Chaz Schilens – The Raiders’ top receiver is back…with a mediocre performance. I know Schilens only had three receptions for 27 yards in yet another pitiful Raider performance during which JaMarcus Russell was benched…again, and claimed he had no idea why he was benched…again. Maybe Russell should be forced to watch the atrocity that is Raider wife-beating football and then he could understand how the rest of us feel. Anyway, I digress. Schilens, in all seriousness, is a great talent. At 6-4 he can go up and get the deep ball and he has shown some good speed and quickness. Last week he received four targets, second to WWF wrestler Johnny Lee Higgins. I certainly wouldn’t waste a waiver on Schilens quite yet, but I may snag him off of free agency if you have an open spot, or I would at least keep an eye on him. It’s a shame to see such a talent go to waste and I can honestly say I haven’t seen anything like that since…well…Monday night when vowel master Massaquoi fell victim to Quinn’s ineptitude.
Kenny Britt – With Gage held back (pun intended) with multiple, yes, multiple back fractures; Britt has and will be the starter across from Nate Washington in Tennessee’s improved offense. Somehow Vince Young has managed to release the ball underneath that giant head of his and get the ball downfield without turning it over. Last week, against a stingy Bills secondary, Britt led the team with five targets, hauling in two for 55 yards. Earlier in the year, Britt showed big play ability but the geriatric Tom Collins, I mean Kerry Collins (alcoholic reference) wasn’t able to get him the rock. I am actually contemplating spending a waiver claim on him simply because I believe in his talent and he could have an even better performance against Houston this weekend.
Brandon Gibson – The Rams announced early in the week that Burton is done for the year, which makes Gibson the starter across from Donnie Avery. Last Sunday, Gibson led the Rams with nine targets, making good on seven for 93 yards. With Bulger showing glimpses of his old, pro-bowl self over the past two weeks, Gibson is looking like a viable option in deeper leagues. Additionally, Avery is now an option in shallower leagues or a must grab in deep leagues. Gibson, a guy who is almost universally available, should get a lot of opportunities going forward, especially with the play of studly Steven Jackson who eats eight men fronts for breakfast.
Laveraneus Coles – Coles is certainly not a sleeper and he is probably unavailable in your league, but Coles’ embers are burning and he just might catch on fire. With Henry done for the year, Coles seems to be the beneficiary. Coles led the team in targets last week with 9 and he contributed five catches for 67 yards in the Bengals’ defensive slug-fest with Pittsburgh. Over the last four games, Coles has averaged just over four catches for 54 yards. A difficult man to start even in deep leagues at the beginning of the year, he may just be worth a flex spot against Oakland who will focus on 85.
Legedu Naanee-na-na-na-na, na-na-na-na, hey-hey-hey, Naanee – Legedu has a sweet name and sweet potential. I certainly wouldn’t read too much into the fact that Naanee was the leading target getter last Sunday with four, or that he was the only Charger wide receiver with a red zone target, but I would feel comfortable with the fact that he made the most of those targets. Jackson was bottled up by double teams all day, which allowed Naanee to catch three passes for 42 yards and a touchdown. Naanee even stole a page out of former Boise State teammate Ian Johnson’s playbook when he “proposed” to a cheerleader on the sidelines after making his first regular season touchdown grab of his career. While Floyd is still the number two guy, Naanee has been a consistent contributor to the Chargers’ offense (though to a much lesser degree). If you are hurting badly, Naanee has matchup potential against a Denver pass defense that has been reeling as of late. Over the last four weeks, Denver has given up the 8th most fantasy points to opposing receivers with 24.3 per game and is giving up 1.7 pass touchdowns a game to receivers.
Deion Branch – yeah, I went there. As you can probably tell from the aforementioned group of gentleman that I have already discussed, I am really focusing on sleepers and waiver wire guys this week. Considering the trade deadline has passed in most leagues, I find it more practical to give you desperate owners in deep leagues some insight. That being said, let’s talk about the 2nd most targeted Seahawk receiver last Sunday. Though he is obviously a shell of his former self, Branch had nine targets last Sunday and got two red zone looks (2nd behind Housh who had three). He snagged four balls for 50 yards and is averaging three receptions over the last four games. Though I would not advise anyone to invest long term in Branch, he is facing a Minnesota pass defense that has been struggling without Winfield. The Vikings rank 28th in pass yardage allowed and have given up a dismal 14 passing touchdowns already this year. Also, over the last four weeks, the Vikings have given up the 7th most fantasy points to receivers (24.7 a game). Despite the pass rush and the loss of Julius Jones, I think it’s reasonable to start Seahawk receivers this week and if you’re incredibly desperate you could even start Branch. I’m either a genius or an idiot.
Dennis Northcutt – was 2nd to Calvin Johnson last Sunday with eight targets, catching four passes for 48 yards. Stafford is playing well but I would beware of Northcutt as he is now the third receiver with Megatron now somewhat healthy. However, Bryant Johnson or Northcutt could be a potential option this week against the dismal Browns who have given up the fourth most fantasy points per game to receivers of the last four weeks (25.7).
General Target Information From Week 10
League Leaders in Targets
1. T.J. Houshmandzadeh (18)
2. Desean Jackson (16)
2. Randy Moss (16)
4. Devin Hester (14)
4. Santonio Holmes (14)
6. Dwayne Bow(ped) (13)
6. Megatron (13)
6. Joshua Cribbs (13)
League Leaders in Red Zone Targets
1. Santonio Holmes (4)
1. Bernard Berrian (4)
1. Randy Moss (4)
4. Hines Ward (3)
4. Reggie Wayne (3)
4. T.J. Houshmandzadeh (3)
4. Carolina Smith (3)
8. Jeremy Maclin (2)
8. Pierre Garcon (2)
8. Desean Jackson (2)
(7 more with 2)
Players With Highest Percentage of Team Targets
1. Randy Moss (23%)
2. Santonio Holmes (22%)
3. Joshua Cribbs (21%)
4. DeSean Jackson (20.5%)
5. T.J. Houshmandzadeh (20%)
