Week 7 – On The Rise & On The Decline « Fantasy Football Xtreme

Below are the Players On The Rise & On The Decline entering Week 7. This is our Fantasy Football Stock Market in many ways and we hope that this feature helps you get a pulse on some of the more talked about fantasy players at this point in the 2008 fantasy football season.

fantasy football player stock on the rise

Maurice Jones-Drew | RB JAC

Many asked us why we still believed in Maurice Jones-Drew entering Week 6 – 125 rushing yards and 2TDs is why. I won’t lie, I was definitely starting to get worried about his workload as of late, but as we recommended last week, it was buy-low time. For those that attacked "The Human Bowling Ball," nice work. Expect some inconsistency at times, but MJD has top 10RB upside every single week.

fantasy football player stock on the decline

Willis McGahee | RB BAL

Willis McGahee continues to disappoint. The runner left Sunday’s game with an undisclosed injury and did not return to action. Keep checking our Breaking News Wire for injury updates on McGahee, but considering the runner was injured in Week 5 as well, things aren’t looking good for the guy moving forward. Need a sneaky RB2 to fill McGahee’s spot? You may find your answer below.

Michael Pittman | RB DEN

Michael Pittman shouldn’t be a free agent in your league because we have been telling everyone for weeks now to scoop him up. If you didn’t grab him, and for some crazy reason he is available, grab him now! He looked great in Week 6 (over 100 yards rushing) and he should have every opportunity to start in Week 7. Do know that Ryan Torain could start the season down the stretch, but Pittman looked great and Shanny will ride the hot hand. Pittman/Torain could turn out to be an extremely crafty RB2 in Weeks 7-16 — Keep that in mind if for any reason both runners are available in your smaller leagues, or if you own Pittman already and can acquire Torain at a bargain price.

Steve Slaton | RB HOU

Steve Slaton only had 15 carries for 58 yards and no scores in Week 6 against the Dolphins. One bad outing surely won’t decrease his value all that much, but it might be time to trade in a Willis McGahee-type to get Slaton and another player. Slaton has a decent schedule looking forward. He faces the Lions, Bengals, Colts and Browns in 4 out of his next 6 games, but do know that in Weeks 9 and 10, the runner faces the Vikes and Ravens. Not sure what to give up for the rusher? Check out our "Ask Our Staff" feature. Also get on our forums to talk football 365-24-7.

More Players On The Rise:

Correll Buckhalter – The Eagles have a bye this upcoming week, which is most likely one reason Westy took a seat in Week 6… so that he could have two weeks off to get healthy. If you own Buckhalter (and don’t have Westy), use his 93-yard/1TD performance to your advantage and trade the runner in order to upgrade at another position.
Steve Breaston – This kid has some solid dynasty upside, but with the Cards on a bye in Week 7, and with Boldin possibly looking to return in Week 8, Breaston’s super-solid numbers could be at an end. He is still worthy of a roster spot in larger leagues, especially in dynasty formats, but just be prepared for his production to drop (if Boldin returns in Week 8 after the bye).

More Players On The Decline:

LaDainian Tomlinson – His 20 carries for just 74 yards could cause some owners to panic. No one is going to sell L.T. dirt cheap, but some may worry that the stud is no longer a top 5 option. If this is the case in your league, attack the Chargers RB via trade!
Julius Jones – We have been suggesting that fantasy owners sell Jones high – He continues to disappoint, as he had just 12 carries in Week 6.
Chad Ocho Cinco – The good news? Chad led the team in yards in Week 6 against the Jets. The bad news? Chad had just 57 yards and had no touchdowns. I’m sorry, but he could do this for two or three more weeks and I’m still going to suggest that fantasy owners buy-low. As we said last week, back in 2006, Ocho Cinco went through the first eight games of that 2006 season with just one game over 78 yards… he then racked-up 765 receiving yards and 5TDs in five games. It’s not like you have to buy him at WR1-type value right now, so he is well worth the risk to go after.
Earnest Graham – Like with Chad, we say invest for sure if the price is right! Again, it’s not like you have to pay top dollar to acquire the struggling running back. Graham played some emergency full-back in Week 6 and that won’t likely be the case moving forward. Dunn could continue to take a grip of work from him, but we still say invest given the cost.
Randy Moss – Now might be the time to go Randy Moss shopping, but know that Moss tends to quit playing hard when he doesn’t get fed the football properly. He is probably worth the risk, though, just as long as you’re buying him at the cost of a WR2 and not a WR1.