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.
Tyler Thigpen, QB, Kansas City I know most of you who picked up Thigpen either have an established quarterback or have been afraid to use him, but he's been one of the best Fantasy options the past four weeks. Since taking over as the starter, Thigpen has passed for eight touchdowns and one interception and also caught a touchdown pass. With Dwayne Bowe, Tony Gonzalez and now Mark Bradley, he has a solid receiving corps, so it's time to consider him a No. 1 Fantasy quarterback. And he has a great schedule remaining against Buffalo, Oakland, Denver, San Diego, Miami and Cincinnati.
Kyle Orton, QB, Chicago Orton went from a top 12 Fantasy quarterback before the ankle injury in Week 9 to out of the top 15, and now we'll find out if he can rebound to still help Fantasy owners down the stretch. He looked rusty against Green Bay, but he has favorable matchups remaining against St. Louis, Minnesota, Jacksonville, New Orleans and Houston. He should play well in those games, but it will be interesting if Fantasy owners can trust him during the playoffs. He will have to shine against the Rams and Vikings the next two weeks to earn that trust again.
Matt Cassel, QB, New England Raise your hand if you saw that coming against the Jets. Well, now we know that Cassel is capable of being Tom Brady in Brady's offense. He threw for 400 yards and three touchdowns and ran for 62 yards, and we'll see what he does for an encore in Week 12 at Miami. If he puts up another solid performance, you might be able to start Cassel in the playoffs since the Patriots play Seattle, Oakland, Arizona and Buffalo to close the season. Or it might just be that the Jets pass defense is that bad, and Cassel just took advantage of the matchup. Either way, it was fun to watch, and gives Cassel owners something to think about.
Donovan McNabb, QB, Philadelphia Forget about not knowing the rules about a tie. That's irrelevant here. What does matter for Fantasy owners is McNabb throwing three interceptions at Cincinnati, and he now has five interceptions in his past three games. The Eagles don't need McNabb throwing the ball 58 times. What Philadelphia should do is give Brian Westbrook more touches, including the passing game, and that will open up things for McNabb. You're still going to start him as a No. 1 Fantasy option, but he needs to play better in games when he has a favorable matchup. He faces Baltimore in Week 12, which is a good test to see how he performs coming off a poor game.
Kevin Smith, RB, Detroit If there's one positive to take from this debacle in Detroit this year it's that Smith keeps getting better as the season goes on. He has three touchdowns in his past five games and had his first 100-yard game at Carolina. Smith has three tough matchups coming up against Tampa Bay, Minnesota and Tennessee, but he closes the season against Indianapolis, New Orleans and Green Bay. The Lions might not win a game this season with that schedule, but Smith could be starting for your Fantasy team for the final three weeks of the season. And in keeper leagues, Smith is showing his value for next year is high.
Laveranues Coles, WR, New York Jets If you knew the Jets scored 107 points the past three weeks, you would think Coles had some amazing stats. Not exactly. In the past three games against Buffalo, St. Louis and New England, Coles has nine catches for 92 yards and no touchdowns. Brett Favre, when he's had to pass, is using Dustin Keller, Jerricho Cotchery and Leon Washington. No wonder Coles hated Favre when he first signed. Obviously, those problems are a thing of the past, but Coles has to be getting frustrated. The same goes for his Fantasy owners, who are getting antsy to see if he can turn his season around. For now, consider Coles a No. 3 Fantasy wide receiver and hope Favre starts going to him again.
Hines Ward, WR, Pittsburgh Ward has rebounded nicely from his two 30-yard outings in Weeks 8 and 9 against the Giants and Washington with two-straight 100-yard games against Indianapolis and San Diego. He's been the lone bright spot in the Steelers' passing game with Ben Roethlisberger dealing with his shoulder woes. Even though Roethlisberger hasn't thrown a touchdown in his past three games, Ward continues to help Fantasy owners. He has returned as a No. 2 Fantasy wide receiver and should be started in all leagues for the rest of the season. If he starts to score again, that would be an added bonus.
Lee Evans, WR, Buffalo Where have you gone Josh Reed? Can it really be that Reed's absence has ruined Evans' season? Since Reed went down with an ankle injury in Week 8 against Miami, Evans has six catches for 63 yards in three games, including zero catches Monday against Cleveland. Teams are doubling Evans, and Trent Edwards can't get him the ball. This is going to continue until Reed returns, and Fantasy owners just can't start Evans right now. Evans was only targeted one time against the Browns, and that's pathetic. Take some shots downfield, and maybe Evans comes down with the ball or you draw a pass interference call. The Bills need to realize it's not that hard to involve your best receiver in the game.
Ted Ginn, Jr., WR, Miami The Dolphins are doing whatever they can to get Ginn involved in the offense, and that's a good thing for Fantasy owners. Against Oakland on Sunday, Ginn had a 40-yard touchdown run to go with four catches for 51 yards. He has become a viable Fantasy option, and he's worth starting as a No. 3 wide receiver for the rest of the season. The Dolphins face some favorable pass defenses with New England, St. Louis, Buffalo, San Francisco, Kansas City and the Jets. Ginn should play well in all those games, so start to use him just like the Dolphins have.
Bernard Berrian, WR, Minnesota Can you still start Berrian as a No. 1 or 2 Fantasy option? That's the question owners are asking after he struggled the past two weeks with three catches for 46 yards and no touchdowns against Green Bay and Tampa Bay. Both defenses excel in pass coverage, so it's no surprise Berrian had a difficult time. But since his quarterback is Gus Frerotte, there's a chance Berrian's impressive run might be near an end. We'll see how Berrian does this week at Jacksonville, and the Vikings still have favorable matchups against Chicago, Detroit, Arizona and Atlanta remaining, but Berrian has a lot to prove, starting in Week 12.
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