Below are players that are On The Rise and On The Decline in the world of fantasy football. Note that the Monday night games are still to come (as there are two this week), but these players below have already played and their values are on the move! It’s never too early to start preparing for the next fantasy week.
Adrian Peterson | RB MINIf you don’t see the upside yet, that means that you passed on this guy and you’re just playing that “hater” role. Whether Chester Taylor (hip) is healthy or not, Peterson is capable of being a top 10-12 fantasy runner in 2007. He could hit a rookie wall if forced to start off too quick, but the kid is so talented we wouldn’t be shocked if he did well all season.
Cedric Benson | RB CHIWe haven’t been high on Benson like other Sites have been… his situation is great, but he is unproven at the NFL level, and it isn’t like this is just his first or second season or anything. He ran the ball 19 times for 42 yards in Week 1, but he also fumbled once. He wasn’t impressive. Don’t sell low, as he should rebound a bit next week, but he certainly has a long way to go before he earns 2nd-round value (where so many took him in 2007 drafts).
Randy Moss | WR NEWelcome back! News flash — All Moss needed was a QB, and all of us (in hindsight of course) now feel like we should have seen it coming. He looks happy and he appears to love his new home — that translates into monster potential. Moss is now a solid WR2 in all leagues and formats just like that!
Cadillac Williams | RB TBWhile Caddy did average 5 yards per carry, the rusher only got 12 carries on Sunday. Caddy is still a decent flex, but he can’t be counted on as a RB2 until he starts getting some more carries.
Derrick Ward | RB NYGWard will be the most added player come Tuesday morning — Hopefully your the owner that gets him! Brandon Jacobs (sprained knee) could end up missing a significant amount of time, but even if he returns soon, Ward may have earned himself a part-time job at the very least. If Jacobs is in fact out, Ward could be this year’s biggest steal via the 2007 waiver wire. The steal of the year usually gets added to fantasy teams in the first three weeks of each season and he may be this year’s guy.
Ronnie Brown | RB MIALike we have said before, with every fantasy situation there are two sides. To those that have stuck with Brown from the start, we hope you’ve acquired Chatman by now. For those that don’t own him, trade for him while he is considered a 4th-round (or less) type of talent. Just don’t overpay, as the point is to steal him so that the risk is low!
Andre Johnson | WR HOUSay hello to the most underrated WR1 in fantasy football. We wouldn’t be shocked if Johnson finished as a top 5-6WR in all leagues and formats come week 16.
Jamal Lewis | RB CLEThat offense isn’t very good… Their QB situation is a mess… Jamal isn’t the back that he use to be… any questions?
Ronald Curry | WR OAKCurry could be the most underrated WR3 in fantasy football this year.
Laurence Maroney | RB NEMaroney should get better as the season progresses, but he may not look like that first-round back right away like most are expecting. This is a good thing for the crafty trader — Trade for Maroney if the price is right, but don’t overpay as he still has a lot to prove.
Marshawn Lynch | RB BUFLynch was a beast on Sunday against the Broncos rushing the football 19 times for 90 yards and a score. Lynch has climbed more than a few spots on both our 2007 Redraft Rankings and our Dynasty Rankings. He may be tough to trade for, as you’d be overpaying, but it is worth a try if you can steal him away from an owner that didn’t see the game. He played better than his stats suggest, even though they are still solid numbers.
