Well, we were certainly wrong in a number of areas last week! Tuiasosopo got injured early and disappointed many fantasy owners, and Kitna looked like, well, Kitna against the Arizona Cardinals. Rudi Johnson did get carries over Corey Dillon for a score, but only ran the ball eight times total, and just three times in the second half. Arlen Harris may be looking for a new line of work after his sad performance as not only a runner, but blocking for Bulger on at least two or three of his sacks. Let’s hope that this week we can hit the mark with our “start ’em and sit ’em” selections.
Quarterback: Plays like Roethlisberger: Tommy Maddox has had a tough season so far, even with WR Hines Ward having a terrific season. Look for Maddox to break out of the spell at home against the Arizona Cardinals. Yes, we said this last week about the Bengals and Jon Kitna, but unlike the Bengals, the Steelers can finish a game off, and will stay committed to running the ball. We’d start Maddox this week despite his first half struggles. How good has Chad Pennington been since he has come back from injury? He is a must start against a sorry Oakland defense! For those of you who held on to Pennington for the stretch run, congratulations for a smart, yet gutsy move.
Quarterback: Take the day off: Drew Bledsoe has had trouble all season being consistent. Coming off a bye week would normally help, but going into Dallas and facing this up-and-coming defense led by Roy Williams will surely land this QB on the bench in our league. Dallas currently has the #1 Defense in the NFL; couple that with Travis Henry’s plea for more carries and Bledsoe may have a tough week. It may be a bad week for Drews’ all around, as Drew Brees has been horrendous this season. He’s going up against a Minnesota defense that maximizes its ability to create turnovers. Sitting Brees would be a good idea, as he may not even finish the game as the starting QB!
Running Back: Studs: Anthony Thomas has been on a nice streak as of late, and Fantasy owners should not hesitate putting him in this week against the Detroit Lions. Thomas is starting to show flashes of two years ago when he won rookie of the year honors. All aboard the A-Train! Edgerrin James has really had a rough season, but did post nice numbers last week. Look for that trend to continue as the Colts face a soft defense in Jacksonville this week. Using Peyton’s arm to go up early, they will surely use James to run the clock and eat up yardage.
Running Back: Duds: Okay, normally you would never bench these two superstars, but our “bold predictions” wouldn’t be bold without cojones picks like these: Stephen Davis has had an all-pro first half, but an ankle injury may sideline him for this week’s match-up. We would advise sitting him, even if healthy, against a stingy Buc’s defense that tends to follow losses with wins. What is wrong with Ricky Williams? That Miami offense sure looks like it could use Fiedler back! Facing a tough Tennessee defense, Ricky may not be your best options at RB this week…if you have other options, start them. If not, pray hard, very hard!
Well, another week will be in the books on Sunday, and only 7 more weeks to go after that. Good luck with all your Fantasy Leagues and please have faith in us.
