Welcome to Fantasy Cover 2 for Week 6
Last week, this column warned Kyle Orton owners that if the Broncos continued to flounder, that a change could be coming soon. Well, soon is now. Tim Tebow has officially been installed as the starting QB, and should be grabbed in all leagues. Tebow’s mechanics aren’t the best, and his accuracy has been a problem, but he still somehow manages to make plays with both his arm and his legs., and gets points on the board. The rebuild in Denver is here, and John Fox may as well get Tebow as many reps as he can to better prepare him for next season. Consider Tebow a middle of the road QB2 for now.
Jackie Battle insists hes ok after being held out of practice earlier this week according to KCChiefs.com. He was fortunate to not get a concussion after a hit to the back of the head. Hes clearly established himself as KC’s top back, significantly outplaying Thomas Jones. Hes the #2 hot pickup this week behind Tim Tebow.
This column has been pushing Curtis Painter for several weeks now, and Colts HC Jim Caldwell emphasized to the media today that Painter is his starting QB, barring injury, according to Philip Wilson of the Indianapolis Star. The O-Line will continue to be a problem, and while Painter’s accuracy (48.5%) hasn’t been good, look for it to improve as he gets more comfortable and continues to improve his pre-snap reads. Painter has shown tremendous rapport with Pierre Garcon, and those two should continue to yield dividends for fantasy owners. Painter is a decent QB2, Garcon is a high WR2. Joseph Addai won’t play this week, as Delone Carter and Donald Brown will split carries. Neither figures to be a good fantasy bet. With the Colts on the bye week 7, look for Addai to return to the lineup week 8. Its been a tough year for Dallas Clark. Clark already has 6 drops this year, vs. 7 the last 2 years combined according to ESPN.com. Clark is being asked to block more with the Colts O-Line being so hideous. Hes a TE2 at best.
Aaron Hernandez will be ready to go this week vs. Cowboys, according to a Boston Globe report. Hernandez saw more targets than expected last week vs. Jets due to Rob Gronkowski being very ill before the game. Gronk fought through the virus but mainly stayed in for blocking duty. He should be fine to start as well this week in the Patriots’ 2 TE attack. Both players are worth starting every week. Danny Woodhead also returned to practice for the Pats. Since a 14 carry, 69 yd effort opening week vs. Miami, Woodhead has not managed to gain more than 21 yds on ground or 41 yds total in a game since. However, with BenJarvus Green-Ellis missing practice this week (per Ian Rapoport), keep an eye on Woodhead and rookie RB Stevan Ridley, who could share time if the Law Firm is shut down for a week.
Bengals owner Mike Brown continues to state there will be no Carson Palmer trade before the deadline, per a Cincinatti Enquirer report. Palmer will have to wait until March 2012 when the next NFL year begins. The Bengals have already moved on to the Andy Dalton era. Owners looking for QB help should wipe Palmer off their boards for 2011.
Peyton Hillis will be getting the bulk of the carries for the Browns this week, according to Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Backup Montario Hardesty will still get a few touches, but expect Hillis to get 20+.
Lee Evans missed practice today according to the Baltimore Ravens official twitter account. Downgrade him for this week. His ankle must not be responding . Find a better option for this week.
Tony Gonzalez returned to practice on a limited basis today. Start him as you normally would. Roddy White was a full practice participant, and should see an increase in targets with Julio Jones out, per reports from AtlantaFalcons.com. With Jones out, the Falcons will use a 3 WR rotation of Harry Douglas, Eric Weems, and Kerry Meier. None are worth rostering at this time.
Rashard Mendenhall is no longer on the Steelers’ injury report, per a Scott Brown report. Get him in your lineup as you normally would. Isaac Redman will return to backup duties. Jonathan Dwyer will likely see very little, if any, action. Ben Roethlisberger is also off the injury report. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette notes that Big Ben was only hit 2x all last week vs. the Titans, and that Ben believes he will not need to wear a special shoe designed to protect his foot. Expect Ben to be plenty mobile vs. the Jaguars this week in a strong matchup. Mike Wallace is looking at a big day vs. a weak Jacksonville secondary..
John Keim reports that Chris Cooley was limited in practice, and that HC Mike Shanahan admitted Cooley needed to have his knee drained again. Expect a reduced role this week vs. Eagles. Fred Davis is a TE1 play this week.
Matt Schaub returned to practice today, according to Nick Scurfield, but hes taking a banged up shoulder into a matchup against the Ravens. If you have a comparable option, it might be a good week to sit Schaub down, since he will still be without top WR Andre Johnson. Jacoby Jones has been a total washout since Johnson went down. If you must start a Texans WR this week, look at Kevin Walter. Arian Foster was limited in practice but that is likely the Texans letting him take it easy after handling the ball 27 times last week. He should be fine to start but has a very tough matchup.
Daniel Thomas is back in practice according to Ben Volin. He gets a favorable matchup vs. Jets struggling run D this week.
Brandon Jacobs missed practice again according to Ralph Vacchiano. Looks like he will be a no-go for Sunday. With David Baas set to return to the Giants O-Line this week, bump Ahmad Bradshaw up to RB1 vs. Bills run D. DJ Ware has no value.
LeGarrette Blount hasn’t practiced this week according to Roy Cummings and is unlikely to play this week. With the Bucs having a week 8 bye, Blount could sit next week too. Earnest Graham will shoulder the load, with Kregg Lumpkin as backup.
Redskins beat writer David Elfin believes that Ryan Torain will be given the reins to be the Skins top RB. Tim Hightower has a bum shoulder and is likely looking at being relegated to the 3rd down back. Its Torain’s job to lose at this point.
Panthers OC Rob Chudzinski has said the team will proceed with Cam Newton as its goal line back. While Joe Person reports that HC Ron Rivera said the team would like to “whittle down” Newton’s rushing attempts, don’t expect those carries to be removed at the goal line. They want to limit Newton’s open field running, and prevent him from taking any unnecessary hits. As long as Newton is carrying the ball at the goal line, hes a QB1. His progress from preseason to the regular season has been nothing short of remarkable. DeAngelo Williams value takes a hit with Newton getting carries at the goal line.
Miles Austin and Dez Bryant have been full participants in practice this week, and barring any late setbacks, are must starts this week vs. a weak Patriots secondary in what is shaping up to be a very high scoring game. Tony Romo is also a must start this week.
Marques Colston is fully healed from his collarbone injury and is no longer on a snap count, per a report in the New Orleans Times-Picayune. Colston is now getting the most snaps and should be in fantasy lineups. Robert Meacham is getting the second most snaps, followed by Lance Moore and Devery Henderson. Even though Drew Brees likes to spread it around, Colston is a must start, Meachem is a matchup start, Moore and Henderson arent currently worth starting.
With the trade of Derrick Mason to Texas, Jeremy Kerley becomes the Jets #3 WR according to ESPN New York. While he isn’t worth adding at this time, he will be first in line should injury strike Santonio Holmes or Plaxico Burress. Keep an eye on how Kerley progresses, especially if Burress continues to disappoint.
Mike Gehlken reports that Antonio Gates will not guarantee he will be healthy enough to return to the lineup following the Chargers week 6 bye. This is maddening to owners, who likely drafted Gates early and havent gotten anything in return yet. Its too early to write Gates off, especially considering his excellent production from the TE spot. Owners just have to grin and bear it for now.
A Seattle Times report has the Seahawks considering surgery on Tarvaris Jackson. HC Pete Carroll says team won’t know Jackson’s status for week 7 following their bye. Charlie Whitehurst will be handling all first team reps in practice this week and looks to be the odds on favorite to start at this time. Doug Baldwin gets a bump in value if Whitehurst plays, as these two seem to have good chemistry. The majority of Baldwin’s 136 receiving yards vs. Giants last week came with Whitehurst at QB. Baldwin is worth a flier in deeper leagues, and could be a spot starter going forward.
According to the Cincinatti Enquirer’s Joe Reedy, an official at Cincinatti’s National Labor Relations Board office gave a 3-4 week timetable on how long it would take before it reached a decision on Cedric Benson’s unfair labor practice charge. Reedy says the official is also the one who will make the final decision in the case as well. The NFL appears to be holding off on ruling on his suspension until this issue is also settled. Benson owners appear to be safe through weeks 9-10 at the least.
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Catch me on The Sportswire, Fridays from 6-7pm on 88.1fm and www.wcwp.org
Patrick Creighton has appeared on WFAN-NY and YES Network, and is the play-by-play voice of C.W. Post Football and Women’s Basketball
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