After four weeks of football action, some trends are starting to present themselves and some players need to be believed as legit. Two quarterbacks need to be slapped on the back and welcomed into the “START THESE GUYS EVERY WEEK” club: Cam Newton and Ryan Fitzpatrick. Newton has likely already won offensive rookie of the year and last week Newton showed a bit of the running ability he wowed with at Auburn one year ago. Newton passed for 374 yards and a score against Chicago but also bull-rushed into the endzone for two scores against the Bears defense. Fitzpatrick meanwhile continues to throw for a high completion percentage and at least 200 yards each week. Fitzpatrick has thrown for nine scores through four games.
Still looking for a sleeper out there? You likely aren’t going to find a Stevie Johnson this late in the game but how about Johnson’s teammate David Nelson? The former Florida Gator has the size to help out the Buffalo quarterback Fitzpatrick and he pulls in over 11 yards per catch. He is good for 6 catches and 68 yards per game. While Johnson is facing double-teams as the Bills try and sneak into the playoffs, you can sneak into your playoffs with Nelson if you have 3+ wide receivers and a very deep league.
Or you could try and snag Jacoby Jones of Houston. Andre Johnson is of course the main target for Matt Schaub and Jones will never rack up Johnson’s TD numbers, but Jones could steal a few every now and then, especially when you factor in the injury to Kevin Walter that could hinder him for the next few weeks.
If you are a Vikings fan, go ahead and pick up Christian Ponder. The time is nearly up for Donovan McNabb and you may want to go ahead and put the rookie on your roster. He might be good for a spot start late in the year.
Michael Vick owners out there are grimacing every time Vick leaves the pocket as it seems each week he has a new injury that puts him on the sidelines for a stretch. He puts up too many big numbers to discard but you might try and work out a trade for Sam Bradford or go grab Ponder just in case.
Trying to decide on your defense? Unless you have the Steelers, Eagles, Ravens or Giants defense, odds are you are looking to upgrade your defense. Why not give the Atlanta defense a shot? Curtis Lofton is becoming the next great NFL linebacker and Ray Edwards is helping John Abraham rack up the sack numbers. Or why not grab Tampa’s offense. The young defensive front is really starting to jell and could soon remind folks of the Super Bowl champion Bucs defense with Warren Sapp and company. And just because Arizona doesn’t necessarily have the big names on its roster doesn’t mean the Cardinals defense isn’t worth a look. The Cardinals are playing opportunistic defense and will have plenty of games against bad divisional opponents which could lead to more turnovers and plenty of points.
One last note, it is always fun to see a player you thought would dominate fantasy football finally start to do it. The Detroit Lions certainly gave quarterback Matthew Stafford plenty of toys to play with in Jahvid Best, Nate Burleson, Brandon Pettigrew and of course Calvin Johnson, but Stafford could never stay healthy. He finally is this season and those folks that took a flyer on Stafford as their second quarterback, likely behind a Romo or a Roethlisberger, have benefited as Stafford has busted through and is finally healthy.
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