Below are players that are On The Rise and On The Decline in the world of fantasy football. Note that the Monday Night game is still to come, but the players listed below have already played their week 2 games. It is never too early to dig into the upcoming week, so let’s get right into the player values for week 3 looking forward.
Steve Smith | WR CARSmith went off on Sunday, catching 8 passes for 153 yards and 3TDs. Smith is insane! The speedy receiver is almost too costly to acquire at this point, as the going rate is probably more than your arm and your leg. If you own him, enjoy 2007! You’re probably going to get first-round value out of your WR1.
Laurence Maroney | RB NEWhy is this guy not being used more? Even when the Patriots weren’t passing, it was Sammy Morris in the line-up in the middle-half of the Sunday night game. Maroney did have a solid late-4th quarter drive eventually racking up 77 yards rushing, but again it was Sammy Morris that came in on that same drive to score the team’s 3-yard touchdown. It is tough to say what kind of value Maroney has right now, but shipping the runner off is advised if you can get solid value. If you can’t get solid value (like at a Clinton Portis), don’t sell too low and wait this one out.
Jamal Lewis | RB CLEWow. When Lewis broke off his 66-yard touchdown run, I honestly said out loud, that can’t be Jamal. Well, it was and boy did he look quick. While I am skeptical that Lewis is on the rise for the long-term, he certainly deserves a bit more fantasy respect looking forward. If you own him, consider starting him on a weekly basis as a flex option. I’d honestly consider trading him more than anything at this point, because his value will likely never be higher.
Drew Brees | QB NODrew Brees is a player to trade for right now, as fantasy owners are growing more and more frustrated with that Saints offense. I don’t see this continuing — It just can’t! There are just too many weapons on that roster and it’s only a matter of time before things start clicking. While I believe that Colston and Brees are both guys worthy of targeting via trade right now, I have my doubts about Reggie Bush. He is so gifted it is insane, but I don’t think he is going to be very consistent this year.
Braylon Edwards | WR CLEEdwards was on our “watch list” earlier this off-season, but he quickly fell off as he seemed to be having problems in Cleveland with the coaching staff and more. Well, Edwards just proved that he is ready to play some football and he is now looking like a very solid WR3 looking forward. He has the upside for more, but for now, we’re just gonna call him a WR3.
Ronnie Brown | RB MIABrown’s value just continues to fall with every single carry. This is too bad, as I truly believe Brown is one of the most gifted young rushers in the entire NFL. Until the team commits to Brown and gives him the kind of carries a rusher needs to produce, Brown is looking like a decent flex option at best from this point forward. This could all change in a game or two, but for now, things just seem to be getting worse for the third-year back.
Randy Moss | WR NEThere is no way that Randy could have found a better situation than the one he has in New England. While I will still rank a Lee Evans over Randy Moss, the New England WR is certainly closing the gap and becoming an outstanding WR2 and possibly a solid WR1. Moss has only started 2 games so far, so it is still tough to call him a WR1 just yet, but if he stays healthy (and it appears he will have no problem staying happy), becoming a WR1 is in no way out of the question in 2007.
Thomas Jones | RB NYJI won’t lie, I was pretty high on Thomas Jones earlier in the off-season, but I’m not feeling good about the Jets rusher at the moment. That offense just doesn’t utilize his talents and they don’t run the football all that well. Jones appears to be better used as a flex option looking forward until he proves otherwise.
Marion Barber | RB DALBarber is probably the sneakiest RB2 in fantasy football. He is that guy that no one wants to start at their RB2 spot, but they should be starting him! If you didn’t activate him in week 2, figure out a way to use him or trade him and get some solid value out of his crafty production. He just ran for 89 yards and two touchdowns in week 2, so you should be able to get some solid WR value out of the guy.
Tatum Bell | RB DETBell has two things going against him right now. One, the Lions do not run the football. Two, Kevin Jones is own his way back! While we don’t think Jones will be much better, if he even gets back to fully healthy, the point is that Bell can’t run away with the starting gig if he doesn’t get the touches. This will likely be a RBBC soon enough, which will destroy both rusher’s values. We’d recommend staying away from the Lions’ rushing crew if possible. Trade them while you can if you own them!
Edgerrin James | RB AZJames is starting to look a little bit (I repeat a little bit) like the James of old, as the new Cards’ offense appears to be heavily committed to the run. James could end up being a solid RB2 when the season comes to a close.
