WEEK 4 THOUGHTS & OBSERVATIONS
By Tom Kessenich
tom.kessenich@fwpubs.com
Here are some random thoughts and observations now that Week 4 of the season is in the books:
It’s nice to see that Dick Vermeil appears to have woken up and realized his “rotation” system involving Priest Holmes and Larry Johnson wasn’t
working. It was a problem in Week 3 when LJ was on the field instead of Holmes when the Chiefs were near the goal line against Denver and it totally took Holmes out of the Week 4 game against the Eagles after he got off to a great start and then spent a large
part of the first half on the sidelines. Memo to Vermeil: LJ is a talented RB, but Holmes is the one who gives the Chiefs their best chance to win. The Chiefs need to wake up and start using him properly.
Oh by the way, can someone put out a Missing Person’s report on Tony Gonzalez? Thanks.
Speaking of being used properly, can someone tell me why Steve Mariucci saw fit to bench Kevin Jones in a close game against the Bucs? What a horrible misuse
of the team’s top offensive talent.
More on the curious coaching decision front: How can Willis McGahee get only 16 carries in a close game when he’s running well and J.P. Losman is playing
like … well … J.P. Losman? That was a game where everything was set up for McGahee to drop about 25 carries, 145 yards and a couple of TDs on the Saints. Too bad Mike Mularkey didn’t get that memo.
At the rate things are going, Mike Martz is going to get Marc Bulger killed by Week 9 or so.
To read the rest of this story click here.
PLAYER SPOTLIGHT: STEVE SMITH
By Tom Kessenich
tom.kessenich@fwpubs.com
Fantasy football prognostication is a tricky business. There's no way you're going to
hit on every player. You know that going in. The best you can do is analyze to the fullest of your ability and make the predictions and projections you believe have the best chance of being realized.
But the fact remains we're going to be wrong with some players. I know it; you know
it; everyone knows it. That comes with the terriorty.
Even taking that into consideration, you know what's worse than being wrong? Being wrong
about a player you liked.
Case in point: Steve Smith.
I've been a big Steve Smith fan for awhile. I pimped him hard last season only to see
things get flushed down the drain when he suffered a season-ending leg injury in the opener against the Packers.
Undaunted, I pimped him hard again this season.
Unfortunately, I didn't pimp him hard enough. And that's a decision that's been nagging at me.
To read the rest of this story click here.
MOCK DRAFT CENTRAL.COM'S THREE FOR FREE
By Geoffrey Stein
www.mockdraftcentral.com
Here is this week`s look at "Three for
Free" -- three fantasy players almost universally available as free agents who have the potential to make significant fantasy impact somewhere down the line.
Kelly Holcomb, quarterback, Buffalo: Rumblings out of Buffalo
say that coaches and teammates alike aren`t happy with the performance of J.P. Losman, and Holcomb, the former Cleveland Brown, is next up to get a shot. If he were to get into the lineup, Holcomb would be surrounded by a stud back and a group of good wide
receivers. During his starts with the Browns, Holcomb put up decent numbers with a far less talented cast surrounding him; with the Bills, he could put up fantasy numbers good enough to be a fantasy backup.
To read the rest of this story
click here.
START EM/BENCH EM/WATCH EM
By Tom Kessenich
tom.kessenich@fwpubs.com
Each week, we'll provide a list of players you should have in your lineups, some
sleepers to keep an eye on and some players you'll want to avoid. Our Start Ems will not be the obvious "Start LaDainian Tomlinson," but rather some players who may be under the radar but are primed for big weeks.
In other words, the
kind of players who will help you garner that coveted weekly victory.
So here is this week's list:
START EM
Ben Roethlisberger QB Pit. (at SD):
Big Ben is off to a very nice start for fantasy owners. In traditional scoring systems he ranks 7th among QBs, averaging more than 20 points per game. Given how this is a run-first offense that is some impressive production early in the season from Roethlisberger,
who didn't look sharp at all in the pre-season. This week he gets to show what he can do under the Monday Night glare on the road against a San Diego pass defense that is one of the worst in the league. The Chargers give up 248.5 passing yards per game and
they have allowed 6 TD passes in the first four games. Hines Ward is a bit nicked up but is expected to play and he's off to a terrific start. Meanwhile, Antwaan Randle El has supplied a potent downfield threat. Backed by a strong running game, Roethlisberger
should be able to make things happen against the Chargers with at least 2 TDs very likely. He has Top 10 potential this week and makes for a very nice starting option.
To see this week's entire list click here.
WEEK 5 RANKINGS
By Tom Kessenich
tom.kessenich@fwpubs.com
This week's rankings can be found online at http://www.fantasysportsmag.com. If you are a current subscriber, go
here to see them. To become a subscriber and access all of our online content this season for less than $1 a week, go here
View Past Issues
Starting with the May 7, 2004 issue, all of our e-mail newsletters will be archived. If you're interested in reading a previous issue of the Fantasy Informant, click here
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