Each week, we'll survey the Fantasy Football landscape and provide you with a list of players whose Fantasy value has increased or decreased over the course of the past week. The arrows indicate which way a player's stock is heading, but you'll have to read what we have to say to know whether you should hold on to a player or make a move to trade him -- or trade for him.
Derek Anderson, QB, Cleveland Hello, Mr. Anderson. We'll find out if his performance Monday against the Giants means he's back or if it was just a good outing. It helped that he passed for 310 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions without Kellen Winslow (illness), but he finally got Donte Stallworth back on the field. And Braylon Edwards wasn't dropping the ball. But the Browns had two weeks to get ready for this game and now face another tough defense at Washington. If Anderson plays well again, then he's back to being a Fantasy starter. And if he's still available in your league (77 percent ownership on CBSSports.com as of Tuesday) add him now. With the quarterback situation in the NFL dicey, Anderson could be a savior again in 2008 like he was last year.
Carson Palmer, QB, Cincinnati It sounds like Palmer's season could be over after he saw a New York Mets team doctor about his elbow, and he definitely won't play in Week 7 against Pittsburgh. Now, no one is saying Tommy John surgery yet, but there is plenty of speculation, which would end Palmer's season. If you're holding out hope that Palmer can return, it's time to be realistic and look for a backup plan if you don't have a good one already. Go out and pick up anyone you can, from Gus Frerotte to Brad Johnson at this point, in case Palmer is lost for the year. And don't count on his backup, Ryan Fitzpatrick, who has looked bad in two games against Cleveland and the Jets. If Palmer is out, T.J. Houshmandzadeh and Chad Johnson probably won't recover from their bad starts either.
David Garrard, QB, Jacksonville Garrard is starting to look like a viable Fantasy option again after a rough start. He has at least 200 passing yards and a touchdown in his past three games with no interceptions and has also run for 60 yards and a touchdown over that span. This is similar to how last year started when he became a No. 1 Fantasy quarterback down the stretch. He's not going to post 300 yard games with multiple touchdowns on a weekly basis, especially with his suspect receiving corps, but he can be a weekly starter for you because he won't make many mistakes. If he's sitting on someone's bench and you are dealing with injuries to Tony Romo (broken finger), Matt Hasselbeck (knee) and Palmer, try to trade for Garrard now since he would improve your team.
J.T. O'Sullivan, QB, San Francisco With a Mike Martz quarterback, especially an inexperienced one like O'Sullivan, you're going to have good moments and bad. Right now, O'Sullivan is dealing with a rough patch after throwing four touchdowns and seven interceptions in his past three games. In the last two against New England and Philadelphia, he hasn't topped 200 passing yards and was sacked four times. It's not time to give up on O'Sullivan yet, especially with how the quarterback situation is right now in the NFL, but you have to be patient with him. He will likely struggle in Week 7 at the Giants on the road, but then he faces Seattle in Week 8 at home. His first meeting with the Seahawks was his best game yardage-wise in Week 2 when he passed for 321 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions. When the matchup is right, O'Sullivan could be a good Fantasy option, especially if he's just a one-week replacement on your team.
Thomas Jones, RB, N.Y. Jets Jones still has a lot to prove to Fantasy owners even after scoring three touchdowns and gaining 78 total yards in Week 6 at Cincinnati. It was a good matchup against the Bengals, and Jones still hasn't topped 100 rushing yards since Week 1 at Miami. But Jones has plenty of favorable matchups the rest of this year with six of his remaining 11 games against poor run defenses in Oakland, Kansas City, St. Louis, Denver, San Francisco and Seattle. He also has three games remaining against Buffalo and New England, which haven't been great against the run either. What that means is hopefully Jones will continue to produce positive results, and his outing against the Bengals was a good start.
Willis McGahee, RB, Baltimore McGahee doesn't appear to have a serious injury after leaving Sunday's game at Indianapolis, but something isn't right with him. He's not running with the same gusto he had last year, which could be the knee injury from training camp lingering or maybe something else. He hasn't topped 64 rushing yards in a game and has only one touchdown. He's been sharing carries with LeRon McClain, and now Ray Rice emerged against the Colts, which could further cut into McGahee's playing time. McGahee still figures to get the majority of carries, but he might not get enough touches to be a successful Fantasy option. He's the type of player you'll want to trade the minute he has his first good game because he probably won't be consistent every week.
Michael Pittman, RB, Denver The Broncos finally found a starting running back in Pittman, and Fantasy owners who added him in the first three weeks of the season are reaping the benefits. Pittman could still be available in your leagues (81 percent ownership on CBSSports.com as of Tuesday) so pick him up immediately if he's out there. He will continue to start even when Selvin Young (groin) returns, but he could lose carries. And rookie Ryan Torain is expected to return following the bye in Week 8. But Pittman had the Broncos first 100-yard game this season when he ran for 109 yards against Jacksonville last week. He's also been the goal-line back with four touchdowns and has eight catches for 91 yards. Hopefully he continues to get the majority of touches because Pittman could be the latest star in Denver's backfield.
Earnest Graham, RB, Tampa Bay The Bucs are going to honor retired fullback Mike Alstott on Sunday against Seattle, and Graham wishes Alstott could still play. Because the Bucs need a fullback right now with injuries to B.J. Askew (hamstring) and Byron Storer (torn ACL), which means Graham could see more time blocking and less time carrying the ball. Against Carolina in Week 6, Graham only had five carries for 11 yards. He did score a touchdown and still had two catches for 47 yards, but Warrick Dunn was the primary tailback with 22 carries for 115 yards. Hopefully the Bucs can add a fullback because Graham's Fantasy value would take a hit if he starts taking hits as a blocker.
Roy Williams, WR, Dallas Williams got his wish to play with a team that has a strong quarterback and a system he can thrive in with the trade to Dallas. While he'll have to wait at least three games to play with Tony Romo (broken finger), he should thrive with offensive coordinator Jason Garrett calling plays and getting plenty of single coverage because of Terrell Owens and Jason Witten. Fantasy owners who were willing to give up on Williams in Detroit can do cartwheels now that he's in Dallas. Patrick Crayton and Miles Austin, meanwhile, become almost meaningless.
Tony Gonzalez, TE, Kansas City Fantasy owners hoping Gonzalez would be traded to the Giants or any other team with a better quarterback will be stuck watching him try to catch passes from Brodie Croyle, Damon Huard and Tyler Thigpen. He remains in Kansas City after the trade deadline, and while his value isn't diminished -- he's still a No. 1 Fantasy tight end -- he won't be as good as he could have been. The Chiefs offense won't utilize Gonzalez to the best of his abilities, and Fantasy owners who drafted him will suffer since he remains in Kansas City and not with a better quarterback.
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