24
Sep
Sep
2008
Youth movement has been a good theme for 2008, with an influx of rookie running backs, dominant performances by young quarterbacks Jay Cutler and Philip Rivers, and lost confidence in some of the game’s best veterans LaDainian Tomlinson, Randy Moss and Peyton Manning. There are no signs of halting the movement, so youth have continued their invasion of our pre-Week 4 edition of the Fantasy NFL 101.
Second-year back Adrian Peterson narrowly fended off a healthy-looking Tomlinson for No. 1 honors, while Frank Gore and Marion Barber jumped Brian Westbrook, who is questionable this week with an ankle strain. Two more young backs are waiting in the wings in Marshawn Lynch (No. 6) and Joseph Addai (No. 8).
Making two of the biggest leaps this week are the Denver duo of wide receiver Brandon Marshall (No. 20 to No. 14) and quarterback Cutler (32 to 19), Saints running back Reggie Bush (22 to 15), Rivers (58 to 28), Bears rookie Matt Forte (37 to 23) and Dolphins running back Ronnie Brown (60 to 34).
Marshall has been by far the most dominant receiver in football, but still trails PPR monster Bush, 26 to 24, for the NFL lead in receptions. Division rivals Cutler and Rivers are also duking it out for top QB honors through the first three weeks of the season. Brown burst back onto the scene with five well-publicized touchdowns in Miami’s 38-13 thrashing of New England.
Sinking like stones are Pittsburgh’s Willie Parker, who is out this week with a sprained knee; Detroit quarterback Jon Kitna, who may not have a job much longer; Cleveland running back Jamal Lewis and wide receiver Braylon Edwards, who are on probation until the Browns show any signs of life; and New England running back Laurence Maroney, who is injured and in “depth chart purgatory.”
And now, our Week 4 rankings. In the notes section, you’ll find a player’s previous rank in [brackets], just to get a gauge for which direction he is headed. Rankings are based on standard, 10-team leagues where passing touchdowns are worth six points.
| Rk | Player, Team | Pos | Notes [Previous Rank] |
| 1. | Adrian Peterson, MIN | RB | With sore hammy, failed to crack 100 yards for 1st time [1] |
| 2. | LaDainian Tomlinson, SD | RB | Little running room, but carried 26 times, scored 2 TDs [3] |
| 3. | Frank Gore, SF | RB | Marshall Faulk-esque; has scored TDs in 3 straight [4] |
| 4. | Marion Barber, DAL | RB | In familiar territory: tied for NFL lead with 5 total TDs [6] |
| 5. | Brian Westbrook, PHI | RB | Left early with strained ankle; questionable for Week 4 [2] |
| 6. | Marshawn Lynch, BUF | RB | On a roll with 4 TDs; won’t slow down at STL this week [7] |
| 7. | Clinton Portis, WAS | RB | Little explosion, but T4th in NFL with 65 carries [5] |
| 8. | Joseph Addai, IND | RB | Finally found stride, broke through with 2 TDs vs. JAC [9] |
| 9. | Steven Jackson, STL | RB | Little optimism for STL; does best work in PPR leagues [8] |
| 10. | Terrell Owens, DAL | WR | Couldn’t shake Pack’s CBs in 17-yard Week 3 effort [10] |
| 11. | Tony Romo, DAL | QB | Rolling up numbers, but beware of 5 TOs in 3 games [12] |
| 12. | Michael Turner, ATL | RB | Big days come when inconsistent offense clicks [16] |
| 13. | Randy Moss, NE | WR | 2nd straight poor week with Cassel under center [11] |
| 14. | Brandon Marshall, DEN | WR | Missed a week, still leads all WRs with 24 catches [20] |
| 15. | Reggie Bush, NO | RB | Just 3.6 ypc, but has 4 TDs, NFL-best 26 catches [22] |
| 16. | Reggie Wayne, IND | WR | Effort at JAC rare; has 4+ catches in 17 of last 20 [13] |
| 17. | Larry Fitzgerald, ARI | WR | Goes for 3rd straight 100-yard game vs. soft Jets D [17] |
| 18. | Peyton Manning, IND | QB | Look for return to full health following Week 4 bye [15] |
| 19. | Jay Cutler, DEN | QB | Even on off-day, threw for 250 yards and 2 scores [32] |
| 20. | Maurice Jones-Drew, JAC | RB | Finally broke through with 166 total yards, TD vs. IND [24] |
| 21. | Drew Brees, NO | QB | Top red-zone threats now out in Shockey, Colston [26] |
| 22. | Larry Johnson, KC | RB | 124 yards, TD should turn his frown upside down [23] |
| 23. | Matt Forte, CHI | RB | Leads rookies, ranks 4th in NFL with 304 rush yards [37] |
| 24. | Brandon Jacobs, NYG | RB | Finally found end zone, but had just 35 yds vs. CIN [18] |
| 25. | Plaxico Burress, NYG | WR | Two-week suspension like back-to-back bye weeks [19] |
| 26. | T.J. Houshmandzadeh, CIN | WR | Sigh of relief after big 146-yard day vs. NYG [39] |
| 27. | Willie Parker, PIT | RB | Will miss Week 4 with sprained left knee [14] |
| 28. | Philip Rivers, SD | QB | Leads NFL with 9 TD passes, 124.8 QB rating [58] |
| 29. | Steve Smith, CAR | WR | Made OK debut, should top 70 yards in Week 4 [28] |
| 30. | Donovan McNabb, PHI | QB | Re-emerging as elite option; should sling it vs. CHI [34] |
| 31. | Greg Jennings, GB | WR | Crime that NFL receiving leader yet to find end zone [35] |
| 32. | Andre Johnson, HOU | WR | Rocky start rattling team’s confidence in QB Schaub [27] |
| 33. | Jason Witten, DAL | TE | Top TE in landslide, except for 0 TDs [30] |
| 34. | Ronnie Brown, MIA | RB | Talk of the town after massive 5-TD day vs. NE [60] |
| 35. | Darren McFadden, OAK | RB | Turf toe behind him, becomes top-flight No. 2 RB [42] |
| 36. | Ryan Grant, GB | RB | Bust alert: has just 166 yards, 0 TDs through 3 games [24] |
| 37. | Thomas Jones, NYJ | RB | Forgotten as Jets abandoned run in MNF blowout [29] |
| 38. | Jamal Lewis, CLE | RB | Soft matchup at CIN a good time to get back on track [21] |
| 39. | Willis McGahee, BAL | RB | Solid debut; is yielding goal-line carries to McClain [38] |
| 40. | Earnest Graham, TB | RB | Shut down by CHI as Bucs threw 67 times in win [33] |
| 41. | Calvin Johnson, DET | WR | Big talent, but tough to succeed as ship sinks in DET [40] |
| 42. | Braylon Edwards, CLE | WR | Deserves fair share of blame for CLE’s anemic offense [31] |
| 43. | Anquan Boldin, ARI | WR | On pace for career year; T1st in NFL with 4 TDs [45] |
| 44. | Jonathan Stewart, CAR | RB | Stride for stride with Forte for NFC Offensive ROY [48] |
| 45. | Ben Roethlisberger, PIT | QB | Taking 8 sacks vs. PHI did sore shoulder no favors [36] |
| 46. | Wes Welker, NE | WR | On good pace for receptions, will get few TD chances [41] |
| 47. | Antonio Gates, SD | TE | Proving that 80% of Gates still better than most TEs [47] |
| 48. | Santana Moss, WAS | WR | Has scored TDs in 6 straight, dating back to ‘07 [63] |
| 49. | Aaron Rodgers, GB | QB | Efficient passer is 1 of just 3 QBs with no INTs [64] |
| 50. | Kellen Winslow, CLE | TE | Too talented to not overcome shaky QB situation [43] |
| 51. | Julius Jones, SEA | RB | Tear comes to end when Morris, WRs get healthy [55] |
| 52. | Hines Ward, PIT | WR | Catches, yards, TDs all declined for 3rd straight week [53] |
| 53. | LenDale White, TEN | RB | Could have his best fantasy year; on pace for 21 TDs [67] |
| 54. | Carson Palmer, CIN | QB | Better vs. NYG; still not reliable starting QB option [51] |
| 55. | Santonio Holmes, PIT | WR | Deep threat hurt most by Big Ben’s shoulder woes [47] |
| 56. | Chris Johnson, TEN | RB | Yardage is nice, but lack of scoring punch troubling [52] |
| 57. | Chad Johnson, CIN | WR | Good time to buy low from frustrated owners [50] |
| 58. | Eli Manning, NYG | QB | So far, is best fantasy player in Manning family [61] |
| 59. | Torry Holt, STL | WR | Upheaval at QB latest obstacle to overcome [46] |
| 60. | Dwayne Bowe, KC | WR | Freakish athlete gets numbers as KC plays catch-up [54] |
| 61. | Donald Driver, GB | WR | Hit or miss with TDs, but reliable in possession game [59] |
| 62. | Tony Gonzalez, KC | TE | Still centerpiece of KC attack, ranks among top 5 TEs [57] |
| 63. | Kurt Warner, ARI | QB | Old man churns out numbers; leads NFC with 6 TDs [91] |
| 64. | Kevin Smith, DET | RB | Emergence of Rudi Johnson a direct threat to his job [49] |
| 65. | Edgerrin James, ARI | RB | Little explosion left and no chance at goal-line TDs [56] |
| 66. | Brett Favre, NYJ | QB | Playing it close to vest as he learns NYJ offense [62] |
| 67. | Jerricho Cotchery, NYJ | WR | Good sign in PPR leagues; had 10 catches vs. SD [70] |
| 68. | Lee Evans, BUF | WR | Catching deep ball, just hasn’t found end zone [61] |
| 69. | Roy Williams, DET | WR | Perennial underachiever flopping in contract year [66] |
| 70. | Fred Taylor, JAC | RB | Finally found groove vs. banged-up Colts defense [78] |
| 71. | Chris Perry, CIN | RB | Pleasant surprise in dismal season; has TDs in last 2 [82] |
| 72. | Chris Cooley, WAS | TE | Still proving to be prime option in weak TE class [73] |
| 73. | Felix Jones, DAL | RB | Big play threat will get more work as season wears on [74] |
| 74. | Anthony Gonzalez, IND | WR | Hurt by fact Harrison, Clark more involved in offense [71] |
| 75. | Chris Chambers, SD | WR | Making catches count; 4 of 6 have gone for TDs [77] |
| 76. | DeSean Jackson, PHI | WR | Breaking rookie WR rule with 83.3 ypg average [80] |
| 77. | Marques Colston, NO | WR | Will miss next 2-to-4 weeks with thumb injury [75] |
| 78. | Roddy White, ATL | WR | Less consistent as he relies on rookie QB Ryan [83] |
| 79. | Laveranues Coles, NYJ | WR | Best day yet with Favre at QB; 75 yards, TD vs. SD [90] |
| 80. | Dallas Clark, IND | TE | Solid return to lineup (knee) with 44 yards vs. JAC [84] |
| 81. | Matt Hasselbeck, SEA | QB | Better days ahead as ‘Hawks WR corps gets healthy [76] |
| 82. | Marvin Harrison, IND | WR | Encouraging Week 3 with multiple red-zone looks [87] |
| 83. | Eddie Royal, DEN | WR | Reality is, rookie sensation is glorified possession WR [81] |
| 84. | Steve Slaton, HOU | RB | Breakout day vs. tough D; lone bright spot for HOU [NR] |
| 85. | Titans D/ST | D/ST | Emerging DBs join forces with dominant D-line [92] |
| 86. | Derek Anderson, CLE | QB | Just one poor half away from losing starting job [65] |
| 87. | Laurence Maroney, NE | RB | Injured and no longer most desirable Pats RB [69] |
| 88. | J.T. O’Sullivan, SF | QB | Not dynamic, but ranks 4th in NFL with 104.6 rating [NR] |
| 89. | Bernard Berrian, MIN | WR | Better QB play with Frerotte, better matchups ahead [91] |
| 90. | Trent Edwards, BUF | QB | Take efficient performances now; 3-TD day is coming [NR] |
| 91. | Rashard Mendenhall, PIT | RB | Start vs. BAL could be 1st step toward bigger role [NR] |
| 92. | Jason Campbell, WAS | QB | Has overcome rocky Week 1 with 4 TDs, 0 INTs since [101] |
| 93. | Selvin Young, DEN | RB | Leads NFL with 6.9 ypc, just needs more touches [94] |
| 94. | DeAngelo Williams, CAR | RB | Sorely needs big day to fend off rookie Stewart [85] |
| 95. | Ricky Williams, MIA | RB | Still getting touches, but glory is reserved for Brown [97] |
| 96. | Tony Scheffler, DEN | TE | Plenty of balls to go around with Cutler running show [NR] |
| 97. | Rudi Johnson, DET | RB | “Hot hand” treatment good sign for things to come [NR] |
| 98. | Jon Kitna, DET | QB | If DET keeps losing, could lose job to Stanton [86] |
| 99. | Sammy Morris, NE | RB | Leads Pats’ RB committee, gets goal-line touches [99] |
| 100. | David Garrard, JAC | QB | Victimized by mix of injuries, tough matchups [88] |
| 101. | Justin Fargas, OAK | RB | Could return to lineup (groin) as OAK’s No. 3 RB [93] |