Week 8 – On The Rise & On The Decline « Fantasy Football Xtreme

Week 8 – On The Rise & On The Decline

Published: 10/20/2008 2:50 am by Smitty in Fantasy Articles

Below are the Players On The Rise & On The Decline entering Week 8. 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

Steven Jackson | RB STL

He’s back! Steven Jackson looked fantastic on Sunday against the Cowboys, rushing for 160 yards and 3TDs (8,1,56). Jackson didn’t just crank out good numbers behind some nice blocking, he made things happen with his feet and he looks motivated by the new-look Rams. That team is really playing well behind Jim Haslett. It is important to note that the Rams rusher did suffer a thigh injury during Sunday’s contest and he will have an MRI later today, but Jackson himself said that the injury is just a "little bruise." If healthy, Jackson is a top 4-5 RB moving forward.

fantasy football player stock on the decline

Frank Gore | RB SF

Frank Gore was extremely disappointing in Week 7 against the Giants, rushing the football 11 times for 11 yards. The stud rusher did catch 3 passes for 50 yards, but fantasy owners were hoping for a whole lot more than 61 total yards an zero scores on Sunday. Attempt to get Gore on the cheap if for any reason the Gore owner in your league is foolishly down on the guy moving forward. Gore is a top 5-7RB down the stretch!

Willis McGahee | RB BAL

Willis McGahee finally had a monster game in Week 7 against the Dolphins, rushing the football 19 times for 105 yards and 1TD. Finally! And LeRon McClain had just six carries for 17 yards… So, the big question is, do we trust McGahee after this performance? No, but things are looking up. If you own McGahee and are able to sell-high, try trading into a safer option if at all possible. Our guess is that most fantasy owners will still have their doubts about McGahee and his health, as he did get banged up in back-to-back games in Weeks 5 and 6. This means that if you own him, you’re probably stuck with him, but hopefully today’s performance is a sign of things to come.

Marshawn Lynch | RB BUF

Marshawn Lynch isn’t exactly on the decline, but we have a feeling that most fantasy owners will not consider Lynch a top 8RB looking forward — Well, we say he is a top 8RB looking forward, so our advice is to trade for him while he is a bargain. The Bills runner had 19 carries for 70 yards and 1TD on Sunday against the Chargers — Buffalo is playing so well right now, we wouldn’t be shocked to see Lynch have a lot of HUGE games down the stretch. Test the trade market and see if you can buy Lynch at the cost of a RB2.

More Players On The Rise:

LenDale White – LenDale had a huge Week 7, running the ball 17 times for 149 yards and 3TDs. On his 80-yard touchdown scamper, even Hurley from "Lost" could have taken it to the house. That Chiefs defense was absolutely awful on Sunday. Trade White while his value is high, because this is Chris Johnson’s team and there won’t usually be this much running back production to spread around. Oh, and Chris Johnson had 18 carries for 168 yards and 1TD in this one… he is a top 10RB looking forward, just like we said last week. White didn’t take away from Johnson’s action on Sunday, that’s our point here. Trade White now if you can.
Brandon Jacobs – The stud went off in Week 7, rushing the football 17 times for 69 yards and 2TDs. Don’t sell-high because he should continue this kind of play.
Santonio Holmes – Get him before it’s too late — 5 catches for 89 yards is just the beginning. Once he has that breakout game, he will be a hard receiver to acquire via trade.
Lee Evans – Evans had 8 catches for 89 yards and 1TD on Sunday against the Chargers. Don’t sell-high, we have believed in Evans this year from the start. That won’t change, especially the way that football team is playing right now.
Calvin Johnson – With Roy Williams in Dallas and with Jon Kitna on IR, we didn’t expect Calvin to have a big game in Week 7. It’s safe to say that 2 catches for 154 yards and 1TD is a big game, but will it continue? We say no, but anything is possible. We suggest selling high if the price is right, but only if the price is right. What’s right? Use our Ask The Staff feature, or get on our Fantasy Football Forums and get some help from our growing FFX community.
Ryan Grant – Grant looked great in Week 7 against the Colts, rushing the ball 31 times for 105 yards and 1TD. Grant was one of our buy-low candidates last week. He should be steady down the stretch, but keep in mind that the Packers have a bye in Week 8.
Mewelde Moore – It’s tough to advise anyone to trade a player that just rushed for 120 yards, 2TDs (and 1 Rec. TD), but you may want to explore your trade options just to see what you can get. Specifically, try targeting the Willie Parker owners…. see what kind of upgrade you can get at another position. If you can’t get a solid upgrade, just hold onto Moore and hope that he gets another couple starts. FWP injury news should be rolling in later today, so stay on top of our fantasy football Breaking News Wire. If FWP news breaks later today and Moore is set to start another week, Moore will get you quite a bit on the trade market.
Thomas Jones – Jones had two touchdowns last week and ran the ball 24 times for 159 yards this week. His value is extremely high and we’re not too sure he will continue this extremely impressive play. Only sell the running back if you’re getting some solid value, as he is playing very well, but definitely test the market with T-Jones.
Clinton Portis – He just won’t slow down. This week he had 175 rushing yards and a score on 27 carries. Don’t trade the Redskin!

More Players On The Decline:

LaDainian Tomlinson – It’s tough to say if L.T. will ever be back to form, as he once again disappointed this week (41-26-0). That said, if you’re team needs a spark, consider buying the stud rusher low.
Braylon Edwards – Use his Week 7 performance (4-58-0) to your advantage. There is a chance that the Browns offense will hold Edwards back all year long, or it will at least make him inconsistent, but Edwards is worth the risk if you need a spark and the price is right. Don’t overspend, that’s not what we’re saying, but go bargain shopping for sure!
Peyton Manning – Manning completed 21-of-42 passes for 229 yards and two interceptions in a Week 7 against the Packers. He had no touchdowns. If your team is in need of a change, or you just want to get your team ready for the playoffs, now is the time to go after Peyton!