Fantasy Football Player's Edge

October 23, 2008


The key to winning your league revolves around
matchups and the injury status of key players.
The Player's Edge is the best source for timely
and comprehensive information and advice on
who to start, who to sit and why.


Week 8 News: (Daily Updates)

Larry Johnson was suspended by the Chiefs for his
latest transgression against a woman in a bar. Kolby
Smith will get the nod against a solid Jets run defense.

Julius Jones threw a tantrum directed at Coach Mike
Holmgren who replaced him with Maurice Morris on
2nd down of an early series in the 1st half. It's likely
that Jones will be minimized going forward.

Marques Colston is likely to have a solid game vs. the
Chargers in London. He was completely out of sync in
the Panthers game but needed the game action.

Kellen Winslow is appealing his suspension but it's not
clear whether he's fighting for the money or the playing
time. Stay tuned.

Bye Week: Bears, Broncos, Packers, Vikings


The Walking Wounded:

Matt Hasselbeck has been ruled out for the game vs.
the 49ers. Seneca Wallace gets the start & has little
value.

Tony Romo is out vs. the Bucs. Brad Johnson gets
the call and should be avoided at all costs.

Damon Huard has been placed on the IR for a thumb
injury suffered against the Titans. Tyler Thigpen will
get the start to the chagrin of Bowe and Gonzalez
owners.

Brian Westbrook is on track to play vs. the Falcons.

LaDainian Tomlinson missed practice due to a sore
toe. He'll play vs. the Saints in London.

Clinton Portis will be limited in practice due to a sore
hip. He has an amazing matchup with the Lions.

Reggie Bush had arthroscopic surgery on his knee and
will miss to 2-4 weeks. Deuce McAllister will shoulder
the load with Aaron Stecker likely to play on 3rd and
long.

Steven Jackson has a slight quad strain & was held
out of practice. He's likely to play vs. the Patriots.

Willis McGahee sat out of practice to rest a sore knee.

Laurence Maroney is out for the season with Sammy
Morris becoming the obvious add. Morris is nursing a
sore knee and missed practice.

LaMont Jordan practiced and may have value when he
gets healthy. He is worth stashing if you have patience
and a roster spot.

Joseph Addai may practice putting Dominic Rhodes
status in doubt for the Titans. Even if Addai sits, which
is likely, Rhodes will have tough yards vs. Haynesworth
and company.

Willie Parker is practicing and may play against a stout
Giants front 7. Mewelde Moore will get touches but not
enough to have value. Parker, on the other hand, may
be adversely impacted by Moore's presence.

Warrick Dunn has a pinched nerve in his back and was
sidelined at practice. Earnest Graham's value against
the Cowboys increases exponentially if Dunn is out. As
a sidebar Cadillac Williams will practice this week for
the 1st time since his devastating knee injury. He's a
few weeks away from being activated from the PUP.

Anquan Boldin has been cleared to practice and play
against the Panthers. He's likely to be eased back into
action against a tough Carolina secondary.

Jerricho Cotchery has a shoulder injury & was limited
in practice.

Laveranues Coles was sidelined due to a head injury
sustained vs. the Raiders.

Kevin Curtis and Reggie Brown are practicing & will
play against the Falcons. McNabb will finally have all
of his weapons and should be upgraded. It remains to
be seen what the impact will be for DeSean Jackson
who is still listed as the starter alongside Curtis.

Plaxico Burress has a fractured pinkie in addition to
shoulder and neck issues. He was limited to riding an
exercise bike in practice but is expected to start vs.
the Steelers.

Chris Chambers practiced fully & is expected to play
against the Saints. He missed the last 2 games with
an ankle injury.

T.J. Houshmandzadeh was held out of practice to
rest a sore ankle.

Muhsin Muhammad was idle as he continues to care
for a sore knee.

Justin Gage practiced and should start vs. the Colts.

Joey Galloway practiced and could play against the
Cowboys on Sunday.

Deion Branch may play vs. the 49ers but would not
be a great start as a #3 with Seneca Wallace at QB.

Jeremy Shockey will be evaluated in London for a
groin problem as the team prepares for the Chargers.
He was held out of practice. Billy Miller would be a
solid spot play if Shockey's out.

Shayne Graham will kick this week vs. the Texans.

Bob Sanders is close to being ready & would adversely
affect Chris Johnson & LenDale White if he plays on
Sunday for the Colts. Sanders is a heat seeking missile
on opposing running games.

Dolphins run stopper Jason Ferguson is day to day
as he tries to heal a rib injury. Marshawn Lynch get a
huge upgrade if Ferguson sits.

Pass rusher Aaron Schobel may miss the Dolphins
game with a sore foot. The Bills managed to compensate
for his absence vs. the Chargers but are a stronger team
when Schobel suits up.

All Pro OT Orlando Pace practiced and is likely to start
vs. the Patriots which is good news for Marc Bulger.


Start/Sit: (Week 8)

1. QB's: Matchups

The Standard: 300 yards, 2 TD, 0 Int = 20 points

Favorable:

Jason Campbell- has a favorable matchup against a
porous Lions secondary which allows a league worse
8.8 ypa and has yielded 11 TD's in 6 games. Detroit
is also awful vs. the run so the downside risk is that
the Redskins will pound the rock and use the pass
judiciously.

Trent Edwards- faces a Dolphins backline that been
overly generous allowing 8.0 ypa. The key to Edwards
success is the availability of Miami nose tackle Jason
Ferguson. If Ferguson plays Buffalo will be forced
to pass otherwise the Dolphins will get an unhealthy
dose of Marshawn Lynch. Stay tuned.

Matt Cassel- is coming off a career game and has the
Rams coming to town. St.Louis is on a roll but allows
8.0 ypa and padded their statistics vs. an inept Brad
Johnson. Cassel is likely to replicate his performance
vs. the Broncos on Monday night.

Good Bet: Garrard vs. Browns, Farve vs. Chiefs
Anderson vs. Jaguars, O'Sullivan vs. Seahawks
Bulger vs. Patriots, Delhomme vs. Cardinals

Unfavorable:

Eli Manning- faces a Pittsburgh defense that allows
a league best 4.6 ypa, a 2nd best 2.9 ypc and 14.8 ppg.
A sliver of a silver lining may show if Polamalu is out.

Chad Pennington- has a tough opponent in the Bills
which yields 5.8 ypa & may be getting its best coverage
CB Terrence McGee back from a knee issue.

Peyton Manning- should be started but expectations
need to be realistic against a Titans secondary that has
allowed 5.2 ypa and only 1 TD on the season. Plan for
12-15 points from Peyton.

Bad Bet: Warner vs. Panthers, Russell vs. Ravens
Orlovsky vs. Redskins


2. RB's: Matchups (starting a #2)

The Standard: 110 yards rush, 30 yards rec, 1 TD = 20 pts

Favorable:

Thomas Jones- has the worst run defense coming for
a visit. The Chiefs have allowed a league worse 5.6 ypa
and a ghastly 12 TD's in 6 games.

Maurice Jones-Drew- is well rested coming off a bye
and lines up vs. the Browns run defense which yields 4.8
ypc. He has never faced Cleveland but is likely to make
a lasting impression on Sunday.

Willis McGahee- has a good matchup vs. the Raiders
front 7 which allows 4.6 ypc. The Ravens will seek to
run the ball 40+ times with McGahee likely to get 25+
touches if he can stay on the field.

Good Bet: Morris vs. Rams, Lewis vs. Jaguars


Unfavorable: (sitting a #2)

Darren McFadden- the Baltimore defense has been
ravenous stonewalling RB's allowing a league best 2.8
ypc and 1 TD. Fargas needs to be inactive as well.

Brandon Jacobs- an irresistible force hits an immovable
object. The Steelers allow a paltry 2.9 ypc & should be
getting premier run stopper Casey Hampton back from
a knee injury.

Michael Turner- has underachieved vs. stout defenses.
The Eagles yield only 3.5 ypc and will try to make Ryan
beat them over the top.

Bad Bet: L. Johnson vs. Jets, Rhodes vs. Titans,
Lynch vs. Dolphins, Moore vs. Giants


3. WR's: Matchups

The Standard: 80 yards, 1 TD = 14 points

Favorable: (starting a #3)

Lee Evans- run silent, run deep. Evans will likely exploit
the Dolphins backline which allows 8.0 ypa.

Chad Johnson- has created a good rapport with young
QB Fitzpatrick. The Texans are abysmal in coverage
allowing 8.2 ypa and made Orlovsky look like Brees.

Laveranues Coles- faces a Chiefs secondary that has
been abused all season. Favre will bounce back from an
awful effort vs. Oakland.

Good Bet: S. Moss vs. Lions, Muhammad vs. Cards
Morgan vs. Seahawks, Avery vs. Patriots

Unfavorable: (sitting a #3)

Steve Breaston- will be shadowed by a Panthers team
which only allows 5.4 ypa.

Marvin Harrison- has not had separation all season and
faces a Titans secondary that has yielded a scant 5.2
ypa and 1 passing TD.

Greg Camarillo- will be neutralized by a solid Bills back
line that only allows 5.8 ypa.

Bad Bet: Toomer vs. Steelers, A. Gonzalez vs. Titans


4. TE's: Matchups

The Standard- 40 yards, .3 TD = 6 points

Favorable:

Vernon Davis- perhaps the new regime will force Martz
to use him more. The Seahawks are porous.

Mercedes Lewis- should get more looks with Matt Jones
serving a suspension. The Browns allow 7.0 ypa.

Robert Royal- will be ignored as the Dolphins game plan
Evans and Lynch.

Good Bet: Cooley vs. Lions, Heiden vs. Jaguars
Watson vs. Rams, Rosario vs. Cards


Unfavorable:

Zach Miller- will struggle vs. Ed Reed and the rest of his
Ravens buddies.

Anthony Fasano- the Bills handled Gates last week &
are likely to stifle Fasano.

Dallas Clark- had a solid day vs Green Bay but will find
the Titans to be extremely inhospitable.

Bad Bet: Boss vs. Steelers


5. K's: Matchups

The Standard- 2 FG's, 1/40+, 3 Pat's = 10 points

Favorable:

Josh Brown- has kicked well all season and the Rams
are starting to jell on offense. The Broncos made the
Patriots look really good turning the ball over 5 times.
Expect the Rams to be competitive on offense.

Joe Nedney- it's a new day in San Francisco. The
Seahawks will provide little resistance for a group of
players looking to make a good impression.

Taylor Mehlhaff- the rookie will have his chances as
Saints play the Chargers in London.

Good Bet: Kaeding vs. Saints, Kasay vs. Cardinals
Lindell vs. Dolphins


Unfavorable:

Jason Elam- the Falcons may have difficulties vs. a
well rested Eagles defense.

Sebastian Janikowski- may have to kick a couple of
60 yarders to get on the board.

Jason Hansen- the Redskins will stymie the Lions.

Bad Bet: Rackers vs. Panthers, Folk vs. Bucs


6. DEF's: Matchups

The Standard- 13 points allowed, 3 turnovers, 2 sacks = 12 pts

Favorable:

Baltimore- at home against the Raiders. The key will
be if they can turnover Russell.

New York Jets- faces an inept Edwards offense which
starts a 3rd string QB. The Chiefs are in total disarray
and are deciding whether to bench Larry Johnson for
a 2nd consecutive game.

San Francisco- there have been rumblings about Matt
Hasselbeck returning. Barring that, the 49ers should
dominate a Seneca Wallace led offense at home.

Good Bet: Eagles vs. Falcons


Unfavorable:

Jacksonville- the Browns will be able to probe &
ultimately exploit the Jaguars weakness in both run
and pass defense.

New England- faces a Rams offense that is much
improved. The Broncos imploded on Monday night
with 2 fumbles in Patriots territory in the first 10
minutes of the game. Look for the Rams to serve
up a heavy dose of Steven Jackson to set up Holt,
Avery and Bulger.

Miami- the Bills have an offense that will give the
Dolphins fits. Edwards is accurate & careful with
the ball & Lynch will keep the Miami safeties from
doubling Evans all afternoon.

Bad Bet: Cowboys vs. Bucs


All Done!

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