8
Oct
Oct
2008
Some new faces crack our top 101 rankings, but the list has the same distinct look to it with a virtually unaltered top 10. That could change next week, though, because Vikings running back Adrian Peterson is officially on probation as our top-ranked player. The only question standing in the way of a Week 6 demotion is, who else deserves the top spot?
LaDainian Tomlinson has issues of his own and comes off a lackluster Week 5 effort. Frank Gore is having a fine, fine season, but his game just doesn’t scream “best player in fantasy football.” Clinton Portis is ever-so-slowly inching his way there, but doesn’t have half the big-game explosion of Peterson. We knew going in that Peterson would be inconsistent, so he gets at least one more week to prove just how good he can be.
Wide receivers featured the most change for this week; those who were up suddenly had poor weeks, and those who were down suddenly got back on track. Brandon Marshall, granted his two-catch, 25-yard effort was an exception to the rule, lost a couple of spots to Randy Moss, who found some magic with backup quarterback Matt Cassel. Terrell Owens’ stock is supposedly down, but last we checked he was still tied for the NFL lead with five touchdown catches.
“Johnsons” were also at one extreme or another, led by Tennessee rookie Chris, who had 18 carries to LenDale White’s 3 in the Titans’ 13-10 win over Baltimore. Andre is also on the rise after catching nine passes for 131 yards and a score for the Texans, but Chad and Calvin were quiet again for teams in downward spirals.
Making their debuts this week are: Chicago quarterback Kyle Orton, Arizona rookie running back Tim Hightower, San Francisco wide receiver Isaac Bruce, and Seattle wide receiver Bobby Engram.
And now, our complete Week 6 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 | Flopped on MNF stage with 21 carries, 32 yards [1] |
| 2. | LaDainian Tomlinson, SD | RB | Sprained toe likely to be factor all season [2] |
| 3. | Frank Gore, SF | RB | Made up for season-low 54 rush yds with 1st TD catch [3] |
| 4. | Clinton Portis, WAS | RB | Tore up NFL’s best run defense with 145 yards, TD [5] |
| 5. | Marion Barber, DAL | RB | Scoreless last 2 weeks as ‘Boys offense struggled [4] |
| 6. | Steven Jackson, STL | RB | Yardage totals quickly rising; next step is scoring [6] |
| 7. | Brian Westbrook, PHI | RB | Returned in Week 5, but broke ribs in 1st quarter [7] |
| 8. | Marshawn Lynch, BUF | RB | All 3 career sub-60 yard games have come in last 4 [8] |
| 9. | Joseph Addai, IND | RB | Few flashy stat lines, but has pounded in 4 TDs [9] |
| 10. | Tony Romo, DAL | QB | That’s more like it; has 10 TD passes last 4 weeks [11] |
| 11. | Terrell Owens, DAL | WR | Saved 2-catch effort with 57-yard, 4th quarter TD [10] |
| 12. | Randy Moss, NE | WR | Broke out for 1st time with Cassel under center [13] |
| 13. | Reggie Bush, NO | RB | Big-time playmaker must rush more consistently [15] |
| 14. | Michael Turner, ATL | RB | Every-other-week trend continues; 126 yards at GB [12] |
| 15. | Brandon Marshall, DEN | WR | Held scoreless for 1st time by tough Bucs defense [13] |
| 16. | Reggie Wayne, IND | WR | Quietly on pace to match career ‘07 numbers [16] |
| 17. | Larry Fitzgerald, ARI | WR | No Boldin (doubtful) means more red zone looks [17] |
| 18. | Drew Brees, NO | QB | Business as usual: leads NFL in CMP, ATT, YDS [19] |
| 19. | Jay Cutler, DEN | QB | More human last 3 weeks, still among elite QBs [21] |
| 20. | Peyton Manning, IND | QB | First 2-TD effort of year came Week 5 vs. HOU [20] |
| 21. | Maurice Jones-Drew, JAC | RB | Gotten 7 or fewer carries in 4 of first 5 weeks [20] |
| 22. | Matt Forte, CHI | RB | Caution, yardage has declined 5 straight weeks [23] |
| 23. | Larry Johnson, KC | RB | Anyone’s guess which LJ will show up on given week [18] |
| 24. | Ronnie Brown, MIA | RB | Nice cameo to 5-TD day with 125 yards, TD vs. SD [32] |
| 25. | Brandon Jacobs, NYG | RB | Manchild on scoring binge; 3 TDs in last 2 games [24] |
| 26. | T.J. Houshmandzadeh, CIN | WR | Fantasy force, so long as Palmer is under center [28] |
| 27. | Plaxico Burress, NYG | WR | Return to lineup should be triumphant at CLE [25] |
| 28. | Steve Smith, CAR | WR | Identical 6-catch, 96-yard games in last 2 weeks [27] |
| 29. | Philip Rivers, SD | QB | T2nd in NFL with 11 TDs, even after 2 rocky starts [26] |
| 30. | Greg Jennings, GB | WR | Running away with NFL receiving crown (569 yards) [29] |
| 31. | Jason Witten, DAL | TE | Averages 31 more ypg (88.4) than 2nd-ranked TE [31] |
| 32. | Brett Favre, NYJ | QB | Career-high 6 TDs propelled him to top of QB ranks [46] |
| 33. | Andre Johnson, HOU | WR | Got back on track vs. IND, even with Schaub out [34] |
| 34. | Donovan McNabb, PHI | QB | Matchups get easier, has Week 7 bye to get healthy [30] |
| 35. | Calvin Johnson, DET | WR | Future not as bright with injuries to Kitna, Orlovsky [35] |
| 36. | Willie Parker, PIT | RB | Works wonders for PIT if he can return by Week 7 [33] |
| 37. | Jamal Lewis, CLE | RB | Had season-high 25 carries, 1st TD Week 4 vs. CIN [38] |
| 38. | Earnest Graham, TB | RB | Making most of time share with 5.9 ypc, 2 TDs [37] |
| 39. | Darren McFadden, OAK | RB | Pressure to get healthy (toe) as Fargas returns [39] |
| 40. | Chris Johnson, TEN | RB | AFC Rookie of the Month is 9th in NFL in rushing [49] |
| 41. | Braylon Edwards, CLE | WR | Averaging paltry 24.3 ypg as Browns struggle [40] |
| 42. | Jonathan Stewart, CAR | RB | Most desirable CAR RB, even after Williams’ big day [42] |
| 43. | Anquan Boldin, ARI | WR | Return uncertain, but smart money on Week 8 at CAR [41] |
| 44. | Aaron Rodgers, GB | QB | Posted 2nd 300-yard outing, despite sore shoulder [53] |
| 45. | Ryan Grant, GB | RB | Season-high 83 yards in Week 5, still waiting for TD [43] |
| 46. | Thomas Jones, NYJ | RB | Less sunny outlook as Jets open up passing game [44] |
| 47. | Santana Moss, WAS | WR | Will take Week 5 zero-catch effort out on STL [45] |
| 48. | Ben Roethlisberger, PIT | QB | Gritty 3-TD effort at JAC his best of the year [50] |
| 49. | Willis McGahee, BAL | RB | Breakout day looks likely vs. league’s worst run D [46] |
| 50. | Eli Manning, NYG | QB | With or without Plaxico, rising up fantasy QB ranks [58] |
| 51. | Antonio Gates, SD | TE | Proving 80% of Gates still better than most TEs [47] |
| 52. | Santonio Holmes, PIT | WR | Hurt by Steelers injuries; just 1 TD in 5 games [48] |
| 53. | Wes Welker, NE | WR | On pace for 2nd straight 100-catch season, but 0 TDs [46] |
| 54. | Kellen Winslow, CLE | TE | Things not looking up with 4 straight tough matchups [52] |
| 55. | Roddy White, ATL | WR | Slow start behind him; has 341 yards, 2 TDs in last 3 [71] |
| 56. | Hines Ward, PIT | WR | Had season-high 7 catches, 90 yards in Week 5 [56] |
| 57. | Kurt Warner, ARI | QB | Overlooked in fantasy; 2+ TDs in each of last 4 [65] |
| 58. | Jerricho Cotchery, NYJ | WR | Contending with Coles for QB Favre’s attention [59] |
| 59. | Steve Slaton, HOU | RB | Rookie sensation has at least 1 TD in 3 straight [72] |
| 60. | Dwayne Bowe, KC | WR | Freakish athlete gets numbers as KC plays catch-up [60] |
| 61. | Julius Jones, SEA | RB | Watch how return of Mo Morris affects work load [55] |
| 62. | Laveranues Coles, NYJ | WR | Huge 3-TD day shows how far he’s come with Favre [62] |
| 63. | Lee Evans, BUF | WR | Leads AFC, ranks 5th in NFL with 432 receiving yards [67] |
| 64. | Chad Johnson, CIN | WR | Ranks as 4th-best fantasy WR named Johnson [57] |
| 65. | Tony Gonzalez, KC | TE | Officially became most productive TE in NFL history [63] |
| 66. | Edgerrin James, ARI | RB | Still a factor at goal-line ; has 3 TDs in last 2 [66] |
| 67. | Carson Palmer, CIN | QB | Limited in practice (elbow), but should play Week 6 [64] |
| 68. | Chris Cooley, WAS | TE | Campbell’s go-to man in Week 5 with 109 yards, TD [70] |
| 69. | LenDale White, TEN | RB | Carries more lopsided; 3 to Johnson’s 18 in Week 5 [54] |
| 70. | Torry Holt, STL | WR | Nowhere to go but up after Linehan firing [59] |
| 71. | Donald Driver, GB | WR | Has already matched ‘07 TD output with just 2 [68] |
| 72. | Marques Colston, NO | WR | Anticipating return (thumb) for Week 7 at CAR [75] |
| 73. | Dallas Clark, IND | TE | Looked healthy (concussion) with 81 yards in Week 5 [77] |
| 74. | Titans D/ST | D/ST | Clear No. 1 unit leads NFL in scoring D, INTs, FFs [78] |
| 75. | Jason Campbell, WAS | QB | Only starting QB in NFL yet to throw an INT [79] |
| 76. | Matt Hasselbeck, SEA | QB | Better days ahead as ‘Hawks WRs get healthy [76] |
| 77. | Felix Jones, DAL | RB | Big play waiting to happen, as runner or returner [83] |
| 78. | DeSean Jackson, PHI | WR | Sell-high candidate with Eagles WRs returning [69] |
| 79. | Chris Chambers, SD | WR | Questionable for Week 6; T1st in NFL with 5 TDs [74] |
| 80. | Le’Ron McClain, BAL | RB | More than TD vulture; averaging 16 carries per game [92] |
| 81. | Bernard Berrian, MIN | WR | Much different, better player with Frerotte at QB [89] |
| 82. | David Garrard, JAC | QB | Has found ‘07 form with 2 straight 200-yard games [90] |
| 83. | Eddie Royal, DEN | WR | Good outlook on ankle injury, may play in Week 6 [82] |
| 84. | Anthony Gonzalez, IND | WR | Must-sit coming off concussion, facing BAL [73] |
| 85. | Kyle Orton, CHI | QB | Making more plays; has 7 TDs, 4 INTs last 3 weeks [NR] |
| 86. | DeAngelo Williams, CAR | RB | On pace for 1,000-yard season after breakout vs. KC [98] |
| 87. | Chris Perry, CIN | RB | In danger zone with sore hammy, fumble issues [80] |
| 88. | J.T. O’Sullivan, SF | QB | Rough sailing ahead with matchups vs. PHI, at NYG [87] |
| 89. | Derek Anderson, CLE | QB | Feeling heat from QB Quinn; could get quick hook [84] |
| 90. | Marvin Harrison, IND | WR | Age has made him ordinary; a No. 4 fantasy WR [81] |
| 91. | Laurence Maroney, NE | RB | Healthy, but does he ever become feature back? [88] |
| 92. | Trent Edwards, BUF | QB | Return date unknown (concussion); bye week helps [85] |
| 93. | Tim Hightower, ARI | RB | Future impact starter leads all rookies with 5 TDs [NR] |
| 94. | Rudi Johnson, DET | RB | Tough to figure how he and Smith will split carries [86] |
| 95. | Isaac Bruce, SF | WR | Timeless treasure has scored 4 TDs in last 3 weeks [NR] |
| 96. | Jake Delhomme, CAR | QB | Different QB with Smith at QB; has 4 TDs in last 2 [101] |
| 97. | Bobby Engram, SEA | WR | Viable possession WR, can help SEA get on track [NR] |
| 98. | Deuce McAllister, NO | RB | Consider benching until Saints commit to run [91] |
| 99. | Ricky Williams, MIA | RB | Getting touches, but glory is reserved for Brown [93] |
| 100. | Kevin Smith, DET | RB | Sharing carries with Johnson; neither may have value [95] |
| 101. | Marc Bulger, STL | QB | Gets 2nd chance under interim coach Haslett [100] |