Analogous to Ronnie Brown two weeks ago, Brett Favre had the fantasy game of his career and a large percent of the fantasy-owner population missed out. Fantasy football can be unpredictable and aggravating. I hope the following advice helps ease the frustration and help fill some holes.
Pickups and Plays of the Week:
Bobby Engram – If he is still available in your league, it’s time to jump. Engram, who will be playing his first game coming back from injury, is going to step into the starting role and become Matt Hasselbeck’s No. 1 receiver. Last season he posted 1,147 yards and had 6 TD receptions.
Robert Meachem and Lance Moore – Both players benefited from larger roles last week due to the injuries of Marques Colston and Jeremy Shockey. Moore was the most-targeted, catching seven passes for 101 yards and 2 TDs, while Meachem became the big-play man, catching bombs of 52 and 47 yards from Drew Brees. Both players look to profit from increased looks again this week against Minnesota.
Trent Edwards – No, he is not Brett Favre, but it’s hard not to advise playing a QB going against Arizona after last week’s defensive performance. The Cardinals gave up 56 points and 6 touchdown receptions to the Jets. Edwards is no slouch either, leading the Bills to a 4-0 start.
Injuries and Solutions:
Carson Palmer – The most frustrating scratch of last week insists he’ll start against Dallas on Sunday. However, if he’s unable to go, Ryan Fitzpatrick will receive the start (zero fantasy relevance there). I’d still be hesitant to play him, however, due to the possibility of another Sunday scratch and this year’s troubles finding the hands of two of the top receivers in the league in Chad Ocho Cinco and T.J. Houshmandzadeh.
Willie Parker and Rashard Mendenhall – It could be hard to disintegrate the Pittsburgh running game any further. Parker, who is still nursing his knee, will be sitting again this week. Mendenhall, in the first start of his career, fractured his shoulder and was placed on injured reserve, ending his season. The starter this week will be Mewelde Moore, who has been productive in short spurts throughout his career, averaging 4.8 yards per carry.
Needs to Show Something:
Ryan Grant – The Green Bay Packers running back and consensus second-round pick is yet to score a touchdown and has tallied only 186 yards through four weeks. Grant has been battling a hamstring injury this season and has failed to be useful fantasy-wise in any game this season. He faces the 23rd-ranked run defense this week in Atlanta, so if he fails to produce, it would be wise to either try to deal him or cut your losses and find help elsewhere.
Good luck this week. Here are the byes: Cleveland, Oakland, St. Louis and the New York Jets. Have any roster problems that were not addressed? Since I can’t look at specific roster problems, I’d be happy to give any advice on your potential pick-ups, trades and sit-start decisions.
Mat Adams is a mathematics junior and Mustang Daily sports columnist. You can contact him at madams03@calpoly.edu.