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Fantasy Football and NFL News, Rumors and Injury Updates

NFC West Fantasy Outlook

September 6, 2007 @ 16:00:00

By Greg Elyea
Edited by Herija C. Green

Do Not Bench List - All Positions

Quarterback Marc Bulger, St. Louis Rams: Bulger averaged 268.8 yards, 1.5 touchdowns and 0.5 interceptions per game in 2006. Though top wide receivers Torry Holt and Issac Bruce enter the season at less than 100 percent, Bulger usually finds ways to get the job done. Have faith in Bulger and start him without hesitation.
Running Back Frank Gore, San Francisco 49ers: In one season, Gore went from relative unknown, to fantasy stud. In 2006, Gore averaged 105.9 yards rushing, 0.5 rushing touchdowns, 3.81 receptions and 30.3 receiving yards per game. Now that quarterback Alex D. Smith has a legit target in wide receiver Darrell Jackson, defenses will be forced to take some of their attention off of Gore and the run game. This should help to improve Gore's numbers across the board in 2007. Gore should be started every week.
Running Back Steven Jackson, St. Louis Rams: Like Gore above, Jackson will get his yards on the ground, as well as several receptions a game. He averaged 95.5 yards rushing, 0.81 rushing touchdowns, 5.62 receptions and 50.4 yards receiving per game. With numbers like those Jackson should be in your starting lineup every week.
Running Back Shaun Alexander, Seattle Seahawks: Injury finally got the best of Alexander in 2006. The 2005 rushing leader only managed to suit up for 10 regular season games last season. Used sparingly this preseason, expect Alexander to be in full form come kick off time this Sunday. He's still a top five running back, and although he may not come close to the 27 touchdowns he scored in 2005, he should still reward his fantasy owners this season, barring any catastrophic injury. Start him with confidence.
Wide Receiver Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona Cardinals: Officially listed on the Cardinals depth chart as the No. 2 wide receiver, it's more like No. 1b. It's a great situation to be in when you have two terrific wide receivers in Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin. Though still admirable, Fitz's numbers dropped off last season. The drop in production cannot be placed entirely on his shoulders, as then rookie quarterback Matt Leinart took over the helm in Week 4 of the 2006 campaign. Now that Leinart has almost a full season under his belt, Fitzgerald's numbers could be better than the 5.31 receptions, 72.8 receiving yards and 0.46 touchdowns per game he averaged in 2006. This playmaker belongs in your lineup if he's on your roster.
Wide Receiver Torry Holt, St. Louis Rams: Holt says he's entering the season at 70-to-80 percent. However, his 70-to-80 percent is as good as most receivers at 100 percent. Last season, Holt averaged 5.81 receptions, 74.2 yards receiving and 0.62 receiving touchdowns per game. He's Bulger's primary target and no matter who you have on your roster, you need to find a way to get "Big Game" in your lineup.

Quarterbacks

Player	Team	Gm	Pass Yds/G	Pass TD/G	INT/G	Rush Yards/G	Rush TD/G
Matt Leinart	Arizona Cardinals	12	212.2	0.92	1.00	4.1	0.17
Alex D. Smith	San Francisco 49ers	16	180.6	1.00	1.00	9.2	0.12
Matt Hasselbeck	Seattle Seahawks	14	205.5	1.5	1.25	9.2	0.00

Leinart - A young, yet talented quarterback, Leinart has a nice matchup in week 1. We'll call it, "The Battle of the Young Guns I." Leinart gets the 49ers on the road, and the Niners defense ranked towards the bottom in almost every category that counts in 2006 so look for a relatively high scoring affair in this one. If you have Leinart, you can play him as a weak No. 1 or strong No. 2 quarterback.

Smith - And the other lead in "The Battle of the Young Guns I," Mr. Smith. Some fantasy owners tend to stay away from the young guys right away, but Smith has a solid matchup and could be played as a low-end No. 1 or solid No. 2 quarterback in Week 1.

Hasselbeck - The seasoned veteran is healthy, and so is the entire offense. He had a bit of a down year last season, but he's still one of the more reliable options at the position. Start him as a solid No. 1 quarterback with a strong play against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 1.

Running Backs

Player	Team	Gm	Util (%)/G	RZ (%) Plays/G	Rush Yds/G	Rush TD/G	Rec/G	Rec Yards/G	Rec TD/G
Edgerrin James	Arizona Cardinals	16	24.6 (40.2)	3.9 (42.1)	72.4	0.4	2.4	13.6	0.00
Brian Leonard	St. Louis Rams	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--

James - He had one of the worst seasons of his career last year, but things figure to be better for James this season. His quarterback now has a little bit of experience under his belt, which in turn, should create more possibilities for James. James makes a strong No. 1 starter in week 1 with a strong play capability as well.

Leonard - Leonard figures to have a minimal role as long as Jackson stays healthy with a few carries and a few receptions every game. Definitely worth a bench spot, but keep him there for now.

Wide Receivers

Player	Team	Gm	Util (%)/G	RZ (%) Plays/G	Rec/G	Rec Yards/G	Rec TD/G
Anquan Boldin	Arizona Cardinals	16	9.7 (16.4)	0.8 (9.4)	5.2	75.2	0.3
Darrell Jackson	San Francisco 49ers	13	8.7 (10.5)	1.23 (12.7)	4.9	73.5	0.8
Deion Branch	Seattle Seahawks	14	7.7 (10.6)	0.6 (7.2)	3.8	51.8	0.3
D.J. Hackett	Seattle Seahawks	14	4.4 (6.3)	0.4 (5.6)	3.2	43.6	0.3
Isaac Bruce	St. Louis Rams	16	7.4 (12.0)	0.8 (8.7)	4.6	68.6	0.2
Drew Bennett	St. Louis Rams	16	5.8 (10.5)	0.4 (6.2)	2.9	46.1	0.2

Boldin - One of the NFL's most dynamic pass catchers, Boldin makes an excellent start this week against the 49ers, in what could be a very exciting and high scoring affair. He's a No. 1 option this week.

Jackson - Jackson was a very good player in Seattle and with Smith starting to come into his own, D-Jax could be a superstar in San Francisco. He makes a terrific No. 1 this week with a strong play.

Branch - Now that Jackson is gone, Branch slides into the No. 1 wide receiver spot. Generally speaking, this is great news for Branch owners. However, he doesn't draw the greatest matchup in Week 1 and should only be played as a weak No. 3 or flex option.

Hackett - There's no clear answer as to who the official No. 2 wide receiver is in Seattle, Hackett or Nate Burleson. Until there's some clarity to the situation, consider Hackett a weak No. 3 or flex at best.

Bruce - Bruce's glory days are probably now behind him. Although still the No. 2 wideout in St. Louis, with the acquisition of Bennett this offseason, you may see Bruce's targets decrease. For the season opener, consider him a weak No. 2 or strong No. 3 with a weak play against the Carolina Panthers.

Bennett - He didn't practice Tuesday, but fully expects to suit up this Sunday. The Rams didn't sign him for nothing. He's big. He's powerful. But, he's still the No. 3 right now. Play him this week as no better than a weak No. 3 or as a flex.

Tight Ends

Player	Team	Gm	Util (%)/G	RZ (%) Plays/G	Rec/G	Rec Yards/G	Rec TD/G
Leonard Pope	Arizona Cardinals	16	1.4 (2.3)	0.2 (2.0)	1.0	10.1	0
Vernon Davis	San Francisco 49ers	9	4.9 (5.0)	0.6 (4.2)	2.2	29.4	0.3
Marcus Pollard	Seattle Seahawks	15	1.3 (2.0)	0.1 (1.5)	0.8	6.7	0
Randy McMichael	St. Louis Rams	16	5.5 (9.4)	0.6 (9.0)	3.9	40.0	0.2

Pope - Pope is not someone you want on your team, no matter who the Cardinals are playing. Stay away.

Davis - Davis has a ton of physical talent and if he can stay healthy the sky is the limit. An elite tight end waiting to happen, he's a weak No. 1 or strong No. 2 play against the Cardinals.

Pollard - Stevens is gone and Pollard is in. Big deal. If he's on your team, I'm sorry. Bench him.

McMichael - A change of scenery may just be what the big guy needs. No better place than St. Louis for McMichael as it's no secret the Rams love to pass. McMichael is a weak No. 1 or strong No. 2 with a strong play this week against the Panthers.

Place Kickers

Player	Team	Gm	XPA/G	XP/G	FGA/G	FG/G	Kick Pnts/G
Neil Rackers	Arizona Cardinals	16	2.0	2.0	2.3	1.8	7.2
Joe Nedney	San Francisco 49ers	16	1.8	1.8	2.2	1.8	7.2
Josh Brown	Seattle Seahawks	16	2.3	2.3	1.9	1.6	6.9
Jeff Wilkins	St. Louis Rams	16	2.2	2.2	2.3	2.0	8.2

Rackers - Rackers should have plenty of opportunities this week between extra points and field goals. He's a strong No. 1 this week against the 49ers.

Nedney - Though he matched his opponent Rackers point for point last season, his matchup isn't nearly as favorable and he should therefore be benched with a weak play against Arizona.

Brown - Though perhaps not one of the elite kickers, the potent Seattle offense makes Brown valuable. Consider him a solid No. 1 when Tampa Bay visits this weekend.

Wilkins - One of the best kickers in recent years, Wilkins should continue to post nice kicker numbers again in 2007. Carolina's no walk in the park, but Wilkins is still considered a weak No. 1 play.

Defensive Teams

Team	Gm	Off Pnts Allw/G	INT/G	Sacks/G	FR/G	DEF/ST TD/G
Arizona Cardinals	16	22.3	1.0	2.4	1.1	0.1
San Francisco 49ers	16	24.6	0.9	2.1	0.8	0.0
Seattle Seahawks	16	19.8	0.8	2.6	0.9	0.2
St. Louis Rams	16	22.2	1.1	2.1	0.9	0.2

Cardinals - There could be plenty of scoring in this game. Some of it might just be from the Cardinals defense, as the 49ers O-line is about as strong as wet toilet paper. Smith was sacked 35 times last season, and the lack of major upgrades means they could be right around the same number this year. Dare I say the Cardinals are a weak No. 1, one week play?

49ers - Two of the worst defenses of 2006 lock horns this weekend. Both defenses allow tons of points. Both offensive lines could hardly stop a junior varsity team from breaking through. There's been a lot of buzz about the improvement in San Francisco's defense, but for Week 1 they make a very marginal No. 1 defense and should be benched.

Seahawks - Seattle's defense gave up quite a few yards and points per game last season. They draw a nice matchup out of the gate, however, and can be played as a strong No. 1 defensive unit in Week 1 against the Buccaneers.

Rams - The Rams did a decent job defensively last season, averaging over two sacks and two turnovers per game, though they struggled to keep points off the board. Against the Panthers is Week 1 they are a weak No. 1 option for your fantasy defense.