Fantasy Football and NFL News, Rumors and Injury Updates

Free Agents to Target - Week 17

December 26, 2007 @ 10:23:23

If you are still reading this segment at KFFL.com, chances are this week is for all the marbles in your fantasy league. It has been a long, interesting journey and Week 17 is finally upon us.

Fantasy players have dealt with injuries and bye weeks all season, forcing all of us to dip into the free-agent market more often than not for replacement starters. This week, however, injuries are not the only thing to look out for. As usual with the final stanza of the year, teams resting players is also a factor for which fantasy teams need to plan accordingly.

Quarterbacks: One-Week Play

Todd Collins, Washington Redskins - Collins is quietly posting some decent fantasy numbers! He has four touchdowns in his last three games without an interception and is averaging 214.7 passing yards per game in that span. He has gone over the 220-yard mark twice and had two games of two touchdowns. If you're in need of a body, he is worth the look with the Redskins fighting for their playoff lives. He is available in almost 99 percent of casual leagues and 96 percent of competitive leagues polled.

Shaun Hill, San Francisco 49ers - In the past three games, Hill is averaging 166.7 passing yards, 1.67 passing touchdowns, 0.67 interceptions and 0.33 rushing touchdowns. While not outstanding numbers, they are quite an improvement out of the 49ers' passing game this year. He is available in nearly 100 percent of casual leagues and 98 percent of competitive leagues. With many other quarterbacks in question this week, you can at least sleep easy at night knowing Hill will be in the lineup for the 49ers.

Quinn Gray, Jacksonville Jaguars - The Jaguars have nothing to play for anymore, which could lead to Gray seeing time this weekend in order to rest starter David Garrard. In relief of Garrard last weekend, Gray hit six of his nine passes for 73 yards and two touchdowns. If you are truly desperate, and we mean in dire straits, Gray is worth the look this weekend. He is available in nearly every casual and competitive league polled.

Running Backs: One-Week Play

Najeh Davenport, Pittsburgh Steelers - With running back Willie Parker (leg) out for the remainder of the season, the team will look to Davenport to carry the load. Davenport filled in nicely last week, carrying the ball 24 times for 123 yards and a touchdown, while adding another touchdown with one of his two receptions. He was utilized 26 times last week, including 10 of those coming inside the red zone. Davenport is a strong play as a low-end No. 1 option. He is available in 89 percent of casual and 56 percent of competitive leagues polled.

T.J. Duckett, Detroit Lions - Bad luck and Kevin Jones are starting to go hand-in-hand, as he went down with a serious knee injury during Week 16 and is likely toast this week. Duckett relished at the opportunity as he rushed for 102 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries along with two receptions for 22 yards. The Lions take on the Packers, who have nothing to play for after locking up the No. 2 seed in the NFC. Duckett has two touchdowns in his last three games and has shown flashes of power for an otherwise erratic Lions offense. Duckett is available in nearly all leagues polled.

Vernand Morency, Green Bay Packers - Owners of Packers running back Ryan Grant might want to take notice here; the Packers are locked into the No. 2 seed, and playing Grant for an extended period of time would only jeopardize Green Bay's offensive rock. Enter Morency, who does not have a carry since Week 14, but has 28 receptions to go along with 93 total rushing yards this year. Although the Packers will most likely mix in fellow back Brandon Jackson, Morency is the best all-around backfield option here. He is available in almost all casual leagues and 80 percent of competitive leagues.

Kenny Watson, Cincinnati Bengals - With fellow back Rudi Johnson (hamstring) out, Watson exploded for 130 rushing and a touchdown in Week 16. Cincinnati's third-down back will most likely hold onto the starting role for Week 17, and this bodes well for point-per-reception leagues. Watson has 694 rushing yards with six touchdowns and 51 receptions for 363 yards. Fantasy owners can't expect Johnson to contribute much in a meaningless game, and they shouldn't ignore a pass-catching back falling into the waiver wire stocking in Week 17. Watson is available in 41 percent of casual leagues and 24 percent of competitive leagues.

Musa Smith, Baltimore Ravens - Smith is the less heralded back of the two, but he might end up being just as steady of an option as Anderson. Smith has performed as the team's third-down back this year; he had 25 rushing yards and 12 receiving yards while replacing McGahee. His pass-catching ability makes him a safer option in point-per-reception leagues. Like Anderson, snag him and wait for the expected carry split to be announced. Smith is available in nearly all casual leagues and 92 percent of competitive leagues polled.

Ahmad Bradshaw, New York Giants - Bradshaw was part of an explosive day for the Giants, as he ran for 151 yards along with an 88-yard touchdown. It's valid to be skeptical if he can repeat that performance next week since more than half of his yards came on one run. However, Bradshaw's other 16 carries gave him a 3.94 yards-per-carry average for the rest of the game, so that's not a terrible performance. Fellow back Brandon Jacobs (ankle) had to leave the game with a sprained left ankle; if Jacobs becomes his normal injury-prone self or is rested to save him for the playoffs, Bradshaw could be a viable fantasy option in Week 17. He's available in nearly all fantasy leagues polled.

Reuben Droughns, New York Giants - Droughns was on the end of some embarrassing goal-line runs in which he was stopped short. That pattern is reflective of his recent fantasy production: He has a combined minus-five rushing yards in the last two weeks. The mere fact that Jacobs is injured helps his value, but Bradshaw could cut into his playing time. The Giants might stick Droughns, who has been used as a goal line/short-yardage specialist, in to rest Bradshaw as well, and the fact that the team even threw Droughns in on those unsuccessful goal-line attempts might translate to more of those chances in Week 17. Droughns is available in 90 percent of casual leagues and 40 percent of competitive leagues.

Wide Receivers: One-Week Play

Jabar Gaffney, New England Patriots - Other than playing for a perfect season and a few individual records, the Patriots have next to nothing to play for. As a result, Gaffney could see even more playing time than he has been. He is also red hot in the last month, averaging 3.75 receptions, 55 receiving yards and 0.75 touchdowns per game while being utilized an average of six times per week. He is available in almost 87 percent of casual leagues and 70 percent of competitive leagues.

Nate Burleson, Seattle Seahawks - With the Seahawks locked into the No. 3 playoff spot, Seattle will likely rest wide receivers Bobby Engram and Deion Branch this week. Burleson could reap the benefits there; he has already received 24 looks in the last four weeks and has caught a touchdown in three of his last four games. The Seahawks will still throw the ball since that has been their key to success this year, and the Atlanta Falcons have allowed 199.5 yards and 1.75 touchdowns per game to wide receivers over the last month. Burleson is available in 49 percent of casual leagues and 56 percent of competitive leagues.

David Patten, New Orleans Saints - Patten caught six passes for a team-high 55 yards on nine looks during Week 16. No. 1 wideout Marques Colston (chest) suffered a chest contusion and his status for Week 17 is unknown at press time. Patten had already earned a reliable role over the last month with 19 combined catches in his last three games, along with two touchdowns over that span. The Saints are still fighting for a playoff race, so they'll be throwing the ball often to utilize their slew of wideouts. Patten would slide into the top spot if Colston can't go, but would still be a frequently targeted option if Colston can suit up. Patten is available in 84 percent of casual leagues and 54 percent of competitive leagues.

Nate Washington, Pittsburgh Steelers - Washington broke many fantasy owners' hearts after he caught two touchdown passes in the team's Week 16 victory over the St. Louis Rams. Those were his only two receptions on the night and netted him 50 receiving yards. Washington now has three touchdowns in his last two games, and despite his combined seven receptions in the last four games, he could be a big risk-reward play if the waiver wire is otherwise empty. Washington is available in nearly all casual leagues and 89 percent of competitive leagues.

Tight Ends: One-Week Play

Owen Daniels, Houston Texans - Daniels is averaging 2.75 receptions, 35.5 receiving yards and 0.25 touchdowns over the last month. He is seeing a healthy amount of targets, averaging 5.75 per week with 0.75 coming within the red zone and 0.50 inside the 5 on average. He is available in about 27 percent of casual leagues and 29 percent of competitive leagues polled.

Desmond Clark, Chicago Bears - Desperate times call for desperate actions and relying on any Chicago offensive player. Clark, over the last month, has averaged 3.75 targets per week with one look per week in the red zone. He is averaging 2.75 receptions, 32.8 receiving yards and 0.50 touchdowns per week. Clark is available in about 46 percent of casual leagues and 48 percent of competitive leagues polled.

Marcedes Lewis, Jacksonville Jaguars - Despite being shut out in Week 16, Lewis has done well in the last month. He is averaging 4.25 targets per week with 1.25 of those coming within the red zone on average. Lewis averages 2.5 receptions, 26.2 receiving yards and 0.25 receiving touchdowns in that same span. There is, however, always the chance he could see limited playing time this weekend so use some caution. He is available in about 97 percent of casual leagues and 86 percent of competitive leagues polled.

Alex Smith, Tampa Bay Buccaneers - With the Bucs possibly resting quarterback Jeff Garcia, the tight end position could be a valuable safety valve for the quarterback position. Smith is averaging 2.25 receptions and 32.2 receiving yards per game over the last month on the strength of 4.25 targets per game. He is available in over 85 percent of casual leagues and 92 percent of competitive leagues polled.

Jerramy Stevens, Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Remember him? "Hands of Stone" Stevens, who is going to steal some looks from the aforementioned Smith, is worth a look if you are desperate; he has found the end zone three times in the last three games and is coming off a two-touchdown outing. He is available in 98 percent of casual leagues and competitive leagues polled.

Place Kickers: One-Week Play

Mike Nugent, New York Jets - In the last month, Nugent has hit an average of 2.25 field goals per game while averaging 2.75 field goal attempts. He has also connected on an average of 1.25 extra points while averaging 1.50 extra point attempts. He is available in 94 percent of casual leagues and 80 percent of competitive leagues polled.

Shaun Suisham, Washington Redskins - With the Redskins fighting for their playoff life, the offense may be ready to pick it up a notch. In the last month, Suisham has averaged two field goals per week while attempting an average of 2.50 per game. He has also hit an average of two extra points per game during that span. He is available in 97 percent of casual leagues and 84 percent of competitive leagues polled.

Defensive Teams: One-Week Play

Cincinnati Bengals - Fantasy owners looking for a great one-week option should look no further than the Bengals. The Dolphins offense has averaged the lowest points-per-game total (13.2) in the league over the last four weeks while the offensive line has given up the second most sacks (five) per game during that time. The Bengals are averaging a little more than two takeaways per contest while the Dolphins are giving turning the ball over just as many times in their last four games. The Bengals defense is a solid No. 1 option that is available in 90 percent of casual leagues and 76 percent of competitive leagues polled.

Kansas City Chiefs - The Chiefs defense has been far from dominant over their last four games, giving up the sixth-most points in the league (27) and averaging the least amount of takeaways per game (0.50) in the league during that time. However, this week they face the New York Jets, who aren't shy when it comes to allowing their quarterbacks to get knocked around. They have allowed the most sacks in the league (5.25) over the last month while turning the ball over 2.50 times per game during that time. The Chiefs defense has a strong play matchup and should be considered a No. 1 defensive option. They're available in 72 percent of casual leagues and 53 percent of competitive leagues polled.

New York Jets - Just like the Chiefs, the Jets defense is just as capable of having a dominant game against a far-from-productive Chiefs offense. The Chiefs are scoring the second least amount of points in the league (13.5) over their last four games; giving up an average of 4.25 sacks and turning the ball over 2.50 times per game in their last four. The Jets defense has been opportunistic of late, averaging 2.25 takeaways and allowing the third least amount of points against (13.8) per game to opposing teams. The Jets are a solid No. 1 option; available in 77 percent of casual leagues and 84 percent of competitive leagues polled.

Cleveland Browns - The Browns defense has an excellent opportunity to put up some solid fantasy numbers against the San Francisco 49ers, who are leading the league in turnovers per game (3.25) over the last four weeks. The 49ers are also allowing a moderate amount of sacks (3.0) per game while scoring near the bottom of the league in their last four games. The Browns defense may not be playing lights out, but they may not have to in order to put up some solid fantasy numbers in this final week. Play the Browns as a solid No. 1 option; they're available in 98 percent of casual leagues and 91 percent of competitive leagues polled.