STUDS & DUDS

I’ve been profiling players for three weeks now in the rankings of who I think are going to be Up or Down for the week. I’ve decided to make it its own separate entity so it doesn’t take up too much space. A win or a loss will be determined by this scoring system:

A win for a QB will be 14+ points

A win for a RB will be 10+ points

A win for a WR will be 7+ points

A win for a TE will be 7+ points

A win for a D/ST will be 7+ points

A win for a K will be 6+ points

Of course it’s the opposite for the duds.

Now… Lets get it on

STUDS:

Jerome Harrison @ Buffalo

Position Rank: 11

Harrison should once again see the bulk of the workload with Jamal Lewis recovering from a hamstring problem, on top of being awful, and James Davis being placed on the IR with a damaged right shoulder, his season is done. This game seems like a perfect storm brewing for Harrison, Buffalo ranks 27th against the run, giving up 150 ypg on the ground. The Browns scored two TDs last week, TWO!, for the first time in what seems like years. It was actually last November but that’s still an outrageous amount of time; a lot of that had to do with Harrison’s 34 touches. I like Harrison to finally find the end zone this week and express more emotion than he did here.

Knowshon Moreno vs. New England

Position Rank: 17

Knowshon will now be the man in Denver with shockingly injured Correll Buckhalter out for this one. Hey, at least it’s not his knee. Moreno will be in tough against the Pats who give up only 96 ypg rushing but I like him to be involved in the passing game and maybe find pay dirt.

Kevin Walter @ Arizona

Position Rank: 11

K-Walt should get his this week in the Desert; this game reeks of shootout and Walter won’t be afraid to get involved. The Cards love giving up points and passing yards, they’re 20th and 30th respectively. This all sets up well for what the Texans want to do and that’s throw the ball. The Cards will need to focus their energy on stopping Andre 3000 and that should leave Walter in single coverage which he should take full advantage of, get him in your line up.

Steve Breaston vs. Houston

Position Rank: 22

From the same game Steve Breaston has the opportunity to have a vintage 2008 game. The Cards are coming off a bye and should have their act together, which should include getting Breaston more involved. He’s fully healthy and the Texans are just terrible on defense, it’s setting up really nice.

Brett Favre @ STL

Position Rank: 6

Favre is not really someone you want to have as your starter for the rest of the year but this week, get him in there. He lit up the Pack on Monday night and the Rams are too hideous for teh Vikes to have a let down against. While I think the Vikings will want to feed Peterson the ball, Favre will get his. If he can put up another good week here, try shopping him around to see if you can sell high.

David Garrard @ Seattle

Position Rank: 7

While it’s always dicey taking a QB of a team traveling West, Garrard has been hot FIYAH lately. After a bad week one he’s posted 16, 17 and 27 points the last three weeks and his schedule sets up nicely to keep it going. Seattle is middle of the pack in rush and pass defense which sets up perfectly for the Jags gameplan. They’ll want to establish the run with MJD, which will allow Garrard to find someone in his burgeoning receiving crops down field. He’ll be good here and he may even run one in.

Brent Celek vs Tampa Bay

position Rank: 1

Yes I have Celek at number one for tight ends this week, no I’m not crazy. Brent the Tent has been much more than a brooding version of Sidney Crosby, he’s been an absolute monster this year. Through three games Magnum: PA has 22-245-2, which puts him at 4th among TEs despite having his bye already. The Bucs can’t stop anything, especially through the air, which is going to lead to a huge game from Celek.

Carolina D/ST vs. Washington

Even I think I’m crazy for recommending the 32nd ranked fantasy defense on the season but I like how this is setting up for the Panthers. Washington does a lot of things that turns out well for fantasy defenses: they can’t score points, run the ball, or pass it. They also love turning the ball over. Carolina is getting the right opponent, they’re at home, and coming off a bye. I like them quite a bit this week.

Josh Scobee @ SEA

The Jags should score a lot of points this week, generally a good thing for kickers. Why not give him a shot.

DUDS:

Cedric Benson @ Baltimore

Position Rank: 21

After weeks of pumping Benson down everyone’s throats I’m going to take a step back this week. This match up is going to do talking and Benson is going to be a mute this week. The Ravens have only ceded 59 ypg on the ground so far this season and that’s not going to change against the Bengals. The Ravens can be beat through the air so I would except to see more of Brian Lenard out of the backfield catching passes. Sit Benson.

Thomas Jones @ Miami

Position Rank: 30

While the fantasy demise of Tom Jones has not been unusual, he may even be worse than he’s been this week. Miami has a pretty stellar run defense, 2nd in the NFL, which makes Ponce de Leon Washington a better play than Jones. Jones eats up bad run Ds by pounding it up the middle and that’s just not going to happen against the Dolphins.

Antonio Bryant @ Philadelphia

Position Rank: 35

While I do really like Bryant going forward, go pick him up now if he’s available, a date with the Eagles is going to be a headache. The Eagles have had two weeks to prepare for this game and Bryant is the only playmaker on the Bucs, they’re going to shut him down. He caught a TD last week and looks closer to 100% coming off a preseason injury but keep him on the bench this week.

Calvin Johnson vs. Pittsburgh

Position Rank: 15

He’s still ranked 15th among receivers solely based on that fact that he’s Megatron and he’s always capable of a huge game. That being said I really don’t like his prospects against the Steelers. Consider this: Polamalu is back and is he key to shutting down the passing attack. Johnson has sore legs and was hobbled at the end of the Bears game last week. Matt Stafford may have a dislocated kneecap and will have to face the best defense he’s seen in the NFL. If Stafford is out, Dante Culpepper will be at quarterback. Just saying.

Carson Palmer @ Baltimore

Position Rank: 15

Palmer came through for me last week and I think he’ll come through with a stinker this week. The Bengals have been very lucky this year and the Ravens are coming off a loss that they felt they were robbed in. This whole scenario reeks of a blowout in Baltimore. The Ravens can be beat through the air but I think you have better options out there at QB for week 5.

Matt Ryan @ San Francisco

Position Rank: 11

He’s ranked so high because of bye week troubles and you may have to start him because of bye week troubles but don’t except too much. East coast teams traveling West have a tendency to struggle and the 49ers defense is opportunistic and will pounce on errant throws from Ryan. I can see him throwing a TD and some picks here, you can do better.

Dustin Keller @ Miami

Position Rank: 12

There are much better options this week and you just can’t trust Keller right now. He’s underperformed the last two weeks and I can see the Jets trying to include newly acquired Braylon Edwards to make him happy.Fortunately for Braylon, the Knicks have no one who’s any good so he doesn’t have to worry about punching out any of their friends. He’s just hoping Lebron doesn't sign in NYC after the season.

Studs record for the year: 13-8

Duds record for the year: 14- 4