? 

Hi  Folks,

I gotta say  before I get started that Monday Night Football,s &Pack" and 
"Cats8 in the  scoring box was one of the more annoying moves they,ve made 
this season.? &Cats8?? That,s so  lame.

Enough of that,  let's jump right into our Upgraded and Downgraded  Players.? 
As we head down the home stretch, identifying those  players moving up or 
down can be the difference between making the playoffs or  watching from the 
sidelines.? As we  head into our 14th week of listing these players, it,s 
inevitable  that some players will have made both the upgrade or downgrade 
list.? Make sure you understand, what we,re  talking about is players that 
are moving.?  In other words, a player like TE Chad Lewis could appear on the 
downgrade  list and still be good enough to be a starter in your league.? It 
just means I,m concerned about the  way he seems to be heading.?  Likewise, a 
player like WR Willie Jackson may make the upgrade list even  though he,s 
still fairly far down the list of WRs.? It,s all about which direction 
players  are moving.? Keeping an eye on these  trends can very often make all 
the difference.

Joe

?

Upgrades and  Downgrades.? Some of these  players are obvious moves up or 
down and some aren't as clear.? Here's my  list of guys I see moving this 
week.

QBs Moving  Up?

QB Kordell  Stewart (Pit)? Time to give props where props are  due.? Kordell 
looks like a new  man.? Actually, he looks like the  old Kordell.? The GOOD 
old Kordell.  Over the last three weeks, he ranks as the # 5 QB in my 
Performance / TD system  based on FF points per game.? Gotta  hand it to Bill 
Cowher as it took some guts to bench the starting? WRs like that but Hines 
Ward has  delivered.? It,s probably not the  best thing for Jerome Bettis 
owners but Stewart,s 3 rushing TDs over the last 3  weeks are huge.?

QB Aaron  Brooks (NO)? Brooks made my upgrade list last week  and I put my 
money where my mouth was outbidding the other owners in my league  to pick 
him up? last week as a free  agent.? I said last week that we,d  see how he 
does with the pressure on all week.? Obviously, this is one cool kid.? If you 
saw the footage of him in the  tunnel before the game he looked like he was 
ready to go out and play a game of  flag football or something.? He made  
some mistakes and fought back from adversity several times.? The obvious 
comparison is a young  Randall Cunningham.? He,s skinny and  has a little bit 
of those Cunningham crazy legs.? Plus he,s got a big arm with that whippy  
motion.? But the biggest thing that  impresses me about Brooks is his poise.? 
 Grab him if he,s available in your league.?

I asked my  friend Tony Pauline from the TFY Draft Preview about Brooks.? 
Tony had him ranked higher than Shaun  King before the draft. Here,s what the 
1999 TFY Draft Preview had for  Brooks:?  

AARON BROOKS  Virginia 6'3" 210 4.71

Fifth year senior who completed 54% of his passes  throwing for 2,319 yards, 
12 touchdowns and nine interceptions and carrying the  ball 83 times for 232 
yards, averaging 2.8 yards per carry with five more  scores.? Led the ACC in 
passing efficiency two seasons ago, throwing for  57% / 2,282 / 20 / 7.? Good 
athlete who has shown great improvement in his  quarterback skills the last 
season and a half.? Smooth and fluid, sets his  feet in the pocket, shows 
good strength and stands his ground when being  rushed.? Has a live arm; can 
thread a needle, throws ropes and his deep  passes have speed.? Effective 
throwing on the run, squares his shoulders  and quickly releases the ball. 
Eludes or side steps oncoming rushers, pulls the  ball down, running between 
the tackles.? While he has improved his accuracy  and places his passes well, 
he often overthrows receivers.? The further  down the field or out to the 
flanks he must get the ball, the more his accuracy  struggles.? Must do a 
better job reading and recognizing defenses, stop  staring down his primary 
target and not hold the ball so long while in the  pocket.? A player who 
turned himself into a good prospect with a solid  senior campaign.? Mid to 
late Sixth Round.?

Thanks  Tony.? Be sure to check out Tony,s  great info at 
www.TFYDraftPreview.com?

QB Kurt  Warner? (StL)?? Warner,s chomping at the bit and has been named the  
starter this week relieving Trent Green.?  Keep an eye out on how he looks in 
practice.? Coach Mike Martz said last week he was  concerned about Warner,s 
grip strength and ability to put rotation on the  ball.? I,m thinking he,ll 
be good to  go.?

QB? Donovan McNabb (Phi)? What  else can you say about this guy??  Take away 
his running game??  No problem.? Give him WRs  that would? struggle to make 
a  division I team? ?No problem.? He finds a way to get it done.? He looks to 
me like he,s beginning to  reach the level of dominance he enjoyed at 
Syracuse where he was  unstoppable.? It,s especially  impressive as teams 
know what he,s going and still can,t stop him.? It should be noted that 
LaVarr Arrington  was injured early and he was the designated &spy8 but 
still, it was an  impressive performance against a very good Washington 
defense.? I see little reason why he won,t  continue although he really needs 
help at WR.?

QB Trent  Dilfer (Bal)? I said a couple of weeks ago that Dilfer  might play 
the late season 1999 Tony Banks role as coach Brian Billick revives  another 
struggling? QB,s  career.? Dilfer seems very  comfortable with what Billick 
is asking him to do and brings a little fire and  attitude to the offense 
that had been missing.? I like what they,re doing and don,t see  why it won,t 
continue.? Although  don,t forget they,re off this week.



QB Brad  Johnson (Was)? Jeff George yields to the young man from  Florida 
State.? His knee is  reportedly good to go and he,s been cleared by the 
trainers as fit to  start.? Considering the troubles the  team endured with 
George at the helm, Johnson has already been named the  starter.? He,ll be 
working with a  nicked WR corps so we,ll see how he fares.?

QB Ryan Leaf  (SD)? Kordell Stewart, Trent Dilfer and Ryan  Leaf?? You gotta 
be kidding me.? But after another solid outing, you  can,t deny Leaf is 
making plays.?  Granted, he still throws the ugly interception(s) and he gets 
hurt almost  as much as Rob Johnson but the kid could make a difference for 
you if you need a  spot QB.? He,s got one of the top 3  TEs in the game with 
Freddie Jones and Curtis Conway and Jeff Graham are  veterans who can make a 
difference.?  This win will have to buoy the spirits and  enthusiasm.

??

RBs Moving Up?

RB Mike  Anderson (Den)? Once is a coincidence.? Twice is a trend. You,ve got 
to start  handing credit to Mike Shanahan, Offensive Coordinator Gary Kubiak, 
and that  offensive line. Like everyone else, I marveled at the way Olandis 
Gary was able  to run last year when Terrell Davis went down.? What a great 
job of scouting we all  thought.? But hey, Gary was a pretty  highly touted 
back.? But Mike  Anderson???? Anderson,s a  fine back but I,ve got to believe 
it,s a team deal here.? The good news is that Anderson,s team  isn,t going 
anywhere without him and he looks to remain a factor while Terrell  Davis 
recovers from the mystery lower leg ailment.? Watch this during the week, but 
it  wouldn,t surprise me a bit to see Davis miss another game. ?And as long 
as Anderson rolls up 195  rushing yards a game like he did Sunday, you won,t 
see Shanahan crying over TD  being out.? Granted 80 of those  yards came on 
one big run but he had a great game any way you slice  it.?

RB Jamal  Lewis (Bal)? I,ve been eating crow (Raven?) for a  while now as I 
was one of those guys not convinced Jamal Lewis would excel at  this level 
after a very disappointing 1999 season at Tennessee.? Lewis is running like 
he did as a  Freshman and Sophomore before the knee injury and he may have 
the best blend of  speed and power in the league this side of Eddie George.? 
Coach Brian Billick has the Raven  offense firing on all cylinders and Lewis 
remains a huge part of it.? His only down side is that he,s off this  week 
with a bye.? But that week 16  matchup against Arizona is looking very 
tasty(?

RB Corey  Dillon (Cin)? Considering what he does with that  surrounding cast, 
I could make a strong case that Corey Dillon is the best back  in the NFL.? 
There have been few  passing attacks in recent memory as impotent as the 
Bengals, yet Dillon  continues to pound out the yards when defenses know 
exactly what,s coming at  them.? It,s amazing to watch.? I don,t know how 
long he can keep it up  but he,s got the woeful Cardinals this week and you 
have to like  that.?

RB Warrick  Dunn (TB)? Dunn made the upgrade list last week in  the wake of 
Mike Alstott,s knee injury and he delivered in a big way for his  owners 
Sunday with 129 total yards including 2 TDs.? There was some talk about him 
sharing  carries but he was the only guy besides QB Shaun King to run the 
ball for Tampa  Bay.? Look for more of the same from  the Bucs and new 
offensive coordinator Warren Sapp(? Seriously, Dunn showed he could handle  
20 rushing attempts and I think you,ll continue to see them go with what,s  
working.?  



RB Michael  Pittman (Ari)? Pittman may be the lone bright spot on  the 
Arizona team.? I told you last  week that coach McGinnis loves the guy and 
you saw the results last night as  Pittman rambled for 77 yards on only 13 
carries (5.7 ypc)? Like Corey Dillon, the surrounding team  kills his value 
but if he ran for a team that held a lead, he,d be awesome.? Unfortunately, I 
don,t see Arizona  turning into such a team anytime soon so don,t get too 
excited.? But overall, I like the guy a  lot.?

RB Richie  Anderson (NYJ)? Each year, there are always unheralded  guys who 
post nice numbers but remain well below the radar of many owners.? Many times 
they are RBs who quietly post  yardage (and FF points) receiving the ball.? 
Anderson is a prime example of one such  player this year (as?are Tony 
Richardson and Stanley Pritchett)? He,s caught 15 passes over the last 3  
games and with Curtis Martin nursing a sore gluteus maximus, that trend will  
likely continue.???

RB Robert  Holcombe (StL)? It doesn,t take a rocket scientist to  see that 
Marshall Faulk isn,t 100%.?  Red flags went up across the country when Mike 
Martz elected to give  Holcombe that shot at the goalline Sunday.?  6 weeks 
ago, that would have been Faulk,s carry all day long.? Holcombe looks to 
benefit if Faulk,s  workload continues to be decreased.?  



RB Brad  Hoover (Car)? Aside from having one of those cool  names the fans 
can yell whenever he does something good, Hoover has shown to be  a capable 
replacement for candybone Tshimanga Biakabutuka.? He doesn,t have the 
physical tools of a  Biakabutuka but you can,t deny he hasn,t been 
effective.? It wouldn,t surprise me a bit to see  Hoover continue to see 
action.

??

WRs Moving Up

WR Marvin  Harrison (Ind)? Harrison stated before Sunday,s game  that he 
needed to &get on a mission8.?  Looked like he started towards that end with 
2 TD catches and he could  have had another.? Yes, you,d like  to see more 
than 4 catches but I,ll take 2 TDs any week.? Harrison,s biggest worry is 
that Peyton  Manning can stay calm enough not to strangle Jerome Pathon for 
dropping easy  balls.? Harrison is fine and  actually looking better in my 
eyes.?

WR Hines  Ward (Pit)? Does anyone else find it interesting to  see Kordell 
Stewart throwing the ball to another &slash8 type player in Hines  Ward?? 
Ward doesn,t have the name of  a Plaxico Burress but he,s certainly more 
productive.? If I,m Burress, I,d be for finding a  baseball cap that I was 
comfortable with(?

WR Amani  Toomer (NYG)? Toomer,s back in a big way.? He had us worried there 
for a stretch  earlier but he,s playing very well right now, especially with 
Ike Hilliard  out.? QB Kerry Collins has settled  into a nice rhythm and 
coach Jim Fassell is sticking his neck out guaranteeing a  playoff slot.? 
Look for?Toomer  and Collins to be a big part of making that happen.



WR Sean  Dawkins (Ind)? With his size (6, 48 / 218 #) I,ve  always wondered 
why he isn,t better.?  He,s showing over the last few games that maybe he 
is.? Over the last 3 games, he rates as the #  5 WR in Fantasy Points per 
game.? It  doesn,t seem to make a great deal of difference to him whether it,
s Jon Kitna or  Brock Huard throwing the ball, he just delivers.???

WR Peter  Warrick (Cin)Garbage time or not,  he scored another TD this week 
and he,s a great gamble if you need to roll the  dice for a home run.? Yes, 
he,s as  liable to go 2 for 18 as he is score a TD but sometimes, those are 
the kinds of  gambles that pay big.? The team  reportedly was forcing him to 
see an eye doctor for contact lenses.? This could be like Charlie Sheen in  
Major League with the new glasses.?  Seriously, if he,s had bad vision that,s 
been limiting him, look out once  he gets the contacts.?

WR Joe  Jurevicius (NYG)? With Ike Hilliard out, Jurevicius got  all he ever 
wanted ) a chance.? And  he,s making the most of it.? He,s  clearly the #2 WR 
behind Toomer but when this offense is clicking, the #2 guy  has definite 
value.? Keep an eye on  Hilliard,s return but he could be a nice sub if you,
re in a  pinch.?

WR Willie  Jackson (NO)? Jackson is looking less &fluky8 with  each game.?? 
He put together a  nice day Sunday with 4 catches for 64 yards.? Like 
Jurevicius, he,s the clear cut # 2  receiver but he,s certainly valuable.?  
QB Aaron Brooks has surprised everyone and Jackson should continue to  
benefit.?

WR R. Jay  Soward (Jac)? I,ll be honest, I really don,t like  Soward much but 
you can,t dismiss the fact Mark Brunell seemed to almost be  forcing the ball 
to him on the long throws.? He,ll draw the weaker coverage (and  rightly so) 
when Jimmy Smith and Keenan McCardell are in the lineup so he could  have 
some mismatches.?  

??

TEs Moving Up?

TE Freddie  Jones (SD)? Jones is still under the radar of a few  owners as he 
plays for the Chargers.?  Truth is,? he,s one of the  better receivers in the 
game and definitely the best receiver in San Diego.? He,s a nice big target 
with soft hands  for new QB Ryan Leaf.? He,s had 11  receptions over the last 
3 games.?

TE Jay  Reimersma (Buf)? Reimersma,s returning to the player we  knew he 
could be.? With 5 receptions  for 82 yards Sunday, he,s a vital part of the 
offense. ?With WRs Peerless Price and Jeremy  McDaniel not doing much, it,s 
pretty much Eric Moulds and  Reimersma.



TE David  LaFluer (Dal)? With Jackie Harris nursing a sprained  knee, LaFluer 
seized the opportunity and put together an excellent game with 6  catches for 
45 yards and a TD.? Keep  an eye on Harris but this could be a trend.

TE Anthony  Becht (NYJ)? Becht earns the upgrade just for the  beautiful 
diving TD catch Sunday.?  At this point in the season, rookies aren,t really 
rookies any more as  most have enough experience that they,re learning the 
ropes.? Becht appears to be a fast learner and  could give this team a huge 
boost with solid TE  play.

??

QBs Moving Down?

QB Jeff  George (Was)? Audition time is over.? Didn't you have the feeling 
owner Danny  Snyder would have loved for his pet QB George to go wild before 
Brad Johnson  sits down to the negotiating table to talk about next year (if 
they ever do  that)? Instead, he looked very  average and even a little bit 
old.?  Brad Johnson will get the start this week.? You never know with knee 
injuries so  George certainly still has value, just nothing like he did as a  
starter.



QB Trent  Green (StL)? Chris Berman made a great point last  night on ESPN,s 
Prime Time.? Trent  Green is a nice player but let,s forget this talk about 
him being the same  player as Kurt Warner.??  Another loss for the Rams 
pretty much guaranteed we,ll see Warner this  week.? The Rams are suddenly  
fighting for their lives and it won,t be Green behind center.?

QB Shane  Matthews (Chi)? The University of Florida has a great  program and 
always places a large number of players at the next level but  Matthews looks 
to be another shot putting QB that simply can,t deliver the ball  at this 
level.? It,s a testament to  coach Steve Spurrier that he can devise systems 
to make guys like Matthews and  Danny Wuerffel look great in college because 
they clearly lack the talent.? Put it this way, Matthews has Bears fan  
wishing Cade McNown will get back soon(



QB Drew  Bledsoe (NE)? Whether it,s the thumb or the WRs or the  play 
calling, Bledsoe is struggling.?  I used to blame this on Bill Belichick 
coming up with a Jets defense that  shattered Bledsoe,s confidence and threw 
him into a tailspin this time of year  but now I,ll have to start looking for 
other theories.?? As Terry Glenn said, & it felt  like the defense knew 
exactly what we were going to do8.? That,s bad for a Thursday  game.

??

RBs Moving Down?

RB Emmitt  Smith? (Dal)? As you  probably saw, Emmitt was knocked out for a 
moment during the Thanksgiving Day  game.? Check his status this  week.? Even 
100%, he faces a tough  stretch of games to finish the season against Tampa 
Bay, Washington, New York  Giants, and Tennessee.?

RB J.J.  Johnson (Mia)? Johnson had a nice game Sunday but early  indications 
are that Lamar Smith will be ready to play this week and that means  Johnson 
takes a seat.?

RB Jamal  Anderson (Atl)? It looks to me like the Falcons are very  close to 
packing it in.? He may be  worth one more start against the porous Seattle 
defense this week but after  that, he,s got a bye and then New Orleans.?

RB Marshall  Faulk (StL)? Understand, he,s still a top RB, but I think his  
value is clearly falling a bit.? He  looks less than 100% but the most 
telling indicator by far was the Robert  Holcombe goalline carry.? 6 weeks  
ago, no way does Holcombe get that carry.?  He,s still a must start and 
Warner will likely help his stock but I,m a  little worried.?

RB Curtis  Martin (NYJ)? The weather conditions made it tough to  get a true 
picture of Martin,s health but it was pretty easy to see he wasn,t  100% 
Sunday.? Between Bernie  Parmalee and Richie Anderson, coach Al Groh has 
plenty of options and he doesn,t  hesitate to go with them.?

RB Jermaine  Fazande (SD) ?The big guy yields to Terrell Fletcher  and looks 
to have lost his starting job.?  Not a huge loss as I doubt you were counting 
on him for too much  anyway.

??

WRs Moving Down?

WR Yancey  Thigpen (Ten)? Drop this guy if you haven,t  already.? He misses 
games with a  myriad of injuries and when he does see the field, he manages 
to drop key  passes(?

WR Marcus  Robinson (Chi)? One has to wonder what could have been  with Jim 
Miller healthy.? Shane  Matthews managed to get the ball to his best WR a 
whopping one time Sunday.? That will not do.? 



WR Sylvester  Morris (KC)? Morris has been especially disappointing  as one 
usually expects rookies to progress during the season but he seems to be  
going the other way.? Over the last  3 weeks, he ranks as the # 81 WR in my 
TD / Performance system.? Part of that can be attributed to Elvis  Grbac / 
Warren Moon but he,s not playing well right now.?

WR Terance  Mathis (Atl)? Mathis ranks # 72 among WRs over the  last 3 games 
in my TD / Performance system.? That,s not what you,re looking for from  a # 
1 WR, even if it is the Falcons.???

Eagle  WRs? These guys are just not very good.? I had especially high hopes 
for Charles  Johnson this year but he,s not getting it done.???

WR Wayne  Chrebet (NYJ)? As sick as I was of Keyshawn Johnson  whining about 
Chrebet not being a #1 WR, it looks he may have had a point.? Chrebet just 
doesn,t have the speed or  physical size to make a? consistent  impact when 
defenses choose to take him out of the game.? I love the guy and admire his 
grit and  determination but he struggles against double coverage.? And most # 
1 WR face double  coverage(?

?

TEs Moving Down



TE Andrew  Glover (NO)? A rising tide is supposed to lift all  boats but 
nobody told Glover about that little axiom.? The Saints continue to roll in 
spite of  a virtually non existent TE.?  



TE Jackie  Harris (Dal)? Keep an eye on Harris as he sprained a  knee Sunday 
and gave way to David LaFluer catching a ton of passes.? 



TE Ricky  Dudley (Oak)? He,s maybe the most frustrating player  in the game.? 
As soon as you bench  him, he,ll catch 2 TDs but I don,t know how many more 1 
reception days I can  take from this guy.?  


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