Will Donte Stallworth Be Useful?

October 9, 2008 at 11:30 am | Article by Paul Hickey |

Will Donte Stallworth Be Useful? Browns WR Donte Stallworth - the king of nagging injuries, finally returns this week against the New York Giants on Monday night after missing the first five weeks of the season with a mystery quad injury - but will he be useful to his team?

The 27 year old Stallworth is extremely talented, and when healthy - one of the speediest and deadliest playmakers in the game. Heading into the 2008 season, it appeared that the situation in Cleveland would be tailor made for him to come in and produce. He could walk right in and start opposite Braylon Edwards, and become the fourth option behind Kellen Winslow and Jamal Lewis as well. With opposing defenses having to account for all four versatile and dynamic playmakers, the Browns were sure to get off to a good start. However, Stallworth now walks into a situation where a team is in complete disarray. They’re 1-3, and have no offensive identity, a weaker-than-imagined offensive line, a brewing QB controversy and strong personalities that can explode at any minute - ahem, we’re talking about you, “solider Winslow.” The question is, can Stallworth really be the spark that the Browns need? Our skeptical sources say no. They believe that while he may make a few decent plays this season, he won’t really be consistent enough to be the lighting rod that the Browns need to compete in their division.

Fantasy owners can look to Stallworth as a flier WR3 in non-PPR leagues, but should definitely temper their expectations.

Clearing Up Cortland - Fantasy football’s number one defensive back, Tennessee’s Cortland Finnegan, has been endorsed by us as a top option since this off-season. The third year man from Samford has developed into a Pro Bowl caliber talent almost overnight. Our readers have written in asking us to clear up a potential personality issue recently, as a few of them have heard rumors that Finnegan has some off-the-field issues to be concerned with. Our sources completely contradict those rumors, as we have heard nothing but positive things about Finnegan, both on and off the field, as a player and person. We believe that Finnegan is a rare example of a feel good player who can also help your fantasy team. Also, Titans defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz has a man-crush on him, and believes that his on-field scuffle with David Thornton in Week 5 was nothing but teammates looking out for one another.

Keller To Contribute - Jets rookie TE Dustin Keller, a first round pick from Purdue, has a TD in each of his last two games. Even though they’ve both been in “junk” time, our sources tell us that the Dallas Clark-like pass catcher will continue to earn a larger and larger role in the Jets offense. Even though he sits behind Chris Baker on the depth chart currently, Brett Favre loves him, and dynasty owners should too.

Moore To Get More? - Word out of Pittsburgh is that RB Mewelde Moore could earn more of a shared role with Willie Parker starting in Week 7. Moore played extremely well in Pittsburgh’s win against the Jags in Week 5, rushing for 99 yards on 17 carries and hauling in three passes for 17 yards. Our sources believe Moore could be a Kevin Faulk-like figure in PPR leagues for the remainder of the season, and is somewhat roster worthy moving forward.

SF Not Happy With Current WRs - Despite the solid play of veteran WR Isaac Bruce recently, word from our sources in San Francisco is that the 49ers aren’t happy with the play of Arnaz Battle, Bryant Johnson, Jason Hill and Josh Morgan, and are looking to make a move for a WR prior to the October 14 trade deadline. Names like T.J. Houshmandzadeh and Roy Williams have been mentioned, but our sources believe that Torry Holt, Plaxico Burress and Anquan Boldin’s name have also been mentioned as potential targets by Niners brass.

Colston and Shockey Expected Back Soon - Our sources tell us that the Saints expect Marques Colston (thumb) and Jeremy Shockey (hernia) healthy and back for the team’s Week 7 match-up against Carolina. This means time is running out on the fantasy value of Lance Moore, Devery Henderson and to a certain extent - Robert Meachem - although Meachem has high dynasty potential as we believe he could earn the starting WR role opposite Colston in 2009.

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