James Morris hails from Rio Rancho, NM and has been playing fantasy sports for well over a decade. Not only does he write the Bengals fantasy section, but he also does the Jacksonville Jaguars and San Diego Chargers fantasy sections, as well as the Indiana Pacers, Minnesota Timberwolves and Utah Jazz fantasy basketball sections in the NBA. Last season James finished with an 82 percent accuracy rating for fantasy predictions and will be here to answer any questions you may have about your specific team. Just send him an email and he will reply back the same day with your answer.
The only thing worse for fantasy owners than underperforming players are players not on the field because of their bye weeks. This week the Bears, Packers, Saints and Chargers are all taking a break and that means there will be some studs you can't use. Good thing for you I give you players on the rise and fall so you know what others don't know.
Braylon Edwards: Now that he has been traded to the Jets, he should be able to rehab some of his lost value for his owners. Don't expect him to regain that WR1 form he had a few years ago, but low end WR2/high end WR3 value is possible.
Rashard Mendenhall: I mentioned him in my recap, but the kid is gaining value by the minute and is worth trading for if you can get him at a reasonable rate. Don't overpay, but certainly don't be afraid to pull the trigger as Parker has lost a step.
Mike Sims-Walker: He has become a legit must start each week and Garrard and Sims-Walker have chemistry. He won't be available on any wires, but he is a legit WR1 so far this season.
Jermichael Finley: Finley had an amazing Week 4 with six catches for 128 yards and a TD, but you will need to temper the expectations since that one game equaled more catches and yards than he had in the previous three games combined. He has a bye this week, but if you are wasting a spot on someone like Donald Lee or Anthony Fasano, now is the time to make the switch.
David Garrard: Nobody thought about starting Garrard heading into the season, but hopefully you took my advice and played him last weekend. Garrard has a strong four-game stretch coming up and should be a clear QB1 for most people during that stretch. I'd trade for him and try and play him off as an early season fluke, but you and I both know better.
Jake Delhomme: Delhomme is sporting a 59.3 percent mark in completions, 6.6 YPA, and just two TDs to 7 INTs this season. I had him on my do not draft list. Did you?
Tony Romo: I am not saying to cut him, so calm down Romo lovers. But, why everyone anointed him a superstar is beyond me. He has as many interceptions as he does touchdowns and his value continues to plummet. Some may say buy low, I say bench him and hope he rebounds.
LaDainian Tomlinson: I am a HUGE LT fan, but I can't ignore the fact that he is on the wrong side of 30 and just isn't the player he used to be. Too many people took him too high in their drafts, and now they are paying for it. It is time to get out of that deal if you can.
Steve Smith (CAR): Where there is smoke, there is fire. In Carolina, Smith isn't the problem; Jake Delhomme is. With QB problems come WR problems, and Smith is learning that this season. Maybe the bye week helped solve some issues, but I doubt it. Smith is going to have a hard time regaining any value this season.
Anthony Fasano: Pennington is gone, Henne is in. Add to that the fact that all this team can run is the wildcat offense and you have a recipe for WR and TE disaster. TE has always been an all or nothing category, so players like Fasano are most likely not going to have any fantasy value now or in the second half of the season.
Ben Roethlisberger: I'm not a big fan of Big Ben in fantasy terms, but this week he has to be talked about in the top 3 for fantasy QBs. The Lions are terrible and we are all waiting for the real Santonio Holmes to please stand up ... please stand up.
Donovan McNabb: McNabb is back this week and some people might be thinking of giving him a week to see how healthy he really is. I am personally going to roll the dice and play McNabb in all the leagues I own him in.
Rashard Mendenhall: He blew up on the Chargers defense last week and there is little I see the Lions doing to stop him from doing it all over again this weekend. Willie Parker isn't so fast anymore and the Steelers are a run-oriented team, so Mendenhall is a must start for the time being.
Brandon Jacobs: If there was ever a week for Jacobs to get his engine started, this is the week. Oakland is one of the league's worst teams and Jacobs can be one of the league's top 10 backs when he is on his game. Owners who stuck with him are going to be rewarded this weekend with RB1 numbers.
Brandon Marshall: Ok, I am going to give the guy a chance and see if he finally found his groove in Denver's new offense. He has had back-to-back weeks with a score, so maybe this is the week he breaks 100 yards.
Chad Ochocino: The Ravens are ranked No. 1 against the run, so if the Bengals are to move the ball on Sunday it will come via the air. Ochocinco can make the tough catches and Palmer can make the tough throws. Don't expect miracles, but Ochocinco could be a top 15 WR play this weekend.
Vernon Davis: I am going to see if I can ride Davis for a third straight week in my leagues and you should do the same. I would put him in the top 5-7 TEs this weekend, so don't leave him on the bench unless you have a clearly better option.
Dallas Cowboys Defense: The Boys have been a big disappointment to a lot of fans, and their defense to a lot of fantasy players. But, that could all end this weekend as they face the problem-filled Kansas City Chiefs. I don't see Dallas shutting them out, but 10+ fantasy points is likely.
Tom Brady: Yes, I said it ... Tom Brady. The Broncos are third in the league in passing yards against (162.5 YPG), they haven't allowed a passing TD (first), they have six INTs as a team (T-third), and they are second in sacks (15), and second in passer rating against (56.0).
Jake Delhomme: I had a question from a caller on my weekly spot on a radio show asking if Delhomme will rebound after his bye week. The answer, no. I have no faith in Delhomme even though he is playing Washington and I will not recommend you play him this weekend.
Cedric Benson: I love Benson this season, but not against the Ravens. Baltimore is just too good against the run (first at 59.5 YPG). Not much more to it than that really.
Cadillac Williams: Williams has knee problems and while he looked good in Weeks 1 and 4, knee troubles reared its ugly head in Weeks 2 and 3. Derrick Ward should return this week and I don't trust Williams and his gimpy knee to give quality fantasy production against the Eagles.
Mohamed Massaquoi: Those who couldn't get a Raiders RB settled for Massaquoi, and there is no reason to get excited yet. The Bills are 21st against the pass and the Browns are 26th in passing, so the numbers are on my side. He reminds me a lot of someone named Louis Murphy.
Roy E. Williams: Williams has suffered along with Romo this season, and this weekend shouldn't be any different. With just 11 receptions in four weeks, I am not going to hold my breath for a breakout weekend.
Zach Miller (OAK): I had high hopes for Miller heading into the preseason, but JaMarcus Russell is looking more and more like a bust and that is killing any value of any player wearing the silver and black.
Tennessee Titans Defense: What a wasted pick this has been for anyone that reached to pick the Titans defense. The team is 0-4 and ranked 27th in points against (108), so facing Peyton Manning and all his toys this weekend isn't going to help.
Q:
OK, I need some help here. I have only one RB to play this week, Adrian Peterson. My problem is my backups are Chester Taylor (handcuff), M. Lynch and P. Thomas is on bye. Available are R. Williams, T. Choice, M. Bush and M. Moore. Would any of these work? Also a WR question. I have only two real WR, A. Johnson and D. Bowe (if he ever plays). I need to pick up 3 more WR. Available are B. Edwards, S. Rice, M. Manningham, M. Clayton (Bal), Santana Moss, M. Massaquoi, N. Burleson and A. Collie. Could you rank them for me?* --Daryl
A: I'd play Lynch against the Brownies. If there was a game to get back in the groove, it would be the one against the Brownies.
I'd take Manningham and Moss over Bowe. The K.C. offense has more problems than people thought in the preseason. My ranking would look like this:
Manningham
Moss
Bowe
Burleson
Massaquoi
Clayton
Edwards
Rice
Collie
Don't be one of the bandwagon people that jump all over Massaquoi. I want to see him do it again before I get all hyper. Even with Braylon Edwards out of town, he still has some major QB issues to overcome before he holds real fantasy value.
