Last week's installment of "HELP! I NEED A PLAYER!" got us off to a decent start at QB (16 points), TE (3 points), WR (5 points) and PK (9 points). The week's big hit? Picking the Houston Texans (23 points) to beat up on the Chiefs. The week's bust: Packers RB Deshawn Wynn (1 point). Not much surprise there -- picking RBs off the wire is like looking for pearls in a bucket of chitlins.
QB (16 ppg avg.): I'm going back to the well with Jaguars' QB David Garrard
(46 percent ownership) for the second week in a row, but that's as much
an issue of availability as anything. There just aren't a lot of QBs who
are available in more than half of CBS Sportsline leagues. Garrard
wasn't horrible in Week 1 and probably has another good matchup against
the Falcons this week. I think the Jags will concentrate more on
establishing and stopping the run this week, and that's actually a good
thing for Garrard. He's not somebody who's going to sit back in the
pocket and snipe a defense to death, and he's best when he's mixing up
run, pass and scramble. I'm looking for around 180 yards passing and a
score, with maybe 30 yards on the ground. What really worries me about
the guy is his penchant for interceptions. STAT UPDATE: He finished with 18 fantasy points. Not too shabby. Hit.
RB (1 ppg avg.): If you needed a running back, here's hoping you put in for Derrick Ward.
He went from zero percent ownership to 79 percent ownership this week,
and he's starting in 41 percent of leagues. That's quite a bump,
although it should come with a caveat: The Giants will start either an
injured Eli Manning or an ineffective Jared Lorenzen at QB. Anyway, if
you're still looking at this point in the week, the best option I can
offer you is Michael Pittman (31 percent ownership) of the
Bucs. He's a journeyman going up against an unfavorable matchup with
the Saints and it looks like the Tampa starter (Carnell Williams) is
going to play despite bruising his ribs in Week 1. On the bright side?
Williams is going to be limited even if he plays, Pittman might be the
better goal-line option anyway, and the Saints aren't scary against the
run. Thing is, I don't see the Bucs running very much when they're down
three scores in the third quarter. Unless Pittman gets a rare
touchdown, the upside here is probably 5 points, so keep your
expectations in check.STAT UPDATE: Williams played and played well, so Pittman finished with just 2 points. Miss.
WR (5 ppg avg.): This is an aggressive play, so don't make
this one if you're just looking for a safe two or three points. Call it
a feeling, call it whatever, but I think Packers rookie WR James Jones
has a chance to do some damage against a blown-up Giants defensive
backfield. The Giants DBs got beaten every which way by Dallas, and
while Favre isn't his old self, I think he'll take anything they give
him deep. Obviously Donald Driver is the No. 1 option here, but if he
gets more attention than the unheralded Jones, there will be
opportunities. Also contributing to this feeling: the continuing injury
saga of disappointing second-year man Greg Jennings. STAT UPDATE: He finished with four catches for 75 yards and led the Packers in receiving yards. A moderate hit.
TE: I'm sticking with Chicago tight end Desmond Clark (26
percent ownership) for another week. He finished with 38 yards on three
catches (all three of his targets) last week and continued to serve as
Rex Grossman's first and most reliable check-down option. It's possible
that rooke Greg Olsen could see the field, but Ron Turner will work
Olsen in bit by bit. If you're looking to strike it big with a
risk/reward starter, consider Marcedes Lewis, who had a decent opening week for the Jaguars. And one final word of advce: Take a peek to see if Eric Johnson is available in your league. He's a great option this week, but he just went over 50 percent ownership (52 percent). STAT UPDATE: He got more catches, but wound up with only 29 yards. So just two points. Miss.
PK (9 ppg avg.): Alright, put me on the record as saying I love this kid Marion Crosby
(26 percent ownership) of the Packers after watching him kick in just
one game. I like the confidence he showed in drilling a game-winner, I
like the way he drove that 53-yarder and I love the way he looks like
Adam Viniateri out there. He's got a good matchup on the road against
the Giants, too. STAT UPDATE: He connected on five extra points but missed on the field goal that would have made his week a success. Miss.
DST (23 ppg avg.): The Week 1 matchup of the
Texans against the Chiefs was a gift, and I just don't see any gifts
out there this week. The weak offenses are all matched up against
popular defenses, so we're going to have to go deep this time to find a
squad with a matchup that's not likely to kill your chances. I'm
advising that you consider the Cardinals (13 percent
ownership), even though there are too many variables for me to give
them an enthusiastic thumbs-up. Reason No. 1 is their tough performance
for three-and-a-half quarters against the 49ers; No. 2, the Seahawks
opened the season with a strangely non-productive game against a Bucs
team they should have smoked; No. 3, there's something up with Shaun
Alexander's hand/wrist; No. 4, the Cards are playing at home. On the
flip side, the Seahawks are a veteran team with the talent to frustrate
the Cardinals, and Alexander has made a career of carving them up. I
think this game stays close and relatively low scoring, but I'd only
consider it if my No. 1 defense was in a bad matchup (say, the Vikings
against Detroit, or maybe the Raiders at Denver). Two other
possibilities: The Texans at the Panthers and the Jets at the Ravens. STAT UPDATE: Only seven points. Draw.
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