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.
Here we go. Week 8 of the NFL season and the drama is in full swing for many teams. Larry Johnson decided to go all Twitter Sniper on himself and may have talked himself right out of a job in Kansas City. The Seahawks placed T Walter Jones on injured reserve, which means Seattle will be a passing team moving forward. Jake Delhomme can't get the Panthers coaching staff to say he is the starting QB, which is odd since their other options are Matt Moore and A.J. Feeley.
Larry Johnson: You shouldn't have been playing LJ anyway, so his suspension and possible release won't mean much for fantasy teams. Jamaal Charles is who I have taking over the starting role and he is worth a look if you are thin at RB. Don't expect Miles Austin at RB, but he will be better than other waiver wire backs.
Chris Cooley and Fred Davis: Cooley was originally supposed to miss the rest of the season, and then he came out and said he hopes to play in four weeks after foot surgery. With the Redskins already out of the playoff hunt, Cooley wanting to return brings a "C'Mon Son" to my mind. Fred Davis will get all the playing time at TE while Cooley is out, but since he is on a bye you have some time to see how the whole saga plays out.
Brian Westbrook: There is no clear answer at the time of this article as to Westbrook's status for this weekend. Personally, I don't see him playing because he wasn't just injured last weekend, Westbrook was out cold and that worries the doctors and me. Check with me on Friday, but if he is still a game-time decision I would just find another option at RB.
Calvin Johnson: Megatron missed practice again Wednesday and is a game-time decision this weekend. The only things you can do here are wait and hope.
Vince Young and Kerry Collins: There has been no official word yet on who will start, but this is a fantasy article and you shouldn't care either way. Neither QB is worth owning unless you are in a deep league, and even then neither should start.
Byes: Bengals, Chiefs, Patriots, Steelers, Buccaneers, Redskins
David Garrard: Tennessee is dead last in pass defense and Garrard is due for a good fantasy game after not throwing a TD in the previous two. I would have no problems whatsoever playing Garrard at QB1 this week.
Brett Favre: As if you didn't know this was coming! Favre, in Green Bay, on a Vikings team that is looking to take a two game lead on the Packers ... C'Mon Son! You KNOW you have to play Favre in this one right?
Kevin Smith: The Lions are a bad team, a really bad team. But, St. Louis has a 27th-ranked run defense and the Lions are hurting at QB and WR. I am looking for Smith to walk away from Week 8 as the No. 1 ranked fantasy RB.
LaDainian Tomlinson: A risky pick, I know. But, the Raiders are a terrible team and Tomlinson is hungry to get his season right. I would love to see him stick it to Oakland here because of that fierce rivalry between southern and northern Cali.
Miles Austin: I normally hate putting a player in the start 'em section two weeks in a row, but Austin and the Cowboys go up against the Seahawks this weekend and Romo has found a new target in Austin. I'd play him as a top end WR1.
Sidney Rice: Wherever Favre throws, Rice is sure to follow. Bernard Berrian is all but a distant memory to fantasy players and there is a new kid of the block, and his name is Rice, Sidney Rice.
Jeremy Shockey: Shockey had a great Week 7, but has been less than stellar the rest of the season. This week the Saints match up against the Atlanta Falcons and their 26th-ranked pass defense. Brees needs a good game here and Shockey should post back-to-back great weeks.
San Diego Chargers Defense: The Chargers defense has been a disappointment much of this season, but this is the weekend to play them. The Raiders are division rivals and it is always a heated game when Oakland comes to town. Oakland is 2-5 and the Chargers are 3-3. San Diego needs this win to keep up with Denver.
Mark Sanchez: Why people still have him on the roster is beyond me. He hasn't thrown for more than 172 yards since Week 1 and he now has 10 INTs to just six TDs. I wouldn't own him, but if you do, I wouldn't play him against the Dolphins this weekend.
Alex Smith: Smith has been sighted in San Francisco and the location is behind center. He has jumped ahead of Shaun Hill but isn't worth playing against the Colts sixth-ranked passing defense. Maybe this week Gore returns to glorious form, but I wouldn't hold out hope for Smith.
Knowshon Moreno: Moreno has become a staple in many fantasy starting lineups, but the Ravens defense has a way of making good running backs look like bench depth. Because of that, I would sit Moreno if at all possible.
Brian Westbrook: I already discussed Westbrook's condition, so I will just simply say that if you have any other options, I would go with them. LeSean McCoy becomes a low end RB2 play.
Bernard Berrian: I think Favre and Rodgers are going to throw the ball like a kid and his father in the back yard, but Berrian won't be the lucky recipient. Favre has locked on to Sidney Rice as his new No. 1 WR, and it just makes you wonder if anyone in Minnesota bothered to show Favre a depth chart.
Steve Breaston: Another NFL team has a fantasy section and they picked Breaston as a must start last week. I told them they were crazy, but they pushed forward. So, even with a matchup against the lowly Carolina Panthers this week, I am going to again say to sit him. If they pick him again, I am going to roll with out with a Child Pleeez!
Todd Heap: Heap doesn't catch a lot of touchdowns, but not many TEs do. He normally gets you 40-50 yards and 4-5 catches, but this week I am going to sit him against the Broncos. Denver is allowing just 182.8 passing yards per game and Joe Flacco has been up and down all season if you look at his games.
New York Giants Defense: The Giants play the Eagles this week and that is a rivalry that goes all the way back to the Great Depression (1933) days. The Eagles may be without Westbrook, but McCoy is eager to fill in and Donovan McNabb has some new toys to throw to this year. I look for a fairly high-scoring game and would avoid the Giants defense if you can.
Q: I got offered Frank Gore and Braylon Edwards for Brandon Marshall and Darren Sproles. I love Marshall and don't really want to part with him plus Sproles is my LT handcuff. I do need RB help pretty bad though. He also has Boldin and Holmes, which I like better than Edwards. Should I consider this trade? Should I ask for Boldin or Holmes instead of Edwards? It's a PPR league.
--Mike Bowling, Cincinnati, OH
A: The thing with trades is you will lose somewhere and gain somewhere else if it is a fair deal. I'd easily give up Sproles and Marshall for Gore and Edwards.
Marshall isn't all that if you look at his game-by-game stats. Yes, Edwards is nearly a flex play these days, but he isn't as far off from Marshall as you might think. The yards are close, but the TDs are off. Gore is a top 10 back and Sproles is bench material unless you count return yards.
In the end, I think you take the deal. You downgrade at WR, but you upgrade at RB and Gore will get you say 220 points (standard scoring leagues) and Marshall will get you MAYBE 150 if the tides are right. Edwards I would say earns you 90-100 if Sanchez gets it right and Sproles, maybe 50-75 more points. Asking for Boldin is going to get the deal canceled and Holmes is no better than Edwards this season.
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