Projo Fantasy Sports Blog

By Mark P. Stopa

When I play fantasy football, I like to pick on the weak and feeble. Martin Gramatica just got put on IR. That's too bad, but how can I use it to my advantage? The Lions and the Rams are terrible. Unfortunate, but how does that help me? That may sound like something only a lawyer like me would do - but it's how we all should operate right now. Let's leverage these and other developments as we enter Fantasy Week 6.

Upgrades

Steve Slaton, RB, Texans: I got a chance to watch that crazy Colts/Texans game last week, and there were three things I took from it: (1) Sage Rosenfels can't fly like Superman, (2) the Colts are out of sorts on both sides of the ball and (3) Steve Slaton is really good. The starting job in Houston clearly belongs to Slaton despite Ahman Green's 12 carries. Slaton was the only back used at the goal line. The Texans' upcoming schedule is very favorable, with home games against Miami, Detroit and Cincinnati in the next three weeks. The Texans defense is so bad, especially in the red zone, as my colleague Mike Salfino noted here earlier this week in Football by the Numbers, that the Texans will have to play aggressively and keep trying to score. And when they get behind, Slaton is an adept receiver as well. Plus, Slaton has already had his bye. Add it all up, and I'd gladly trade any of the following backs for this Rookie of the Year front-runner: Maurice Jones-Drew, Darren McFadden, Jamal Lewis, Larry Johnson and Ryan Grant.

Ronnie Brown, RB, Dolphins: The breakout game against the Patriots was not a fluke. Prior to tearing his ACL last year, Brown had more fantasy points than every other player, and he's showing that same form this year. The sudden and unexpected improvement of the Dolphins' defense has enabled Miami to stay with the running game, and Ricky Williams is not playing well. Brown is a top-10 back.

Bobby Engram, WR, Seahawks: The Seahawks' passing game had been struggling all season, so Seattle fans were glad to see Engram and Deion Branch return from injury last week. Unfortunately, only Engram came out of the game unscathed, as Branch suffered a heel injury that looks like it will linger for a while. As the Seahawks' only healthy, established receiver, Engram will have plenty of games like last week, where he gets 10 or more targets. The fact that Seattle's pass defense is worse than expected forces Matt Hasselbeck to throw more than usual. Consider Engram a good "buy-low."

Taylor Mehlhaff, K, Saints: Martin Gramatica's struggles forced the Saints to put him on injured reserve and re-sign Mehlhaff, their sixth-round pick. The typical caveats with rookie kickers apply, but Mehlhaff suddenly finds himself kicking for one of the best offenses in the league, with his home games in a dome. As long as he can keep the job, you're looking at a top-10 kicker from this point forward.

Opponents of the Lions and Rams: Yes, Kyle Orton is better than we all expected. But his performance last week had just as much to do with whom he was playing against - the Lions. If bye weeks are leaving you in a bind, the first place you should look is to see who is playing the Lions and the Rams. This week, for instance, Gus Frerotte, Bernard Berrian, Visanthe Shiancoe and the Redskins' defense are all better plays than you'd think. In fact, if you are really in a bind, Chester Taylor and Ladell Betts should have some garbage-time fun. Remember the Rams, whom Betts faces, have yielded five touchdowns in their past three games to backup backs.

No Change

Philip Rivers, QB, Chargers: I know he has struggled a bit the past two games. But with LaDainian Tomlinson slowed by injury and just a shell of his former self, the Chargers don't have the luxury of running the ball all game (like they used to). I still view Rivers as a top-10 quarterback and an every-week starter. While others in the fantasy industry might argue that Rivers is a matchup play, the Chargers' remaining schedule doesn't feature any bad ones.

Santana Moss, WR, Redskins: I know he did nothing (literally, nothing) against the Eagles. But it was just one game. I'd be surprised if he doesn't score from deep this week against a bad Rams defense.

Downgrades

Calvin Johnson, WR, Lions: Johnson is an athletic freak in the mold of Brandon Marshall and Terrell Owens. The problem, of course, is that Johnson doesn't have Jay Cutler or Tony Romo throwing him the ball. Worse yet, with Jon Kitna nicked up, the Lions may be forced to start unproven Dan Orlovsky or Drew Stanton at quarterback. Johnson's chances of turning things around after his recent struggles are not good with an unproven quarterback at the helm.

Marvin Harrison, WR, Colts: One of the most telling statistics in the entire NFL right now is that Harrison is averaging only 9.6 yards per catch. That is a horrible number, especially with Peyton Manning as your quarterback. Unfortunately, that number shows what my eyes told me when I watched Colts/Texans; Harrison can no longer get separation from defensive backs. Harrison's days as a fantasy stud are clearly over, and at this point, he's nothing more than a bye-week fill-in. If someone in your league likes Harrison for his name value and views him as an every-week starter, make a trade. Now.

Vernon Davis, TE, 49ers: At some point, you have to stop waiting for him to break out and look at the stats. Davis is doing nothing. I'm convinced you can do better with your TE spot by plying the waiver wire and plugging in a TE with a good matchup. This week, for example, the Vikings' Visanthe Shiancoe has a decent chance of scoring against the Lions.

 Tags  Bobby Engram Calvin Johnson Detroit Lions football Mark Stopa Marvin Harrison NFL Stock Watch Philip Rivers Ronnie Brown Santana Moss St. Louis Rams Steve Slaton Taylor Mehlhaff Vernon Davis

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