Q: John Carlson and Chris Cooley are both playing weak opponents. Which one is the best start this week? - Joel
Week 6 Mailbag Continued: John Carlson Is Not the Manager at WKRP
A: Joel, so many people are missing the boat on John Carlson. Seattle might as well be Mars. But this guy straight-up produces and with Matt Hasselbeck back and healthy, he figures to become a more and more reliable fantasy target. As for Cooley, until this past week, he was punching his ticket to the Pro Bowl. Then he had his first game since 2004 without a catch! Sure, Chris Samuels was hurt and he was held in to block on a lot of plays, but Samuels is out again this week, too. I simply don’t know how the Redskins will get their passing game going without Cooley, but I also don’t feel good about relying on him in Fantasy this week-even against the Chiefs. Go with Carlson against the Cardinals and watch him and Hasselbeck work the middle of the field.
Q: I drafted Kurt Warner at QB and Kyle Orton as the backup. Is it time to start Orton regularly? - Adam
A: Well Adam, you and I are passing ships in the night on this one. I had Warner as down and out at the beginning of this season. I even went so far as to make room on my roster for Matt Leinart. We all know offenses take time to get it together each season. I think Warner is feeling his way out in this offense and with Fitzgerald, Boldin, and Breaston to throw to, I find it hard to demote him. That said, Orton is also getting into a hell of a rhythm out in Denver. He has more yards than Warner, an extra touchdown, and three fewer interceptions. But Warner has played in one less game. Warner has 291 yards per game to Orton’s 247. As much as I love Orton right now, I would advise you to keep Warner in the starting lineup. At the halfway point of the season, we should look at this again though. Both teams will have had their byes and we can compare apples to apples.
Q: Which rookie RB, if any, do you like for the second half? Do you think Knowshon Moreno, Beanie Wells, Donald Brown, or LeSean Mccoy will emerge? - Matt
A: Short answer first: Knowshon Moreno. Knowshon is has the most yards so far, and is getting 4.2 yards per carry (the best in this group.) I was watching that game against the Patriots. You saw who was getting the crucial carries in the 4th quarter: Moreno. LeSean looks great, but he will be sharing the ball with another stud (Brian Westbrook). Donald Brown is already contributing a ton to the Indy offense, but he is also sharing carries with an incumbent horse (Addai.) I think Moreno will prove to be the guy down the stretch that picks up his production each week and the Broncos will rely more and more on him to open up that offense. I was thoroughly impressed with what he accomplished in clutch time last week.
Q: Which half/third of these big timeshares do you like going forward? DeAngelo Williams/Jonathan Stewart, Brandon Jacobs/Ahmad Bradshaw and Marion Barber/Felix Jones/Tashard Choice? - Dave
A: In Dallas, I think Felix Jones is the guy of those three. If and when he returns to full health, he is the guy I would roll with there. DeAngelo Williams is a transcendent type of running back. I don’t break out the SAT words for just anyone either. He is fast to the edge, can rip off the game-breaking home run play, and is crafty through the line of scrimmage. I like Stewart, but he is no DeAngelo Williams. As for the Giants’ situation, Ahmad Bradshaw is by far the sexier fantasy pick in this duo. He had great vision and is one of the best backs at setting up his blockers. His patience on the front side of runs is as valuable as his speed and agility (which he also has in spades.)
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