Deuce McAllister owners aren't very happy right now, as the running back tore his ACL last week and is lost for the season.
At least owners don't have to debate starting or sitting a guy who was getting 10 carries per game. In reality, Deuce was already doing plenty to hurt fantasy owners before his injury. At least now he's floundering on the waiver wire rather than the bench.
Obviously, Deuce isn't the only New Orleans Saint affected by his injury. McAllister was splitting time with Reggie Bush, and now that Deuce is out of the picture, we get to see what Reggie's really got in the tank.
Clearly this boosts Bush's fantasy value, but the question is how much. He's still got to prove that he can run effectively between the tackles and can handle 25 carries a game. Look for Aaron Stecker to get some carries, as the Saints aren't going to throw the entire load on Bush alone.
Still, Reggie is going to flourish as the featured back, as long as Stecker doesn't become the goal line back. If everyone drafted again today, Reggie would easily be the No. 2 pick in the draft, right behind LaDainian Tomlinson. Really, who else is there? Larry Johnson has done nothing this year, and Bush has as much upside as Shaun Alexander now. Even when Steven Jackson finally looked like he was putting it together with his first 100-yard rushing game, he tore his groin.
Obviously owners should keep Jackson on their bench while he's week-to-week. Pick up Brian Leonard for now, and don't trade Jackson for anything less than fair value. Remember, he was a first-round pick, probably second overall in most drafts. It's still too early to give up on him.
In other news, the fantasy world was rocked this week when Rex Grossman lost the Chicago Bears' starting job to backup Brian Griese. Who would've guessed it?
In reality, everyone expected this to happen at some point. The Bears didn't get to the Super Bowl last year because of Rex Grossman. They did it in spite of him. The guy has been incredibly inconsistent from week to week, and Chicago's fans hate him for it. In terms of fantasy, Grossman loses whatever value he had, and Griese becomes a speculative add in deep leagues.
The last time Griese procured a starting quarterback job in the middle of a season was in 2004 with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He went on to play surprisingly well, starting in 11 games, throwing for 2,632 yards, 20 touchdowns and 12 interceptions and securing a robust passer rating of 97.5.
Griese lost the job in 2005, however, as he had a rating of only 79.6 through six games. Griese won't put up numbers similar to the 2004 season, but he can step in and make a difference.
For owners in need of a backup QB, he's your man. On the other hand, Kurt Warner, who came in and performed well for the Arizona Cardinals last week, should remain on the waiver wire. Matt Leinart is the future of the franchise, and it's hard to believe the Cardinals are going to slow his progression by playing Warner.
Speaking of quarterbacks, the St. Louis Rams revealed this week that Marc Bulger has been playing the past two weeks with broken - not bruised, broken - ribs. Considering that Jackson and four of the Rams' top six offensive linemen, including Pro Bowler Orlando Pace, are injured, Bulger becomes a bit scarier as a fantasy option. Owners should still play him, but perhaps taking a look at his backup, Gus Frerotte, would be a wise move.
Some positive things happened in fantasy last week too, most notably for owners of Philadelphia Eagles players. Donovan McNabb put the haters to rest, throwing for 381 yards and four touchdowns. He was also extremely accurate, completing 21 of 26 attempts. McNabb's completion percentage has gone up in every game this year, from 45.5 percent to 60.9 to 80.8.
For those who forgot, McNabb is good. Really good. He was the best player in fantasy for the first few weeks last year. Nobody was sleeping on McNabb this year, but it was nice to finally see a quality line from him.
So, who was McNabb throwing all these touchdowns to? The Eagles aren't exactly stacked with receivers, which is why Kevin Curtis piled up 221 yards and three touchdowns on 11 receptions. Brian Westbrook had himself a game too, combining for 221 total yards and three touchdowns.
McNabb and Westbrook clearly should be starting every week, but no one should be sold on Curtis. I'm sure Curtis will have a few more nice starts from here on out, but he doesn't get to face the Detroit Lions' secondary again.
If you can sell Curtis to some scrub in your league, do it. Curtis' value will never be higher, and once he goes back to four catches for 50 yards next week, the opportunity will be lost.
