Week 2 Recap, Part II: Bucs worth owning

-Is Josh Freeman a fantasy star? Not yet, but he and WR Mike Williams (2 TDs in first two games) are on their way. Williams has to be owned at this point, and Freeman might be a darkhorse No. 2 QB worth a spot start somewhere down the road. He's got some mouth-watering matchups with St. Louis and Arizona during bye-week time.

-Only six QBs have thrown for more than 600 yards so far this season. The first five? Peyton Manning, Tony Romo, Jay Cutler, Philip Rivers, Matt Schaub. Ho hum. No. 6? Kyle Orton, who’s also got 3 TDs to 1 INT. Unfortunately, he’s about to run a gauntlet of Indy, Tennessee, Baltimore and the Jets in the next four weeks.

-Only two catches for Rams WR Mark Clayton, one of last week’s Hot Pickups, but both of them went for TDs. Clayton had only one other two-TD game in his career, back in 2006 with the Ravens.

-Rookie TE Aaron Hernandez (6 catches, 101 yards, TD) continues to be a big-play threat for the Patriots. The Florida product had a 45-yard catch in Week 1 and a 46-yarder in Week 2 vs. the Jets. How about a 47-yarder this week against Buffalo?

-It’s been a rocky road for rookie RB Ryan Matthews of San Diego – 25 carries for 104 yards (4.2 average) but also 2 fumbles and 1 protective boot after Sunday’s ankle injury. Mike Tolbert stepped in to carry the ball 16 times for 82 yards and 2 TDs against the Jags in Week 2 and figures to hurt Matthews’ value even more, at least in the short term.

-Arian Foster goes from 231 yards rushing in Week 1 to 69 in Week 2. Matt Schaub goes from 107 yards passing in Week 1 to 497 in Week 2. What’s the real deal for these two Texans? Probably somewhere in the middle.

-Brandon Jacobs owners would like to toss their helmets or demand a trade too after their guy’s performance (4 attempts, 8 yards) against the Colts. He’s clearly benchable this week against Tennessee and until further notice.

-I’m loving what I’m seeing out of how the Saints are using Pierre Thomas so far. He touched the ball 26 total times on Monday night, and with Reggie Bush gone for the next six weeks with a broken fibula, Thomas should have even more opportunities.


Photo by The Associated Press

Fantasy Focus podcast: Vick's value

Go here for the latest installment of the Fantasy Focus weekly podcast.

This week we're debating the fantasy values of Michael Vick, Brandon Jackson, Legedu Naanee, Reggie Bush, Ahmad Bradshaw and more.

8/26 Sleeper of the Day: Mike Bell

RB MIKE BELL, Eagles

Here's an offseason move that flew under the radar. Bell signed a 1-year, $1.7 million deal with Philly after compiling 654 yards and 5 TDs for the Super Bowl champion Saints. He began the year as a feature back in New Orleans, running for 143 yards on 28 carries in Week 1, but after that he settled into a rotation with Pierre Thomas and Reggie Bush.

Meanwhile, in Philadelphia last year, Brian Westbrook got hurt, rookie LeSean McCoy had some growing pains, and the Eagles were forced to give fullback Leonard Weaver a career-high 70 carries in an attempt to solve their short-yardage woes.

Fast-forward a year and Westbrook's gone, McCoy's the No. 1 back and Bell was brought in to back him up and handle some of those short-yardage/goal-line duties. With McCoy still getting his feet wet in the NFL and largely untested Kevin Kolb taking over at QB, I can foresee Bell getting a good amount of work this year, especially in the red zone. At 220 pounds he's a power runner and a good complement to McCoy's skill set, and though the Eagles aren't a run-heavy team, Bell will have his fair share of opportunity. He'll make a sneaky good fill-out-your-roster RB at the end of your draft and a great insurance policy for McCoy owners.

2010 RB Rankings

2010 RUNNING BACK RANKINGS


This year's top four are more or less no-brainers for me, but then you'll spot a few surprises. I have Frank Gore of the run-heavy 49ers, the rejuvenated Michael Turner and the always dangerous Steven Jackson in the next tier of runners. I do have my annual concerns about S-Jax, who still has a weak supporting cast around him.

Next up are a few feature backs I expect to see a ton of carries, Rashard Mendenhall and Ryan Grant, and a surprise at No. 10, Jamaal Charles of the Chiefs. The breakout star of the second half of 2009 is going a lot later than many of the other backs on this list. but I believe he has the talent to produce like a top-10 RB.

I have Arian Foster ranked higher than many other experts, but with the season-ending injury to Ben Tate and the Texans' glaring need for a feature back, I think the rookie has a real opportunity in 2010.

You may also be surprised to see Michael Bush ahead of Reggie Bush, and I don't know if that says more about how much I like Michael or how much I dislike Reggie this year. Either way, I think they're best suited to be No. 4 fantasy backs in most leagues. Move Reggie up a bit in PPR leagues, of course.

I'm pretty high on Ahmad Bradshaw this year because I like his talent, I believe he's healthy, and I wouldn't be shocked to see him outperform Brandon Jacobs this year for the Giants.

I don't believe the Cardinals will be stubborn enough to favor Tim Hightower over Beanie Wells for the majority of 2010, and I've ranked the two players accordingly.

Looking for a deep, deep sleeper? The camp reports haven't been great and he's battling a shoulder injury, but I'm a fan of Steelers rookie Jonathan Dwyer. It might take him a year, but I think he can evolve into a good goal-line back. Stay tuned.

1. Chris Johnson
2. Adrian Peterson
3. Maurice Jones-Drew
4. Ray Rice
5. Frank Gore
6. Michael Turner
7. Steven Jackson
8. Rashard Mendenhall
9. Ryan Grant
10. Jamaal Charles
11. Cedric Benson
12. DeAngelo Williams
13. Ryan Matthews
14. Shonn Greene
15. Beanie Wells
16. Knowshon Moreno
17. Pierre Thomas
18. Jonathan Stewart
19. Felix Jones
20. Ronnie Brown
21. LeSean McCoy
22. Joseph Addai
23. Arian Foster
24. Brandon Jacobs
25. Justin Forsett
26. Matt Forte
27. Ricky Williams
28. Jahvid Best
29. C.J. Spiller
30. Marion Barber
31. Ahmad Bradshaw
32. Jerome Harrison
33. Clinton Portis
34. Michael Bush
35. Reggie Bush
36. Donald Brown
37. Fred Jackson
38. Cadillac Williams
39. Thomas Jones
40. LaDainian Tomlinson
41. Darren Sproles
42. Darren McFadden
43. Montario Hardesty
44. Tim Hightower
45. Steve Slaton
46. Chester Taylor
47. Laurence Maroney
48. Willis McGahee
49. Correll Buckhalter
50. Kevin Smith
51. Anthony Dixon
52. Mike Bell
53. Fred Taylor
54. Rashad Jennings
55. Toby Gerhart
56. Larry Johnson
57. Tashard Choice
58. Bernard Scott
59. Leon Washington
60. Jonathan Dwyer

8/10 Sleeper of the Day: Dexter McCluster

WR/RB DEXTER McCLUSTER, Chiefs

Think of McCluster as Percy Harvin Lite. He won’t make quite as much of an impact as the versatile Viking did as a rookie last year, but he’ll be valuable nonetheless and won’t cost as much as Harvin did on draft day.

McCluster, Kansas City’s second-round draft pick in April, was an outstanding performer at Ole Miss, where he lined up all over the field and amassed 1,700 all-purpose yards and scored 11 total TDs as a senior.

Listed at only 5-foot-9 and 172 pounds, McCluster’s even smaller than Harvin, but he’s got just as much speed, and he’s no weakling, having put up 20 reps of 225 pounds in the bench press at the NFL Combine. The Chiefs, who’ve sorely lacked offensive playmakers in recent years, have visions of McCluster as a slot receiver, scat back, wildcat runner and return man. It’s hard to pin down his exact role, but coach Todd Haley has lined up him all over the field so far this preseason.

I can’t see McCluster challenging Jamaal Charles or Thomas Jones for too many carries out of the backfield or taking away too many receptions from Dwayne Bowe or Chris Chambers, but I think Kansas City will definitely try to get him a fair share of touches. As always with hybrid players of his ilk (Harvin, Reggie Bush, Darren Sproles) it’ll be difficult to count on McCluster for consistent production. But I like him as No. 4 WR who you might get a big week out of here or there when you need to sub him in or use him as your flex player. Look for him late in your draft.

Could Kim Kardashian be on your fantasy team?

Reggie Bush would have been a decent addition to your fantasy team the past few years.

His girlfriend, Kim Kardashian? Not so much.

But that could be a different story if you're playing in a celebrity fantasy league, which appear to be all the rage among readers of US Weekly.

Here's how it works: Instead of drafting football players, you draft the most-gossipped-about celebs - Katie Holmes instead of Santonio Holmes; Taylor Swift instead of Fred Taylor - and you get points for every time they're mentioned in specific celeb magazines and blogs.

It's an interesting twist, and for some of us guys, it could be a great way to get our wives or girlfriends to finally understand this fantasy thing that can sometimes consume our free time.


Photo by McClatchy Tribune

Week 10 Recap

A few random fantasy musings while wondering how such a football genius (Bill Belichick) could make such a dumb call ...

- So Ladell Betts subs in for Clinton Portis and has the best day yet by a Redskins back this season (114 yards, TD). Told ya to pick him up - and I'll tell you to start him this week against Dallas, too.

- You figured the Saints skill players would have a field day against the Rams, but surprisingly it was Reggie Bush (two total TDs) and another of my Hot Pickups for the week, Robert Meachem (41-yard catch, 27-yard TD run) who did all the damage.

- Chris Johnson, Fantasy MVP? It's looking good after another absolute nuclear detonation of a game (132 rushing yards and two TDs, plus 100 receiving yards).

- Think Kellen Winslow (7 catches, 102 yards) is glad Tampa Bay finally made a switch at QB? He's the only dependable Buc in fantasy land.

- Vikings WR Sidney Rice (201 receiving yards) now has three monster games in his past four, and upcoming matchups Seattle and Chicago are looking mighty tasty right now.

- Sure, Maurice Jones-Drew's decision to take a knee at the 1-yard line to set up a game-winning FG attempt screwed over some fantasy owners. But it's hard to find a lot of fault with a guy who had 132 yards and a TD already and who leads the league in rushing scores (12).

- Not much to report from the Bengals-Steelers slugfest, fantasy-wise, unless you had Cincinnati's D/ST. The good news if you own guys on either of these teams is they have some favorable schedules coming up. I mean, really favorable - Bengals play the Raiders, Browns and Lions in the next three weeks, while the Steelers play the Chiefs and Raiders (with the Ravens sandwiched in between).

- Michael Turner was on his way to unleashing a superb fantasy day (111 yards on just 9 carries) before exiting with an ankle injury. Stay tuned for an update on his status and backup Jason Snelling's viability as a fantasy fill-in.

- Thank you, Jamaal Charles (18 carries, 103 yards, TD), for fulfilling your fantasy promise and helping the Chiefs become the NFL's final team to score a rushing TD this year. Now you face the Steelers. Good luck with that.

Sit 'Em: Week 7

- DONOVAN McNABB at Washington: Did you know Donovan has thrown 4 TDs in his past 4 games against the Redskins - and they all came in one game in 2007? He's also coming off a terrible game at Oakland (22 for 46, 269 yards, 0 TDs, 66.3 QB rating). May not be the best week to play him if you have a quality backup.

- PIERRE THOMAS at Miami: The Dolphins are allowing just 76 rushing yards a game, and Thomas, who's already stuck in a three-back rotation with Mike Bell and Reggie Bush, probably won't get enough touches to warrant a start this week.

- PERCY HARVIN at Pittsburgh: The rookie is questionable with a shoulder injury and is coming off a 2-catch, 10-yard game against Baltimore. I wouldn't expect much against the Steelers.


LAST WEEK'S PICKS

- LenDale White had 6 carries for 15 yards and a fumble in Tennessee's debacle against New England last week before exiting in the first half with a knee injury. I think he's officially cemented his "bust" status for 2009, don't you?

- Speaking of busts, Terrell Owens caught 3 passes for 13 yards last Sunday, and his season is probably only going to get worse with Ryan Fitzpatrick under center for the Bills. In fact, it might even be time to drop him.

- OK, I was wrong about Hakeem Nicks, who had the best game of his young career (5 catches, 114 yards, TD). He's now scored in three straight games and could keep that streak alive this week vs. Arizona.

Star backs back?

Anybody who's still alive in the playoffs and in need of some help at RB could get an unexpected boost from two stars who've been on the shelf.

• Sounds like there’s a chance Larry Johnson (foot) is practicing and could return to the field against the Detroit Lions, according to the Topeka Capital-Journal. Maybe it’s just wishful thinking, but a relatively healthy LJ would have more upside than fringe guys like Ladell Betts or Julius Jones. There’s a good chance some frustrated owner cut him, too, if your league allowed it, so see if you can pick him up.

• There’s a possibility Reggie Bush (knee) could be back in action too this week against the Philadelphia Eagles, the AP reports. ESPN said Bush was going to be out for the year a couple weeks ago, but by now you hopefully know to take anything they say with a grain of salt. Anyway, if Bush can go Sunday he wouldn’t be a bad flex play. If not, RB Aaron Stecker (195 rushing yards, two TDs in his past two games) and WR David Patten (193 receiving yards, two TDs in his past two games) should continue to benefit from Bush’s absence.