BustedKnuckles
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Fantasy Ticker
Deuce gets loose, Donté pays dividends
By Court E. Mann
Sept. 11, 2006
Your weekly fantasy earnings report is in after an eventful Sunday. With the exception of that 50-yard field goal you so desperately need in tonight’s MNF battle, the state of your portfolio is clear. However, a profitable fantasy season is not earned solely via the draft. A modest return on your squad relies on shrewd midseason investments and timely transactions. The Fantasy Ticker is our answer to MSNBC’s Jim Cramer, although significantly less abrasive. After all, a poor yield on Sunday may have left you with a throbbing case of the Mondays.
Hot Purchases
All indications suggest that these readily available commodities will perform going forward.
RB Travis Henry, Titans
T-Hen drew first blood in the three-headed Titans backfield. While rookie LenDale White was declared inactive, starter Chris Brown took seven more carries than Henry, but the former Bill more than made up for that and a 42-yard differential with two short rushing scores. It was widely assumed that White, a touchdown hog at USC, would handle the goal-line role, but first he has to find his way out of Jeff Fisher’s doghouse.
RB Ladell Betts, Redskins
Clinton Portis owners flocked to the waiver wire to pick up bruiser T.J. Duckett after the Skins-Falcons swap, but Joe Gibbs has made it clear that Betts will be his starter if Portis’ shoulder prevents him from playing. While we await his performance on MNF this evening, let’s not forget that Duckett has left much to be desired between the 20s and that Betts drew high praise from the Washington staff throughout the offseason. Given Portis' iffy physical state, you must grab Betts if you’ve got Portis on your roster. In fact, if I owned Clinton, I'd only feel completely secure with both Betts and Duckett as insurance.
WR Eric Moulds, Texans
Perhaps it was just too easy to write off Moulds after he failed to crack 1,000 yards and whined his way out of Buffalo. On Sunday, he was back in the endzone and tying explosive teammate Andre Johnson with six catches to lead the team. It’s worth noting that in each of the past three campaigns in which Moulds has failed to reach quadruple digits, he has responded the following year with a 1,000-yard effort.
QB Jay Cutler, Broncos
Broncos starter Jake Plummer picked up right where he left off in last year’s AFC championship game: coughing up the football. The Snake repeated his January feat with four turnovers, three picks and a fumble. Meanwhile, Cutler ranked third in the NFL in preseason passing (with 561 yards, four touchdowns, 108.3 passer rating) and has the Mile High City in a tizzy with his upside. If you drafted Plummer to be your No. 1 passer, you better handcuff Cutler to him or you may find yourself starting Chris Simms on a regular basis.
Buy Low
We identify a cheap commodity to trade for while his market value is diminished.
RB Deuce McAllister, Saints
The headlines coming out of New Orleans this morning will have everything to do with Reggie Bush’s 110 total yards on 14 rushes and six catches. Fantasy owners may need to be reminded that McAllister, a former first-round runner coming off reconstructive knee surgery, carried the load with 90 yards on 22 carries. With Donté Stallworth now in Philly, the Saints arguably need Bush more in the passing game than they do on the ground. If Deuce can pile up 22 carries with Bush being as busy as he was, the former workhorse will be a consistent fantasy weapon, especially considering his likely role at as goal-line back. Target him now before a potential bust-out game against the lowly Packers in Week Two.
Sell High
Maximize your ROI by divesting yourself of this product now, while it still commands a premium price.
WR Donté Stallworth, Eagles
Doing his best Terrell Owens (circa 2004) impersonation, Stallworth was the apple of Donnie Mac’s eye in Week One, racking up 133 yards and a touchdown. Unfortunately, outside of you-know-who, this offense has never focused exclusively on one receiver, and more significantly, the Eagles don’t play the Texans every week. Houston allowed more points than any other NFL team last year and didn’t look much better on "D" in Week One. Move Stallworth now while the oft-injured wideout is masquerading as a true No. 1 target.
Sell, Mortimer, Sell!
The following equities are threatening to bottom out. It’s time to move on.
RB Samkon Gado, Packers
At the onset of training camp, Gado was believed to be in contention for the Packers' top job along with a recovering Ahman Green. As of Sunday’s kickoff, Gado was No. 3 on the depth chart behind a seemingly healthy Green (for now) and seldom-used practice-squad resident Noah Herron. That role earned Gado two carries for a loss of seven yards in the Packers’ debacle of a loss at Lambeau Field on Sunday.
WR Joe Jurevicius, Browns
J.J.’s homecoming was a warm-and-fuzzy story early this offseason, and even piqued some fantasy interest when both Kellen Winslow and Braylon Edwards were out with major injuries. Not only are K2 and Edwards back, but Jurevicius also trails Dennis Northcutt on the Browns’ depth chart and failed to record a single catch in the season opener. Making matters even more pathetic, QB Charlie Frye managed a whopping 132 passing yards vs. the less-than-stellar Saints defense.
Deuce gets loose, Donté pays dividends
By Court E. Mann
Sept. 11, 2006
Your weekly fantasy earnings report is in after an eventful Sunday. With the exception of that 50-yard field goal you so desperately need in tonight’s MNF battle, the state of your portfolio is clear. However, a profitable fantasy season is not earned solely via the draft. A modest return on your squad relies on shrewd midseason investments and timely transactions. The Fantasy Ticker is our answer to MSNBC’s Jim Cramer, although significantly less abrasive. After all, a poor yield on Sunday may have left you with a throbbing case of the Mondays.
Hot Purchases
All indications suggest that these readily available commodities will perform going forward.
RB Travis Henry, Titans
T-Hen drew first blood in the three-headed Titans backfield. While rookie LenDale White was declared inactive, starter Chris Brown took seven more carries than Henry, but the former Bill more than made up for that and a 42-yard differential with two short rushing scores. It was widely assumed that White, a touchdown hog at USC, would handle the goal-line role, but first he has to find his way out of Jeff Fisher’s doghouse.
RB Ladell Betts, Redskins
Clinton Portis owners flocked to the waiver wire to pick up bruiser T.J. Duckett after the Skins-Falcons swap, but Joe Gibbs has made it clear that Betts will be his starter if Portis’ shoulder prevents him from playing. While we await his performance on MNF this evening, let’s not forget that Duckett has left much to be desired between the 20s and that Betts drew high praise from the Washington staff throughout the offseason. Given Portis' iffy physical state, you must grab Betts if you’ve got Portis on your roster. In fact, if I owned Clinton, I'd only feel completely secure with both Betts and Duckett as insurance.
WR Eric Moulds, Texans
Perhaps it was just too easy to write off Moulds after he failed to crack 1,000 yards and whined his way out of Buffalo. On Sunday, he was back in the endzone and tying explosive teammate Andre Johnson with six catches to lead the team. It’s worth noting that in each of the past three campaigns in which Moulds has failed to reach quadruple digits, he has responded the following year with a 1,000-yard effort.
QB Jay Cutler, Broncos
Broncos starter Jake Plummer picked up right where he left off in last year’s AFC championship game: coughing up the football. The Snake repeated his January feat with four turnovers, three picks and a fumble. Meanwhile, Cutler ranked third in the NFL in preseason passing (with 561 yards, four touchdowns, 108.3 passer rating) and has the Mile High City in a tizzy with his upside. If you drafted Plummer to be your No. 1 passer, you better handcuff Cutler to him or you may find yourself starting Chris Simms on a regular basis.
Buy Low
We identify a cheap commodity to trade for while his market value is diminished.
RB Deuce McAllister, Saints
The headlines coming out of New Orleans this morning will have everything to do with Reggie Bush’s 110 total yards on 14 rushes and six catches. Fantasy owners may need to be reminded that McAllister, a former first-round runner coming off reconstructive knee surgery, carried the load with 90 yards on 22 carries. With Donté Stallworth now in Philly, the Saints arguably need Bush more in the passing game than they do on the ground. If Deuce can pile up 22 carries with Bush being as busy as he was, the former workhorse will be a consistent fantasy weapon, especially considering his likely role at as goal-line back. Target him now before a potential bust-out game against the lowly Packers in Week Two.
Sell High
Maximize your ROI by divesting yourself of this product now, while it still commands a premium price.
WR Donté Stallworth, Eagles
Doing his best Terrell Owens (circa 2004) impersonation, Stallworth was the apple of Donnie Mac’s eye in Week One, racking up 133 yards and a touchdown. Unfortunately, outside of you-know-who, this offense has never focused exclusively on one receiver, and more significantly, the Eagles don’t play the Texans every week. Houston allowed more points than any other NFL team last year and didn’t look much better on "D" in Week One. Move Stallworth now while the oft-injured wideout is masquerading as a true No. 1 target.
Sell, Mortimer, Sell!
The following equities are threatening to bottom out. It’s time to move on.
RB Samkon Gado, Packers
At the onset of training camp, Gado was believed to be in contention for the Packers' top job along with a recovering Ahman Green. As of Sunday’s kickoff, Gado was No. 3 on the depth chart behind a seemingly healthy Green (for now) and seldom-used practice-squad resident Noah Herron. That role earned Gado two carries for a loss of seven yards in the Packers’ debacle of a loss at Lambeau Field on Sunday.
WR Joe Jurevicius, Browns
J.J.’s homecoming was a warm-and-fuzzy story early this offseason, and even piqued some fantasy interest when both Kellen Winslow and Braylon Edwards were out with major injuries. Not only are K2 and Edwards back, but Jurevicius also trails Dennis Northcutt on the Browns’ depth chart and failed to record a single catch in the season opener. Making matters even more pathetic, QB Charlie Frye managed a whopping 132 passing yards vs. the less-than-stellar Saints defense.
