Week 10
The injury bug hit week ten like the Oakland Raiders head coach Tom Cable hits assistant coaches. Several key fantasy players went down with injuries this week in the NFL. Cedric Benson, Ronnie Brown, Michael Turner, and Kyle Orton are just a few of the key losses for some fantasy owners.
The fact of the matter is we are approaching fantasy crunch time. For most leagues the fantasy playoffs start week 14 or 15. It is the time of year where fantasy owners look at their teams and reflect. By this time, you pretty much know if your fantasy team is a contender or a pretender. What you do in the following weeks will most certainly determine your fantasy fate.
If you are a contender then the most important thing is building depth for the playoffs. It is also important to handcuff your stud running backs. That means if you are an Adrian Peterson owner (stud) you will want to pick up Chester Taylor (back-up) so if Peterson happens to go down next week with a torn ACL you won’t be suffering that bad. Football is a game of injuries, come playoff time you want to be healthy.
Let’s now look at the hot players, the cold players and the injuries for week ten. Since there were so many injuries this week lets first take a visit to the doctor’s report.
The Doctors’ Report:
Atlanta Falcons star running back Michael Turner ran for 111 yards Sunday before he left the game with an ankle injury. Turner is considered questionable for week eleven at the Giants, according to www.cbssportsline.com. If you are a Turner owner you will want to pick up Jason Snelling because he is expected to get the start if Turner can’t go next week.
Cincinnati Bengals running back Cedric Benson left Sunday’s game with a hip flexor injury. Benson’s injury is not that serious according to the Cincinnati Bengals team site. If you are a Benson owner you definitely want to pick up back-up Bernard Scott just in case Benson’s injury does keep him out for an extended period of time.
Miami Dolphins running back Ronnie Brown left Sunday’s game with an ankle injury. Brown will have x-rays on his ankle Monday. As of now Brown is considered questionable for next week’s game at the Panthers, according to www.cbssportsine.com. If Brown is out for an extended amount of time then running back Ricky Williams will have a tremendous boost in value.
Philadelphia Eagles running back Brian Westbrook sustained another concussion Sunday at the Chargers. Westbrook is one of the most injury prone players in the league. Because of his repeated concussions you have to consider the rest of his season in jeopardy; Possibly the rest of his career. LeSean McCoy will get the start most likely next week at Chicago. He is considered a decent start for that game.
Seattle Seahawks running back Julius Jones left Sunday’s game at the Cardinals with a broken rib. Jones injury appears serious but he is considered questionable for next week at the Vikings. If you are a Jones owner you probably should add Justin Forsett to your fantasy roster immediately. Forsett rushed for a career ‘-high 123 Sunday at the Cardinals.
Denver Broncos quarterback Kyle Orton left Sunday’s game at Washington with an ankle injury. As of now it is unclear rather or not Orton will play next vs. the Chargers. Orton has been a pretty decent quarterback this year but because of his turnovers you can really only consider him a fantasy starter based on match-ups.
The Hot:
Quarterbacks:
Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning had another hot performance Sunday night against the Patriots. Manning threw for 327 yards and four touchdowns. Manning could possibly win the MVP this year, you are obviously going to want to start him each and every week when healthy.
New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (the golden boy) threw for 375 yards and three touchdowns Sunday night against the Colts. Brady connected with Moss for a 63 yard bomb early in the second quarter. Brady is having a stellar season should be treated like a fantasy MVP.
Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb threw for a season high 450 yards Sunday at the Chargers. McNabb threw two touchdowns and one interception in the contest. McNabb is having a relatively good season this year. He should be looked at as a decent fantasy starter.
Running Backs
Tennessee Titans running back Chris Johnson rushed for 132 yards and two scores and caught nine passes for 100 yards Sunday vs. the Bills. Johnson is perhaps the best player in fantasy right now. You should obviously start Johnson every week; if you are a Johnson owner (stud) who is in contention for the playoffs you are going to want to handcuff him by adding Lendale White (back-up) to your roster just in case Johnson gets hurt.
Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson had another great game Sunday against Detroit. Peterson rushed for 133 yards and scored two touchdowns. Peterson is a stud start him every week when healthy.
New Orleans Saints running back Reggie Bush had a productive game Sunday at the Rams. Bush ran for 83 yards and had 15 yards receiving. Bush also scored two touchdowns; one rushing and one receiving. Bush owners have to be frustrated; the Saints are using Pierre Thomas, Mike Bell and Reggie Bush relatively evenly in their offense. Bush can’t really be considered a fantasy starter until plays on a more consistent level.
Wide Receivers
New England Patriots wide receiver Randy Moss had a fantastic game Sunday at the Colts. Moss caught 9 balls for 179 yards, he also scored two touchdowns. Moss is arguably the best wide receiver in fantasy. Start him every week when healthy.
Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Reggie Wayne caught ten passes for 126 yards. Wayne is enjoying a tremendous season, you should view him as a number one fantasy wide receiver and start him every week when healthy.
Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Sidney Rice caught seven passes for a season-high 201 yards Sunday vs. Detroit. Rice is emerging as a must-start fantasy wide receiver.
The Cold
Dallas Cowboys running back Marian Barber only rushed for 26 yards Sunday at the Green Bay Packers. Barber can no longer be looked at as a stud number one fantasy running back, if you have other options you might want to consider benching him next week vs. the Redskins.
New Orleans Saints wide receiver Marques Colston only totaled 17 yards receiving Sunday at the Rams. Colston also fumbled in the game. If you are a Colston owner you shouldn’t worry too much about this game. Start him next week vs. Tampa Bay.
Pittsburgh Steelers running back Rashard Mendenhall had a poor game Sunday vs. the Bengals. Mendenhall only rushed for 36 yards. Mendenhall is having a pretty decent season, don’t worry to much about this game he should bounce back next week against the Chiefs, you will want to get him active.