Ask the Doctor

Halloween provided plenty of trick and treats for fantasy owners

By: Kirk "Dr.Football" Bouyelas, Special to SI.com

KURT BOUYELAS Ask the Doctor Jake Plummer's 499-yards passing last week set a Denver franchise record. Scott Halleran/Getty Images

As anyone who has children knows, this past Sunday was Halloween. Kids everywhere were in scary costumes, banging on the door and screaming "Trick or Treat." I don't know which was more frightening -- the kids in costume at my door or having to watch the Bears v. 49ers game!

In the spirit of Halloween, let's take a look at a few of the "Tricks" and "Treats" from this past weekend.

The Tricks

Thomas Jones -- One carry for one yard? Very scary for anyone who needed Jones to give them a few measly points. Unfortunately, Jones was knocked out of the 49ers game with a foot injury.

Randy Moss -- Moss dressed as a Big 0 for Halloween. He played for one half and then took himself out of the game. Thanks, Randy.

Fred Taylor -- Yikes! Three rushes for nine yards. Taylor played poorly and had to leave the game early with a hip pointer.

Corey Dillon -- The Patriots "tricked" a lot of fantasy owners by not releasing any information on Dillon's injury status until after the early games started. Dillon did not play and the Patriots could only muster five rushing yards for the game.

Chris Brown -- After scaring Brown owners with his injury reports, the Titans halfback rushed for 147 yards. And this guy was wearing a protective boot all week?

The Treats

Jake Plummer -- The Snake threw for 499 yards and four touchdowns. Sweet!

Michael Vick -- The Michael Vick Experience must have been hit by lightning. The surge propelled the QB to 367 total yards and two scores.

Drew Brees -- Brees dressed up as Peyton Manning and threw for five touchdowns.

Priest Holmes -- Just an average Sunday for Priest -- 225 yards and three touchdowns.

Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne -- Marvin and Reggie were wearing "twins" costumes. Each had 119 yards receiving and two touchdowns.

Rod Smith -- Someone had to catch the ball from Plummer, and it was Smith who put up 208 yards and a touchdown. .

Jason Witten -- The Cowboys tight end dressed up as a wide receiver and led the team with nine receptions for 84 yards and one score.

Dr.Football tackles your questions...

If you have a question for the Doc, you can email him at askthedoctor@fantasyasylum.com. All questions will be answered. However, correct answers will cost you $1.

I just received a trade offer involving two studs and two duds. I have been offered Javon Walker (stud) and Amani Toomer (dud) for Andre Johnson (stud) and Santana Moss (dud). Would you make the trade?  --Andrew, Hohman, Ind.

This trade boils down to who has the better upside in the stretch run. Both Walker and Johnson have performed very well. However, Walker has a bye this week and Johnson already had his bye week. That means that if you do this trade, you will be without a stud for Week 9. Can you really afford to be stud-less this week?

I am in second place in my league at 6-1. I have a good set of receivers with Andre Johnson, Plaxico Burress, Larry Fitzgerald, and I just picked up Michael Clayton. Other than Johnson who is a "must" start? It's pretty much a guessing game as to who is going to have a big game. Who should be my consistent No. 2 receiver the rest of the season? --Andres G., Miami

There is no No. 2 receiver on your team who I can say is an every-game starter. It will depend on the matchups, injuries, tendencies, etc. Some hints I can give you are:

a. Check the matchup for the receivers. Look specifically at the oppositions "passing defense" stats. Check the rankings and the number of passing touchdowns allowed.

b. Look at all the injuries. Check the injury status of the oppositions secondary. Also, look at the injuries on your receivers' offense. See if there are any areas to exploit.

c. Examine the player's production over the last three weeks. That will give you a better indication of how the player is performing.

Ahman Green is my RB1 and on a bye this week. I am thinking of playing the Smiths -- Emmitt and Onterrio -- as opposed to sinking ship Kevan Barlow or Dorsey Levens. What do you think? --Joe D., Northville, Mich.

Definitely. I would not start Barlow unless I was desperate. OK, I was desperate last week, but it wasn't my fault!  Anyway, Emmitt faces a dejected Miami defense that just allowed Curtis Martin and Lamont Jordan to rush for more than 100 yards each. Onterrio returns this week and is sure to see some playing time. Even if he just sees a dozen touches, Onterrio has more potential than Barlow.

Among David Patten, Koren Robinson, Donte Stallworth, Johnnie Morton, and Mark Clayton, which two should I start? I was thinking about starting Clayton and Patten. --Derek, Olathe, Kan.

I would suggest you reconsider starting Patten this week. While the Pats have a great match up, Koren Robinson is a better option this week. The reason? Seahawks WR Darrell Jackson injured his ankle last week and was hobbling around on crutches Monday. With this injury, Robinson should play a bigger part in the offense. More important, Seattle faces a weakened 49ers defense.

I have the Bills defense. They face the Jets next week. Should I pick up Houston or Chicago off waivers? Chicago faces the Giants , so it may be a bad decision, and if Denver has another day like yesterday, then Houston could be a bad option as well. Any advice? --A.J. Levine

Personally, I like the Texans defense this week. Why? The Jets and Giants are tied for first place in the NFL at +12 in the takeaway -- giveaway category. That means that both teams are not committing turnovers, which is a great indicator of how defenses could perform in any given week. The Broncos are -7 in the takeaway-giveaway category. The Denver offense has almost three times the number of turnovers that the Jets have.

I have no RBs (I started Shawn Bryson and Chester Taylor this past week) and have been offered Thomas Jones and Marc Bulger for Peyton Manning. Should I even consider trading Manning for these players?  --Clinton R., N.J.

I have no problem with trading Manning IF the players will upgrade your roster. Thomas Jones will not upgrade your roster. Right now, he's hobbled with a foot injury and his return is uncertain. While Bulger is not a bad option to package with a running back, you have to get a much better player than Jones.

I have David Carr and Peyton Manning. I have two trade offers on the table for Carr and Stephen Davis: Warrick Dunn and Jake Delhomme or Fred Taylor and Jake Plummer -- which should I take? Who  (Dunn or Taylor) is going to better the rest of the year? --Greg G., Chicago 

I like the idea of trading Carr while he is performing well. However, I'm not very excited about the choices of Davis or Dunn. I think you may be looking at the year-to-date stats on Dunn. Over the last three weeks though, he has been as cold as ice. Dunn is averaging 58 total yards per game and scored only one touchdown. Davis has yet to prove he can return from his injury or even stay healthy. There is a lot of risk there. While Fred Taylor and Plummer are appealing on the surface, there are some issues. First, you will have to wait a week to use Taylor who has a bye in week 9. Also, QB Byron Leftwich is hurt and will miss a few weeks. The Jags offensive success now rests on the shoulders of QB David Garrard. Finally, Taylor was injured last week and sat out the second half of the game. There is definitely risk with this trade, but it could pay off in the long run.

I find myself in quite the predicament this week. I recently picked up Drew Brees off waivers and have Daunte Culpepper as my starter. In Week 9, Brees has the Saints and Culpepper has the Colts. Should I take the chance on Brees and the streaking Chargers, or hope for Culpepper and the Vikes to bounce back after their stinker vs. the Giants? Second, I have a dilemma at RB, as well. I've got a lock in Shaun Alexander, but need a good No. 2 back. Available are Reuben Droughns, Deuce McAllister and Fred Taylor (though he is on a bye).  --Matt Z., Toronto

Never sit a stud. Sure Brees could have a good game. The sun could also fall from the sky and the oceans could dry up. What's your point? Do you really think that Brees can repeat his performance from last week? I mean, this is Drew Brees for heaven sakes! Starting him over Culpepper could be disastrous. Remember that the Vikes play the Colts this week. Indy is ranked last in passing defense. They are allowing more than 300 passing yards per game. That's huge! Culpepper could easily rip off five scores. As far as your backs, I would suggest you go with Droughns. He should bounce back versus the Texans run defense and McAllister is still nursing an ankle injury.

My running backs are LaDainian Tomlinson, Fred Taylor, Warrick Dunn, and Travis Henry. Both Taylor and Dunn are on a bye week so I am forced to start Henry. I am thinking about dropping Henry and picking up Kevin Jones, or maybe Michael Bennett or Onterrio Smith. Any suggestions? --Jeff M.

By all means, drop Henry. After last week's performance by Willis McGahee, I'm certain that Henry will be riding the pines for a while. Kevin Jones faces a stiff Redskins run defense and will probably be limited to less than 70 yards. Onterrio Smith returns this week from his suspension and probably has the best opportunity to be successful in Week 9.

I play in a league in which we start three WR and bonus points are awarded for big play touchdowns (a 15-yard touchdown catch gets a bonus of two,  a 30-yard touchdown catch gets a bonus of six, etc). I have Reggie Wayne, Chad Johnson, Darrell Jackson, Ashley Lelie, Keenan McCardell, and Doug Gabriel. Which of those three should I start? --Morgan, Austin, Texas

Let's use the process of elimination. Chad Johnson is a stud. Reggie Wayne is pretty studly, and is certainly worth a start with the Colts playing a porous Vikings pass defense. Darrell Jackson has a badly sprained ankle and was on crutches Monday. Lelie and McCardell are very good options. Doug Gabriel lacks a quarterback and has no chance of success. So to recap -- start Chad Johnson and Reggie Wayne. Your third receiver is between Lelie and McCardell. Because McCardell is playing the Saints, I would give him the nod. New Orleans is ranked 31st versus the pass and should offer plenty of opportunities for success.

This week at wide receiver, I plan on starting Reggie Wayne and Brendan Stokley because of their matchups, as well as Marcus Robinson due to the injury of Moss. I am able to start one other receiver. Should I start Eric Moulds, Randy Moss, Ashley Lelie, or Eric Parker? Also if I start Moulds should I still play the Jets defense? --Jared, Iowa City, Iowa

Why would you want to play Randy Moss? He's injured and won't be effective even if he does play. You know that. It also seems that your mind is made up on Moulds, which I don't have a problem with. Lelie has played well as of late, but Moulds remains the only decent receiver on the team.

Please, Doc, stop printing peoples requests that go like this. "I'm so worried, I don't know what Pro Bowler to start this week." Are these people in four-team leagues. I am in a 12-team league that had an auto draft and you know who I got? Stephen Davis -- hurt. Michael Bennett --hurt. Ron Dayne -- joke. Joey Galloway -- hurt. Charlie Garner -- hurt. Anthony Thomas -- joke. Lamar Gordon -- hurt. I am starting fourth-stringers on my teams. Thanks for letting me whine. --William D.

This is a free country and everyone has the right to whine. My question is -- would you like a little cheese with that whine? Yeah, I know that's a pretty bad joke.

He said what?!?

"I told him next time don't be so dramatic, just touch the cone. He just stretched out there like Gumby." -- Jets Coach Herman Edwards speaking about Justin McCareins' TD catch in which McCareins stretched the ball over the goal line.

Coach: If Justin McCareins was Gumby, was Chad Pennington Pokey?

Kirk "Dr.Football" Bouyelas is an owner of Fantasy Asylum. Kirk is also member of the Professional Football Writers of America, the Fantasy Sports Writers of America and has been writing about fantasy football since 1997. You can now hear Kirk on the Three Egos radio show every Thursday night at 10:05 pm ET on FFRadio.com.