Week 9 – On The Rise & On The Decline « Fantasy Football Xtreme

Below are the Players On The Rise & On The Decline entering Week 9. 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

Ted Ginn Jr. | WR MIA

Ted Ginn looks pretty solid right now. Don’t expect him to serve as a WR2 or anything (at least yet), but the second-year player has pulled in 4 receptions in 4 out of his last 5 games. His 7 receptions for 175 was absolutely unexpected and his dynasty value is clearly on the rise.

fantasy football player stock on the decline

Michael Turner | RB ATL

Michael Turner continues to struggle against tough defenses, as he had 58 rushing yards on 17 carries. Despite his inconsistency, you can’t even consider dropping this guy out of the top 5-8 for running backs moving forward. Turner faces the Raiders, Saints and Broncos in his next three match-ups, so get ready for some 100-yard performances! Try trading for Turner now before he explodes against these three upcoming defenses.

Donnie Avery | WR STL

Donnie Avery is for real. The rookie had a monster Week 8 performance, pulling in 6 balls for 163 yards and 1TD. He started warming up in Weeks 6 with 73 yards receiving… and in Week 7, he posted 55 yards receiving and a score. Don’t expect 100+ and a touchdown on a weekly basis (yet), but the Rams WR is clearly becoming fantasy WR3 worthy. He has very nice dynasty appeal right now.

Marques Colston | WR NO

Even though Marques Colston is coming off an injury, his two back-to-back mediocre outings might be causing some Colston owners to panic. If this is the case, go get him! Colston will get back to form in Week 10, but the Saints are on a bye this upcoming week (another reason some Colston owners might be looking to unload the receiver). This bye week will be a good thing for Colston, as he will have a full two weeks to really get 100%. Trade for him now while he is being treated like a WR2.

More Players On The Rise:

Frank Gore – Despite a coaching change and a quarterback meltdown in Week 8, Gore still managed to rush for 94 yards and still pulled in 7 receptions for 65 yards. He has a bye in Week 9, but Gore should continue to be a top 5ish RB looking forward.
Randy Moss – Moss is back to being consistent, and with the Patriots winning, that should continue. Last Week Moss had 69 yards receiving and 2TDS… this week he pulled in 7 passes for 102 yards.
Brian Westbrook – Westy proved on Sunday that he is healthy enough to be called a top three overall player from this point on. He just ran for 167 yards and two touchdowns against that Falcons defense. He also pulled in 6 passes for 42 yards in the contest. If you own him, don’t even think about trading him.
Leon Washington – We like this runner. He just rushed for 67 yards and a score on just three carries in Week 8 against the Chiefs. He also pulled in 3 passes for 34 yards and 1TD. It’s tough to say how much work Washington will see in the coming weeks, but you have to assume the Jets coaching staff is intrigued by this kid’s ability to make plays. Make sure he isn’t available in any of your dynasty leagues.
Deuce McAllister – Deuce’s 18 carries for 55 yards and a score in Week 8 is proof that he is the Saints RB to own for the next handful of weeks (if he can avoid his four game suspension like he thinks he can do).
Leonard Weaver – The fullback only had 13 yards rushing, but he pulled in 4 passes for 116 yards and 2TDs in Week 8 against the 49ers. Don’t expect too much, and don’t necessarily grab this guy after just one nice outing, but monitor his situation for sure.

More Players On The Decline:

Maurice Jones-Drew – MJD disappointed again in Week 8, carrying the ball just 12 times for 29 yards. He had 19 yards receiving. Buying low is still a good idea given his upside, but that Jaguars coaching staff is clearly standing in his way. If getting close to 20 carries per game, MJD is a top 10RB without question if you ask us. Unfortunately, we can’t guarantee that he will get those touches.
Matt Jones – Jones was a beast in Week 8, grabbing 8 balls for 117 yards and 1TD, but he should face a three game suspension and be forced to sit it out until Week 12. Keep that in mind if for some reason you’re thinking of scooping Matt Jones up off your waiver wire for the coming weeks.
Braylon Edwards – Edwards will continue to be on our buy-low list until he rebounds. There are a lot of WRs we’d rather have as our No. 1, but that doesn’t mean that Edwards can’t get back to that WR1-type status.
Ronnie Brown – The runner had just 14 rushes for 43 yards in Week 8. See if the Ronnie owner in your league is a bit down on his value. If so, strike!