Michael Turner & Roddy White Are Legit…

October 5, 2008 at 6:36 pm | Article by Paul Hickey |

Well, we’ll be the first to admit that we were extremely skeptical of the Atlanta Falcons offense this season. Even after phenomenal performances against the Lions and Chiefs in Weeks 1 & 3, we needed to see Atlanta come out and do it for real against a proven team. In Week 5, they waltzed into Green Bay and led their team to a 27-24 victory, while also posting some pretty solid fantasy digits themselves.

Rising - Michael Turner, Falcons RB - Folks, Turner is legit. Matt Ryan has that Falcons offense rolling and Mike Smith has built himself a very respectable team early on this season. Turner is clearly equipped to put up large numbers on a weekly basis. Yes, he’s had two bad weeks, but so has just about every single running back in the NFL this season. Turner’s 26 carries for 121 yards and a score against Green Bay is exactly the performance he needed to prove that he’s a must start until further notice - including next week at Chicago.

Rising - Roddy White, Falcons WR - White has been consistent and explosive over the last three weeks of the NFL season, and has developed into a must start WR3 in all formats. He gets started early in games, which makes fantasy owners feel great, and is obviously Matt Ryan’s favorite and almost his only option - which makes fantasy owners feel even better. White has 20 catches for well more than 320 yards receiving and two TDs in his last three games, including eight catches for 132 yards and a score in Week 5 at Green Bay. Should he be in line-ups against Chicago in Week 6 - you bet’cha.

Rising - Lee Evans, Bills WR - Evans has a TD in each of his last two games, after hooking up with J.P. Losman for an 87 yard strike in Week 5. He’s a home-run hitter, but is hitting his stride, and it doesn’t matter who is throwing him the rock. He goes into a bye, but is a must-start in Week 7 against the Chargers.

Rising - DeAngelo Williams, Panthers RB - It’s been kind of tough to pick between Jonathan Stewart and DeAngelo Williams in the Panthers backfield this season, and after four TDs from Stewart in his last three games, Williams made a case for himself in Week 5. The third year man from Memphis racked up 123 yards and two scores on 20 carries, while also catching a 25 yard TD pass from Jake Delhomme. Carolina plays at Tampa next week, so both Williams and Stewart could have a tough outing and will need one another to play well to break down the Bucs’ D.

Rising - Brandon Stokley, Broncos WR - Not only did Stokley haul in six catches for 52 yards and a score in Week 5, but Eddie Royal went down with an apparent ankle injury. If Royal misses time, Stokley is the logical choice to get all of his snaps. Stokley now has 13 catches for 132 yards and a score in the last two ball games, and is looking like a mighty good waiver wire option.

Rising - Isaac Bruce, 49ers WR - The 35 year old Bruce has become J.T. O’Sullivan’s most consistent target, as he’s hauled in 14 balls for 275 yards and four TDs in his last four ball games. Bruce has the Eagles, Giants and Seahawks prior to his bye week, and is looking like a very solid WR3 in all leagues.

Rising - Early Doucet, Cardinals WR - In his NFL debut, the rookie from LSU hauled in six balls for 42 yards. With Anquan Boldin out likely another week and possibly more after having facial surgery on Thursday, Doucet and Steve Breaston, who hauled in seven balls for 77 yards are looking like valuable fantasy commodities.

Rising - Kevin Faulk, Patriots RB - Believe it or not, the Patriots’ 32 year old RB just won’t go away. After four carries for 22 yards all season, Faulk rushed the rock seven times for 32 yards and two TDs in Week 5 - both scores from within the five yard line. Faulk added four catches for 29 yards, making him even more valuable in PPR leagues. Believe it or not, with LaMont Jordan injured, Faulk looks like the best option in the Patriots’ backfield moving forward.

Rising - Edgerrin James, Cardinals RB - The 30 year old Edge, who we were down on going into the season, due to his ability to rack up yardage, but inability to get into the end zone, has looked five years younger in his last two games. James rushed for two scores last week against the Jets, and carried the rock 21 times for 57 yards and a score in Week 5 against the Bills. He’ll continue to lose goal line opportunities to Tim Hightower, who scored twice in Week 5, and has an interesting match-up in Week 6 as the Cards host Dallas - however, he has become a legit RB2 option for most of his owners.

Rising - Ted Ginn, Dolphins WR - Although Ginn hasn’t yet done anything spectacular, he has a couple nice things going for him. Not only has he caught 12 balls for 104 yards in his last two games, he also is playing for a Dolphins squad that has two huge wins in a row and will be facing the Texans next week with a whole new air of confidence.

Falling - Santana Moss, Redskins WR - Huh? Zero catches? Shutout in Week 5? After starting the season incredibly consistent and solid, the inconsistent Moss reared his ugly head in Week 5. We still like him, but definitely don’t trust him as much anymore.

Falling - Calvin Johnson, Lions WR - At this point, the extremely talented Johnson, who only caught two balls for 19 yards in Week 5, may end up being a victim of his circumstances. Not only are the Lions freaking horrible, but it looks like their may be a bit of a QB controversy. It’s sad, because Johnson is the Lions’ only really good offensive player (other than Kevin Smith), but things are not looking up for the man fantasy owners affectionately know as Megatron. The Lions play the Vikings and Texans on the road in the next two weeks, both match-ups that concern us a bit.