FANTASY FOOTBALL IN-SEASON FEATURES

Santonio Holmes, Jets –
He’s getting better each week, quickly growing into the threat the Jets hoped for when they signed him away from Pittsburgh.  With his end of game heroics he’s also beginning to become a fan favorite, as well as a clutch player that is earning the trust of his quarterback when it counts.  Holmes owners should have a nice stretch run.

Steve Johnson, Bills –
Just when it looked like the Bill’s passing game had hit the wall, the guy who could be earning the nickname “Old Faithful” blew up the place.  With a three touchdown second half performance last week he made a lot of fantasy owners look really smart.  He’s one of the best ‘must start’ options going right now and should continue to score each week.

Mario Manningham/Derek Hagan, Giants –
Hagan will have value of some sort simply by default; Manningham will have value because he’s pretty good and will be the number one guy for a while.  With Nicks out and Smith banged up at best, these two will get the lion’s share of the passes, though Manningham is the primary guy fantasy owners will want to have on their roster.  Remember though, while opportunity is a great thing, it isn’t a guarantee he’ll produce big numbers, but if you were a Nicks owner, you might be scrambling for anything you can get in a fight to make the playoffs.

Vincent Jackson, Chargers –
Jackson returnes to action in week 12 and the Chargers can sure use him due to the string of injuries to their receiving corps. It's unclear how effective he will be out of the gate, but in this offense he should eventually be late season gold for fantasy playoff bound teams.

Danny Amendola, Rams –
His value is higher in PPR leagues, but if dependability is your primary focus, Amendola is a candidate.  He has a nice three game stretch coming up with Denver, Arizona and New Orleans on the docket, so he shouldn’t have any problem keeping up his solid, if not spectacular, production.

Austin Collie, Colts –
Collie’s once amazingly bright star has dimmed substantially due to concussion problems, suffering another after finally returning to the field after missing time to his first one.  There have to be concerns as to whether he’ll play again this year at this point, which drops him considerably in our rankings for the moment.  If he gets healthy and back on the field, obviously we’ll adjust accordingly.

Hakeem Nicks, Giants –
Nicks had an emergency procedure done right after last week’s game due to compartment leg syndrome.  While this isn’t something most of us know much about, suffice it to say it’s pretty serious and if not treated quickly and right can cause a guy to not be able to play football, at least pain free, any more.  Nicks is out for at least three weeks, and possibly more depending.  All things considered he slides down significantly this week looking forward.  We wish him the best in recovery.

Blair White, Colts –
White has been quite respectable when filling in this year, and he’ll be doing it again while Austin Collie recovers from another concussion.  He’s not going to unseat Wayne or Garcon, but for a third receiver he is better than many WR2s. 

Donald Driver, Packers –
Driver moves up slightly due to the fact that he’s on the field again and is somewhat consistent when he is, though his hot start to the season doesn’t figure to be duplicated anytime soon.  He’s nearing the end of his career, but he still has something to offer fantasy owners in the right situation. 

Eddie Royal, Broncos –
Add a hamstring injury to numbers that have been down since a few weeks into the season.  While he still has value in certain situations, it is minimal and other options should be considered first. 

Steve Smith, Giants –
Smith, in his own words, has said he doesn’t think he’ll be a full time player when he comes back from injury.  This is a red flag if anything is, and fantasy owners should take note.  He drops significantly, though he’ll still have flashes of potential when he returns, he just won’t be the top receiver we’ve been accustomed to. 

Randy Moss, Titans –
If they gave fantasy points for being a decoy, Randy Moss would be a stud.  As it stands, for the moment at least, his fantasy value is pretty much zilch.  Add to this the fact that he’ll now be playing with a rookie quarterback who’s been on the sidelines all season and this isn’t a place most fantasy owners want to be at this point in the season.  Look somewhere else for help.

Ben Obomanu, Seahawks –
He’s bumped Deion Butler from the starting lineup, and he’s actually put up semi-decent numbers the past three weeks including two touchdowns and catching 10 of 12 passes thrown to him.  The Seahawks have to throw a lot in most games, so he’ll remain a target, and as long as he is reliable, he’ll keep improving.