Tuesday, September 18, 2007

Everybody Panic!



2 weeks into the season, and we should have at least some semblance of a clue as to who may be looking at a bust season.
This post will cover some of the top offenders, and some guys who are still standing out on the fringe.

Full-Blown Panic:
Larry Johnson
- The concern about his contract proved to be unnecessary. The concern about a bad team with a terrible offensive line, well, that's certainly legit. It's not like they can flip a switch and make things better. Through no fault of his own, LJ is looking at a very mediocre season.

Maurice Jones-Drew - 2 weeks, 18 carries, 63 yards, plus another 38 receiving and 0 TDs.
Look, nobody should have expected him to match last season's TD output, and he is still the #2 RB option on his own team...but this is terrible production, and The Jags are looking like a far cry from an offensive juggernaut. Obviously
don't drop him, but if you have a LaMont Jordan, DeShawn Wynn or Derrick Ward on your bench, maybe you should give them a look in front of MJD.

Ronnie Brown - I guess we know why Jesse Chatman was discussed. He has a 4.2 YPC compared to Brown's 3.0. Brown has added 76 receiving yards...but 65 yards total on the ground and 0 TDs from a guy you got in the 2nd round. Zoinks!

Devery Henderson - An over-hyped "sleeper" before the season, he's been horrific. Drops passes like Grateful Dead fans drop acid. Cut ties immediately.

Patrick Crayton - This guy was suppsoed to get more looks with the Terry Glenn injury. Nope!

Brandon Jackson - Toting the rock for a 2.3 YPC isn't going to get you anywhere. Word on the street is that DeShawn Wynn will take over as Green Bay's feature back.

Donte Stallworth - He is the forgotten man in New England. Stories about Tom Brady spreading around the ball so much aren't necessarily true now, he just never had a WR with Randy Moss' skills.

Philip Rivers - He was absolutely terrible against the Patriots. He looks baffled. If, for some reason, you drafted him as your QB1, it's time to work a trade for somebody else.

On The Brink:
Reggie Bush & Deuce McAllister - The Saint offense has been anemic thus far. These guys haven't done anything...Mike Karney leads them in RB TDs. You've still gotta believe that this situation HAS to get better, the Saints have too much talent, right? Give them a little more time.

Marques Colston - See above. Unlike those guys, Colston actually has a TD. 117 yards over 2 weeks isn't scaring anyone though. He won't be sneaking up on defenses this season, and no other WR on this team is going to take pressure off of him.

Reggie Brown - I'll give him a pass, since he's been hurt. The Eagles face weak secondaries coming up. If he doesn't show anything then, it's time for full-blown panic. McNabb has been looking for Kevin Curtis primarily.

Mark Clayton - Through 2 games Clayton has 1 more reception on his career total...and 1 fewer yard. Much like Reggie Brown, I'll give him an injury pass. But he needs to show me something, anything, in Week 3.

Donovan McNabb - He's coming back from a tough injury and has looked tentative so far. He missed an easy TD hookup with Kevin Curtis last night, and his WRs are dropping balls left and right. He even claims that he's only at 75%. He's coming back from a very similar injury to the one that derailed Daunte Culpepper's career, so this certainly bears watching. If he can't carve up the feeble Detroit secondary in Week 3, it's officially time for full-blown panic.

Matt Leinart - He was supposed to bust out this year, and is more likely to have been drafted as a late QB1 than Philip Rivers. So far, despite a wealth of WR talent, he only has 2 TDs, 401 yards and 3 INTs. Last season was for learning, this season he should be showing us something.

Guys to Buy Low NOW!
Drew Brees
- Too much talent for this lack of production to continue, I can't see his value getting any lower.

Donovan McNabb - The injury is certainly a concern, to go along with his complete lack of production so far. But come on, the Lions and the Giants are the next 2 teams on the schedule.

Laurence Maroney - See if his owner is frustrated about him losing touches and TDs, and then attempt to steal him away.

Maurice Jones-Drew - Yes, he's in full-blown panic. See exactly how cheaply you can get him. You don't want him as an RB2 right now, but he'd be a high upside RB3.

Brandon Jacobs - He's allegedly coming back much sooner than expected. See if his owner is worried, or lacking the depth to handle his absence. The window is closing fast here.

Larry Fitzgerald & Anquan Boldin - These guys are far too talented to be held down for long.

Lee Evans - He is a legitimate gamebreaker. J.P. Losman is floundering. If Losman wants to save his job, he'll start finding Evans early and often.

Vernon Davis - Yeah, it's hard to get excited about a guy that has 27 yards and 0 TDs through 2 weeks. He's screaming for the ball now, D-Jax is beat up (shocker), and I fully expect Alex Smith to look his way when the 49ers are in the red zone.

Guys to Sell High NOW!
Jamal Lewis
- His performance against the Bengals will be the absolute peak of his season. See if you can find an owner that believes he's back on track for another 2000 yard season, and pillage away.

Clinton Portis - A nice showing, on national television. He remains a very high injury risk.

Braylon Edwards - Yes, the dude has a ton of talent. But the extremely shaky QB situation is going to drag him down. It very well may take a month and a half for the Browns to score another 51 total points.

Jake Delhomme - He's put together 2 very nice games and is among the league leaders in scoring. The fact remains, he's a mediocre QB. If you can get a nice return, unload him now before he reminds us all of his mediocrity.

Side Notes
I believe that LaMont Jordan remains the feature back in Oakland, despite the return of Rhodes.
Randy Moss will continue to thrive in New England.
If Kevin Jones is inexplicably still available on your waiver wire...for the love of meatloaf, pick him up!
Chris Brown has peaked. If you expect him to produce like he produced in Week 1, you really haven't paid any attention at all to the past few seasons.
Julius Jones is just about finished in The Big D.
The Cowboys defense was dramatically overrated coming into this season.
Take a long look at Amani Toomer this week if the injury to Plax is going to limit him.
Bump Owen Daniels up a few notches, as he'll be the Texans' best option without Andre Johnson.

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