Week 9 Fantasy Stockwatch
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.
Matt Ryan, QB, Atlanta  Ryan has become a starting Fantasy option, especially given all the injuries at quarterback heading into Week 10. He has averaged 248 passing yards with seven touchdowns and three interceptions in his past four games against Green Bay, Chicago, Philadelphia and Oakland. He continues to get better each week, and he has a great matchup in Week 10 against New Orleans. If he's sitting on someone's bench make a trade for him because he's better than a majority of Fantasy quarterbacks right now. |
Brett Favre, QB, New York Jets  Even with all the injuries at quarterback, it's difficult to count on Favre these days. He continued his streak of seven-straight games with an interception in Week 9 at Buffalo and now has eight interceptions in his past four games. Favre has yet to pass for 300 yards in a game, and take away his six touchdowns against Arizona in Week 4, he has just nine touchdowns and 12 interceptions for the season. Now, Favre does have a good matchup in Week 10 against St. Louis, so he could bounce back and play well. But it's getting hard to trust him with each passing week. |
| Kevin Faulk, RB, New England If you were smart enough to add Faulk this season, you don't want to see Sammy Morris (knee) or LaMont Jordan (calf) return from injury. Faulk has been Mr. Reliable for the Patriots throughout his career and again this season. He has at least 50 total yards in six of seven games and has over 90 total yards in his past two games against St. Louis and Indianapolis. He also has 25 catches on the season and has done well sharing carries with rookie BenJarvus Green-Ellis. There's a chance Morris and Jordan could return in Week 10, so it might be a good idea to shop Faulk around and trade him while his value is high. |
| Maurice Jones-Drew, RB, Jacksonville Now might be the time to try and acquire Jones-Drew since he's been a disappointment most of the season and has struggled the past two weeks against Cleveland and Cincinnati with just 62 rushing yards and a touchdown. But the Jaguars will start to lean on Jones-Drew, and he should play well this week at Detroit. After that, Jones-Drew faces Tennessee and Minnesota, but he closes the season with good matchups against Houston, Green Bay and Indianapolis in December. That is when you will want him on your Fantasy team. |
| Tim Hightower, RB, Arizona Hightower was already a quality Fantasy running back because of his ability to score touchdowns, but now that he's starting for the Cardinals, he should be a regular starter in every league. He had 109 rushing yards and a touchdown against St. Louis and should continue to thrive with 20-plus carries. It appears like Edgerrin James is no longer a factor, so if you have Hightower sitting on your bench, get him active in Week 10 against San Francisco and hope this production continues. |
| Willis McGahee, RB, Baltimore For the second time this season McGahee was active but did not play. It happened in Week 1 against Cincinnati and now this past week at Cleveland because of a sprained ankle. He has crippled Fantasy owners, and 70 percent started him on CBSSports.com in Week 9. With the way rookie Ray Rice played against the Browns, he could take playing time away from McGahee, and we've already seen Le'Ron McClain make an impact this year. Now is the time to trade McGahee and hopefully you can sell another owner that he will remain a quality Fantasy option this year. In reality, McGahee might not be worth starting again. |
| Antonio Bryant, WR, Tampa Bay It's time to consider Bryant a No. 2 Fantasy option. He has three 100-yard games this season -- two in the past three weeks -- and has 45 receptions for 566 yards and two touchdowns for the season. Coach Jon Gruden called Bryant a "superstar" after his performance at Kansas City, and he could be worth trading for if you need a starting wide receiver. With the way Jeff Garcia is playing now, Bryant should continue to shine. He has turned his career around, and Fantasy owners should hope Bryant keeps up this production. |
| Joseph Addai, RB, Indianapolis Addai didn't look good Sunday night against New England, which is understandable coming back from a two-game hiatus from a hamstring injury. But Addai hasn't run well all year and still is looking for his first 100-yard game. The Colts offensive line has struggled this year, but Dominic Rhodes showed better burst when Addai was out. It's hard to sit Addai because of his potential to score touchdowns, but it might be time to consider it. You should also try to trade Addai at this time in case the hamstring injury lingers. On the positive side, he does have favorable matchups ahead against Houston, Cleveland, Cincinnati and Detroit, which could bode well for his season turning around. |
| Chad Johnson, WR, Cincinnati Trade Johnson now. After he caught two touchdowns against Jacksonville, see if you can unload him because it only gets tougher from here. Johnson still has to face some solid pass defenses following the Bengals bye in Week 10, including Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Indianapolis and Washington. It could be a rough stretch, and he also still has to deal with Ryan Fitzpatrick as his quarterback. Johnson played well against the Jaguars, but don't consider it a sign of things to come. He's not an elite receiver anymore, but he's capable of good outings every now and then. While his value is high, get what you can for him. |
| Brandon Marshall, WR, Denver Marshall had two catches for 27 yards against the Dolphins in Week 9 and hasn't scored a touchdown in his past four games. He should have had a touchdown against Miami except for a stupid penalty. Still, he's not finding the end zone, which has Fantasy owners frustrated. Marshall is going to be fine, but this could be the time to trade for him. The Broncos, with Michael Pittman (neck) and Andre Hall (hand) out, will rely on their passing game, which means Marshall will get his share of catches. And with catches come touchdowns, especially for quality players. |
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