Week 13 – On The Rise & On The Decline « Fantasy Football Xtreme

Week 13 – On The Rise & On The Decline

Published: 11/24/2008 4:03 am by Smitty in Fantasy Articles

Below are the Players On The Rise & On The Decline entering Week 13, but instead of our usual redraft edition, this is our Dynasty Edition. Because most redraft leagues do not allow fantasy owners to trade this late in the 2008 fantasy football season, it’s time to dedicate some fantasy trade advice to those dynasty leaguers already making plans for the 2009 fantasy football season.

Dynasty Edition: Week 13

fantasy football player stock on the rise

Michael Turner | RB ATL

Michael Turner is the real deal! We warned fantasy worlds about this kid all off-season, as "The Burner" was absolutely our most talked about fantasy football player entering the 2008 season — And did he ever make us look good! Look, we missed some calls this year too (cough, Aaron Rodgers), as no one is going to get everything right in this complicated, yet fun, game of fantasy football, but we saw this one coming from a mile away (here, here, here, here and there are more). It was clear to us that the speedster was the next big thing… I knew just by watching him run the football. His 5.5 career yards-per-carry average on 228 carries, and his long runs, as a back-up, of 83, 74 and 73 were promising warning signs, but it was his style of play that sold me (and I did my best trying to sell it to all of you… I think I did my job!). So what is in store for Turner in 2009?

Turner is on pace for 1,582 rushing yards and 18TDs. He has four multiple touchdown performances this season and has rushed for over 100 yards five times. He has also rushed for over 200 yards once. Don’t count on Turner being a top 10RB heading into 2009, count on him being a top 5-7RB. If you own the stud in a dynast league, the offers will starting flooding in. Reject them. Only trade Turner if you’re upgrading into a Joseph Addai or an Adrian Peterson (and even then we’d understand if you like Turner better for the long-term). Steven Jackson might also qualify as an upgrade, if we’re talking 2009, but I say hold onto the Falcons runner even over a Marion Barber or Marshawn Lynch type.

fantasy football player stock on the decline

Joseph Addai | RB IND

Joseph Addai will probably never be cheaper than he is right now. Don’t let his inconsistency this season fool you — Addai is a top 5RB of the future. If he is not being treated like one in your league, go get him! Addai has had five games this season with under 50 yards rushing. He had back-to-back outings with under 40 yards rushing in Weeks 9 and 10, and even though the stud had 153 total yards and two touchdowns in Week 11 against Houston, his 70-yard outing this week might ignite some more concern in the Addai owner near you. Use his inconsistency this year to get a deal done and try trading an older stud like LaDainian Tomlinson for the Colts back while you still can. We still like LT2 for next season, but guys like Addai, Steven Jackson and Adrian Peterson have all moved ahead of LT2 in dynasty formats.

More Players On The Rise:

Harry Douglas – The Falcons rookie wide receiver caught 4 passes for 92 yards in Week 12 against the Panthers, and he also ran in a 7-yard touchdown. Oh, and he scored on a 61-yard punt return. Is it a little early to name him the new Eddie Royal? Yea, probably. Is it a little early to grab him off the waiver wire? Um, no. He should be the first pick-up this week in all dynasty leagues. Don’t expect too much in Week 13, but the kid CLEARLY has upside!
Matt Cassel – According to reports, the quarterback will be seeking a deal this spring that will be similar to the deal Aaron Rodgers received. He looks great and his back-to-back 400-yard performances are going to help him land a big contract next season. Of course, he will need to continue his solid play, though. Not only has Cassel thrown for 400 yards in each of his last two contests, he had 3TDs and 4TDs in those games. He looks great for Weeks 13-16 (attention all you redraft league owners) and he has solid upside for the future (attention all you dynasty league owners).
Rashard Mendenhall – There is still risk attached to Mendy’s name heading into the future, but now is the time to attack him via trade. Next season will seem like an eternity away for those that own Mendy, so attack now if your team is already out of the running in 2008. Not sure what to give up in order to get Mendy? Get on our Fantasy Football Forums and get some advice from our growing Fantasy Football Xtreme community. Or, Ask our Staff what you should give up in order to land Mendy.
Maurice Jones-Drew – We pimped MJD hardcore this past off-season, and even though he has stepped up as of late, we were expecting him to do what he is doing now… but all season long. That Jaguars starting running back job is his heading into 2009 and beyond — Make sure you take a stab at him even if his trade value is high (especially if you’re out of the running already for 2008). Congrats to those who bought MJD while his value was low (like we have been advising for weeks now)… again, still try to trade for him now if you’re already preparing for 2009. His value should only climb as we head toward the 2009 fantasy football season.

More Players On The Decline:

Chad Ocho Cinco – Chad wants out of Cincy and we think the Bengals will finally look to shop him. Don’t overspend, because he will have shoulder issues this off-season, but if you’re preparing for 2009, consider buying low — Chad is worth the risk.
Willis McGahee – This situation is too hard to predict. We were wrong about McGahee this season, but it isn’t because the runner isn’t talented. LeRon McClain taking over in Week 12 should lower McGahee’s value a ton, so take a stab at Willis and see what’s what. He might be worth trading for considering he is so young and could end up being released this coming off-season. That is merely speculation by many, but it wouldn’t be shocking if the stud was released.

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1 Comment so far

Fantasy Football Quick Reads | Football Jabber November 28th, 2008 8:24 am

[...] Week 13 Fantasy Football Dynasty players on the Rise and Decline. It certainly is that time to start thinking about who you are going to keep for next [...]