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Hi Folks, I gotta say before I get started that Monday Night Football=01,s =01&Pack"= and=20 "Cats=018 in the scoring box was one of the more annoying moves they=01,ve= made=20 this season.? =01&Cats=018?? That=01,s so lame. Enough of that, let's jump right into our Upgraded and Downgraded Players= .?=20 As we head down the home stretch, identifying those players moving up or= =20 down can be the difference between making the playoffs or watching from th= e=20 sidelines.? As we head into our 14th week of listing these players, it=01,= s=20 inevitable that some players will have made both the upgrade or downgrade= =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 Chad Lewis could appear on t= he=20 downgrade list and still be good enough to be a starter in your league.? I= t=20 just means I=01,m concerned about the way he seems to be heading.? Likewi= se, a=20 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 can very often make a= ll=20 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 Kordell Stewart (Pit)? Time to give props where props are due.? Kordel= l=20 looks like a new man.? Actually, he looks like the old Kordell.? The GOOD= =20 old Kordell. Over the last three weeks, he ranks as the # 5 QB in my=20 Performance / TD system based on FF points per game.? Gotta hand it to Bi= ll=20 Cowher as it took some guts to bench the starting? WRs like that but Hines= =20 Ward has delivered.? It=01,s probably not the best thing for Jerome Betti= s=20 owners but Stewart=01,s 3 rushing TDs over the last 3 weeks are huge.? QB Aaron Brooks (NO)? Brooks made my upgrade list last week and I put my= =20 money where my mouth was outbidding the other owners in my league to pick= =20 him up? last week as a free agent.? I said last week that we=01,d see how= he=20 does with the pressure on all week.? Obviously, this is one cool kid.? If y= ou=20 saw the footage of him in the tunnel before the game he looked like he was= =20 ready to go out and play a game of flag football or something.? He made = =20 some mistakes and fought back from adversity several times.? The obvious=20 comparison is a young Randall Cunningham.? He=01,s skinny and has a littl= e bit=20 of those Cunningham crazy legs.? Plus he=01,s got a big arm with that whipp= y =20 motion.? But the biggest thing that impresses me about Brooks is his poise= .?=20 Grab him if he=01,s available in your league.? I asked my friend Tony Pauline from the TFY Draft Preview about Brooks.?= =20 Tony had him ranked higher than Shaun King before the draft. Here=01,s wha= t the=20 1999 TFY Draft Preview had for Brooks:? =20 AARON BROOKS Virginia 6'3" 210 4.71 Fifth year senior who completed 54% of his passes throwing for 2,319 yards= ,=20 12 touchdowns and nine interceptions and carrying the ball 83 times for 23= 2=20 yards, averaging 2.8 yards per carry with five more scores.? Led the ACC i= n=20 passing efficiency two seasons ago, throwing for 57% / 2,282 / 20 / 7.? Go= od=20 athlete who has shown great improvement in his quarterback skills the last= =20 season and a half.? Smooth and fluid, sets his feet in the pocket, shows= =20 good strength and stands his ground when being rushed.? Has a live arm; ca= n=20 thread a needle, throws ropes and his deep passes have speed.? Effective= =20 throwing on the run, squares his shoulders and quickly releases the ball.= =20 Eludes or side steps oncoming rushers, pulls the ball down, running betwee= n=20 the tackles.? While he has improved his accuracy and places his passes wel= l,=20 he often overthrows receivers.? The further down the field or out to the= =20 flanks he must get the ball, the more his accuracy struggles.? Must do a= =20 better job reading and recognizing defenses, stop staring down his primary= =20 target and not hold the ball so long while in the pocket.? A player who=20 turned himself into a good prospect with a solid senior campaign.? Mid to= =20 late Sixth Round.? Thanks Tony.? Be sure to check out Tony=01,s great info at=20 www.TFYDraftPreview.com? QB Kurt Warner? (StL)?? Warner=01,s chomping at the bit and has been named= the =20 starter this week relieving Trent Green.? Keep an eye out on how he looks = in=20 practice.? Coach Mike Martz said last week he was concerned about Warner= =01,s=20 grip strength and ability to put rotation on the ball.? I=01,m thinking he= =01,ll=20 be good to go.? QB? Donovan McNabb (Phi)? What else can you say about this guy?? Take awa= y=20 his running game?? No problem.? Give him WRs that would? struggle to make= =20 a division I team? ?No problem.? He finds a way to get it done.? He looks = to=20 me like he=01,s beginning to reach the level of dominance he enjoyed at=20 Syracuse where he was unstoppable.? It=01,s especially impressive as team= s=20 know what he=01,s going and still can=01,t stop him.? It should be noted th= at=20 LaVarr Arrington was injured early and he was the designated =01&spy=018 b= ut=20 still, it was an impressive performance against a very good Washington=20 defense.? I see little reason why he won=01,t continue although he really = needs=20 help at WR.? QB Trent Dilfer (Bal)? I said a couple of weeks ago that Dilfer might pla= y=20 the late season 1999 Tony Banks role as coach Brian Billick revives anothe= r=20 struggling? QB=01,s career.? Dilfer seems very comfortable with what Bill= ick=20 is asking him to do and brings a little fire and attitude to the offense= =20 that had been missing.? I like what they=01,re doing and don=01,t see why = it won=01,t=20 continue.? Although don=01,t forget they=01,re off this week. QB Brad Johnson (Was)? Jeff George yields to the young man from Florida= =20 State.? His knee is reportedly good to go and he=01,s been cleared by the= =20 trainers as fit to start.? Considering the troubles the team endured with= =20 George at the helm, Johnson has already been named the starter.? He=01,ll = be=20 working with a nicked WR corps so we=01,ll see how he fares.? QB Ryan Leaf (SD)? Kordell Stewart, Trent Dilfer and Ryan Leaf?? You gott= a=20 be kidding me.? But after another solid outing, you can=01,t deny Leaf is= =20 making plays.? Granted, he still throws the ugly interception(s) and he ge= ts=20 hurt almost as much as Rob Johnson but the kid could make a difference for= =20 you if you need a spot QB.? He=01,s got one of the top 3 TEs in the game = with=20 Freddie Jones and Curtis Conway and Jeff Graham are veterans who can make = a=20 difference.? This win will have to buoy the spirits and enthusiasm. ?? RBs Moving Up? RB Mike Anderson (Den)? Once is a coincidence.? Twice is a trend. You=01,v= e got=20 to start handing credit to Mike Shanahan, Offensive Coordinator Gary Kubia= k,=20 and that offensive line. Like everyone else, I marveled at the way Olandis= =20 Gary was able to run last year when Terrell Davis went down.? What a great= =20 job of scouting we all thought.? But hey, Gary was a pretty highly touted= =20 back.? But Mike Anderson???? Anderson=01,s a fine back but I=01,ve got to= believe=20 it=01,s a team deal here.? The good news is that Anderson=01,s team isn=01= ,t going=20 anywhere without him and he looks to remain a factor while Terrell Davis= =20 recovers from the mystery lower leg ailment.? Watch this during the week, b= ut=20 it wouldn=01,t surprise me a bit to see Davis miss another game. ?And as l= ong=20 as Anderson rolls up 195 rushing yards a game like he did Sunday, you won= =01,t=20 see Shanahan crying over TD being out.? Granted 80 of those yards came on= =20 one big run but he had a great game any way you slice it.? RB Jamal Lewis (Bal)? I=01,ve been eating crow (Raven?) for a while now a= s I=20 was one of those guys not convinced Jamal Lewis would excel at this level= =20 after a very disappointing 1999 season at Tennessee.? Lewis is running like= =20 he did as a Freshman and Sophomore before the knee injury and he may have= =20 the best blend of speed and power in the league this side of Eddie George.= ?=20 Coach Brian Billick has the Raven offense firing on all cylinders and Lewi= s=20 remains a huge part of it.? His only down side is that he=01,s off this we= ek=20 with a bye.? But that week 16 matchup against Arizona is looking very=20 tasty=01(? RB Corey Dillon (Cin)? Considering what he does with that surrounding cas= t,=20 I could make a strong case that Corey Dillon is the best back in the NFL.?= =20 There have been few passing attacks in recent memory as impotent as the=20 Bengals, yet Dillon continues to pound out the yards when defenses know=20 exactly what=01,s coming at them.? It=01,s amazing to watch.? I don=01,t k= now how=20 long he can keep it up but he=01,s got the woeful Cardinals this week and = you=20 have to like that.? RB Warrick Dunn (TB)? Dunn made the upgrade list last week in the wake of= =20 Mike Alstott=01,s knee injury and he delivered in a big way for his owners= =20 Sunday with 129 total yards including 2 TDs.? There was some talk about him= =20 sharing carries but he was the only guy besides QB Shaun King to run the= =20 ball for Tampa Bay.? Look for more of the same from the Bucs and new=20 offensive coordinator Warren Sapp=01(? Seriously, Dunn showed he could hand= le =20 20 rushing attempts and I think you=01,ll continue to see them go with what= =01,s =20 working.? =20 RB Michael Pittman (Ari)? Pittman may be the lone bright spot on the=20 Arizona team.? I told you last week that coach McGinnis loves the guy and= =20 you saw the results last night as Pittman rambled for 77 yards on only 13= =20 carries (5.7 ypc)? Like Corey Dillon, the surrounding team kills his value= =20 but if he ran for a team that held a lead, he=01,d be awesome.? Unfortunate= ly, I=20 don=01,t see Arizona turning into such a team anytime soon so don=01,t get= too=20 excited.? But overall, I like the guy a lot.? RB Richie Anderson (NYJ)? Each year, there are always unheralded guys who= =20 post nice numbers but remain well below the radar of many owners.? Many tim= es=20 they are RBs who quietly post yardage (and FF points) receiving the ball.?= =20 Anderson is a prime example of one such player this year (as?are Tony=20 Richardson and Stanley Pritchett)? He=01,s caught 15 passes over the last 3= =20 games and with Curtis Martin nursing a sore gluteus maximus, that trend wil= l =20 likely continue.??? RB Robert Holcombe (StL)? It doesn=01,t take a rocket scientist to see th= at=20 Marshall Faulk isn=01,t 100%.? Red flags went up across the country when M= ike=20 Martz elected to give Holcombe that shot at the goalline Sunday.? 6 weeks= =20 ago, that would have been Faulk=01,s carry all day long.? Holcombe looks to= =20 benefit if Faulk=01,s workload continues to be decreased.? =20 RB Brad Hoover (Car)? Aside from having one of those cool names the fans= =20 can yell whenever he does something good, Hoover has shown to be a capable= =20 replacement for candybone Tshimanga Biakabutuka.? He doesn=01,t have the=20 physical tools of a Biakabutuka but you can=01,t deny he hasn=01,t been=20 effective.? It wouldn=01,t surprise me a bit to see Hoover continue to see= =20 action. ?? WRs Moving Up WR Marvin Harrison (Ind)? Harrison stated before Sunday=01,s game that he= =20 needed to =01&get on a mission=018.? Looked like he started towards that e= nd with=20 2 TD catches and he could have had another.? Yes, you=01,d like to see mo= re=20 than 4 catches but I=01,ll take 2 TDs any week.? Harrison=01,s biggest worr= y is=20 that Peyton Manning can stay calm enough not to strangle Jerome Pathon for= =20 dropping easy balls.? Harrison is fine and actually looking better in my= =20 eyes.? WR Hines Ward (Pit)? Does anyone else find it interesting to see Kordell= =20 Stewart throwing the ball to another =01&slash=018 type player in Hines Wa= rd??=20 Ward doesn=01,t have the name of a Plaxico Burress but he=01,s certainly m= ore=20 productive.? If I=01,m Burress, I=01,d be for finding a baseball cap that = I was=20 comfortable with=01(? WR Amani Toomer (NYG)? Toomer=01,s back in a big way.? He had us worried t= here=20 for a stretch earlier but he=01,s playing very well right now, especially = with=20 Ike Hilliard out.? QB Kerry Collins has settled into a nice rhythm and=20 coach Jim Fassell is sticking his neck out guaranteeing a playoff slot.?= =20 Look for?Toomer and Collins to be a big part of making that happen. WR Sean Dawkins (Ind)? With his size (6=01, 4=018 / 218 #) I=01,ve always= wondered=20 why he isn=01,t better.? He=01,s showing over the last few games that mayb= e he=20 is.? Over the last 3 games, he rates as the # 5 WR in Fantasy Points per= =20 game.? It doesn=01,t seem to make a great deal of difference to him whethe= r it=01, s Jon Kitna or Brock Huard throwing the ball, he just delivers.??? WR Peter Warrick (Cin)Garbage time or not, he scored another TD this week= =20 and he=01,s a great gamble if you need to roll the dice for a home run.? Y= es,=20 he=01,s as liable to go 2 for 18 as he is score a TD but sometimes, those = are=20 the kinds of gambles that pay big.? The team reportedly was forcing him t= o=20 see an eye doctor for contact lenses.? This could be like Charlie Sheen in = =20 Major League with the new glasses.? Seriously, if he=01,s had bad vision t= hat=01,s=20 been limiting him, look out once he gets the contacts.? WR Joe Jurevicius (NYG)? With Ike Hilliard out, Jurevicius got all he eve= r=20 wanted =01) a chance.? And he=01,s making the most of it.? He=01,s clearl= y the #2 WR=20 behind Toomer but when this offense is clicking, the #2 guy has definite= =20 value.? Keep an eye on Hilliard=01,s return but he could be a nice sub if = you=01, re in a pinch.? WR Willie Jackson (NO)? Jackson is looking less =01&fluky=018 with each g= ame.??=20 He put together a nice day Sunday with 4 catches for 64 yards.? Like=20 Jurevicius, he=01,s the clear cut # 2 receiver but he=01,s certainly valua= ble.? =20 QB Aaron Brooks has surprised everyone and Jackson should continue to =20 benefit.? WR R. Jay Soward (Jac)? I=01,ll be honest, I really don=01,t like Soward = much but=20 you can=01,t dismiss the fact Mark Brunell seemed to almost be forcing the= ball=20 to him on the long throws.? He=01,ll draw the weaker coverage (and rightly= so)=20 when Jimmy Smith and Keenan McCardell are in the lineup so he could have= =20 some mismatches.? =20 ?? TEs Moving Up? TE Freddie Jones (SD)? Jones is still under the radar of a few owners as = he=20 plays for the Chargers.? Truth is,? he=01,s one of the better receivers i= n the=20 game and definitely the best receiver in San Diego.? He=01,s a nice big tar= get=20 with soft hands for new QB Ryan Leaf.? He=01,s had 11 receptions over the= last=20 3 games.? TE Jay Reimersma (Buf)? Reimersma=01,s returning to the player we knew he= =20 could be.? With 5 receptions for 82 yards Sunday, he=01,s a vital part of = the=20 offense. ?With WRs Peerless Price and Jeremy McDaniel not doing much, it= =01,s=20 pretty much Eric Moulds and Reimersma. TE David LaFluer (Dal)? With Jackie Harris nursing a sprained knee, LaFlu= er=20 seized the opportunity and put together an excellent game with 6 catches f= or=20 45 yards and a TD.? Keep an eye on Harris but this could be a trend. TE Anthony Becht (NYJ)? Becht earns the upgrade just for the beautiful=20 diving TD catch Sunday.? At this point in the season, rookies aren=01,t re= ally=20 rookies any more as most have enough experience that they=01,re learning t= he=20 ropes.? Becht appears to be a fast learner and could give this team a huge= =20 boost with solid TE play. ?? QBs Moving Down? QB Jeff George (Was)? Audition time is over.? Didn't you have the feeling= =20 owner Danny Snyder would have loved for his pet QB George to go wild befor= e=20 Brad Johnson sits down to the negotiating table to talk about next year (i= f=20 they ever do that)? Instead, he looked very average and even a little bit= =20 old.? Brad Johnson will get the start this week.? You never know with knee= =20 injuries so George certainly still has value, just nothing like he did as = a =20 starter. QB Trent Green (StL)? Chris Berman made a great point last night on ESPN= =01,s=20 Prime Time.? Trent Green is a nice player but let=01,s forget this talk ab= out=20 him being the same player as Kurt Warner.?? Another loss for the Rams=20 pretty much guaranteed we=01,ll see Warner this week.? The Rams are sudden= ly =20 fighting for their lives and it won=01,t be Green behind center.? QB Shane Matthews (Chi)? The University of Florida has a great program an= d=20 always places a large number of players at the next level but Matthews loo= ks=20 to be another shot putting QB that simply can=01,t deliver the ball at thi= s=20 level.? It=01,s a testament to coach Steve Spurrier that he can devise sys= tems=20 to make guys like Matthews and Danny Wuerffel look great in college becaus= e=20 they clearly lack the talent.? Put it this way, Matthews has Bears fan =20 wishing Cade McNown will get back soon=01( QB Drew Bledsoe (NE)? Whether it=01,s the thumb or the WRs or the play=20 calling, Bledsoe is struggling.? I used to blame this on Bill Belichick=20 coming up with a Jets defense that shattered Bledsoe=01,s confidence and t= hrew=20 him into a tailspin this time of year but now I=01,ll have to start lookin= g for=20 other theories.?? As Terry Glenn said, =01& it felt like the defense knew= =20 exactly what we were going to do=018.? That=01,s bad for a Thursday game. ?? RBs Moving Down? RB Emmitt Smith? (Dal)? As you probably saw, Emmitt was knocked out for a= =20 moment during the Thanksgiving Day game.? Check his status this week.? Ev= en=20 100%, he faces a tough stretch of games to finish the season against Tampa= =20 Bay, Washington, New York Giants, and Tennessee.? RB J.J. Johnson (Mia)? Johnson had a nice game Sunday but early indicatio= ns=20 are that Lamar Smith will be ready to play this week and that means Johnso= n=20 takes a seat.? RB Jamal Anderson (Atl)? It looks to me like the Falcons are very close t= o=20 packing it in.? He may be worth one more start against the porous Seattle= =20 defense this week but after that, he=01,s got a bye and then New Orleans.? RB Marshall Faulk (StL)? Understand, he=01,s still a top RB, but I think h= is =20 value is clearly falling a bit.? He looks less than 100% but the most=20 telling indicator by far was the Robert Holcombe goalline carry.? 6 weeks = =20 ago, no way does Holcombe get that carry.? He=01,s still a must start and= =20 Warner will likely help his stock but I=01,m a little worried.? RB Curtis Martin (NYJ)? The weather conditions made it tough to get a tru= e=20 picture of Martin=01,s health but it was pretty easy to see he wasn=01,t 1= 00%=20 Sunday.? Between Bernie Parmalee and Richie Anderson, coach Al Groh has=20 plenty of options and he doesn=01,t hesitate to go with them.? RB Jermaine Fazande (SD) ?The big guy yields to Terrell Fletcher and look= s=20 to have lost his starting job.? Not a huge loss as I doubt you were counti= ng=20 on him for too much anyway. ?? WRs Moving Down? WR Yancey Thigpen (Ten)? Drop this guy if you haven=01,t already.? He mis= ses=20 games with a myriad of injuries and when he does see the field, he manages= =20 to drop key passes=01(? WR Marcus Robinson (Chi)? One has to wonder what could have been with Jim= =20 Miller healthy.? Shane Matthews managed to get the ball to his best WR a= =20 whopping one time Sunday.? That will not do.?=20 WR Sylvester Morris (KC)? Morris has been especially disappointing as one= =20 usually expects rookies to progress during the season but he seems to be = =20 going the other way.? Over the last 3 weeks, he ranks as the # 81 WR in my= =20 TD / Performance system.? Part of that can be attributed to Elvis Grbac /= =20 Warren Moon but he=01,s not playing well right now.? WR Terance Mathis (Atl)? Mathis ranks # 72 among WRs over the last 3 game= s=20 in my TD / Performance system.? That=01,s not what you=01,re looking for fr= om a #=20 1 WR, even if it is the Falcons.??? Eagle WRs? These guys are just not very good.? I had especially high hopes= =20 for Charles Johnson this year but he=01,s not getting it done.??? WR Wayne Chrebet (NYJ)? As sick as I was of Keyshawn Johnson whining abou= t=20 Chrebet not being a #1 WR, it looks he may have had a point.? Chrebet just= =20 doesn=01,t have the speed or physical size to make a? consistent impact w= hen=20 defenses choose to take him out of the game.? I love the guy and admire his= =20 grit and determination but he struggles against double coverage.? And most= #=20 1 WR face double coverage=01(? ? TEs Moving Down TE Andrew Glover (NO)? A rising tide is supposed to lift all boats but=20 nobody told Glover about that little axiom.? The Saints continue to roll in= =20 spite of a virtually non existent TE.? =20 TE Jackie Harris (Dal)? Keep an eye on Harris as he sprained a knee Sunda= y=20 and gave way to David LaFluer catching a ton of passes.?=20 TE Ricky Dudley (Oak)? He=01,s maybe the most frustrating player in the g= ame.?=20 As soon as you bench him, he=01,ll catch 2 TDs but I don=01,t know how man= y more 1=20 reception days I can take from this guy.? =20 To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: cheatsheets-unsubscribe@egroups.com
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