Quarterback
In an incident that surely rekindles memories of Brian
Griese for Bronco fans, quarterback Jake Plummer broke
a bone in his left foot while getting off the couch. "I
just got up," said Plummer. "I was fine all
day. I got up off the couch and felt a little pop in
my foot." Nice. Plummer, who was just beginning to showcase
his value as a fantasy player, will now miss four weeks.
His replacement is Steve Beuerlein, who actually
had a pretty decent game last weekend against the Steelers,
tossing two touchdowns. If you're desperate for help
at quarterback, Beuerlein should score some fantasy points
this week against the Vikings. Minnesota's defense makes
big plays but their statistics have been bolstered a
bit because they've faced struggling offenses with some
of the NFL's poorest quarterbacks like Detroit, Chicago
and Atlanta. Expect Beuerlein to connect with his receivers
for two more touchdowns and 240 yards passing. - The
last time Brett Favre faced the St. Louis Rams
was 21 months ago in the 2001 playoffs. The three-time
MVP tied a playoff record when he threw six interceptions.
While Favre has been having a strong fantasy season (he's
ranks second in the league with 11 passing touchdowns),
this might not be the best week to start him if your
league penalizes for interceptions. In addition to the
haunting memories of the 2001 playoff debacle, Favre
always seems to struggle indoors. I expect him to pass
for two scores but serve up a few costly interceptions
as well. - In the first three games last season, Trent
Green had five touchdown passes and five interceptions.
In Week 4 of 2002, Green broke out and threw five touchdowns
along with 328 yards passing. He went on to have an excellent
fantasy season, passing for nearly 3,700 yards and 26
touchdowns. In many ways, this season is looking like
it could be a mirror image for the Chiefs quarterback.
Through Week 5, Green had thrown six touchdowns and six
interceptions. Then last week against the Packers, he
passed for three touchdowns and 400 yards. If history
repeats itself, Green's success last week should be a
springboard for big numbers in the coming weeks. Look
for a 240-yard, 2-touchdown performance Monday night
against the Raiders.
This Week's Sleepers: Steve Beuerlein, Trent Green
and Quincy Carter
Running Back
Reports out of Houston indicate rookie running back Domanick Davis has
been receiving the bulk of the carries with the first-team
offense in practice this week. Head coach Dom Capers didn't
declare Davis the outright starter, but he did indicate
Davis would see plenty of action this week. "Guys earn
playing time by performance and what they've done," said
Capers. "Domanick has earned playing time, so you
will be seeing more of Domanick." Bravo, coach. Davis
is poised to become one of the biggest fantasy surprises
in 2003. Last week against the Titans, the versatile tailback
carried the ball seven times for 59 yards and added 70
yards receiving. Look for a breakout game and Davis' first
100-yard rushing performance this week against the Jets. -Washington's
trio of ball carriers has been reduced to a duo for this
week. Trung Canidate has a severe ankle sprain,
so Ladell Betts will get the start with Rock
Cartwright spelling him at the goal line. Betts will
have a solid game against a Buffalo Bills defense that
gave up 110 yards to Curtis Martin and Lamont
Jordan last week. If Betts has been languishing on
your bench, now is an excellent time to activate him. He
should easily get 80 yards on the ground and some added
yardage through the air. Therefore, he should be starter
in place of any struggling or injured running backs you
hold on your roster. - If Shaun Alexander isn't
already salivating, he should be. Alexander and the Seahawks
face a Bears defense that is giving up 160 rushing yards
per game. They've also given up six rushing touchdowns
in five games this year. I'm anticipating Alexander will
churn out at least 120 yards and a score, but don't be
surprised if he dominates the Bears en route to one of
his signature multi-touchdown performances. - Coming off
two weeks rest, it appears Corey Dillon (groin)
is ready to play. Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis said
Dillon looked like his old self in practice Thursday. "I
just think he's excited to play, said Lewis, "a prideful
guy who wants to play. And he's worked very hard to get
back to be able to play." The question for fantasy owners
is whether he's worthy of a start this week against a stingy
Baltimore Ravens run defense. It obviously depends on who
you have in reserve, but don't expect Dillon to receive
more than 20 carries as he works his way back from an injury.
That equates to no more than 80 yards for Dillon. - Normally
I wouldn't comment about players who are one bye, but don't
be surprised if Jerome Bettis comes off Pittsburgh's
idle week as the team's primary ball carrier. Bettis carried
the ball 14 times last week versus 10 for Amos Zereoue.
If you can acquire Bettis via a cheap trade, it could be
a worthwhile transaction for your team. The Steelers face
some soft defenses in future weeks, including the Jets,
Chargers and Raiders during the fantasy playoffs.
This Week's Sleepers: Ladell Betts, Domanick Davis,
Troy Hambrick and Curtis Martin
Wide Receiver
Prior to this season, there was a great debate in fantasy
circles about which receiver should be drafted fourth,
following Marvin Harrison, Terrell Owens and Randy
Moss. With each passing week, it's becoming more obvious
that Torry Holt deserved the honor all along. The
Rams receiver is currently tied with Harrison and Hines
Ward for the league lead with 41 receptions. Moreover,
he's poised to nab double-digit touchdowns for the first
time in his career. Count on Holt having another humdinger
of a performance this week against the Packers. Green Bay's
best cornerback, Mike McKenzie, will likely miss the game
with back spasms. His replacement Bhawoh Jue was burned
twice last week for big plays, including the game winner.
Holt is a lock for 120 yards and a score. - I'm not ashamed
to admit that I've had my eyes fixed on Eric Moulds' groin
all week. I own him in a couple leagues and the thought
of plugging Tim Brown or James Thrash in
as his replacement sickens me. The latest news on Moulds
is that he has a slight tear in his groin muscle. Earlier
this week he was upgraded to questionable. Even so, I'm
definitely starting to make contingency plans. I suspect
if I had a torn muscle in that area, I would be camped
out on my Lazy-Boy with a bag of ice between my legs and
a tube of Ben Gay in my hand . not running 40-yard fly
patterns. If he doesn't practice today, Moulds will probably
sit this one out. - Raiders wide receiver Jerry Porter has
a good chance of suiting up Monday night against the Chiefs.
Porter is coming of hernia surgery and has been the top
excuse for Oakland's struggles. While Porter's return will
certainly add credibility to the Raiders down-field passing
game, this team's problems run a lot deeper than one player's
absence. I don't recommend starting Porter until November
2nd when the Raiders return from their bye to
face Detroit. - Among receivers with 15 or more catches, Laveranues Coles leads
the league in yards after the catch (YAC), averaging 8.0
yards. To put that figure into perspective, Marvin Harrison averages
4.1 YAC, Randy Moss is a bit better with 4.3 and Torry
Holt is at 2.5. Despite Coles' ability to break tackles
and make would-be defenders miss, he surprisingly has reached
the endzone only once through the air in 2003. Look for
that to change in Week 7, as the Redskins face a Bills
defense that made Vinny Testaverde look like Joe Namath
last Sunday. Coles should go for 110 yards and a score.
This Week's Sleepers: Dennis Northcutt, Terry Glenn,
Ike Hilliard and Bill Schroeder
Tight End
With number one receiver Charles Rogers out for several
weeks, Mikhael Ricks figures to play a bigger
role in the offense. Ricks is coming off his best performance
of the year with four receptions, 76 yards and a touchdown.
If you need a one-week replacement for Freddie Jones or Dallas
Clark, put Ricks at the top of your list. This week's
opponent, the Dallas Cowboys, have surrendered touchdowns
to fellow tight ends Alge Crumpler and Jeremy Shockey in
previous games. Look for Ricks to get in the endzone this
week and add 40-50 yards receiving. - Another tight end
to watch this week is Wesley Walls, who contributed
to the Packers passing attack last weekend with four receptions
for 64 yards. Green Bay travels to St. Louis this week,
a familiar setting for Walls. The 13-year veteran faced
the inter-divisional Rams 12 times while he was with Carolina.
In those 12 games, Walls averaged 47.1 yards per game and
caught eight touchdowns. Don't be surprised if he and Favre
hook up for their first TD of the season this week.
This Week's Sleepers: Mikhael Ricks and Wesley
Walls
Kicker
At the time, I thought Mike Vanderjagt's successful
onside kick against the Buccaneers two weeks ago was going
to revolutionize the kicking game. If you missed it, Vanderjagt
picked the ball clean off the tee and sent it high into
the air. A Colts player raced 10-yards down the field,
leapt up and caught it before the Buccaneers even knew
what was happening. In contrast, most onside kicks are
drilled end-over-end along the ground, skipping into the
air after the second bounce. I bring this all up because
apparently Vanderjagt's unique onside-kick style was illegal
and should've been penalized. According to Rule 10, Section
4, Article A, on such a kick, the receiving team must be
given a chance to receive the ball if it doesn't touch
the ground. A kicking team is only allowed to recover an
onside kick when it has traveled 10 yards AND when it has
contacted the ground. This of course has zero impact on
fantasy football, but it does prove that referees are knuckleheads
and should be replaced by robots equipped with lasers and
GPS equipment. - Vanderjagt and Pittsburgh's Jeff Reed are
the only kickers on bye who are worth mentioning. If you
have either, or are sick of your kicker providing your
team with a measly five points, heed my advice and pick
up one of the following free agents: Phil Dawson (CLE), John
Carney (NOR) or Billy Cundiff (DAL). Each faces
a defense that has been giving up big yardage and big points.
Plus, Carney and Cundiff will be kicking in domed stadiums
while Dawson gets the cozy confines of his home field with
good weather in sight - The
aforementioned kickers make excellent one-week replacements,
but John
Kasay is
a buy-and-hold type player. If your kicking game has been
struggling, get Kasay this week and make him your every-week
starter. He hasn't missed a field goal this year, he has
a long-range leg and he plays on a Panthers team that can
score even against the league's best defenses.
This Week's Sleepers: Phil Dawson, John Carney
and Billy Cundiff
Defense
Right now, the New Orleans Saints defensive players
must be licking their chops. This week they will face the
Atlanta Falcons, who will give Kurt Kittner his first NFL
start. Two of his 17 passing attempts in 2003 have been
intercepted. Kittner is an unknown commodity and may prove
to be a pretty decent quarterback, but I don't see it happening
this week. The Falcons are having trouble with pass protection.
This combined with an inexperienced quarterback has me
thinking the Saints are in for a big week. Anything less
than three turnovers for the New Orleans defense would
be a surprise. - The Cleveland Browns are giving
up just 15.8 points per game and 281.2 total yards per
game, ranking near the top of the league in both areas.
They deserve serious consideration for a roster spot, especially
in leagues that reward points for those categories. This
week, the Browns face San Diego and Drew Brees, who has
thrown seven interceptions this season. Look for another
impressive defensive showing by the Browns.
This Week's Sleepers: New Orleans Saints and Cleveland
Browns
The 6-Pack
Last Week's 6-Pack: Hacker Pschorr Octoberfest
Price Paid: $6.79
What the Bottle Tells Us: The beer is brewed according
to Reinheitsgebot, a German law of purity established in
1516. It's 5.8% alcohol by volume.
What I Say: Having recently relocated from Southern
California to the Midwest, I must say fall is an excellent
time of year to enjoy a hearty beer, or as they say in Germany, "bier." The
leaves are changing, the temperature's dropping and my
fantasy teams are well above .500. I could yak on about
this glorious season for hours, but onto the beer. My first
Hacker Pschorr Octoberfest poured to a bold copper-penny
color. It was so clear that I could almost watch a football
game through it. As the beer cascaded out of its standard
brown bottle, it formed a puffy off-white head that rose
so quickly it nearly escaped the lip of my pint glass.
The foam lasted until my glass was half-drained. The nose
was dominated by a wonderful mixture of sweet malt aroma
and hints of cinnamon. As for the taste, it matched the
smell almost perfectly with added snippets of rye and what
I categorized as vanilla flavor. After my third Hacker
Pschorr, I can attest that this beer slides down the gullet
quite nicely. If you're looking to venture away from the
standard domestic beers, Hacker Pschorr Octoberfest would
be a nice start. It's a highly drinkable beer that provides
enough kick to wow your taste buds but it's not so heavy
that it puts you in a coma.
Reader Comment: John
from Wisconsin agrees that this is a tasty beer but suggests
we would've been better off with a different choice. "Hacker
Pschorr is a decent Octoberfest beer, although mine had
a bit of a soapy aftertaste. If you want to take your fall
beer tasting up a notch, try Spaten Octoberfest. It's the
best Octoberfest around." Thanks, John. I'll make a fellow
Wisconsinite proud by putting Spaten on my own personal
list and enjoying it with a sauerkraut-laden bratwurst.
This Week's 6-Pack: Shiner Bock
Some of the Weekly 6-Pack's most loyal readers come from
Texas, so it's not surprising that this Texas beer was
one of the first reader recommendations I received. After
weeks of searching various liquor store shelves, I've finally
tracked down a 6-pack of Shiner Bock. Now you do the same,
enjoy it with this week's NFL action and e-mail me your
review next week.
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