16
Oct
Oct
2008
Time to shake it up.
No more standing by and watching top dogs Adrian Peterson and LaDainian Tomlinson get out-produced by the likes of Clinton Portis, Frank Gore and Marion Barber. That trio is no doubt a placeholder until A.P. and L.T. break out of their funks, but the body of work still deserves the recognition.
Philosophically, we’ll be treating this poll just like an AP Top 25 in college football. Just because a team keeps winning, it doesn’t mean it has chance after chance to retain the No. 1 ranking. Peterson was the equivalent of, say, Georgia eking past Alabama-Birmingham, Jacksonville State and Troy: while he technically didn’t lose a ton of ground, he didn’t gain any of it, either.
Portis, on the other hand, has beaten USC, Ohio State and Florida State. He’s provided ultra-consistent results in a dynamic package. Just because his ceiling is a little lower than Peterson’s, why should we rob him of an opportunity to headline our poll? We shouldn’t.
The only question raised was, who exactly replaces Peterson and Tomlinson? The vote came down to Portis, Frank Gore and Marion Barber. Portis got the edge because of more consistent yardage totals than Barber and anchoring a better offense than Gore.
On down the line, six weeks of mediocre production was finally enough to demote the likes of Steven Jackson, Terrell Owens, Randy Moss in favor of Drew Brees, Reggie Bush, Brandon Marshall and Larry Fitzgerald. At some point in time, we must de-value traditional powerhouses and pump in some new blood. For us, that time came just prior to Week 7, with the season’s halfway point lurking around the corner.
And now, our complete Week 7 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. | Clinton Portis, WAS | RB | NFL rushing leader has 3 straight 120+ yard games [4] |
| 2. | Frank Gore, SF | RB | Consistent force; has scored TDs in 5 of 6 games [3] |
| 3. | Marion Barber, DAL | RB | With Romo likely out, will get heaviest workload yet [5] |
| 4. | Adrian Peterson, MIN | RB | Rushed for 111 yards, but lost 2 fumbles vs. DET [1] |
| 5. | LaDainian Tomlinson, SD | RB | Sprained toe likely to be factor all season [2] |
| 6. | Drew Brees, NO | QB | Business as usual: leads NFL in CMP, 2nd in ATT [18] |
| 7. | Reggie Bush, NO | RB | Big-time playmaker leads NFL with 8 total TDs [13] |
| 8. | Matt Forte, CHI | RB | Best receiving RB this side of Bush and Westbrook [22] |
| 9. | Brandon Marshall, DEN | WR | Most relied upon WR in NFL; 69 targets in 5 games [15] |
| 10. | Larry Fitzgerald, ARI | WR | Good combo; 100+ yards and/or TD in all 6 games [17] |
| 11. | Brian Westbrook, PHI | RB | Has bye week to heal sore ribs and return to lineup [7] |
| 12. | Steven Jackson, STL | RB | Yardage totals quickly rising; next step is scoring [6] |
| 13. | Marshawn Lynch, BUF | RB | All 3 career sub-60 yard games have come in last 4 [8] |
| 14. | Philip Rivers, SD | QB | Leads NFL in QB rating, T1st with 14 passing TDs [29] |
| 15. | Greg Jennings, GB | WR | Running away with NFL receiving crown (653 yards) [30] |
| 16. | Peyton Manning, IND | QB | Finally healthy; 518 yards, 5 TDs in last 2 games [20] |
| 17. | Reggie Wayne, IND | WR | None more consistent; 70+ yards in all 5 games [16] |
| 18. | Ronnie Brown, MIA | RB | No arguing that, when healthy, is one of NFL’s best [24] |
| 19. | Andre Johnson, HOU | WR | Back to elite status with 309 yards, 2 TDs in last 2 [33] |
| 20. | Jay Cutler, DEN | QB | More human last 4 weeks, still ranks among elite QBs [19] |
| 21. | Terrell Owens, DAL | WR | Can’t tell if Williams’ arrival helps or hurts value [11] |
| 22. | Randy Moss, NE | WR | Held below 30 yards in 3 of Cassel’s 4 starts [12] |
| 23. | Michael Turner, ATL | RB | Every-other-week trend continues; 54 yards vs. CHI [14] |
| 24. | Tony Romo, DAL | QB | Wants to play through broken pinkie; wait and see [10] |
| 25. | Maurice Jones-Drew, JAC | RB | Rushed for 125 yds, 2 TDs in Taylor’s absence at DEN [21] |
| 26. | Braylon Edwards, CLE | WR | Broke out for 154 yards on MNF; has TDs in 2 straight [41] |
| 27. | Brandon Jacobs, NYG | RB | Manchild on scoring binge; 4 TDs in last 3 games [25] |
| 28. | Plaxico Burress, NYG | WR | Absence gave Eli time to discover other options [27] |
| 29. | Aaron Rodgers, GB | QB | Among top fantasy QBs; is helped by 3 rush TDs [44] |
| 30. | Roddy White, ATL | WR | Slow start behind him; 453 yards, 3 TDs in last 4 [55] |
| 31. | T.J. Houshmandzadeh, CIN | WR | Catches are there, but big plays, TDs are lacking [26] |
| 32. | Steve Smith, CAR | WR | Friendly matchups ahead mean more TD potential [28] |
| 33. | Jason Witten, DAL | TE | Averages 31 more ypg (82.8) than next-closest TE [31] |
| 34. | Brett Favre, NYJ | QB | Comes off season-worst 189 yards and 3 TOs vs. CIN [32] |
| 35. | Joseph Addai, IND | RB | Down season got worse with partially torn hammy [9] |
| 36. | Donovan McNabb, PHI | QB | Matchups get easier, has Week 7 bye to get healthy [34] |
| 37. | Jamal Lewis, CLE | RB | Back on track, but has tough run defenses ahead [37] |
| 38. | Chris Johnson, TEN | RB | AFC Rookie of the Month is RB of choice for Titans [40] |
| 39. | Larry Johnson, KC | RB | Never sure which LJ will show up in a given week [23] |
| 40. | Anquan Boldin, ARI | WR | Looks like return will come Week 8 at CAR [43] |
| 41. | Calvin Johnson, DET | WR | Future not as bright with Orlovsky/Stanton at QB [35] |
| 42. | Earnest Graham, TB | RB | Emergency FB duties affected Week 6 production [38] |
| 43. | Ryan Grant, GB | RB | Still searching for first TD, 100-yard performance [45] |
| 44. | Willie Parker, PIT | RB | Aggravated knee injury; listed as questionable [36] |
| 45. | Darren McFadden, OAK | RB | Healthy Fargas leaves backfield situation in flux [39] |
| 46. | Thomas Jones, NYJ | RB | Focal point of attack with 3 TDs in NYJ’s win vs. CIN [46] |
| 47. | Ben Roethlisberger, PIT | QB | Had 2 weeks to rest shoulder; best is yet to come [48] |
| 48. | Kurt Warner, ARI | QB | Overlooked in fantasy; has 2+ TDs in 5 straight [57] |
| 49. | Willis McGahee, BAL | RB | Tough remaining schedule makes rebound unlikely [49] |
| 50. | Jonathan Stewart, CAR | RB | Chalk poor Week 6 up to team’s struggles [42] |
| 51. | Wes Welker, NE | WR | On pace for 2nd straight 100-catch season, but 0 TDs [53] |
| 52. | Santana Moss, WAS | WR | Had 27 catches in first 4 games; just 2 in last 2 [47] |
| 53. | Eli Manning, NYG | QB | First chinks in armor with 3 INTs in loss to Browns [50] |
| 54. | Antonio Gates, SD | TE | Low yardage totals, but leads all TEs with 4 TDs [51] |
| 55. | Santonio Holmes, PIT | WR | Hurt by Steelers injuries; just 1 TD in 5 games [52] |
| 56. | Hines Ward, PIT | WR | Had season-high 7 catches, 90 yards in Week 5 [56] |
| 57. | Jerricho Cotchery, NYJ | WR | Contending with Coles for QB Favre’s attention [58] |
| 58. | Dwayne Bowe, KC | WR | Plenty of targets, but suffers from poor QB play [60] |
| 59. | Marques Colston, NO | WR | Anticipating return (thumb surgery) this week at CAR [72] |
| 60. | Kellen Winslow, CLE | TE | Mysterious illness may cause 2nd straight DNP [54] |
| 61. | Julius Jones, SEA | RB | Tough go ahead, especially as ‘Hawks ship sinks [61] |
| 62. | Laveranues Coles, NYJ | WR | Huge 3-TD day shows how far he’s come with Favre [62] |
| 63. | Lee Evans, BUF | WR | Prototype deep threat; leads AFC with 27.0 ypc [63] |
| 64. | Steve Slaton, HOU | RB | Will put rough week behind him vs. NFL’s worst run D [59] |
| 65. | Chris Cooley, WAS | TE | Productive so far; best scoring days still ahead [68] |
| 66. | Chad Johnson, CIN | WR | Consistently mediocre; had 1st 50-yard game vs. NYJ [64] |
| 67. | Tony Gonzalez, KC | TE | Trade eluded him; would have boosted fantasy value [65] |
| 68. | Derek Anderson, CLE | QB | Had big day, was more confident in win over NYG [89] |
| 69. | Edgerrin James, ARI | RB | Dud in Week 6, but has been better than expected [66] |
| 70. | Bernard Berrian, MIN | WR | Much different, better player with Frerotte at QB [81] |
| 71. | LenDale White, TEN | RB | Carries more lopsided; 3 to Johnson’s 18 in Week 5 [69] |
| 72. | Donald Driver, GB | WR | Has already matched ‘07 TD output with just 2 [71] |
| 73. | Torry Holt, STL | WR | Must see more from Bulger, Rams passing game [70] |
| 74. | Jason Campbell, WAS | QB | Only starting QB in NFL yet to throw an INT [75] |
| 75. | Roy Williams, DAL | WR | ‘Boys are high on his skills; can thrive opposite T.O. [NR] |
| 76. | Carson Palmer, CIN | QB | Will sit for 3rd time in 4 weeks with sore elbow [67] |
| 77. | Dallas Clark, IND | TE | Hurt by number of other weapons QB Manning has [73] |
| 78. | Titans D/ST | D/ST | Clear No. 1 unit leads NFL in scoring D, takeaways [74] |
| 79. | DeSean Jackson, PHI | WR | Value based on health of team’s other WRs [78] |
| 80. | Chris Chambers, SD | WR | Questionable again (ankle) after missing Week 6 [79] |
| 81. | David Garrard, JAC | QB | Has found ‘07 form with 3 straight 200-yard games [90] |
| 82. | Marvin Harrison, IND | WR | Ordinary season turned for better with 2 TDs vs. BAL [90] |
| 83. | Eddie Royal, DEN | WR | Expected back in lineup (ankle) for matchup vs. NE [83] |
| 84. | Kyle Orton, CHI | QB | Making more plays; has 8 TDs, 4 INTs last 4 weeks [NR] |
| 85. | Michael Pittman, DEN | RB | Due for another big week with Selvin Young out [NR] |
| 86. | DeAngelo Williams, CAR | RB | Near 1,000-yard pace, but not much fantasy impact [86] |
| 87. | Trent Edwards, BUF | QB | Bye came just in time to recover from concussion [92] |
| 88. | Matt Schaub, HOU | QB | One of only handful with free reign to air it out [91] |
| 89. | Le’Ron McClain, BAL | RB | Interesting to see how he rebounds after poor Week 6 [80] |
| 90. | Anthony Gonzalez, IND | WR | Unknown commodity with wealth of other options [84] |
| 91. | Kevin Smith, DET | RB | On better end of time-share thus far [100] |
| 92. | Chris Perry, CIN | RB | In danger zone with sore hammy, fumble issues [87] |
| 93. | Tim Hightower, ARI | RB | Cards’ future starter leads rookies with 5 rush TDs [93] |
| 94. | Rudi Johnson, DET | RB | Bizarre time-share hurting he and Kevin Smith [94] |
| 95. | Isaac Bruce, SF | WR | Timeless treasure has scored 4 TDs in last 4 weeks [95] |
| 96. | Warrick Dunn, TB | RB | Plenty of work in time-share; 115 yards in Week 6 [NR] |
| 97. | Sammy Morris, NE | RB | Leader of committee, best bet for goal-line touches [NR] |
| 98. | Ricky Williams, MIA | RB | Getting touches, but glory is reserved for Brown [93] |
| 99. | Matt Hasselbeck, SEA | QB | Hazy future with back, knee injuries [76] |
| 100. | J.T. O’Sullivan, SF | QB | TOs becoming big problem; has 7 INTs last 3 weeks [88] |
| 101. | Devin Hester, CHI | WR | Growing quickly as WR, adds potential for return TDs [NR] |