Knowshon Is The Real Deal
November 27, 2009 at 10:33 am | Article by Paul Hickey |
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It’s that time of year. Many teams have suffered significant injuries at the running back position, opening up opportunities for reserves that normally wouldn’t see the field except for special teams. Atlanta’s Jason Snelling has been a great example of that over the last couple weeks, as has Cincy’s Bernard Scott and Seattle’s Justin Forsett. While these three guys may not be reliable options this week due to the potential return of Michael Turner, Cedric Benson and Julius Jones, there is one guy who has ascended up the depth chart and should have a huge impact, especially in points per reception leagues. Washington’s Rock Cartwright, a 30 year old career back-up with only 796 career rushing yards in seven and a half seasons, will take over feature back duties for the Redskins after Ladell Betts’ season-ending ACL injury. Cartwright could definitely be useful for seasonal owners looking for a spark, as he caught seven balls for 73 yards in Week 11, while rushing 13 times for 67 yards. With Clinton Portis already ruled out against the Eagles, Cartwright is a solid spot start, but don’t expect much more out of him, as Clinton Portis (blurred vision), should be back next week…In other running back news, Houston Texans RB Steve Slaton is back, folks. If the Ryan Moats experiment isn’t officially over yet, it will be soon. After being benched in favor of Moats due to fumbling issues in Week 9, Slaton returned after the team’s bye and caught five passes for 42 yards and a score, and more importantly, he didn’t lose a fumble. Moats didn’t even see a carry in Week 11, which speaks volumes regarding his role. With Houston’s offense clicking on all cylinders, look for Slaton to be a fantasy force down the playoff stretch…Speaking of players likely to be a force down the stretch, Philly’s LeSean McCoy has been proving my correct over the last couple weeks. My preseason prediction was that Brian Westbrook would not last past Week 10, and that McCoy would be a key to many teams’ championship hopes. He rushed 20 times last week for 99 yards and a score, and will see the entire rushing load again in Week 12 with Westy out yet again. In Week 13, McCoy faces the Falcons, who’s defense is ranked in the bottom 10 in both passing and rushing yards allowed.
Dynasty Pulse…
One important thing to realize this time of year is that many folks reading this column have nothing to play for. However, dynasty owners always have something to plan for, regardless of whether or not they’re in the playoff hunt. Many readers are simply in rebuilding mode, and are only looking for long term tips. Two players who owners absolutely need to be excited about heading into 2010 are young RBs Knowshon Moreno and Jamaal Charles. Moreno was the first overall pick in many rookie-only dynasty draft this year, and has been solid, but not spectacular in the stat column, mostly due to a timeshare with Correll Buckhalter in Denver. It was only a matter of time before he really started flashing his brilliance. He played the best game of his young career in Week 12, rushing for 88 yards and a TD on 19 carries, and had two 20-plus yard runs reversed due to Daniel Graham holding penalties. He’s gaining the trust of the coaching staff and has the skills to be an absolute star. He not only has favorable match-ups coming up which could help him pad his stats heading into 2010, but he plays with toughness and appeared to return from an arm injury in the fourth quarter against the Giants – a sign that he should play through injuries. My overall point – Moreno has shown that he will definitely be a yearly top five draft pick in seasonal leagues starting in 2011, making him a player all dynasty owners should covet.
Charles still has much more to prove than Moreno, but he’s off to a great start. He’s a very poor man’s version of Chris Johnson, and adds a whole new dimension to Kansas City’s offense. Only time will tell how many opportunities he’ll get, but he’s made the most of them since taking over as the starter in Week 9. He’s scored three times in the last two weeks, and averaged 4.6 yards per carry. While Moreno is a top-end dynasty prospect, consider Charles more of a calculated flier with high potential.
IDP Pulse…
Charles Woodson has quickly become perhaps the most dominant defensive back in big play IDP leagues. His two interception performance against the Lions on Thanksgiving shouldn’t have come as a huge surprise, as he now has seven on the season. The fact that he added six solo tackles, a forced fumble, fumble recovery and four pass deflections means he’s likely to continue to be a valuable must start in all leagues that require starters at DB…A little secret that IDP owners should know about down the stretch – Bills defender Bryan Scott, who has racked up 28 solo tackles in his last two games is playing WLB, but being scored as a safety in fantasy leagues. Why is this a big deal? Because linebackers tend to make tackles and big plays more consistently than safeties, so in leagues that require starters at both LB and DB, starting Scott as a DB is like having an extra play-making linebacker in your line-up. In essence, it’s the IDP equivalent of being able to start a WR at the TE spot. If you can exploit this flaw in your league, it could end up being the difference in your run at the fantasy playoffs.
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