Week 5 - The Pickups and Drops of the Week

After a crazy trade that made the Browns a more miserable football team this year - the 2009 version of the 2008 woeful Lions team - we have now found out one of the AFC finalists - the New York Jets. The Jets, I believe will be the "other" NY team that will make the Conference Finals, and we might... and I say MIGHT have an all-NY Super Bowl in Miami this year. Ok. Now I am off my soap box and onto my week 5 fantasy perspective this year:

My Pick-Ups of the Week

• You should pick up the following players (Most players are not starter-worthy, but flex options and bye-week replacements): 
• RB Glen Coffee, SF: If he is still on the waiver-wire, then you MUST pick him up. The 49ers are a run-first, pass-second team, and thus Coffee is a must-start against the Falcons
• WR Mike Sims-Walker, Jac: Now with Troy Williamson out for the season and newcomer Torry Holt is now a #2 WR, Sims-Walker is also a must-start against the woeful Seahawks' defense. Speaking of which, David Garrard is also worth picking up as a bye-week replacement QB for teams that have Cutler, Rodgers, Rivers or Brees as their main QB
• RB Jerome Harrison, Cle: Before this week, NO Brown was worth owning as a fantasy player. This week, I am listing TWO Browns players as pickups for the week due to injury or trade. Harrison is worth owning because he is a #1 RB for the Browns, and heck, any #1 RB for an NFL team is worth owning, unless you are the Raiders. Also, veteran RB Jamal Lewis has hit the 30-year-old RB road block nice and hard, so he will NEVER be fantasy-worthy again, and promising rookie RB James Davis was put on Injured Reserve and is out for the season
• WR Mohamed Massaquoi, Cle: He's the second Cleveland Brown to be picked up this week. After the trade of butterfinger Braylon Edwards to the Jets, Massaquoi will be promoted to #1 WR status for the upcoming game against the Bills. He is worth starting as a flex RB/WR this week
• Broncos D/ST: After their impressive 4-0 start that NO ONE saw coming, the Broncos now face their biggest test of their young season against Tom Brady and the Patriots. The main reason they have started 4-0 is due to their front four and their secondary. They are led by DE Elvis Dumervil, who is surprising many with his NFL-leading 8 sacks; Wily veteran CB Champ Bailey, who recovered his mojo after last seasons' disappointing season; and newcomer and hard-hitting safety Brian Dawkins. They are only worth starting if you think they can defeat the Pats and hope Dumervil doesn't fall into the trap known as the Brady Rule
• WR Sidney Rice, Min: After two straight weeks of double-digit fantasy points, Rice has found a rapport with oldie vet QB Brett Favre. He is worth starting as a flex option against the winless Rams team who has scored a combined 24 points in 4 games this year (6 pts/game)
• Note: If Braylon Edwards is on the waiver-wire, do NOT pick him up for these two months (Oct and Nov). He has just been traded, so he'll need weeks to learn the playbook and therefore has no fantasy value until the final weeks of the fantasy season, when he'll be a true #1 WR worth starting in all leagues

My Drops of the Week

• You may be able to drop these players (not necessarily permanently) in standard fantasy leagues:
• WR Justin Gage, Ten: He has been ice-cold these past three weeks (avg. 3 fantasy points/game) and therefore has no significant fantasy value for the rest of the season
• RB Mike Bell, NO: If you still have him, DROP him NOW. After Pierre Thomas returned from injury, it is Thomas, not Bell, who is the #1 RB for the Saints and for most fantasy teams. Bell no longer has any fantasy value whatsoever with the team
• RB Jonathan Stewart, Car: Last season, Stewart had a breakout season; this season, not so much. This player is truly one of those one-year-wonders (like Welker, LenDale White, who are not droppable, and Maroney, Larry Johnson, Eddie Royal, Lance Moore, Devery Henderson, Coles, Antonio Bryant, Cassel and Chester Taylor, who are droppable)

Now, for the video of the week:

It's a compilation of the greatest runs by probably the most physical and talented running back ever,

ADRIAN PETERSON!

First Post

Hey guys. This is my first post on this site, dedicated to all things fantasy sports. I will cover the three major sports - Major League Baseball, National Basketball Association and the National Football League - and discuss the fantasy implications of certain players and my views on star-caliber players (i.e. LeBron James, Albert Pujols, Adrian Peterson, Kobe Bryant, Joe Mauer, Michael Turner...etc.)

My posts (until November, when the fantasy basketball season is underway) will mainly cover random musings from the past NFL week. (I am using ESPN's standard 10-team fantasy point system)

So, here I go:

What is up with Ravens' RB Willis McGahee? He is averaging a whopping 18.7 fantasy points/game, which is more than Brandon Jacobs (8.3 fantasy pts./game), Steven Jackson (10 fantasy pts./game), Ronnie Brown (13.7), Michael Turner (9.7)..etc. You get the picture. Okay, he was playing terrible run-defenses (KC and the woeful Browns), but still, that's amazing for a guy splitting carries with second-year player Ray Rice, and was drafted in the 10th round in a ten-team league! He's a must-start player until weeks 6 and 7 (@ Minnesota, Bye), and until he proves me wrong

Speaking of RB's, I think the following RB's are on the decline this year: Clinton Portis (yup, even though I am a Redskins fan 'till I die), LaDainian Tomlinson (injury-prone these past couple of seasons), Joseph Addai (Donald Brown will be the starter by the end of the year, MARK MY WORDS), Chester Taylor (Now that Adrian Peterson is a BEAST, there is no need in even owning this player), LenDale White (I betcha his 'tequila diet' is hurting his fantasy implications right now, for he was a goal-line back last year, and now the lost weight makes his pal - Chris Johnson - that much more fantasy-worthy), Tim Hightower (the Cards are a pass-first team, and unlike the Saints, the running backs have almost zero value, except for PPR Leagues), and lastly, Darren McFadden (The Raiders' situation is a MESS. It was a mess and will continue to be a mess until the owner - Al Davis - resigns. That means NO Raider... that's right, no Raider should be owned outside of DMC, and none should be starting)

QB's, on the other hand, have been rather erratic, outside of Drew Brees, Joe Flacco (I'm wacko for Flacco!), Peyton Manning, Philip Rivers, "Stump the" Schuab, Aaron "We don't miss Brett Favre" Rodgers and Tony "I don't need no TO" Romo. What is common among these seven QBs' is that they all have stud, must-start WR's (Colston, Mason, the duo of Wayne and Clark, V-Jax, Johnson, Jennings and Williams). Therefore, all seven QB's are must-start week after week, unless Flacco is facing the Steelers, Schuab is facing the Colts the Titans, and Romo is facing the Eagles/Giants. Heck, I can't even trust Tom Brady after last year's devastating knee injury.

Video of the Day: