Posted by b in We break down our weekly pickups by the size of the league because, well, it just doesn’t make sense otherwise. As with our Contentious Starts and Sits, please leave comments calling us out or adding to the list. If your thoughts are solid we will stick you words right in the post ..
Eight Teams
Miles Austin – DAL, WR – In his last two games Austin has racked up 421 yards and 4 touchdowns. Against Atlanta he had 8 looks to William’s 5.
Vernon Davis – SF, TE – Davis has scored 5 touchdowns this year, three of which were in his last game against Houston. With Alex Smith as the starter, expect more big days from Vernon as he was targeted 11 times last week.
Sidney Rice – MIN, WR – In week one Rice was targeted 4 times, in week seven we was targeted 14 times against the stout Steelers! Favre not only has chemistry with Rice, he also trusts him for big plays.
Jeremy Shockey – NO, TE – Shock converts about 80% of his 5-6 average looks per game and has accumulated 304 yards and 3 touchdowns. He is only one of the many options in New Orleans, but he would make a great replacement for the injured Chris Cooley.
Hakeem Nicks – NYG, WR – Nicks has already become a Manning staple in the redzone with a TD in each of the last four games, but his targets are also steadily increasing. Eli leaned on him when things got tough against Arizona so his numbers might still be on the rise.
Ten Teams
Shonn Greene – NYJ, RB – After Leon Washington went down Greene came in and put up 144 yards and 2 touchdowns. He will be sharing time with Thomas Jones still, but Greene is the future and could end producing some very nice numbers this year.
Lee Evans – BUF, WR – Evan with the addition of Owens, Evans has failed to deliver impressive numbers this year. In week six Trent Edwards went down and Ryan Fitzpatrick came in and started looking for Evans. Evan’s 5-6 average targets has climbed to 11 and 9 the last two weeks (plus two TDs) with Fitzpatrick at the helm.
Twelve Teams
Beanie Wells – AZ, RB – After a fumble by Tim Hightower, Wells came in and ran the ball 14 times for 67 yards and impressive 15 yard touchdown run. In a pass first offense you have to be a little weary of this time share, but he looked impressive and will probably start to overtake Hightower from this point on.
Alex Smith – SF, QB – The stronger armed Smith took over for Hill this weekend, and completed 15 of 22 passes with three touchdowns. All three of those touchdowns and eleven of those looks went to Vernon Davis, but with Michael Crabtree (5 for 56) appearing to hit the ground running, Smith might be a nice fill in at times.
Chris Henry – CIN, WR – Henry has been dropped in a lot of leagues. While this week doesn’t immediately scream pick me up, the Bengals are starting to look impressive on the ground which can only mean it will open up more looks downfield. With Chad Ochocinco picking up double coverage Henry might start to be trusted more by Carson Palmer.
Michael Crabtree – SF, WR – Chances are this guy is not available in any league because of an over-eager owner not wanting to give up on his guy. If he was dropped out of frustration though you have enough data (5 for 56, with 6 total targets) from his first start to pick him up and hope San Francisco can get the offense going under Alex Smith.
