Grabbing this rookie RB is an easy 'Choice'
By Michael Blunda
Dec. 1, 2008
Week 13 was an odd one in the NFL. First off, 10 road teams won Sunday, which is a staggering number considering there were only 12 games (due to three being played on Thanksgiving). Secondly, wintry weather affected a lot of contests, making for some sloppy play and not a whole lot of points. And finally, unlike last week, there weren’t many ridiculous fantasy performances, outside of DeAngelo Williams’ four-TD day at Green Bay. All I know is that figuring out the NFL this season is more difficult than any one I can ever remember, which makes choosing a fantasy lineup for your upcoming playoff matchups a truly arduous task. Anyway, here is this week’s Fantasy Ticker, which will let you know who to pick up, who to trade for and who to get rid of as soon as possible.
Hot purchases
These players should be free agents in many leagues. Pounce on them if you can.
Cowboys RB Tashard Choice
With Felix Jones out for the season, Choice is Dallas’ lone backup to Marion Barber, who suffered a dislocated pinkie toe in Thursday’s contest. Choice came in and picked up 57 yards on 11 attempts against Seattle, showing that he can put up numbers in a pinch. Although Barber isn’t expected to miss any game time, it’s always possible that he could further injure the toe, in which case Choice would be the primary back. Grab the rookie just in case Barber goes down.
Ravens WR Mark Clayton
Clayton has been known to tease fantasy owners in the past, but Sunday’s monster effort at Cincy was unlike any he’d ever had before. The wideout grabbed five passes for 164 yards and a score, and he also threw a 32-yard TD pass on a reverse. With QB Joe Flacco starting to distribute the ball more evenly to his receivers, Clayton might be able to string together a few decent games in the final month. Just be wary of his difficult upcoming schedule.
Giants WR Domenik Hixon
As if a hamstring injury wasn’t enough, Plaxico Burress had to go and shoot himself in the leg, sidelining him indefinitely. That opens the door for Hixon, who has proved to be a very capable fill-in in limited work. He has 11 catches for 128 yards in his last two outings, and he had a 4-102-1 game subbing for Burress in Week Five. Hixon has some tough matchups on the horizon, but that shouldn’t deter you from stashing him as a fantasy reserve.
Dolphins WR Davone Bess
Stepping up in place of WR Greg Camarillo, who’s out for the season with a knee injury, Bess led Miami in receiving Sunday with six catches for 84 yards. He’s not much of a scoring threat, but the speedy Bess has had at least 50 yards in each of the past three games, and his remaining schedule is far from intimidating. Those in deeper leagues should consider the rookie, who had an extremely prolific career at Hawaii.
Buy low
Here’s a player who has underperformed thus far and seen his value drop. Trade for him before it’s too late.
Colts WR Reggie Wayne
It has been a somewhat lackluster campaign for Wayne, who hasn’t been as reliable for his fantasy owners as he has in years past. In fact, the wideout has just one TD and one 100-yard game since Week Six. He’s still Peyton Manning’s favorite target, but it hasn’t translated to the stat sheet. However, with his next three opponents being the Bengals, Lions and Jaguars, Wayne has a tremendous chance to turn things around. Add him for the stretch run if you can.
Sell high
Deal this guy for productive players now, because his value is about to take a steep drop-off.
Panthers RB DeAngelo Williams
Williams is posting numbers this season that no one thought imaginable, and his best fantasy performance just came Sunday at Green Bay, when he had 21 carries for 72 yards and four TDs. It’s practically impossible for Williams to get much better than he has been, especially with dates against the stingy run defenses of the Buccaneers and Giants coming up. Because he has been on such a hot streak, someone might be willing to drastically overpay for the back, in which case you probably should pull the trigger.
Dec. 1, 2008
Week 13 was an odd one in the NFL. First off, 10 road teams won Sunday, which is a staggering number considering there were only 12 games (due to three being played on Thanksgiving). Secondly, wintry weather affected a lot of contests, making for some sloppy play and not a whole lot of points. And finally, unlike last week, there weren’t many ridiculous fantasy performances, outside of DeAngelo Williams’ four-TD day at Green Bay. All I know is that figuring out the NFL this season is more difficult than any one I can ever remember, which makes choosing a fantasy lineup for your upcoming playoff matchups a truly arduous task. Anyway, here is this week’s Fantasy Ticker, which will let you know who to pick up, who to trade for and who to get rid of as soon as possible.
Hot purchases
These players should be free agents in many leagues. Pounce on them if you can.
Cowboys RB Tashard Choice
With Felix Jones out for the season, Choice is Dallas’ lone backup to Marion Barber, who suffered a dislocated pinkie toe in Thursday’s contest. Choice came in and picked up 57 yards on 11 attempts against Seattle, showing that he can put up numbers in a pinch. Although Barber isn’t expected to miss any game time, it’s always possible that he could further injure the toe, in which case Choice would be the primary back. Grab the rookie just in case Barber goes down.
Ravens WR Mark Clayton
Clayton has been known to tease fantasy owners in the past, but Sunday’s monster effort at Cincy was unlike any he’d ever had before. The wideout grabbed five passes for 164 yards and a score, and he also threw a 32-yard TD pass on a reverse. With QB Joe Flacco starting to distribute the ball more evenly to his receivers, Clayton might be able to string together a few decent games in the final month. Just be wary of his difficult upcoming schedule.
Giants WR Domenik Hixon
As if a hamstring injury wasn’t enough, Plaxico Burress had to go and shoot himself in the leg, sidelining him indefinitely. That opens the door for Hixon, who has proved to be a very capable fill-in in limited work. He has 11 catches for 128 yards in his last two outings, and he had a 4-102-1 game subbing for Burress in Week Five. Hixon has some tough matchups on the horizon, but that shouldn’t deter you from stashing him as a fantasy reserve.
Dolphins WR Davone Bess
Stepping up in place of WR Greg Camarillo, who’s out for the season with a knee injury, Bess led Miami in receiving Sunday with six catches for 84 yards. He’s not much of a scoring threat, but the speedy Bess has had at least 50 yards in each of the past three games, and his remaining schedule is far from intimidating. Those in deeper leagues should consider the rookie, who had an extremely prolific career at Hawaii.
Buy low
Here’s a player who has underperformed thus far and seen his value drop. Trade for him before it’s too late.
Colts WR Reggie Wayne
It has been a somewhat lackluster campaign for Wayne, who hasn’t been as reliable for his fantasy owners as he has in years past. In fact, the wideout has just one TD and one 100-yard game since Week Six. He’s still Peyton Manning’s favorite target, but it hasn’t translated to the stat sheet. However, with his next three opponents being the Bengals, Lions and Jaguars, Wayne has a tremendous chance to turn things around. Add him for the stretch run if you can.
Sell high
Deal this guy for productive players now, because his value is about to take a steep drop-off.
Panthers RB DeAngelo Williams
Williams is posting numbers this season that no one thought imaginable, and his best fantasy performance just came Sunday at Green Bay, when he had 21 carries for 72 yards and four TDs. It’s practically impossible for Williams to get much better than he has been, especially with dates against the stingy run defenses of the Buccaneers and Giants coming up. Because he has been on such a hot streak, someone might be willing to drastically overpay for the back, in which case you probably should pull the trigger.
posted by The Gryphon at 9:14 AM
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