Fantasy News of the Week- 10/25 Oct 25, 2008 | More

Increased workload for Pats Faulk is in sight.
The dominoes known as the New England Patriots running backs have slowly been falling lately. Laurence Maroney is done for the season, Sammy Morris could miss 2-3 weeks, and Lamont Jordan, well, he's recovering from a right calf injury and is still hobbling. What does this mean? According to the Boston Herald it just means that Kevin Faulk will have to do what he's done every year since 1999 --- step up when called upon. That's right, Faulk will most likely be the lead back when the Patriots face the Rams on Sunday, a role he seems to be ready for just as he's been for the past nine seasons. "We're all competitors," Faulk said yesterday. "Once a guy goes down, you know your workload is going to increase a little bit more, so you have to take that pride in what you do and lift it up." His back-up will be BenJarvus Green-Ellis, a practice squad back-up who has received nothing but high marks from coaches including head man Bill Belicheck. "He is a tough kid, runs hard, has good balance, and catches the ball," said coach Belichick. "We ask a lot of our running backs - in the running game, in the passing game, in pass protection. He's shown that he's on top of it and he's been productive for us with the ball in his hands." The good news for fantasy owners is that Laurence Maroney is a mere afterthought. The bad news is that the Patriots backfield has now turned in to an unstable circus act.

Shiancoe wants to be great?
The Minnesota Vikings are on bye this week, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t any news to report.   According to the St Paul Pioneer Press there has been some buzz in Minnesota surrounding the play of tight end Visanthe Shiancoe.   The Vikings tight end has clearly raised his game thus far this season and is already reaping the benefits.   "I think he gets more and more comfortable," coach Brad Childress said. "You see his opportunities around the ball increase. The more he does, the more you're looking to create things for him to do. I don't think that he's thinking anywhere near as much as he had to last year and, as I've said before, you can see some of his God-given ability."   Shiancoe has already recorded 223 receiving yards through seven games--- just 100 away from his 323 total last season through 16 games.   He also has tripled his touchdown number from a year ago and is on pace to catch 6-7 touchdowns by the end of the 2008 season.   "I'm getting used to everything, the playbook, the routes," Shiancoe said. "Me and the QB are on the same page. Me and the O-line are on the same page.   I'm growing in the system. Other people have been here for a couple years. I'm trying to get on that comfort level that everyone else is on. I pretty much feel like I'm almost there."   As many fantasy owners have already experienced first hand this season tight end play is down from what it use to be, and if there was ever a tight end to take a chance on because you can’t find one, it’s Shiancoe.   Come fantasy playoff time--- weeks 14-16--- Shiancoe and the Vikings play the 31^st, 26^th, and 20^th ranked pass defenses in the Lions, Cardinals, and Falcons.  

Kerry Collins is the key to the Titans success.  
The Tennessee Titans have probably been the biggest surprise story of the NFL this season.   They sit atop the NFL world and the AFC South division with a 6-0 record.   They have a defense that is second to none in the points per game category.   They have a two headed monster at running back that is bar none the best the NFL has to offer.   But most importantly they have a quarterback who finally fits the system they're trying to run.   No, Kerry Collins will never be an NFL or fantasy superstar again, but according to the Nashville Tennessean one NFL analyst believes he is doing what the Titans have asked him to do.   "Kerry is doing exactly what they want him to do," said Ron Jaworski, ESPN analyst. "He's efficient right now. He can't make all the throws right now, but he can make most of them."   Offensive coordinator Mike Heimerdinger certainly can't argue with the results, "He's kept the chains moving, made good decisions," Heimerdinger said."   He had two picks at Baltimore, but he comes back and regroups and gets us going, so he's been great."   How does this news affect fantasy owners?   It’s simple--- the success of the running game will highly depend on whether or not the Titans can keep defenses off balanced.   If Collins stays healthy and the Titans continue to dominate, their rushing attack will continue to excel.   And while most people will key in on Chris Johnson’s 549 rushing yards through six games, they should not forget about LenDale White’s eight touchdowns; which is already one more than his total from last season.   Overall, the Titans have at least six games remaining against teams ranked in the bottom 10 against the run including two against the Colts and one each against the Lions and Texans in weeks 14 and 15.   If you’re going to trade for either Johnson or White do it now!  

Boldin should play on Sunday.  
The Cardinals offense seemed to take a big hit to their receiver core at the end of the Jets massacre in week four when they lost wideout Anquan Boldin to a concussion on a wicked hit in the closing seconds of their 56-35 loss.   Since then Steve Breaston has filled in quite admirably, but now according to the Arizona Republic Boldin is targeting a return this week when the Cardinals travel to Carolina to take on the Panthers.   "I feel like I'm ready to go," said Boldin, who has missed the past two games. "That's what I've been working toward the past couple weeks, getting back on the field after the bye week, so hopefully it will work out."   This is great news for Boldin owners who have been anxiously waiting to put the once top fantasy scorer back in to their lineups, but could spell some trouble for Breaston owners who were enjoying solid points out of the waiver wire warrior.   Most importantly, it’s good to know that Boldin himself seems to be unafraid of laying it all on the line again no matter what the circumstance.   He talked about the injury to his head; "It was just unfortunate but that's kind of been a point of emphasis around the league this year," Boldin said. "But that's football. I don't blame nobody. I chose to play this game and I'll continue to play. That's just a risk you take when you play it."   Let’s just hope the Cardinals star wideout can stick to his words much like the pigskin sticks to his hands.  

Pats Brady to recover from surgery on both knees?
Yes, we all know that Patriots quarterback Tom Brady is done for the 2008 season, but what we don't know is how long he'll truly be out for. Why? According to the Boston Herald Brady has an infection that has spread in his left knee originating from an incision to repair his medial collateral ligament.

From the Boston Herald :
"Brady had torn both his anterior cruciate and medial collateral ligaments during the season-opening game against Kansas City on Sept. 7. The typical course of action is to wait for the MCL to heal before embarking on the reconstructive surgery for the ACL. The protocol is to wait 4-6 weeks before going ahead with the reconstructive surgery."

"During the process of the reconstruction, while Brady was under anesthesia, Dr. Neal ElAttrache realized the knee was still unstable after moving it around because the MCL hadn’t fully healed. It was decided at that point to also repair the MCL, and, according to the source, that’s the incision that ultimately became infected."

What's next? If a second reconstruction is needed the patella tendon (which was used from the left knee the first time) may have to come from the right knee, thus making Tom Brady's recovery that much harder. Dynasty and keeper owners better cross their fingers, because if the Patriots star quarterback wants to comeback, he may have to do a great deal of recovering, fast!

Shark Attack: Quick Bites
According to the Associated Press Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck will sit once again and Seneca Wallace will start in his place.  

According to the Cincinnati Enquirer Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer could be done for the season if he decides to have Tommy John surgery done to fix his frayed ulnar collateral ligament in his right throwing elbow.    

According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin has decided to sideline wide receiver Santonio Holmes in light of his recent drug charges.   "At this point we've chosen to name him as inactive," Tomlin said after yesterday's practice, which Mr. Holmes did not attend. "His situation has created somewhat of a distraction and we want to minimize that as much as we can and remain focused on the task at hand."

According to the Philadelphia Daily News the Eagles have decided to go with Kevin Curtis and DeSean Jackson as their starting wide receivers when they face the Falcons on Sunday.  "I just want to be a guy that can step in and make plays," Curtis, the Eagles' top 2007 wideout, said yesterday. "I've obviously got a role and a job to do, first and foremost, but at the same time, I need to be a playmaker, too. That's something I plan to do."

According to the Detroit Free Press offensive coordinator Jim Colletto isn’t worried about teams taking away Calvin Johnson.   "Sometimes they're smart, too," Colletto said. "They're going to take him away, but when they do that, there are some other guys available."   That’s not exactly what CJ2 owners want to hear, but it’s good news for fantasy owners planning on picking up Mike Furrey.  

According to the Dallas Morning News Cowboys head coach is feeling good about his team’s showdown with Tampa Bay this Sunday.   "I have a good feeling," Wade Phillips said. "Our team attitude is good. They're looking forward to this game."   Message to coach Phillips: Just hand the ball to Marion “I’m going to plow you over” Barber. 

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