I thought I would introduce a new in-season article this year in which I discuss a few players who’s fantasy value has either gone up or down depending on their performance, role changes, injury concerns, etc. from the previous week. I will try to get this article out every Thursday for your reading pleasure.
Stock Up
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LDE Osi Umenyiora (NYG) – From the reports that I have read, it seems as though Mathias Kiwanuka is likely going to be out for the better part of the season which means Umenyiora is going to see an uptake in playing time. Even though Osi is struggling with injuries of his own, he seemed healthy enough on Monday night when he registered 3 sacks against Jay Cutler and the Bears. With the Giants defense struggling, I expect Umenyiora to battle through his injuries and put up decent DL2 numbers. |
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WILB Paul Posluszny (BUF) – If Posluszny is available in any of your leagues grab him. This guy, when healthy, is a top 5 linebacker in tackle-heavy leagues. In the 12 games he played in 2009 he averaged over 7 solo tackles per game which projects out to 116 solo tackles over a full 16 game season. I expect even bigger numbers this year from the former Penn State linebacker since he has even less competition for tackles and is going to see an increased amount of tackle opportunities. Beg, borrow, or steal to get this guy on your roster! |
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MLB Kirk Morrison (JAX) – The Jaguars coaching staff inserted Morrison into the nickel packages last game and the increase in snaps did wonders for his tackle production as he had 10 total tackles. “Return of the Mack” wasn’t overly impressive in these subpackages, but played well enough to stay in for the entire game. I would approach this upgrade with caution as we still don’t know if this every-down status in permanent or just temporary. He’s worth adding as depth in deeper leagues, however. |
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SS William Moore (ATL) – Moore has provided owners with good production in three straight weeks and has taken over the starting strong safety role from Erik Coleman. We’ve seen the type of tackle numbers that can be produced out of this position and Moore is the type of player that could further expand upon this production due to his big-play abilities. This kid is definitely an IDP to keep an eye on. |
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SS Nedu Ndukwe (CIN) – It’s that time of year again for everyone’s favorite IDP underdog, Nedu Nduwke, to make his triumphant return to the starting lineup. Roy Williams suffered a knee injury in last week’s game that is likely to keep him out of the lineup for a couple of weeks. Whenever given the chance to start, Nduwke has put up a very nice mixture of tackle and big-play numbers for fantasy owners. He had 8 solo tackles and 1 assists after coming in for Williams in Week 4 and I expect that type of production to continue until Williams is healthy enough to play again. “Chinedum” is a sneaky play in deeper leagues. |
Stock Down
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RDE/SLB Mathias Kiwanuka (NYG)– Kiwanuka is suffering from a bulging disk issue in his neck and the Giants say there is no timetable for his approximate return. I have a hunch that Kiwanuka won’t play the rest of the season as these type of injuries are very hard to overcome without undergoing surgery. This injury is really unfortunate as “Kiwi” was having a great fantasy season. |
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WLB Zac Diles (HOU) – For many owners, the return of Brian Cushing this week is a bittersweet one. Cushing has been working out hard during his suspension and shouldn’t have much trouble picking up where he left off last season. However, his return to the starting lineup also means less tackle opportunities for Zac Diles who has been an LB1 so far for owners this season. I still see Diles having value as a LB3/LB4 matchup-type IDP, but I wouldn’t be expecting nearly close to the same production as we have been getting from him the first four weeks of the season. |
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MLB Stewart Bradley (PHI) – I had high hopes for Bradley entering into the regular season as I had him ranked as an LB2 with low LB1 upside. However, he just hasn’t looked the same since returning from that concussion he suffered in Week 1 against the Packers. He’s only had 10 total tackles in the two games since his return and he just doesn’t seem to be getting to the ballcarrier quick enough. I am still holding out some hope for Bradley in deeper leagues, but I can’t justify holding on to him in shallower leagues. |
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SILB Daryl Washington (ARI) – After a hot start to the season, Washington’s production has cooled off significantly. We often see this type of inconsistency with rookie linebackers and it doesn’t help that he isn’t playing in a lot of the teams subpackages. His situation is likely to become more cloudy when linebacker Gerald Hayes comes off the PUP list in Week 7. Washington’s dynasty value remains unchanged, but for owners in redraft leagues, he is more of a matchup dependent-type linebacker at this point in his career. |
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SS Steven Gregory (SD) – BUSTED! Gregory was suspended four games for violating the league’s PED policy. Paul Oliver and rookie Darrell Stuckey will fill in for the juicer in the mean time. If Stuckey can garner enough playing time, I think he takes over the job permanently. If your a Gregory owner, he’s safe to drop in all leagues. |
As always thanks for reading and for your comments! You guys have been keeping me busy! I’m looking forward to your questions, comments, and derogatory remarks.
Last Updated: October 7, 2010
