Quarterbacks

Brett Favre is really starting to look old.  In fact, it is almost depressing to watch. There is no questioning the "iron man's" toughness and love of the game, but at this point it kind of feel like you are watching the family dog have a difficult time climbing the stairs. He's not the same player he was last season and his game is hurting the Vikings...and your fantasy team.  You can count on him starting every weekend, but it is hard to count on him finishing a ball game let alone producing winning fantasy results.  Tarvaris Jackson's value is getitng an immediate bump and in his limited action on Sunday night was impressive.  Not enough to count on him at this time either, but definitely worth an immediate add. Although like we said before, Favre will always start and therefore Jackson has no starting value for 2010 unless something dramatic happens (since it is Favre, we are not ruling this out).  Jackson is 27, knows the system and is in a position to do well with a solid supporting cast.  The situation in Minnesota is a tough one and it just got even tougher with the waiving of Randy Moss.

Week 8 saw a solid performance for one of our favorite young Beast's coming back from an injury.  Matt Stafford returned from him shoulder injury to chuck 4 TD’s in a Lions win. Nobody was happier for the return of Stafford than Megatron, who caught 3 TD passes and posted his highest single game reception total (9) of 2010.  So what does the return of Stafford mean for this emerging Lions squad?  Stafford is going to spread this offense and begin to utilize Brandon Pettigrew, Nate Burleson and obviously Megatron.  Pettigrew and Megatron will be the biggest beneficiaries. On the ground, Kevin Smith is kind-of healthy again and will be a nice compliment to Jahvid Best (still nursing a toe injury) for the latter half of the 2010 fantasy season.  Such an immediate and productive return from injury clearly eliminated the chance to buy low on Stafford, however if you were going to make a move for him, this should have been done weeks ago.  At only 22 years old, Stafford has a big time Dynasty future. We do need to see him stay healthy for consecutive seasons before we can bump him into the elite status where he belongs.  It's good to see him back on the field. 

Heading into Sunday's London based matchup between the Broncos and 49ers, QB Troy Smith had only thrown 13 passes since 2007.  As the 49ers starter on Sunday, Smith nearly doubled this total going 12 for 19 for 196 yards and a TD.  HC Mike Singletary has indicated that should decent play continue from Smith he could retain the starting role in SF despite the return of Alex Smith (shoulder injury) in a few weeks.  Troy Smith is a former heisman trophy winner who has yet to establish himself as anything more than a backup QB.  While a backup role is the most likely long term career path for the athletic T. Smith, he does have opportunity to carve out a role and resurrect his career.  Smith made smart decisions vs. the Broncos (0 interceptions), completed a couple deep throws (most noteably a deep TD pass to Michael Crabtree) and also added a rushing TD to his stat sheet.   Smith is definitely worth a stash in deeper or two QB leagues.  He has a solid supporting cast, and lets not forget, he beat the Steelers in 2007 and was in place to earn the starting job in Baltimore before getting sidelined by tonsilitis and the subsequent emergence of Joe Flacco.

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Running Backs

Throughout the first seven weeks of the season the Buccaneers running game was completely irrelevant to fantasy owners.  This might have changed with LeGarrette Blount laying the smack down in Week 8.  Blount had a very strong 120 yards and two scores this past Sunday.  He has clearly taken hold of the starting running back job in Tampa; Blount received 22 carries compared to Cadillac Williams’ four.  Blount is a guy that should be picked up in all leagues and will have value for the rest of the season and moving forward. Blount is a nice Dynasty prospect that watched his stock fall after going undrafted out of a big time program at Oregon.  Blount has a lot of talent as a downfield rusher who is deceivingly agile in the open field.  His limitations are in the receiving game, but with his huge body reminicint of Brandon Jacobs, he will need a backfield counterpart.  Roster him now.

Touchdowns cumulate the point totals fastest in your fantasy box score every week.  The law firm of BenJarvis Green-Ellis is becoming a touchdown machine. He has recorded six scores in the past five games.  The Law firm’s production lately has him approaching the RB2 range and he could be establishing himself as the RB of the future on a team that has had a revolving door at the position since Corey Dillon left town. If Green-Ellis continues the strong play he might be able to solidify himself as the guy in Foxboro. If he can hold onto the job (turnover at the RB position in Patriots Land is common) his long term value is strong, he is a guy with solid talent on an emerging offense.  It’s tough to tell with the Patriots because there’s always a chance they go after a guy in the offseason or draft a running back next season, which makes him risky. For the rest of this year Green-Ellis’ value is strong he will be worth a start in many of the remaining games.  His long term value is hard to predict which is why you should not part with too much to get him in a Dynasty league, but if he’s the number one guy in New England then his value will be in the RB2/3 range.

Keeping with the Patriots theme, another option has emerged in their backfield, Danny Woodhead. A fan favorite, Woodhead has played in 5 games for the Pats, filling the Kevin Faulk role admirably and with more fantasy acclaim. He has played his way into 10-15 touches a game and onto many a Dynasty roster. He is an asset in the passing game, giving him FLEX appeal in deep leagues. He is not just a feel good story either, he can play. His ceiling is limited, but as a dual threat, the Patriots are comfortable working him into their weekly game plan. With Green-Ellis running well, there is not much room for expansion of his role at the moment, but if he can continue to carve out his 10+ touches, he should continue to make plays. Dynasty leaguers should attempt to pick him up on the cheap and hope he continues to blossom.

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Wide Receivers

Heading into 2010, we liked the outlook of Steve Breaston in Arizona more than his former teammate Anquan Boldin in Baltimore.  Well, while the Cardinals have had some (ahem) struggles at the QB position this year, Breaston has also been injured and clearly a fantasy afterthought.  Week 8 reminded us what we though was in store this year for Breaston with an 8 for 147 stat line.  Breaston missed 3 games after knee surgery, and his presence was felt on the field, as he open the field more for Larry Fitzgerald (2 TD's this past weekend). Breaston played a lot better with Anderson playing QB rather than Max Hall, so it will be interesting to see who starts next week.  Breaston is a deep threat that will serve better with Anderson at the helm.  The opporutnity to buy low on Breaston is running out as we should definitely see increased fantasy production throughout in Arizona with Breaston back on the field.

The Bills have a positive note on offense this year and it is this guy. Steve Johnson has come out of nowhere to be the Bills top WR so far. He has a TD in the last five games and has totaled 6 in that span. Lee Evans is the deep threat there, but Johnson gets the important Red zone looks, which is gold for fantasy owners. He only has one game of over 100 yards receiving, but is still contributing. Johnson has good Dynasty Value, since he is only 24 and seems to be a top priority in the Bills offense now. But right now he is more of a #2/#3 WR, and a nice FLEX option. Make a move for him now, or sell him high now, because it could be a mainstay in Buffalo for some time.

Where will Randy Moss end up? Well, he worked his way out of New England and ended up in what was thought to be a nice spot in Minnesota. That love affair only lasted 4 games and it was evident on Sunday night that Randy was not over his old relationship. It's up in the air at this point where he is taking his talents to next, but his landing spot will determine what type of value he has for the rest of 2010. His Dynasty value is also up in the air. Should he end up in a favorable situation with a 2-3 year deal, his value will see a bit of a bump. If not, he is no more than a WR2 that is just about past his prime. Not exactly a primetime player on a Dynasty roster. Owners should wait until he signs with a new team and try to move him to a contender for a solid return.


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Tight Ends

On a team loaded with skill position talent, sometimes the backup QB can salvage some amount of fantasy production.  In the case of Jon Kitna and Jason Witten, it looks as though the big time TE talent has gotten a bump in value.  Witten has excelled in the games where Jon Kitna was the primary QB. He caught 10 balls in week 8 and found the end zone.  Witten was targeted 12 times Sunday and it looks as if Kitna will be looking for Witten during his temporary tenure as the Boys starting QB. Witten’s best two games of the year have been the past two weeks and can be possibly attributed to Kitna looking for the safe checkdown.  The Cowboys are in a volatile sitution right now having already been eliminated from the playoffs.  As soon as their current value begins to decline as their overall attitude fades toward playoff elimination, make a move before the fantasy trade deadline.  Knowing that Martellus Bennett has been a disappointment last season, it is safe to assume Witten will be part of a productive Cowboys team in 2011 and may be a buy low target.  2011 will be a different story for the Cowboys, we guarantee it.

Marcedes Lewis is a legit weapon in the passing game. David Garrard is not, despite his huge game in Week 8, but he has been able to utlize Marcedes all season long. With 7 TD's already this year, Lewis is a borderline TE1 option, especially given all of the injuries at the position. He has multiple TD's in 3 games this season and he has been a bit hit or miss, but he gives you upside. Long term, he is making his way up our Dynasty rankings. The talent has always been there and now after 4 full seasons, things have started to click. Regardless of who is under center for the Jags, Lewis will have 700 yard, 10+ TD upside as one of the most dangerous redzone targets in the game.

It seems like he has been in the NFL for a decade, but at just 27 years old, Kellen Winslow Jr. is worn beyond his years. He has undergone multiple knee surgeries, but since 2006 he has only missed 6 games (all in 2008). The Warrior has never caught more than 5 TD's in a season, but in past seasons 800+ yards and over 75 catches a season made him a TE1. How much longer can he last? Dynasty owners shouldn't bet on much longer and with all of the injuries at the position, he might fetch surprising value on the trade market. Explore any and all options if you own him. He is no more than a TE2 at this point and his value is not likely to increase much moving forward.