There were some offensive shortcomings in Week 10 that left a lot of fantasy owners coming up short in weekly games. By this time, you have an idea where you and your team stand in your league’s pecking order. Injuries, rookies coming back down to earth, strange divvying of carries and inclement weather are all factors that affect offense. Here are some rising and falling players to consider next week.
Rising
LeSean McCoy, Eagles- You're not benching him anyway, but you well know and as was discussed on ESPN’s First Take,the Philadelphia Eagles are a train wreck. Michael Vick could be done for the year (concussion). So could Andy Reid. But lo and behold when rookie Nick Foles came in to relieve the injured Vick, the offensive line came in and actually protected the quarterback better than they had for the majority of the season. If Foles can stay upright, the Eagles can be better on offense. Reid will dial down the playbook and actually lean on his All-Pro McCoy for the duration of the season. Foles has a good arm and when's the last time Reid didn't get decent production from a quarterback? The team will rally around Foles and McCoy will be the prime benefactor.
C.J Spiller, Bills – Looks like Spiller will finally get a chance to not have carries siphoned off because of an injury to Fred Jackson. The man’s averaging such a high yard per touch. The Miami Dolphin run defense awaits, fresh off a shredding by Chris Johnson, breaking a streak of not allowing 100-yard rushers. Tashard Choice is a good choice in deeper formats as C.J. is no Cal Ripken. But he is every bit as as explosive as mighty mites Jamaal Charles, Chris Johnson, etc.
Falling
Jonathan Stewart, Panthers- Doesn’t seem like Carolina running backs are going to bear fantasy fruit this season. A shellacking at home by the Broncos forced Cam and company into passing hurry-up mode which is actually what they suck at the most. Greg Olsen is a good option for this but Stewart, not so much. 8 carries and 2 catches for Daily Show who is sporadic enough to be called The Bi-Weekly Show or The Daily No-Show.
Isaac Redman, Steelers
- No Method For This Redman
Again, Steelers running backs have a pecking order and Redman lacks the resume to survive a fumble and just general ineffectiveness. Although he got the start and the makings of a run-heavy attack were there, it just didn’t materialize. Jonathan Dwyer ended up with 19 carries and Redman 8 and the aforementioned fumble. If Mendenhall is healthy..never mind. There are just too many ifs in this backfield. Big Ben doesn't look like he will play against arch rival Baltimore. If Leftwich can thorw some WD-40 on the arm and provide some semblance of a passing game Dwyer is more appealing than Redman if Mendenhall can’t go.
- A Bush-League Benching, Buy Low Now
Reggie Bush, Dolphins – The Dolphins benched Bush for a fumble in the first quarter in a winnable game against Tennessee. A veteran, leading rusher and only dynamic playmaker on the Dolphins to complement rookie QB Ryan Tannehill. Not sure if I agree with Philbin on this one, but Bush got 4 carries and 1 catch in the entire game. Bush has struggled to gain yards since his September 16th 172 yard outburst against the Raiders, who we’ve discovered are really bad right now. Bush hasn’t topped 75 total yards since. Despite all the bad news, I think Bush is a ideal buy-low candidate because a bad Buffalo rushing defense awaits; next week-he went for 203 up in Orchard Park last December.
Things to Think About
La-Rod Stephens Howling will probably make some big plays at Atlanta. His ability to cut is enhanced on that turf. If the Cardinals can get Kevin Kolb back this suggestion is doubly awesome.
James Starks got the start in Week 9, so it may finally be worth it to grab him off the wire if available for the Lions game. They just gave up a bunch to Adrian Peterson. They typically are more concerned with getting up the field and getting to the passer.
Christopher Ivory has made a case for more carries with his Beast-Mode type run against the run deficient defense of the Atlanta Falcons (who just released Ray Edwards). Monitor the health of Darren Sproles when pursuing this angle.
If DeMarco Murray is questionable by Friday this week, make sure some stupid owner didn’t drop Felix Jones for byes or whatever. His play was serviceable at Philly and he caught a short passes and weaved in for a score.
The Oakland Raiders in a 35-point blowout loss showed us three things. They don’t execute fundamentals very well. Marcel Reece can chip in the running game when needed and you needn’t concern yourself with Taiwan Jones at this point. They don’t trust him to handle the rock.
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