WEEK 6 BULLS AND BEARS

Week 6 was a wild one in the NFL.  Filled with blowouts, bad weather, disappointing performances and hot seats getting hotter (especially at FedEx Field), Week 6 did not disappoint.

The weather in the northeast was horrible and had significant impact on several games, and some players fantasy value.  The Titans decided not to show up against the Patriots, making the Pats look like their 2007 version, as they pitched 59 points in a shutout.  Mark Sanchez showed that he performs much better in perfect conditions, throwing 5 INTs during the Bills overtime upset of the Jets.

All three active teams in the NFC East lost on Sunday, going a combined 0-3.  In Washington, the Redskins proved that they are one of the worst offensive teams in the league.  The Giants were absolutely dominated in what was suppossed to be the game of the week.  And the Eagles were embarrassed by the Oakland Raiders.

With all of this madness going on, there were dramatic implications on the stock market that is Fantasy Football.  Here are your WEEK 6 BULLS AND BEARS:

WEEK 6 BULLS

Tom Brady, QB New England Patriots:

Tom Brady is a pretty good quarterback.  In other obvious news, Usain Bolt could beat me in a foot race.  The Patriots’ performance against the Titans was nothing short of impressive.  Scoring 59 points is impressive in the NFL, but scoring 59 points in wet conditions is down-right absurd.  Brady busted out of mediocrity (by his standards) to the tune of 380 YARDS and 6 TDs.  Remember last year when Peyton started the season slow following knee surgery, and eventually won the MVP?  Expect Brady to finish strong this season and compete with Peyton, Brees, and AP for the MVP this season.

Recommendation: HOLD; the window of opportunity to buy-low on Brady is officially over.

Matt Schaub, QB Houston Texans:

I have been very high on the Bengals’ Defense so far this season.  Well, until Schaub tore them apart in Week 6, going 28/40 for 392 YARDS, 4 TDs and only 1 INT.  Schaub has the ability to carry a fantasy team on any given week.  What I love the most about Schaub is his favorable schedule going forward.  He does not play a single shut-down pass defense for the rest of the season.  Seriously, look up the Texans schedule, it’s a joke.

Recommendation: BUY; you have to love his schedule going forward, only thing that could derail him is injury.

DeAngelo Williams, RB Carolina Panthers:

We have been waiting for last year’s fantasy MVP to breakout all year long.  Granted his success came against a sub-par Tampa Bay defense, you cannot argue with 152 rushing yards and 2 TDs.  What I enjoyed seeing the most was the large split of the carries that he received.  Williams carried the ball 30 times, compared to Stewart’s 17 rushes.  He has clearly made himself the featured back in that offense.

Recommendation: BUY; appears to be taking a larger role in the run game, and Delhomme has not been effective passing the ball.

Thomas Jones, RB New York Jets:

As bad as Mark Sanchez looked in Week 6, Thomas Jones and Leon Washington looked really strong.  It appears that Sanchez is missing the beautiful weather in Southern California.  If Sanchez cannot adjust to the windy conditions of Giant’s Stadium, then the running game should continue to be emphasized.  Jones was featured against the Bills, but Leon Washington’s talent casts a shadow of doubt over Jones’ outlook.

Recommendation: SELL; we just witnessed Thomas Jones’ best game of the season, sell-high.

Randy Moss/Wes Welker, WRs New England Patriots:

Neither receivers’ season has been too remarkable up to this point.  I could not tell if the Pats were in-sync on Sunday, but the Titans were badly out-of-sync.  Either way, the Patriots receivers combined for 18 receptions for 279 yds and 5 TDs.  Welker especially was impressive considering he has been in-and-out of the lineup most of the season.

Recommendation: HOLD; expect more big things to come.

Steve Breaston, WR Arizona Cardnials:

Steve Breaston has to be the best number 3 receiver on any team in the league.   Boldin claims he will play in Week 7 despite getting banged up against the Seahawks; he remains an injury risk.  Breaston should get plenty of targets if Boldin is out of the lineup, because of the attention that Fitzgerald draws.  Breaston finished Week 6 with 7 receptions for 77 yds and 1 TD.

Recommendation: BUY; should see productivity increase if the oft-injured Boldin misses time.

Owen Daniels, TE Houston Texans:

Daniels had 2 TDs against the Bengals on Sunday, both of which were within the redzone.  I love the passing attack in Houston, not so much the Texans’ Running Game.  If the Texans continue to struggle to run the ball inside the redzone, expect Schaub to target Daniels in those critical situations.

Recommendation: BUY;  was considered a non-elite TE in the preseason, but he is making you reconsider.

WEEK 5 BEARS

NFC East Quarterbacks:

Eli Manning, QB New York Giants:

New Defensive Coordinator Gregg Williams has the Saints’ defense playing at a very high level. The entire Giants offense was struggling, as they had to play from behind the entire game.  The Giants’ offense is based on ball control and thrives when their defense is playing at its best.  I do not think that the Giants, and/or Eli, will play this poorly against most teams.

Recommendation: BUY; Eli and the Giants should be back to their old selves against the Cardinals next week.

Donovan McNabb, QB Philadelphia Eagles:

As impressive as the Patriots looked on Sunday, the Eagles looked equally as disappointing.  The Eagles’ offense was out of sync all day.  The Eagles never established their run game, and McNabb was not able to get the ball to his receivers effectively.  McNabb was unable to led the Eagles to any TDs against the lowly Raiders.

Recommendation: BUY; McNabb has too many weapons on offense to be this ineffective.

Jason Campbell, QB Washington Redskins:

I was at FedEx Field when cheers erupted as Todd Collins took over for Jason Campbell in the second half.  Bad news for ‘Skins fans, Collins did not perform much better.  Campbell lost QB duties after going 9/16 with an INT in the first half.  The good news for Campbell owners is that Coach Zorn has identified Campbell as his Week 7 starter against the Eagles.  The bad news is that the offense is so dysfunctional that you cannot expect Campbell to be a productive fantasy football player.

Recommendation: SELL; too much inconsistency on offense (and in the owner’s box) for either ‘Skin’s QB to have success.

Matt Forte, RB Chicago Bears:

Forte averaged around 1.5 yards per carry against the Falcons.  This is not what you were expecting when you drafted him in the first round this year.  If there is a silver-lining to his performance this season it is this: he is still the featured back, who is still getting the ball in the redzone, and he still catching passes.  He has had only one big game so far (Week 4), and is still capable of big things.

Recommendation: BUY; value has dropped due to a slow start, but he has no competition for touches out of the backfield.

Brandon Jacobs, RB New York Giants:

Has not nearly been the bruiser that he was last year, having struggled to find the endzone on a consistent basis.  The Giants played from behind for almost the entire game, but Jacobs received less than half of the carries.  Bradshaw is more of a home run threat, that must be the logic for avoiding Jacobs.  I would expect the Giants to be in closer games against the NFC East, causing them to rely on Jacobs more heavily.

Recommendation: BUY; he will get his touches (and touchdowns) against closer competition, he is too large to not find the endzone.

Steve Smith, WR Carolina Panthers:

Quote of the week: “I’m no longer an asset to this team.”  Big thanks to Steve Smith for the great quote.  If the man can no longer endorse himself, how could I possibly back him up?  Smith had a terrible game with only 1 REC for 4 Yards.

Recommendation: SELL; I would probably trade Smith for any receiver not named T.O.

Santanna Moss, WR Washington Redskins:

How bad does the Redskin’s offense look right now?  Going into Week 6, the Chiefs were the worst ranked defense in the NFL, and the team only scored 6 Points. 6 Points!  It’s difficult to endorse any receiver on a team that had so many question marks surrounding the offense, especially with this QB situation.  Only 1 REC for 42 Yards on Todd Collins’ first pass of the day.

Recommendation: SELL; cannot expect consistency with Moss until there is consistency with the coaching staff.

Thanks for checking out the Week 6 Recap! Do you agree or disagree, let me know what you think! Who are your Week 6 Bulls and Bears? Please comment below.