On the Rise, On the Fall - Week 9 Nov 4, 2008 | More

Welcome to Week 9 of “On the Rise, On the Fall.” Throughout the season, I will discuss players whose stock is rising and others who are not having the same luck. I will avoid naming the obvious studs – Anquan Boldin, Clinton Portis, etc – and will keep to players whose performance was not as foreseeable.

On the Rise

Jamaal Charles, RB, Chiefs : Charles ran for over 100 yards on 18 carries in the Chiefs OT loss to a good Tampa defense. In that game, Kolby Smith was lost for the season, and we know the situation with Larry Johnson, so Charles is definitely worth a pickup if you are slim at RB.

Braylon Edwards, WR, Browns : I think Braylon is going to continue his success in the second half of the season. Since Week 4, in basic leagues that do not award a point per reception, Braylon has averaged 11.6 points per game, including three touchdowns. He faces Denver who is without Champ Bailey next week on Thursday Night Football. The last time he played in primetime, he went off on the Giants.

Tim Hightower, RB, Cardinals : An obvious add here, as you can see Edgerrin James' write-up "on the fall.”

Stud of the Week

Kurt Warner, QB, Cardinals : Warner threw for 342 yards and 2 TDs in the place he used to call home with the greatest show on turf. Kurt continues to play well and put up big fantasy numbers week-by-week. It was also great news for the Cardinals as they picked up a win on the road to improve to 5-3.

On the Fall

Brett Favre, QB, Jets : Brett finds himself on this list yet again as he continues to disappoint. The Jets won the game, but he was no part of the success. Favre threw an interception again on Sunday, which continued his seven-game interception streak. His only game without one was opening day in Miami. #4 has 12 interceptions, which leads the league, and has not thrown for 300 yards yet this season.

Edgerrin James, RB, Cardinals : It appears the era of Edge in Arizona is over. He did not receive a carry while Tim Hightower received 22 and took advantage of it by rushing for 109 yards and a score. James will not be a factor for your team the rest of the year and is droppable. He even admitted after the game he doesn’t fit the mold of the offense. That is bad news for those relying on the Edge.

Denver Running Game : The Broncos have a favorable schedule for most of the way, but with four RBs in the backfield, it’s just a guessing game on Sunday morning about who will get the majority of the carries. The passing game is having enough problems with Jay Cutler throwing interceptions so that doesn’t help things. Hopefully, things will shape up a bit as we get to watch the Broncos in primetime on Thursday Night. However, unless you are desperate, I’m not sure how you can start any Denver RB on a weekly basis.

*This was written before the announcement of Hall and Pittman to the IR. That changes things in Denver as now there should be just two backs to deal with. Both are worth pickups as Denver does have a favorable schedule. 

Dud of the Week

Jacksonville Jaguars: What is up with this team? They dropped two straight games to the Browns at home and now this week to the winless Bengals. They sit at 3-5 and cannot afford to lose these games if they want to stay in the playoff hunt. They’ll need to go on a run in their last eight games, but it won’t be easy. It is this week, though, at the Lions. Let’s hope they don’t lose to the only other winless team in the league, or there will be disarray in Jacksonville.

One Week Wonder

Sage Rosenfels, QB, Texans : This is largely dependant on Matt Schaub’s injury since if he returns, this is obvious. However, if he does not return for a few weeks (and the latest report has Schaub out at least four weeks with a torn MCL), do not expect big numbers from Sage. He faces the Ravens and the Colts in the next two weeks. He played okay fantasy-wise in the Colts game at home, but this time, he’ll have the disaster in the back of his mind, as well as seeing Bob Sanders in the Colt secondary.

That’s all for this week’s edition. If you have any questions or comments, e-mail me at pags2122@yahoo.com. Thanks for all of your e-mails so far!