Buy, Watch or Pass

Every week, I will examine some of the more obscure top performers in Fantasy Football. Here are the names I came across in Week 10:

QB’s

Steve McNair, Baltimore Ravens – 373 pass yds, 3 TD’s, 2 INT’s

Ever since Brian Billick took over the play calling, McNair has suddenly become a whole different QB. The last 3 weeks, he’s thrown for 777 yards, 5 TD’s, 2 INT’s & a QB rating over 90. With his team down by 10 entering the 4th quarter, McNair showed he can still make the big throws in an incredible come from behind victory versus Tennessee. With the ground game producing minimal yardage, it appears that the Ravens will be throwing more and more down the stretch run. Do keep in mind what happened to Michael Vick a couple weeks ago when he had 2 great games and then followed with 2 stinkers, so you do want to exercise caution. However, we’re entering fantasy playoff territory in a couple weeks, which means you’ll need to start preparing your lineup & bench. If you are in need of a backup QB, McNair could be your man. He has some lax secondaries, including next week versus Atlanta, the rest of the way. BUY

Tony Romo, Dallas Cowboys – 308 pass yds, 2 TD’s

Can you believe this guy is still available in 56% of ESPN’s fantasy football leagues? Even if you are cruising in first, it never hurts to add an elite QB. 3 starts, 862 pass yards, 5 touchdowns & 1 INT and a fat 101.2 QB rating. He has matchups versus Tampa Bay, New York Giants, New Orleans, Atlanta & Detroit on his schedule still. He has Terrell Owens, Terry Glenn & Jason Witten to throw too. There really isn’t much else to say. He’s not a fluke. BUY

RB’s

Brandon Jacobs, New York Giants – 9 rush yds, 2 TD’s

When it gets to be this time of year, it’s hard to find running backs that have value because they are usually all gone by now. One that may be available that you might be interested in is Brandon Jacobs. Every Tiki Barber owner is displeased with Jacobs because he has stolen all the goal line carries & most of the touchdowns. Last Sunday against Chicago: 2 carries, 9 yards, 2 touchdowns. This isn’t a freak occurrence either, as he now has 5 touchdowns in the last 5 games. He’s generally getting 7 to 11 carries a game, primarily as a short yardage back, so the opportunities are there. There is a lot of risk involved & how many TD’s he gets will depend on how well the Giants offense is running. He’s ok if you are desperate for a running back, but I hope you have someone else to rely on come playoff time. BUY if you’re desperate, otherwise PASS

Ladell Betts, Washington Redskins – 83 rush yds

There wasn’t anything special about Ladell Betts’ stat line on Sunday, but on Tuesday news broke out that Clinton Portis broke his hand and will be out for the season, making Betts the starting running back for the rest of the year. What can we expect out of Betts? He received 20 carries on Sunday after Portis went down, so it’s good to know that he will receive the bulk of the load. The Redskins schedule versus run defenses is moderate the rest of the way, couple that with Betts’ current 4.5 yards a carry and he should have some good value as a number 2 running back. The Redskins did announce they are going with 2nd year man Jason Campbell as their QB the rest of the season, so if Campbell starts making mistakes, it could potentially lead to less carries. At this point in the season though, grabbing a starting running back with potential is worth the risk. BUY

WR’s

Mark Clayton, Baltimore Ravens – 125 rec yds, 1 TD

When a QB starts throwing the ball well, everyone becomes a beneficiary, including Mark Clayton in Baltimore. During the last 2 games with the new & improved McNair, he’s caught 15 passes for 198 yards & 1 TD. Clayton did have a 100 yard receiving game in Week 6 but a big chunk of his yardage came off of 2 tipped balls not intended for him. This time, these stats are legit. Clayton was a 1st round pick last year with homerun speed, so the talent is there. With some sketchy secondaries left on the Ravens schedule, Clayton could certainly become a sleeper towards the end of this season. If you are a risk taker or are in need of a wide receiver, Clayton is your man. BUY

Malcom Floyd, San Diego Chargers – 109 rec yds, 1 TD

Everybody got into the act in that high scoring affair in Cincinnati last Sunday. Malcom Floyd, the 3rd receiver for San Diego, even hauled in 5 catches for 109 yards & a TD. As good as Philip Rivers as looked, Floyd is still only the 3rd receiver and hasn’t produced much prior to this game. Until he has a starting role, mark this game off as an anomaly. PASS

Reche Caldwell, New England Patriots – 90 rec yds, 1 TD

I’ve written about Reche Caldwell before, and after watching him play against the Jets, you can clearly see Brady is starting to develop more chemistry with him. He didn’t do much against the Colts the previous week, but not many wide receivers have (they’re allowing only 103 yards on average to receivers per game). With Green Bay coming up next week, Caldwell could very well have another strong game. There are a couple other games in which you could start Caldwell again as well, so considering we’re getting deep in the season, he deserves a spot on your roster if you have one. BUY

Patrick Crayton, Dallas Cowboys – 104 rec yds, 1 TD

Filling in again for injured Terry Glenn, Patrick Crayton had another fine game. He hauled in 5 passes for 104 yards & 1 TD. With Romo at QB, he certainly would be productive in a starting role if Glenn were to go down for the season. Glenn is questionable next week, but even if Crayton were to start, they go up against Indianapolis whom has been tough on wide receivers this year. The rest of the schedule is golden, so if Crayton were to find a way to start, he would have great fantasy value. Keep an eye out on what’s going on in Dallas. WATCH