early praise of Collins but he=01,s kicking his game up a notch of late= .? He=20 looks more comfortable in the pocket, especially in his footwork and drop= =20 backs.? Watch to see how Amani Toomer is doing but when he=01,s healthy, T= oomer=20 and Ike Hilliard make a great WR corps.? A?solid ground game in Ron Dayne a= nd=20 Tiki Barber continue to help the passing game. QB? Donovan McNabb (Phi)? With Deuce Staley gone, McNabb=01,s had to shoul= der=20 the offense and this week he came through with flying colors.? The bad ne= ws=20 is he only completed 47% of his passes Sunday.? The good news is he threw t= he=20 ball 55 times.? When a QB airs it out 55 times in one game, it doesn=01,t= =20 usually bode well for the team=01,s chances of winning but it=01,s certain= ly a=20 plus for your FF team to see that many attempts.? With that many chances, = =20 it=01,s like allowing yourself to double the stats a Jeff Blake (23 attempt= s=20 this week) or Jeff Garcia (25 attempts) puts up.? Unless you have a really= =20 good feeling about Stanley Pritchett or Darnell Autry, I=01,d think you=01= ,ll see=20 him continue to throw often. QB Trent Dilfer (Bal)?? Remember, this list is relative.? While he may no= t=20 be a starter, Dilfer is definitely moving up the charts and that=01,s what= this=20 list is all about.? He actually looked very good at times in the huge=20 victory over Tennessee Sunday.? He showed nice poise coming back after =20 basically throwing the game away a few plays earlier.? Brian Billick did=20 wonders with a marginally talented Tony Banks in 1999 and it=01,s conceiva= ble=20 he might do it here again with Dilfer.? They play Dallas and Cleveland ne= xt=20 but keep in mind Baltimore has a bye on December 3. QB Troy Aikman (Dal)? When I=01,m bashing Mark Brunell as a Fantasy QB, I= =20 usually compare him to Troy Aikman =01) Great real NFL QB but not a much f= or=20 Fantasy GMs.? Notice a pattern here?? After being named the starter Sunda= y,=20 Aikman went out and lit up the Bengal Defense which was ranked # 20 over t= he=20 last 4 weeks.? It=01,s hard to put too much faith in him but if you=01,re= =20 desperate for a QB, he could be worth a gamble.? Tough matchup this week = vs=20 Baltimore but he gets the Vikings in week 13. QB Jeff Blake? (NO)? You of course know by now that RB Ricky Williams is = =20 gone for 6-8 weeks.? I hate it for Williams owners (I=01,m one) but what= =01,s done=20 is done.? All we can do now is look forward.? And looking forward, I see=20 Blake being forced to carry an increased load.? QB Donovan McNabb threw t= he=20 ball 55 times Sunday in the wake of losing RB Deuce Staley and I could=20 easily see a similar type situation in New Orleans with Blake throwing a l= ot=20 more passes. QB Rob Johnson (Buf)? I make it a point to hold my tongue on coaching=20 issues but I=01,ve gotta say I think Mr. Charisma with the Spiffy Sweaters= ,=20 Wade Phillips, is 100% wrong in going to Johnson.? In terms of roster=20 management, he=01,s hands down the worst in the NFL in my opinion.? But no= ne of=20 that really matters as Rob Johnson has to make the upgrade list since he= =01,s=20 been named the starter for this week.? Don=01,t get too excited, though.?= =20 Johnson finishes roughly half the games he starts and the next three weeks= =20 vs Kansas City, Tampa Bay and Miami could be brutal.? =20 QB Matt Hasselbeck (GB)? Hasselbeck played nicely replacing Favre this=20 week.? Remember there was even some talk about trading Favre and starting= =20 Hasselbeck this summer when Favre=01,s elbow was a big concern.? Before yo= u =20 give up the farm to snare Hasselbeck, you should know Brett Favre is=20 reportedly feeling better and hoping to play this week.? We=01,ll keep you= =20 posted. QB Shane Matthews / Cade McNown (Chi)? Again, I=01,m highlighting guys mov= ing =20 up.? With the injury to Jim Miller, Shane Matthews will be thrust into the= =20 starting role.? The injury will also likely add a little fire under Cade= =20 McNown who may be rushed back a little sooner than he would have been if= =20 Miller was performing well.? Matthews looked very rusty but it=01,s tough = to=20 judge a QB when he=01,s thrust into the game like that.? I=01,d look for = Matthews=20 at least for this week against a tough Tampa Bay defense and then we=01,ll= =20 see.? =20 ? RBs Moving Up RB Lamar Smith (Mia)? You have to keep giving this guy his props after=20 another great game.? Although, if you=01,ve got an owner salivating over S= mith=20 and you can get a lot in return, it might be a great time to trade him.? I= =20 can=01,t imagine his value being any higher.? His yard per carry number d= ipped=20 to 2.6 in Sunday=01,s game and he faces the Jets this week plus a brutal = =20 matchup against Tampa Bay in week 15.? =20 RB Edgerrin James (Ind)? It=01,s tough to upgrade a guy already near the = top=20 but he put in another great game Sunday with 155 total yards and shows =20 little sign of slowing down.? He averaged 4.2? yards per carry Sunday and= =20 the Colts are leaning heavily on him.? Watch out for a tough November 26= =20 matchup vs Miami though. RB Robert Smith (Min)? Smith quietly is having an incredible year.? He=01= ,s=20 put those hang nail injury jokes way behind him as he=01,s become one of t= he=20 best RBs in the league.? He=01,s running between the tackles for the toug= h=20 yards and catching the ball exceptionally well.? Keep an eye on that tasty= =20 week 13 matchup against the Cowboys.? =20 RB Fred Taylor (Jac)? Jaguar Fans may be distraught, but Fred Taylor owne= rs=20 have to be happy, at least lately.? Taylor=01,s running as well as he has i= n =20 his career, even if his team is struggling.? One can only wonder what he=01= ,d be=20 doing with a healthy supporting cast.? He=01,s got two tough weeks coming= =20 against Pittsburgh and Tennessee.? But as everyone knows, Taylor has a gre= at=20 stretch run of opponents in weeks 14-16 when he faces Cleveland, Arizona a= nd=20 Cincinnati.? =20 RB Jamal Anderson (Atl)? If you didn=01,t know better, you might have tho= ught=20 you were watching tape from 1998 if you saw Anderson Sunday.? He ran hard a= nd=20 with the power and quickness that pushed him to stardom.?? Hopefully, he= =01,ll=20 be able to maintain that form. RB Michael Pittman (Ari)? Pittman=01,s nursing a chest / rib injury so ke= ep an=20 eye on that but assuming he=01,s ok, he has to make the upgrade list.? He= =20 scored a TD Sunday and averaged 4.2 yards per carry on 12 carries.? He als= o=20 added 8 receptions.? His main competition for carries, Thomas Jones, had a= =20 yard per carry average that equaled his fumbles Sunday:? 1.00??? RB Justin Watson (StL)? Watson held his own Sunday as he rushed for 62=20 yards on 17 carries.?? He likely won=01,t be a factor long as Marshall Fau= lk is=20 already itching to get back on the field but he might be worth a shot for= =20 one more week.? RB Ahman Green (GB)? With Dorsey Levens=01, troubles, Green clearly shoot= s up=20 the charts.? He=01,s an enormously talented RB, but he=01,s got to learn h= ow to=20 turn that talent into on the field production.? After a tough Tampa Bay= =20 game last Sunday, he faces a soft schedule with the Colts, Panthers, Bears= ,=20 Lions and Minnesota coming up. RB Chad Morton (NO)? With Ricky Williams out for the next 6-8 weeks, the= =20 logical guy to attempt to fill his shoes is the rookie from USC, Morton.?= =20 He=01,s Detroit WR Johnnie Morton=01,s little brother and was reportedly e= xtremely=20 close to Ricky Williams and shaken with his injury.? He=01,s small but ve= ry=20 quick.? He=01,s not as big as you=01,d probably like but neither is Charli= e=20 Garner.? Last year at USC, he carried a full load as the featured rusher s= o=20 he=01,s capable.? The team hasn=01,t announced their plans yet and bringin= g in a=20 free agent is a possibility but I=01,d expect Morton to get a shot first.?= New=20 Orleans has a fairly favorable rushing schedule ahead with Oakland, Denver= ,=20 San Francisco and Atlanta all ahead.=20 ?? WRs Moving Up WR James McKnight (Dal)? Wow.? What else can you say but give the man =20 credit.? 8 catches for 164 yards with a TD is a pretty good day.? Whether= =20 he and Troy Aikman can keep it rolling is the question but you have to lik= e=20 what he=01,s done thus far.? He=01,s got a brutal matchup next week in Bal= timore=20 but he might be worth grabbing to play against the Vikings in week 13.? WR Sean Dawkins? (Sea)? Excuse us for not getting excited about a guy who= =20 was buried on the Seahawks a few weeks ago and had Jon Kitna throwing to= =20 him.? But Kitna=01,s looking better and Dawkins responded with a great gam= e.?=20 Like McKnight, the question is whether he can keep it up but he=01,s worth= a=20 roll of the dice.? WR Torry Holt (StL)? I drew a few snickers a month ago when I said I=20 thought Derrick Mason was the best WR on the Titans.? I=01,m just about rea= dy to=20 call Torry Holt the best WR in St. Louis.? And that=01,s no knock on Isaa= c=20 Bruce.? Holt=01,s really coming into his own and to be honest, benefits gr= eatly=20 from the attention Isaac Bruce draws.? He does face a couple of strong=20 defenses in Washington and New Orleans but I=01,m betting he manages to pr= oduce=20 against tough competition.? WR Derrick Mason (Ten)? Mason is clearly the best WR on the team. Partly = by=20 default as Kevin Dyson=01,s gone and Carl Pickens is injured.? But partly= =20 because he=01,s just that good.? The Titans had their running game shut d= own=20 by Baltimore Sunday and they were forced to the air.? And much to the=20 surprise of many, QB Steve McNair fared pretty well and Mason was a big pa= rt=20 of that success.? WR Ricky Proehl (StL)? Great, just what Fantasy GMs need =01) Another Ram= WR=20 to worry about.? Proehl caught 6 passes for 53 yards and a TD Sunday.? In = an=20 offense missing RB Marshall Faulk as high powered as the Rams, there=01,s= =20 probably room for another WR at the trough.??? WR Patrick Johnson (Bal)? Johnson replaced Travis Taylor in the lineup an= d=20 came up big with the game winning TD.? He only caught 3 passes but=20 understand that he=01,s the 3rd receiver behind TE Shannon Sharpe and WR Q= adry =20 Ismail.? Still though, it=01,s a Brian Billick team and Trent Dilfer is pl= aying=20 better with each series it seems.? WR Jimmy Smith? (Jac)??? With 10 catches for 117 yards, I guess you can s= ay=20 he=01,s back.? The Jags may be struggling but Smith and QB Mark Brunell ar= e=20 back in synch.? Ride it while the combo is hot.? WR Jerome Pathon (Ind)? Terrence Wilkins had a firm grasp on the #2 WR sp= ot=20 early in the season but Pathon seems to be taking over there.? Pathon is=20 playing with more confidence and more importantly, seems to have the=20 confidence of QB Peyton Manning.? He had 3 catches for 42 yards Sunday.? ? TEs Moving Up? TE Bubba Franks (GB)? For a long while Franks and TE Tyrone Davis had=20 battled for time.? It=01,s now looking like Franks has prevailed as Davis = is=20 seeing very little time.? Franks made a great catch of the fake kick TD an= d=20 is showing some of the athleticism that caught the Packers=01, eye in the = draft. TE Rod Rutledge (NE)? So much for Eric Bjornson.? Rutledge seems to be the= =20 new TE threat for the Patriots and you know Drew Bledsoe likes to throw to= =20 the TE.? If he can just get that thumb healthy=01(? TE Shannon Sharpe (Bal)?? After some quiet weeks, Sharpe has returned to= =20 his place of one of the premier TEs in the game.? He=01,s clearly the best= =20 receiver on the team and has the confidence of QB Trent Dilfer.? Just as= =20 importantly, he seems to have confidence in Dilfer. ??? QBs Moving Down? QB Trent Green (StL)? Mike Martz said a couple of weeks ago he felt that= =20 having Green behind center was =01&just like having Kurt in there=018.? We = believe=20 him.? If you=01,re going to deal him, now=01,s the time.? Even as well as = he=01,s=20 been playing, the league MVP Warner does not lose his job to a broken hand= .?=20 The team is talking about December 3 as a possible date he=01,ll be back b= ut I=01, ve heard even sooner.? Regardless, you have to figure his days are=20 numbered.? Plus, upcoming games against Washington and New Orleans in the= =20 next two weeks could pose a threat.? QB Doug Flutie? (Buf)? Right or wrong, Flutie takes a seat as Rob Johnson= =01,s=20 been named the starter this week.? Hold onto him though as I=01,ve got to= =20 think the chances of Johnson staying healthy for long are slim. QB Drew Bledsoe (NE)? So much for the Boston Globe=01,s Bill Belichick=20 conspiracy that Bledsoe would miss several weeks.? Still though, you could= =20 clearly see he wasn=01,t 100% with the thumb.??? QB Brett Favre (GB)? As you know, Favre suffered a sprained foot against= =20 Tampa.? While everyone was shouting about how many weeks he=01,d miss, Fav= re=20 told anyone who=01,d listen today that he looked to be ready for this week= =01,s=20 game against Indianapolis.? Players are notoriously optimistic so keep an= =20 eye on it.? QB Elvis Grbac (KC)? Don=01,t get me wrong, Grbac is still a top QB.? He = just=20 showed Sunday he=01,s human.? He really should have done more against San= =20 Francisco though.? On a side note, didn=01,t he say he=01,d shave that goo= fy beard=20 when they lost?=01(? QB Brian Griese (Den)? It=01,s the 3rd quarter of the Monday Night game a= s I=20 type this and it=01,s pretty obvious Brian Griese is at less than 100% arm= =20 strength.? Keep an eye on this.? He=01,s a gutsy kid and has played throu= gh a=20 lot but it does seem to be affecting his play.? QB Charlie Batch (Det)Another game, another less than impressive=20 performance.? Batch just seems to struggle to get anything done.??? QB Akili Smith (Cin)? I=01,ve been ripping this guy for weeks and now I fe= el =20 sorta bad for him as he=01,s been benched=01(for Scott Mitchell. That=01,s = gotta =20 hurt.? QB Jim Miller (Chi)? Talk about blowing an opportunity.? Miller had been= =20 moving the Bears and looked to be the spark Chicago was missing with Cade= =20 McNown.? And then Mr. Achilles decided he didn=01,t want to participate.? = Nasty=20 injury and too bad as he was showing promise.??? ? RBs Moving Down? =20 RB Charlie Garner (SF)? Garner=01,s been a regular on the upgrade list an= d he=20 had another huge game Sunday where he posted 141 total yards with a TD=20 against the Chiefs.? Two big days loom on the horizon though.? I promise= =20 you he=01,ll be shut out in week 13=01(he has a bye.? And then he faces San= Diego=20 and New Orleans in week 14 and 15.? He=01,s a great player and one of the= best=20 RBs in the game but he=01,ll be facing some tough matchups coming up.? RB Ricky Williams (NO)? As I reported yesterday to our email subscribers,= =20 Ricky Williams suffered a broken ankle and will miss 6-8 weeks.? I had to= =20 chuckle watching Saints Head Coach Jim Haslett talk about how Ricky doesn= =01,t=20 play defense and didn=01,t make any of those sacks or force any fumbles an= d=20 about how Ricky=01,s just one guy and they=01,ll be fine.? Yada yada yada= . ?That=20 sounds good Jim but you=01,re in for a rude awakening if you really believ= e=20 that (I don=01,t think he does)? Chad Morton will be the likely replacemen= t.?=20 Jerald Moore will get a shot too.??? RB Tshimanga Biakabutuka (Car)? 1.7 yards per carry will not get it done f= or=20 a featured RB in this league and that=01,s exactly what Biakabutuka posted= =20 Sunday.? He=01,s got to get back on track if the Panthers are to be effect= ive=20 as a team.? RB Mike Alstott (TB)? It seems as if Alstott is less of a factor every =20 game.? He only had 9 rushing attempts Sunday for 38 yards.? If I were him= ,=20 I=01,d pay Keyshawn to tell the coaches I needed some carries=01(? RB Emmitt Smith (Dal)? What a disappointing game vs the Bengals Sunday.?= =20 Smith fumbled early on what should have been a sure TD and never seemed to= =20 recover.? I thought he=01,d carry the load for a struggling Aikman.? Turne= d out=20 the other way around.? RB Shaun Alexander (Sea)? So much for the idea of coach Mike Holmgren=20 throwing in the towel for 2000 and starting the young players like =20 Alexander.? The rookie is a fine player and will get his time but for now,= =20 it doesn=01,t=01, seem to be happening anytime soon.? RB Trung Canidate? (StL)? Canidate broke his wrist Sunday and will miss t= he=20 rest of the season.? I have no idea how the Rams will function without=20 him.? ? WRs Moving Down? WR Marvin Harrison (Ind)? Is it just me or is Marvin Harrison getting mor= e=20 and more quiet with each game?? He only had 4 catches for 34 yards Sunday= =20 and didn=01,t seem to be a big factor.? He=01,s still one of the best WRs = out=20 there but I=01,m worried about his production.? WR Terry Glenn (NE)? Glenn=01,s faded down the stretch and the Bledsoe th= umb=20 injury won=01,t help his play one bit.? Don=01,t be too down on him as he d= oes=20 have some favorable matchups on the horizon.? But if Bledsoe can=01,t go,= it=01,s=20 trouble for Glenn.? WR Marcus Robinson (Chi)? The loss of QB Jim Miller is huge.? The Bears ar= e=20 now with their #3 QB and you can only expect so much.? Robinson will make= =20 any QB better but there=01,s only so much he can do.? WR Antonio Freeman (GB)? Freeman appears to be headed toward the path he= =20 was on a few weeks ago =01) mediocrity.? And that was with a healthy Favre.= ?=20 With a?less than healthy?Favre, it could be worse.??? WR Jacquez Green (TB)? Keyshawn Johnson=01,s gain is Green=01,s loss as Q= B Shaun=20 King seems locked in on Johnson.? Green will still catch the occasional lo= ng=20 ball but it appears for now, he=01,s the clear cut #2 WR.? WR Terrence Wilkins (Ind)? Suddenly, Terrence Wilkins is the forgotten ma= n=20 in the Colts passing game.? For some reason, Peyton Manning just isn=01,t= =20 giving him the looks.??? ? TEs Moving Down? TE Kyle Brady (Jac)? Brady=01,s still a solid TE but with the return of J= immy=20 Smith, it=01,s clear that he won=01,t be the big target he had been.??? TE Jay Reimersma (Buf)? Reimersma was a total non factor in Sunday=01,s g= ame=20 catching only 1 pass for 7 yards.? One has to think the QB shuffle could = =20 have an effect.? TE Itula Mili (Sea)? Mili=01,s yielded his starting TE job to Christian F= auria=20 and Fauria seems fairly intent on keeping it.? Mili may be a contributor bu= t=20 it looks like he wont=01, see enough action to make him a consistent thre= at. ? ? ? To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: cheatsheets-unsubscribe@egroups.com
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