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Fantasy File
Some superstars have yet to produce
Posted: Tuesday September 25, 2001 4:17 PM
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Stephen Davis has just 100 total yards rushing in two games this season. Jonathan Daniel/Allsport |
By James Quintong, CNNSI.com
Welcome to the first installment of the football version of the Fantasy File. I'll be taking a look at a variety of issues in fantasy football as well highlighting a number of performances from the Monday night game that don't show up in the Sunday's Best column.
Speaking of Sunday's Best, a number of players you'd expect to see on those lists in the first couple of weeks have yet to make much of an impact this season, disappointing many fantasy owners. Obviously you don't want to cut them, but these players are worth watching, especially if there are some owners desperate to trade them.
Let's take a look at some of these early-round flops:
Randy Moss, WR, Vikings: He improved a bit last week against the Bears, hauling in five passes for 81 yards, but for the season he has just 109 receiving yards and -- even worse -- no touchdowns. The Minnesota offense is a mess right now, and Moss will be needed to help turn the Vikings around.
Terrell Owens, WR, 49ers: After a decent opener, he had just five catches for 51 yards last week. Worse, he dropped four passes, including one that led to an interception. Owens knows he's the go-to guy, but it hardly builds confidence when your main receiver has no scores after a couple of games.
Eddie George, RB, Titans: Granted he's gone up against tough defenses in the Dolphins and Jaguars, but George has just 128 total rushing yards and no scores. With Steve McNair's health still an issue, Tennessee might need to rely on George a bit more to carry the offense. Many fantasy owners might actually be looking forward to such a situation.
Trent Green, QB, Chiefs: He's only completed 46.5 percent of his passes and thrown just one touchdown in two games. Derrick Alexander's injury has hurt his production, especially given that rookie Snoop Minnis is the next best target at wideout. Tony Gonzalez has yet to score a touchdown, but when there are few other options, it's pretty easy to keep a close watch on Gonzo.
Stephen Davis, RB, Redskins: It's not really his fault that his numbers are a bit off this year. When the rest of his team falls behind huge, you really can't run the ball all that much. He's only carried the ball 27 times this year -- he had as many carries on four separate occasions last season. Davis, as well as Detroit's James Stewart, is showing that a bad supporting cast can hurt even the best of backs.
Monday's best
Brett Favre, QB, Packers (20-31, 236 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT): Outside of Ahman Green's 116-yard game, there was no one extraordinary individual offensive performance by Green Bay. Instead, the Packers dismantled the Redskins with an assortment of players. Favre led the way, throwing for three TDs and doing a very efficient job leading the offense.
Monday's worst
Jeff George, QB, Redskins (15-24, 102 yards, 1 INT): He still has the talent to be a good fantasy quarterback. Instead, he just continues to fold. His struggles in leading the offense mean bad things for receivers such as Michael Westbrook and Rod Gardner. Plus, Stephen Davis can't be used as much as the bruising back if Washington has to play catch-up all the time
Bye week watch
The Bears, Lions and Titans are all off this week. The main players who take a seat this weekend are Eddie George and James Stewart. The week off also gives Steve McNair more time to heal his injured shoulder, but it also takes away from some of the momentum of Marcus Robinson's big game against the Vikings.
Injury watch
Fred Taylor will be out at least a few weeks after injuring his groin. Stacey Mack picked up the slack and had a solid game, rushing for 80 yards and a TD. Some shrewd fantasy owners already had Mack on their team anticipating the annual Taylor injury. However, Mack will likely be the first name taken off the waiver wire this week. He could have another good game this week as the Jaguars take on the Browns.
Duce Staley could still play this week despite tearing some cartilage in his shoulder. At this point, you may want to hold off starting him, or at the very least, pick up his backup, Correll Buckhalter. The rookie had more than 100 combined rushing and receiving yards in Staley's place.
Drew Bledsoe could miss the entire season as he has a collapsed lung and other internal injuries suffered in his game against the Jets. Tom Brady will be the starter for now in New England, but you really don't want him. In most cases Bledsoe was just a backup QB, so it's time to look for another one. His absence will hurt Troy Brown's value as he was the only consistent receiving threat on the team. And who knows what will happen when Terry Glenn returns.
Eric Moulds looks to be fine despite injuring his shoulder on Sunday. After a couple of early disappointing performances, he seems due for a big game. The Bills have the Steelers next.
Garrison Hearst should be ready to go for the 49ers on Monday night after suffering a concussion on Sunday, but he'll likely split time with Kevan Barlow, who played reasonably well in Hearst's place.
James Quintong is Fantasy Sports producer at CNNSI.com.
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