On The Radar–Week 12
Matt Leinart, QB, Arizona Cardinals. With the availability of Kurt Warner in serious jeopardy for Week 12, some of you might want to take a look at Matt Leinart. Considering that he hadn’t been in a game in five weeks, I don’t think Leinart did all that bad. He failed to throw a touchdown pass, but he was under a good amount of pressure and his team was ahead. His completion percentage was an impressive 71% on Sunday and he always has that one thing going for him, and that is the Cardinal offense. It is hard to not be successful when you have a quality offensive line in front of you and weapons like Larry Fitzgerald, Anquan Boldin, and Beanie Wells among others. Arizona also has one of the easiest schedules down the stretch and if Warner is unable to return Leinart could be a hot commodity.
Rock Cartwright, RB, Washington Redskins. It is getting to be an ugly situation in the Washington backfield, and as of early this week it is looking like Cartwright will be the starter at running back for the ‘Skins. I don’t know when you will see Clinton Portis again, and Ladell Betts is going to miss the rest of the season. Cartwright has been a long time, but doesn’t really have a track record of carrying the ball so you know what to expect. However, he has run hard the past couple of weeks and has been successful as he is averaging 4.5 yards per carry this season. Cartwright is a load to take down at just 5′8″ but 215 pounds, and he is not afraid of contact. Washington does face a couple of tough defenses in the next couple of weeks, but if you had Portis and Betts, or you are just in desperate need for a back to fill in with Cartwright could be a decent pickup.
David Thomas, TE, New Orleans Saints. As if the Saints needed another option on offense, but here comes David Thomas. He hadn’t really been a part of the offense the entire season, but over the past two weeks Thomas has nine catches for 111 yards and a touchdown. He never really got a chance to be on the field much as a member of the New England Patriots, but perhaps he will get more run in the Big Easy. At 6′3″ and 248 pounds, Thomas is a good sized target for Drew Brees to look at over the middle and in the red zone. That being said, I think that you would have to be in a 14-16 team league or have John Carlson as your starter in order for you to consider starting Thomas at this point. Picking him up is more of a possibility if you just have a so-so starter, but I’m not ready to trust him in my lineup just yet.
Lex Hilliard, RB, Miami Dolphins. With Ronnie Brown out, someone has to be the secondary running back to Ricky Williams and that role will be Lex Hilliard’s. He got a few carries last Thursday and looked fairly impressive in his limited action. Hilliard ran the ball four times for 24 yards and also had two catches for another seven yards. Don’t expect him to get the number of carries or have the kind of success that Ricky Williams had when Ronnie Brown was healthy, but Hilliard has some big play capability and if he can continue to be successful perhaps he can garner himself more playing time as the season rolls into the fantasy playoffs.
Dennis Dixon, QB, Pittsburgh Steelers. Most likely Ben Roethlisberger will be able to play this coming weekend, but he did suffer “concussion-like” symptoms after getting his head faceplanted into the ground on Sunday. However, if he is unable to go Charlie Batch will also be out as he needs surgery on his wrist after sustaining an injury against the Chiefs. You might remember Dixon as the explosive quarterback of the Oregon Ducks a few years ago who blew out his knee right as his team had an outside chance to play for the National Championship. I’m not sure his slashing style is really a great fit for the Steelers, and accuracy has not been his strong suit. However, Dixon has been learning on the sideline for nearly two seasons now, so he could at least be able to run a decent portion of the offense. But it would have to be the gravest of circumstances to think about adding Dixon even if Roethlisberger is ruled out for the game.
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Leonard Pope, TE, Kansas City Chiefs. Once a third round pick of the Arizona Cardinals, Pope just never got it going in Arizona, and now we will find out if he just needed a change of scenery or if Pope is just not going to pan out. Pope is a good pass catcher but is basically a piece of paper when it comes to blocking and rarely found himself on the field. However, he is an enormous guy at 6′8″ and 264 pounds (which is probably being generous) and has to be an amazing target in the red zone. Pope did have five touchdown catches in his second season so the potential is there and he is hoping to return to prominence since being picked up by the Chiefs and his former coach Todd Haley. He did have a touchdown in Week 11, but he also only had two catches so it was likely just a fluke, but keep an eye out over the next couple of weeks just in case the Chiefs start looking his way more often.
Chansi Stuckey, WR, Cleveland Browns. It was an offensive day that the Browns only thought was capable in their dreams, and lots of players got statistics that they hadn’t all season long and one of them was Stuckey. He had one catch in the last five weeks, but had five catches in one game against the Lions is Week 11 with a touchdown. Before you go and pick up Stuckey based on this performance, please let me reiterate that he had one catch in the previous five weeks and the Browns average scoring less than 10 points a game. Neither of those factors should instill any confidence that he is going to have another game like this. Unless you are just rotating roster spots and trying to find a hot hand, I wouldn’t even think of touching Stuckey.
Chris Jennings, RB, Cleveland Browns. The rookie from the University of Arizona has started to make a little bit of an impact in the Cleveland backfield. This past week against the Lions was his best game as a pro (which is probably when most players have their best game) as he ran for 36 yards on ten carries and had five catches for an additional 38 yards. Jennings should continue to get a decent number of touches between carries and catches, and could see his playing time increase. Cleveland is DESPERATE for a playmaker somewhere on offense, and perhaps Jennings could be that guy. You really can only pick him up if you are really looking for a deep sleeper down the stretch, I wouldn’t let go of anyone who is producing even if it is limited.
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