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Hache Man · 12-12-06, 05:15 PM

Running out of time
Vince Young's slashing run through the heart of Houston's defense stole the headlines, but that wasn't even the best revenge-dripping performance of Week 14. Artose Pinner ripped the Lions Sunday in a unique twist on Matt Millen's incompetence. His picks only play well in Detroit against the Lions. The Packers should sign Charles Rogers this week.

Angry Rotoworld emailers aside, no amount of preparation could get you ready for Pinner-mania. Cut late in training camp, Artose wasn't even active for the Vikings the three weeks leading into Sunday and hasn't topped three carries all year. A retread scoring as many points as Larry Johnson, Shaun Alexander, and Brian Westbrook combined is a good reminder that fantasy football will never be fair. It's not supposed to be. Ron Dayne, Mike Karney, and Pinner happen.

We sympathize with every owner who started Ciatrick Fason, we whiffed there, and are thankful he wasn't ranked him higher than No. 32 in Goal Line Stand. If you are still reading this column, you have likely dodged the Week 14 bullets and have advanced. For the waiver wire warriors still able to pick up players, here are the best selections of Week 15.

Running Backs

Justin Griffith, Falcons - When the Falcons decided to trade T.J. Duckett and only keep two tailbacks active most of the season, they cited fullback Justin Griffith's versatility as a primary reason. His 12-carry, 57-yard, and one touchdown performance in emergency duty Sunday made them look good.

By now, you've probably seen Griffith shake Bucs S Will Allen out of his shoes on his trip to the end zone. That play and Griffith's track record in the passing game is enough to make him our favorite waiver wired running back this week. The Falcons have shown their system is more important than the players. Griffith has averaged 4.5 yards-per-carry in his career and is guaranteed to have at least a backup role on Saturday against the Cowboys with Jerious Norwood expected to be out. He'll probably play third downs and possibly gets some goal line work. If Warrick Dunn misses the game as well, Griffith will be a decent flex option against Dallas.

Recommendation:Should be owned in all leagues

Ron Dayne, Texans - He just won't die. A Rotoworld summer 'sleeper' on a team he ultimately didn't make (Denver), Dayne has shown once again that anyone can succeed in a zone blocking scheme. Gary Kubiak says Dayne's early season struggles were caused by a turf toe injury and that we're now seeing the real Dayne. We think the real Dayne is just getting consistent carries (39 in two weeks) against poor rush defenses (Tennessee and Houston).

Dayne and the Texans head to Foxborough this week to face an ornery Patriots team. His run of success is likely to end, but look what lies ahead for Week 16: the Indianapolis Colts. Ron Dayne, Fantasy Championship MVP anyone?

Recommendation: Should be owned in all leagues

Artose Pinner, Vikings - Pinner was owned in a whopping 0% of fantasy leagues heading into Week 14. The worrisome part for fantasy owners needing a spark this week is that Vikings coach Brad Childress said he didn't have a set plan for carries against Detroit. He was going to play the hot hand, and Pinner performed well early. Pinner got most of the snaps on the first drive, although Ciatrick Fason was in the mix, and Mewelde Moore also had one near the goal line. This week we could easily see Childress going back to Ciatrick Fason or Moore. The whole debate could be a moot point because Chester Taylor may be back this week.

Taylor believes he'll be back for this week's tasty matchup with the Jets, so it may not make a difference. The Vikings are less forthcoming. Pinner received a few starts last season in place of Kevin Jones and didn't perform particularly well. That's only one of the many reasons we'd pick up Justin Griffith and Ron Dayne over Pinner this week if we had to choose early in the week. Pinner has all the makings of a one-game wonder.

Recommendation: Should be owned in 12-team leagues

Arlen Harris, Lions - This whole Pinner-Harris-Aveion Cason Mike Martz triangle of intrigue is just too much for us to take. Just wait until Marshall Faulk signs with Detroit next year. It's the fantasy playoffs and we're still writing about Arlen Harris? Harris had a chance to play a bigger role for two games earlier this season when Kevin Jones was hurt: 18 carries, 45 yards rushing, 28 receiving yards and a touchdown in two games were the result.

The difference this week is that Detroit faces Green Bay. The Packers rush defense was respectable earlier in the season but has given up huge days to Shaun Alexander, Cedric Houston, and Frank Gore the last few weeks. Harris could put up 60 total yards, but you can do better if your team is still playing.

Recommendation: Worth a look in 12-team leagues.

Wide Receivers

Nate Burleson, Seahawks - Darrell Jackson is a player I own in nearly every league. With turf toe expected to knock him out of Thursday's game, I'm probably going to roll with Nate Burleson on a squad that is particularly thin at wide receiver. Burleson has mostly been a bust since signing with Seattle as a free agent, but has played well enough on returns to get mentioned as a possible Pro Bowl special teamer and has caught five passes (on six targets) and a touchdown in the last three games as Seattle's fourth receiver.

I know this is nothing to get too excited about. Burleson dropped every other pass thrown to him early in the year and it rightfully put him in the doghouse. But I can't help but think Matt Hasselbeck is going to attack 49ers cornerback Sammy Davis, just like Brett Favre did on Sunday. San Francisco is terrible at cornerback without Shawntae Spencer and Seattle's system is proven. I think Burleson could put up WR3 stats for the needy this week. Most playoff teams have sufficient lineups that he'd be a better pickup for the bench. If I had the option, I'd rather go with one of Burleson's teammates this week…

Recommendation: Worth a look in 12-team leagues

D.J. Hackett, Seahawks - Burleson will start, but it doesn't matter that much in Seattle's system. They play three receivers on most downs and Hackett will be on the field. By almost any measure, Hackett has been the superior player the last two seasons. Hackett is owned in my leagues, but is probably available in most 12-team affairs. Darrell Jackson is consistently Matt Hasselbeck's most frequent target, so his injury should mean more looks for Hackett, Burleson, and Deion Branch. A strong stretch run by Hackett could make Burleson, Bobby Engram, and even Jackson expendable this off-season in Seattle. Hackett has been Seattle's second most consistent option this year and deserves a bigger role.

Recommendation: Should be owned in 12-team leagues

Ronald Curry, Raiders - After two popped Achilles' tendons, Curry is still very explosive. The definition of a Waiver Wired regular, Curry is likely to start if Randy Moss misses this week's game. His production is the best on Oakland's team since Aaron Brooks returned anyhow: 19 catches, 235 yards, and a touchdown in his last four games. While most of his production against the Bengals came in garbage time, Curry has good matchups against St. Louis and Kansas City the next two weeks. He's a reasonable pickup for depth.

Recommendation:Should be owned in 12-team league

Vincent Jackson, Chargers- With Keenan McCardell out, Vincent Jackson will continue to start and be Philip Rivers' favorite threat downfield. He's raw, but the Chiefs have been giving up a lot of big plays recently and Jackson could exploit them.

Recommendation: Worth a look in 12-team leagues

Santonio Holmes & Nate Washington, Steelers - Hines Ward will likely be back this week, but Cedrick Wilson won't. If either of these Pittsburgh receivers is available, they are solid options against an injury-ravaged Carolina secondary.

Recommendation: Worth a look in 12-team leagues

Tight Ends

Vernon Davis, 49ers - Forgive me if I repeat some of my comments about Davis from Sunday Schooled, but there are only so many ways I can talk about the same guy in the span of two days. Davis is a mercenary with the ball. His weaving 52-yard score where he bounced off tacklers made him look like a man among boys. He also had a 35-yard gainer called back because of penalty and was open for a touchdown another time but Alex Smith underthrew him.

Davis has to learn how to be a pro. It's clear he doesn't know the playbook, much less the defenses he's facing, as well as he should. But it's also clear he's too talented to be held down for long. San Francisco will get the ball in his hands as much as possible the next month.

Recommendation:Should be owned in all leagues

Tony Scheffler, Broncos - Sheffler scored twice in less than a minute against San Diego after pitching a shutout for the first 12 games of his rookie season. One of the scores was fluky and came off a dropped interception. But Scheffler's two other catches were for more than 25 yards. He's a zone-busting tight end prototype that lacks polish and any semblance of blocking skill. That's kept him off the field to this point, but he's likely to start with the Broncos fading and Stephen Alexander hurting.

Recommendation: Worth a look in deep leagues

Daniel Graham, Patriots - Graham caught four passes in Week 14, partly because Ben Watson missed most of the second with a knee injury. Watson owners could do worse than to pick up Graham for this week's game against Houston. Graham had a touchdown called back by penalty on Sunday, and is one of Tom Brady's favorite red zone targets.

Recommendation: Worth a look if desperate

Quarterback

Chris Weinke, Panthers - What a bizarre first start in four years. He played well enough in the first half, but the Panthers couldn't run the ball and kept dropping passes. He still managed a few nice long throws to Drew Carter.

Weinke came out after halftime and was terrible, forcing passes ball to Steve Smith and being intercepted three times. Those picks led to a huge deficit, so Weinke wound up throwing 61 passes and posting beautiful garbage-time numbers. I wouldn't be surprised if A) Delhomme doesn't start this week and B) the Panthers fall into a similar situation against Pittsburgh, helping Weinke to a decent fantasy day in a loss.

Recommendation: Mid-level Week 15 starter

Jay Cutler, Broncos - Cutler quietly played a solid second half against the Chargers Sunday while his defense was collapsing. The Cardinals have ended recent slumps by Marc Bulger and Matt Hasselbeck, and Cutler could be the next quarterback to throw for multiple scores against them.

Recommendation: Worth a look in deep leagues

Tim Rattay, Bucs - Competent, but nothing special. That's Tim Rattay's reputation and he lived up to it Sunday in a mop-up performance for Bruce Gradkowski. Jon Gruden is going with the rookie against the Bears this week, so Rattay isn't really an option. Desperate 2QB league owners could stash him for a possible Week 16 date against the Browns.

12-12-06, 05:15 PM	#1
Hache Man Moderator Seven Days Without Gambling Makes One Weak Join Date: Aug 19, 2005 Location: Orlando, Florida Posts: 57,973	Fantasy Football News 12/12/06 Running out of time Vince Young's slashing run through the heart of Houston's defense stole the headlines, but that wasn't even the best revenge-dripping performance of Week 14. Artose Pinner ripped the Lions Sunday in a unique twist on Matt Millen's incompetence. His picks only play well in Detroit against the Lions. The Packers should sign Charles Rogers this week. Angry Rotoworld emailers aside, no amount of preparation could get you ready for Pinner-mania. Cut late in training camp, Artose wasn't even active for the Vikings the three weeks leading into Sunday and hasn't topped three carries all year. A retread scoring as many points as Larry Johnson, Shaun Alexander, and Brian Westbrook combined is a good reminder that fantasy football will never be fair. It's not supposed to be. Ron Dayne, Mike Karney, and Pinner happen. We sympathize with every owner who started Ciatrick Fason, we whiffed there, and are thankful he wasn't ranked him higher than No. 32 in Goal Line Stand. If you are still reading this column, you have likely dodged the Week 14 bullets and have advanced. For the waiver wire warriors still able to pick up players, here are the best selections of Week 15. Running Backs Justin Griffith, Falcons - When the Falcons decided to trade T.J. Duckett and only keep two tailbacks active most of the season, they cited fullback Justin Griffith's versatility as a primary reason. His 12-carry, 57-yard, and one touchdown performance in emergency duty Sunday made them look good. By now, you've probably seen Griffith shake Bucs S Will Allen out of his shoes on his trip to the end zone. That play and Griffith's track record in the passing game is enough to make him our favorite waiver wired running back this week. The Falcons have shown their system is more important than the players. Griffith has averaged 4.5 yards-per-carry in his career and is guaranteed to have at least a backup role on Saturday against the Cowboys with Jerious Norwood expected to be out. He'll probably play third downs and possibly gets some goal line work. If Warrick Dunn misses the game as well, Griffith will be a decent flex option against Dallas. Recommendation:Should be owned in all leagues Ron Dayne, Texans - He just won't die. A Rotoworld summer 'sleeper' on a team he ultimately didn't make (Denver), Dayne has shown once again that anyone can succeed in a zone blocking scheme. Gary Kubiak says Dayne's early season struggles were caused by a turf toe injury and that we're now seeing the real Dayne. We think the real Dayne is just getting consistent carries (39 in two weeks) against poor rush defenses (Tennessee and Houston). Dayne and the Texans head to Foxborough this week to face an ornery Patriots team. His run of success is likely to end, but look what lies ahead for Week 16: the Indianapolis Colts. Ron Dayne, Fantasy Championship MVP anyone? Recommendation: Should be owned in all leagues Artose Pinner, Vikings - Pinner was owned in a whopping 0% of fantasy leagues heading into Week 14. The worrisome part for fantasy owners needing a spark this week is that Vikings coach Brad Childress said he didn't have a set plan for carries against Detroit. He was going to play the hot hand, and Pinner performed well early. Pinner got most of the snaps on the first drive, although Ciatrick Fason was in the mix, and Mewelde Moore also had one near the goal line. This week we could easily see Childress going back to Ciatrick Fason or Moore. The whole debate could be a moot point because Chester Taylor may be back this week. Taylor believes he'll be back for this week's tasty matchup with the Jets, so it may not make a difference. The Vikings are less forthcoming. Pinner received a few starts last season in place of Kevin Jones and didn't perform particularly well. That's only one of the many reasons we'd pick up Justin Griffith and Ron Dayne over Pinner this week if we had to choose early in the week. Pinner has all the makings of a one-game wonder. Recommendation: Should be owned in 12-team leagues Arlen Harris, Lions - This whole Pinner-Harris-Aveion Cason Mike Martz triangle of intrigue is just too much for us to take. Just wait until Marshall Faulk signs with Detroit next year. It's the fantasy playoffs and we're still writing about Arlen Harris? Harris had a chance to play a bigger role for two games earlier this season when Kevin Jones was hurt: 18 carries, 45 yards rushing, 28 receiving yards and a touchdown in two games were the result. The difference this week is that Detroit faces Green Bay. The Packers rush defense was respectable earlier in the season but has given up huge days to Shaun Alexander, Cedric Houston, and Frank Gore the last few weeks. Harris could put up 60 total yards, but you can do better if your team is still playing. Recommendation: Worth a look in 12-team leagues. Wide Receivers Nate Burleson, Seahawks - Darrell Jackson is a player I own in nearly every league. With turf toe expected to knock him out of Thursday's game, I'm probably going to roll with Nate Burleson on a squad that is particularly thin at wide receiver. Burleson has mostly been a bust since signing with Seattle as a free agent, but has played well enough on returns to get mentioned as a possible Pro Bowl special teamer and has caught five passes (on six targets) and a touchdown in the last three games as Seattle's fourth receiver. I know this is nothing to get too excited about. Burleson dropped every other pass thrown to him early in the year and it rightfully put him in the doghouse. But I can't help but think Matt Hasselbeck is going to attack 49ers cornerback Sammy Davis, just like Brett Favre did on Sunday. San Francisco is terrible at cornerback without Shawntae Spencer and Seattle's system is proven. I think Burleson could put up WR3 stats for the needy this week. Most playoff teams have sufficient lineups that he'd be a better pickup for the bench. If I had the option, I'd rather go with one of Burleson's teammates this week… Recommendation: Worth a look in 12-team leagues D.J. Hackett, Seahawks - Burleson will start, but it doesn't matter that much in Seattle's system. They play three receivers on most downs and Hackett will be on the field. By almost any measure, Hackett has been the superior player the last two seasons. Hackett is owned in my leagues, but is probably available in most 12-team affairs. Darrell Jackson is consistently Matt Hasselbeck's most frequent target, so his injury should mean more looks for Hackett, Burleson, and Deion Branch. A strong stretch run by Hackett could make Burleson, Bobby Engram, and even Jackson expendable this off-season in Seattle. Hackett has been Seattle's second most consistent option this year and deserves a bigger role. Recommendation: Should be owned in 12-team leagues Ronald Curry, Raiders - After two popped Achilles' tendons, Curry is still very explosive. The definition of a Waiver Wired regular, Curry is likely to start if Randy Moss misses this week's game. His production is the best on Oakland's team since Aaron Brooks returned anyhow: 19 catches, 235 yards, and a touchdown in his last four games. While most of his production against the Bengals came in garbage time, Curry has good matchups against St. Louis and Kansas City the next two weeks. He's a reasonable pickup for depth. Recommendation:Should be owned in 12-team league Vincent Jackson, Chargers- With Keenan McCardell out, Vincent Jackson will continue to start and be Philip Rivers' favorite threat downfield. He's raw, but the Chiefs have been giving up a lot of big plays recently and Jackson could exploit them. Recommendation: Worth a look in 12-team leagues Santonio Holmes & Nate Washington, Steelers - Hines Ward will likely be back this week, but Cedrick Wilson won't. If either of these Pittsburgh receivers is available, they are solid options against an injury-ravaged Carolina secondary. Recommendation: Worth a look in 12-team leagues Tight Ends Vernon Davis, 49ers - Forgive me if I repeat some of my comments about Davis from Sunday Schooled, but there are only so many ways I can talk about the same guy in the span of two days. Davis is a mercenary with the ball. His weaving 52-yard score where he bounced off tacklers made him look like a man among boys. He also had a 35-yard gainer called back because of penalty and was open for a touchdown another time but Alex Smith underthrew him. Davis has to learn how to be a pro. It's clear he doesn't know the playbook, much less the defenses he's facing, as well as he should. But it's also clear he's too talented to be held down for long. San Francisco will get the ball in his hands as much as possible the next month. Recommendation:Should be owned in all leagues Tony Scheffler, Broncos - Sheffler scored twice in less than a minute against San Diego after pitching a shutout for the first 12 games of his rookie season. One of the scores was fluky and came off a dropped interception. But Scheffler's two other catches were for more than 25 yards. He's a zone-busting tight end prototype that lacks polish and any semblance of blocking skill. That's kept him off the field to this point, but he's likely to start with the Broncos fading and Stephen Alexander hurting. Recommendation: Worth a look in deep leagues Daniel Graham, Patriots - Graham caught four passes in Week 14, partly because Ben Watson missed most of the second with a knee injury. Watson owners could do worse than to pick up Graham for this week's game against Houston. Graham had a touchdown called back by penalty on Sunday, and is one of Tom Brady's favorite red zone targets. Recommendation: Worth a look if desperate Quarterback Chris Weinke, Panthers - What a bizarre first start in four years. He played well enough in the first half, but the Panthers couldn't run the ball and kept dropping passes. He still managed a few nice long throws to Drew Carter. Weinke came out after halftime and was terrible, forcing passes ball to Steve Smith and being intercepted three times. Those picks led to a huge deficit, so Weinke wound up throwing 61 passes and posting beautiful garbage-time numbers. I wouldn't be surprised if A) Delhomme doesn't start this week and B) the Panthers fall into a similar situation against Pittsburgh, helping Weinke to a decent fantasy day in a loss. Recommendation: Mid-level Week 15 starter Jay Cutler, Broncos - Cutler quietly played a solid second half against the Chargers Sunday while his defense was collapsing. The Cardinals have ended recent slumps by Marc Bulger and Matt Hasselbeck, and Cutler could be the next quarterback to throw for multiple scores against them. Recommendation: Worth a look in deep leagues Tim Rattay, Bucs - Competent, but nothing special. That's Tim Rattay's reputation and he lived up to it Sunday in a mop-up performance for Bruce Gradkowski. Jon Gruden is going with the rookie against the Bears this week, so Rattay isn't really an option. Desperate 2QB league owners could stash him for a possible Week 16 date against the Browns.