2009 Fantasy Awards, Pt. 2

ONE-WEEK WONDER AWARD

Cleveland WR Mohamed Massaqoi is actually a double winner. After starting the year with two 1-catch games, he tantalized everyone with a 8-catch, 148-yard showing in Week 3 against Cincy. The following week? One catch. A few more lackluster games followed, and he was dropped from almost every league around. Then in Week 11, he catches 5 balls for 115 yards and a TD against Detroit. With Braylon Edwards traded to the Jets, some thought he might actually be a part of the offense and snatched him back up again. The next week? One catch.

THANKS FOR NOTHING AWARD

49ers rookie Glen Coffee got rave reviews in training camp and was hyped as a big sleeper in some circles. "The Niners are going to run wild!" they said. "Coffee's a must-handcuff to Frank Gore!" they said. When Gore got hurt in Week 3 and was to miss at least 3 weeks, there was a mad rush to the waiver wire to get Coffee. To make it even more enticing, he was playing the Rams in Week 4. And here's what he did: 24 carries, 74 yards (3.1 average), 0 TDs. The following week he did score a TD, but ran the ball 12 times for just 45 yards. And then he was basically never heard from again.

FUTURE FANTASY STUD

RB C.J. Spiller from Clemson is probably a lock to go in the first round of the 2010 NFL Draft, and if he lands on the right team, he has the size and the high-end speed to be a No. 1 back immediately next year. He could easily make the kind of contribution Knowshon Moreno (947 yards, 7 TDs) did this year as a rookie.

RISING STOCK

Jamaal Charles, Jerome Harrison, Jonathan Stewart, Beanie Wells, Rashard Mendenhall, Ray Rice, Steve Smith (Giants), Miles Austin, DeSean Jackson, Matt Moore, Aaron Rodgers

FALLING STOCK

Matt Forte, DeAngelo Williams, Steve Slaton, Clinton Portis, Brian Westbrook, Steve Smith (Panthers), Roy Williams, Matt Hasselbeck, Matt Cassell

SUPER EARLY TOP 10 FOR 2010

1. Chris Johnson, 2. Adrian Peterson, 3. Drew Brees, 4. Maurice Jones-Drew, 5. Andre Johnson, 6. Ray Rice, 7. Peyton Manning, 8. Aaron Rodgers, 9. Randy Moss, 10. Frank Gore

Hot Pickups: Week 4

FIVE STARS (Out of five):

- RB GLEN COFFEE, 49ers: Frank Gore's understudy got rave reviews in Niners training camp. Now the rookie gets a starting gig with Gore out for the next three weeks with an ankle injury. It doesn't seem like San Fran will hesitate to lean on Coffee - he got 25 carries (for 54 yards) in relief of Gore last week against the run-tough Vikings. Now he gets a crack at the run-soft Rams D on Sunday.


FOUR STARS:

- WR KEVIN WALTER, Texans: Some owner may have lost patience with Walter after he missed Weeks 1 and 2 with a hamstring injury and dropped him. He made them look really bad with a 7-catch, 96-yard, 1-TD effort in Week 3. He's back, and he should be on your team and in your lineup as a No. 2/3 WR or flex player against the Raiders this week.


THREE STARS:

- RB FRED TAYLOR, Patriots: His performance last Sunday (21 carries, 105 yards, TD) will automatically stamp him as a hot pickup in any league in which he's not already owned. There will probably be more of these types of performances to come, too. But be forewarned: He's facing the Ravens this week, and there's a decent chance Laurence Maroney or Sammy Morris or Kevin Faulk could lead the Pats in rushing on any given week.

- WR PIERRE GARCON, Colts: The dude with the cool name (wish I knew how to type that little accent thing under the C in his last name!) has now scored a TD in two straight weeks and seems to be rounding into a big-play threat for Peyton Manning in Anthony Gonzalez's absence. And that means he belongs on a fantasy roster.


TWO STARS:

QB CHAD HENNE, Dolphins: Henne's the man in Miami now that Chad Pennington is out for the season. Does that mean he should be picked up? I'd take a wait-and-see approach for now - chances are the Fins will lean heavily on Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown with a little bit of Pat White mixed in.

Week 3 Recap

Random fantasy thoughts while watching the Giants flat out dominate the Bucs on Sunday at Tampa's Raymond James Stadium ...


- Steve Smith (7 catches, 63 yards, TD) is Eli Manning's go-to receiver, no doubt about it. He's a must-own in all leagues at this point.

- Josh Johnson is the new Bucs starting QB, replacing Byron Leftwich. He's about the only Buc who showed a pulse on Sunday and deserves the start against Washington. But I want him nowhere near my fantasy team right now.

-Frank Gore's ankle injury is a huge letdown a week after his 200-yard game. Expect him to be out at least this week, and possibly two more after that (including a bye in Week 6). Preseason standout Glen Coffee will be a good waiver pickup this week and a sneaky play against the Rams next Sunday.

- Welcome to fantasy relevance, Vernon Davis (7 catches, 96 yards, TD). We've been waiting for you, man.

- Percy Harvin (101-yard kickoff return for a TD) continues to make an impact every week.

- Do the Patriots finally have a clear No. 1 tailback in Fred Taylor (21 carries, 105 yards, TD)? Maybe. Too bad he's got to face Baltimore next week, and then the Pats will probably reshuffle the whole rotation after that.

- Donovan McNabb has to be champing at the bit seeing the damage Kevin Kolb (327 yards, 2 TDs Sunday) is doing and looking forward to a possible Week 5 return against the Bucs after the Eagles' bye.

- Willis McGahee (7 carries, 67 yards, 2 TDs) apparently can't be stopped, but Ray Rice (11 carries, 48 yards, TD) is still getting the most work in the Ravens backfield. Le'Ron McClain (2 carries, 7 yards) is pretty much out of the picture at this point.

- Welcome, Pierre Thomas (14 carries, 126 yards, 2 TDs - all in the second half). It's now safe to use him, in case you were wondering.

- Speaking of Pierres, WR Pierre Garcon now has a place in the Colts lineup and should have a place on your roster after scoring for the second straight week.