Fantasy Football Stock Report, News & Notes: 08-16-2010
On the heels of the first full weekend on preseason games we are back with another stock report and round of news and notes from around the league.
Stock Up
Players whose stock is on the rise.
Jake Delhomme, Cleveland Browns (QB) – Delhomme completed six of seven passes in the Browns preseason opener.
Bottom Line: The Browns need Delhomme to regain his confidence if they want to be competitive this season. Completing six of seven is a good start for the veteran QB. He is not going to be an elite QB but he can be a solid fantasy QB if he regains his mojo.
Arian Foster, Houston Texans (RB) – Foster ran the ball well going for 31 yards on four carries.
Bottom Line: With Ben Tate likely out for the year and Steve Slaton struggling against the Cards, Foster looks to be the early favorite to be the starting running back for the season opener.
Ryan Matthews, San Diego Chargers (RB) – Matthews ran for 50 yards on 9 carries in his Chargers debut.
Bottom Line: The Chargers are looking to Matthews to take up for LaDanian Tomlinson and re-energize the running game.
Jordan Shipley, Cincinnati Bengals (WR) – Caught five of six passes thrown his way for 50 yards.
Bottom Line: Seems to be solidifying his role as the team’s slot receiver.
Johnny Knox, Chicago Bears (WR) – The two passes that Jay Cutler completed were to Knox who caught a pair of passes for 47 yards.
Bottom Line: Knox has reportedly been the guy Culter has been targeting the most in camp this summer and the Bears believe he has the chops to be a number one receiver.
Devin Aromashodu, Chicago Bears (WR) – Aromashodu had the better overall game and caught 4 passes for 78 and a touchdowns.
Bottom Line: Aromashodu finished the season strong and looks to be picking up right where he left off this summer.
Brian Robiskie, Cleveland Browns (WR) – Robiskie caught three passes including a 13-yard touchdown catch.
Bottom Line: Aside from Mohammad Massaquoi the Browns depth chart at receiver is unsettled. Cleveland is hoping Robiskie, who was a huge disappointment as a rookie last season, lives up to being a high second round pick.
Anthony Dixon, San Francisco 49ers (RB) – Dixon ran for 100 yards and a score on 21 carries.
Bottom Line: With Glen Coffee unexpectedly retiring the backup job behind Frank Gore is now Dixon’s to lose. He probably will not see a ton of carries, but he could see 100 to 150 carries if the Niners are serious about limiting Gore’s touches to keep him fresh deep into the season. He will definitely be the team’s goal line back.
Riley Cooper, Philadelphia Eagles (WR) – Cooper made a strong case for being the Eagles #3 receiver catching 3 passes for 61 yards including a 46-yarder.
Bottom Line: With Kevin Curtis being released and Reggie Brown traded to Tampa during the off season the #3 spot is up for grabs. The Eagles took Cooper because they liked his size and athleticism but he could see more action if he shows a penchant for big plays. He has reportedly been a pleasant surprise in camp this summer, so much so that they are talking about Hank Baskett’s days being numbered in Philly.
Troy Williamson, Jacksonville Jaguars (WR) – Williamson caught a pair of catches for 101 yards including a 73-yard touchdown strike from Josh McCown.
Bottom Line: Williamson won a starting job last summer only to lose it due to a season-ending shoulder injury early in the season. He appears to be in the mix to take over for Tory Holt who was released over the off season.
Deon Butler/Mike Williams, Seattle Seahawks (WR) – Butler caught a pair of passes for 39 yards and Williams had a 51-yard TD catch.
Bottom Line: Butler and Williams had the two biggest plays for an offense that was devoid of big plays in the passing game last season. Neither guy is likely to land a starting job but they could push for the #3 spot with strong summers.
Sammie Stroughter, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (WR) – Stroughter caught 3 passes for 33 yards including a 13-yard touchdown from Josh Freeman.
Bottom Line: Stroughter is thought to be in the mix with rookies Arrelious Benn and Mike Williams for one of the starting receiver jobs.
Devin Thomas, Washington Redskins (WR) – Thomas caught 3 passes for 64 yards including a 44-yard touchdown.
Bottom Line: Thomas is believed to be down to his last chance in D. C. and needs a strong summer to keep his job. The receiving depth chart is wide open after Santana Moss and Thomas could work his way into the second or third spot on the depth chart with a strong summer.
Chad Hall, Philadelphia Eagles (WR) – The undrafted free agent a pair of passes for 60 yards, including one for 57, and ran for 22 yards. He also looked solid as a return man.
Bottom Line: Hall is one of those type of players that Reid loves. He played both running back and receiver in college and is lightning quick. He is on the smallish side but is one of those guys that Reid can line up all over the field. He likely will not be a guy whom the Eagles go out of their way to get the ball to, but he could be a guy who returns kicks and gets 8 to 10 touches a game just to see what he can do with the ball.
Stock Down
Players whose stock is on the decline.
Vince Young, Tennessee Titans (QB) – While Young did complete five of six passes for 78 yards in the two offensive series he played, he fumbled once and threw an interception.
Bottom Line: It is not a good sign to see him putting the ball on the ground and turning it over like that.
Alex Smith, San Francisco 49ers (QB) – Smith was 3 for 9 and threw an interception against Indianapolis.
Bottom Line: Mike Singletary will not hesitate to go with David Carr or Nate Davis if it looks like Smith is regressing again.
Trent Edwards, Buffalo Bills (QB) – Edwards completed just 6 of 12 passes and threw an interception.
Bottom Line: Edwards is currently seen as the starter, but Ryan Fitzpatrick and Brian Brohm are going to be given opportunities to win the job this summer.
Fred Jackson, Buffalo Bills (RB) – Jackson broke a bone in his hand against the Redskins and is expected to miss the next four to six weeks.
Bottom Line: He could end up missing the first couple of games due to the injury.
Ben Tate, Houston Texans (RB) – Tate suffered a severe ankle injury against the Cardinals and is thought to be lost for the season.
News and Notes From Around the League
There were some good and some bad with Michael Vick on Friday. The good was he completed 11 of 17 passes and ran for 50 yards and a score. The bad was he put the ball on the ground twice, losing one, and threw an interception in roughly two quarters of work.
Martell Mallett made a strong case for being the #3 back behind LeSean McCoy and Mike Bell in Philly. Mallett ran for 60 yards and a score against Jacksonville.
The Jaguars did not even try to run the ball against Philadelphia calling just 8 running plays all night. It seems like they are not too concerned about figuring out who might take some of the workload off of Maurice Jones-Drew’s shoulders this season.
The Redskins allowed a whopping 8.1 yards per carry to the Bills. That came with Fred Jackson, C. J. Spiller, and Marshawn Lynch getting only 6 carries.
Colt McCoy threw two picks and suffered a sprained thumb when he hit his hand on a helmet following through on a pass. The injury is not considered to be serious and could simply mean he starts the season as the emergency QB as opposed to possibly being the backup. The Browns have no intent on starting McCoy this year anyway so it should not be a major set back in his development.
After completing just 9 of 19 passes and throwing three interceptions against the Niners on Sunday one begins to wonder how much longer Curtis Painter will have a job in Indianapolis.
