Hi Folks,

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 11th 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 
Laveranues  Coles 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 Jeff  Blake (NO)?? Heard a funny thing on ESPN's Monday Night  Pregame 
show.? The guys said that with the troubles in St. Louis, the road  to the 
Super Bowl now runs through New Orleans.? It's been a while since  you've 
been able to say that.? Blake struggled in the preseason but has  become more 
comfortable with each game.? With a great rushing game  featuring Ricky 
Williams and a star WR in Joe Horn, Blake's looking great.

QB Trent  Dilfer (Bal)? Shannon Sharpe predicted that when the Ravens  
finally scored a TD, they'd score a bunch of them.? The big TE was  prophetic 
as Dilfer threw for 3 TDs Sunday.? He scrambled, improvised, and  made 
excellent decisions.? A little confidence may be all he needed.?  He doesn't 
have a stellar WR corps with Qadry Ismail, Jermaine Lewis and Patrick  
Johnson but he does have a great TE in Sharpe and a solid RB in Jamal  
Lewis.? 

QB Brian  Griese? (Den)? As expected, Griese's recent off the field  troubles 
had little impact to his performance on the field.? 327 yards and  a couple 
of TDs is strong against a good Jets team.? The biggest reason for  his 
upgrade though is the smashing return of RB Terrell Davis.? If Sunday  was 
any indication, this offense could make some serious noise.

QB Shaun  King (TB)? With back to back solid games, Shaun King is turning  
some heads.? He only passed for 110 yards Sunday but squeezed every yard  for 
all it was worth with 3 TDs.? He continued to target Keyshawn Johnson  even 
to the point of forcing the ball in places it probably shouldn't have been  
thrown.? It's tough to rely on a QB who plays in this conservative offense  
but if you're thin at QB, King might be worth a shot.

QB Jim  Miller (Chi)? Miller clearly gave the Bears a boost with his solid  
play Sunday.? Not only was he more accurate than the injured Cade McNown,  he 
showed a better arm to boot.? Miller's gain will be McNown's lost and I  look 
for Miller to gain plenty over the next few weeks.

QB Danny  Kanell (Atl)? Kanell came in when Chandler left with a  
concussion.? He played pretty well with 2 TDs on 218 yards.? Chandler  looks 
to possibly miss this week's game and Kanell could be a nice play against  a 
Detroit Defense.

?

RBs Moving  Up

RB Lamar  Smith (Mia)? He's made this list several times already this  
year?but it's worth noting how good he's been lately.? Sunday's 2 TD /  125 
yard day earned him the #1 RB ranking in many scoring systems.? I don't  see 
many reasons why he won't have continued success.

RB Terrell  Davis (Den)? In one of the more heartening performances of the  
day, Terrell Davis looked great.? He showed the power and the burst that  
we've come to expect from Davis over the years.? Coach Mike Shanahan said  
during last week's practices that Davis looked as good as he'd ever seen  
him.? After watching the game, I have to agree with him.? 

RB J.R.  Redmond? (NE)?? According to coach Bill Belichick and  Boston Globe 
columnist Frank Dell'Apa, Redmond injured his foot during practice  and was 
supposedly going to be limited Sunday.? Kevin Faulk was  unimpressive early 
and Redmond never looked back after getting a chance.?  He's productive 
without being impressive as he only averaged 2.8 yards per carry  on 24 
attempts but did get the score.? 

RB Jamal  Lewis (Bal)? Much had been made of the Raven's troubles but Jamal  
Lewis had been running hard and effectively.? Lewis was held out of the  
endzone once again but he rolled up 179 total yards with 109 rushing and 70  
yards receiving.? If Trent Dilfer and the passing game can keep things  
rolling, I see no reason why Lewis can't hold up his end of the offense.

RB Justin  Watson (StL)? As you know by now, Marshall Faulk had knee surgery  
Monday and will miss 2-3 weeks.? We've had Watson on our Waiver Wire Wonder  
list for a while as the guy who'd get a shot if Faulk went down.? He was  
less than impressive yesterday with only 12 yards on 12 carries but he did 
get  the TD.? Plus, coach Mike Martz said the game plan had been designed 
around  Faulk and the skills he brings.? Look for Watson to perform better 
with a  week to prepare.? Although Marshall Faulk is the only guy who'll give 
you  Faulk like numbers anytime soon in this offense.

RB Warrick  Dunn? Dunn had 18 carries Sunday and he continues to play a 
bigger  role in this offense. It's coming at the expense of Mike Alstott.? It 
seems  strange to see Dunn carry the load but that's exactly what he's been  
doing.? After the Minnesota game last week, Keyshawn Johnson said he told  QB 
Shaun King that he needed to get the ball to "19 and 28" (Johnson and  Dunn)? 
King evidently listened.? Makes you wonder who's really  coaching this team...

RB  Jermaine Fazande (SD)? Fazande looked to be in danger of losing  carries 
last week but he responded Sunday with a nice day carrying the ball 22  times 
for 74 yards (3.4 ypc) He also tacked on 37 yards receiving.? The  Chargers 
are still struggling but Fazande could be a nice addition if you're  thin at 
RB.

?

WRs Moving  Up

WR  Keyshawn Johnson (TB)?? Johnson told QB Shaun King he wanted  the ball.? 
King obliged and Johnson's made the most of it.? He only  had 3 receptions 
for 47 yards but he managed TDs on 2 of those catches.? I  don't look for him 
to score every other time he touches he ball down the stretch  but I do think 
he could continue the roll.? You can bet the Bucs won't mess  around with 
what's working for them.

WR Joe  Horn (NO)? Can you imagine if Elvis Grbac still had Joe Horn in  KC?? 
QB Jeff Blake's certainly glad to have him and Horn surely likes the  role of 
the #1 WR.? He put together a great game Sunday with 167 yards on 9  
receptions.? WR Keith Poole isn't carrying his share of the load but RB  
Ricky Williams is more than making up for it.

St. Louis  WRs? I'd look for Isaac Bruce, Az-zahir Hakim, and Torry Holt to  
all increase their production in the wake of Marshall Faulk's injury.?  
Synergy can be a strange thing.? On most teams, I'd view the loss of the  
star RB as a negative toward the WRs.? The Rams have so many passing  weapons 
though, I think they can carry the team with a lesser RB in the  backfield.? 

WR Donald  Hayes (Car)? Apparently, the loss of Wesley Walls can be  
overcome.? Hayes made some great plays Sunday.? Not unlike Keyshawn  Johnson, 
he only caught 3 passes, but he made the most of them with 58 yards and  a 
TD.? He looks to be back on track.

WR Muhsin  Muhammad (Car)? I received a few emails asking how in the world  
could I continue to rank Muhammad as high as I did last week.? He's good,  
that's how.? Sure, the Rams had something to do with his play (and the  
ranking) but I like his activity.? He caught 6 passes for 83 yards Sunday  
night and should continue to play well.

WR Derrick  Mason (Ten)? I said a few weeks ago that Mason could be the best  
WR on the team.? Now I'm sure of it.? Of course, it's a team that  doesn't 
throw the ball very well and when they do throw, the TE is the primary  
target.? Still though, he's a solid contributor and you could certainly do  
worse at WR.? His special teams play is a nice bonus if your league let's  
you "double dip" the WR and special teams categories.

WR  Laveranues Coles (NYJ)? Coles continues to play great  football.? He 
ranks as the #26 WR over the last 3 games.? Keep an eye  on him for keeper 
leagues as his play is very encouraging considering his lack  of experience.? 
He should only get better.

WR Marcus  Robinson (Chi)? I told you Robinson doesn't seem to care who's  
throwing the ball and Robinson came through Sunday with 90 yards and a TD.?  
New QB Jim Miller definitely gave the Bears a spark and Robinson benefited 
from  it.? Don't be surprised to see him keep it rolling.

?

TEs Moving  Up

TE Shannon  Sharpe?(Bal)? Sharpe led the charge as the Ravens came  roaring 
back.? He's clearly the best receiver on the team and you can bet  QB Trent 
Dilfer will continue feeding him the ball.

TE Ricky  Dudley (Oak)? Dudley was a guy who kept raising eyebrows on our  
weekly cheatsheets.? Even though he made the downgrade list a couple of  
times, we kept him fairly high on the overall list just based on  potential.? 
Dudley finally showed some of that potential Sunday with a  couple of TDs.? 
It's worth noting that he scored 9 TDs in 1999.? 7 of  them came in the 
second half of the season.

TE Jay  Reimersma? (Buf)? Reimersma seemed less rusty Sunday as he  hauled 
down 6 receptions for 49 yards.? Flutie will probably get another  start this 
week and look for him to continue leaning on the big TE.

?

Players  Moving Down

QBs Moving  Down

QB Donovan  McNabb?(Phi)? McNabb only completed 56% of his passes  Sunday.? 
And even for the ones he completed, he only averaged 9.9 yards per  
completion which is a bad sign.?? He doesn't seem to be?making  the 
improvements and progression you'd like to see from a QB with his  
experience.

QB Charlie  Batch (Det)? Batch was banged around repeatedly Sunday.? He  
eventually left with a concussion and his status for this week will be  
determined probably by Wednesday.? You've probably seen it by now, but  coach 
Bobby Ross resigned.? I doubt that'll have too much effect on the  offense.

QB Drew  Bledsoe (NE)? Bledsoe suffered a very Brett Favre like banged up  
thumb as he hit a defender's helmet.? He was in obvious pain on the  
sidelines and looked extremely frustrated not being able to play.? X - rays  
were negative but he's still hampered by it.? They'll make a decision on it  
this week but even if he can go, he could be limited.

QB Chris  Chandler (Atl)? Once again, Chandler was led off the field looking  
punch drunk.? It wasn't pretty.? Danny Kannell actually played pretty  well 
and could get the start this week.

?

RBs Moving  Down

RB Corey  Dillon (Cin)? As expected, the dream became reality vs a tough  
Baltimore defense.? I traded him in my league last week and hope you did  the 
same.? I'll say it again, a RB can only do so much when there is  absolutely 
no threat of the QB throwing the ball.? Akili Smith is world  class awful.? 

RB Mike  Alstott (TB)? As Warrick Dunn becomes a bigger part of the Buc  
offense, Alstott is playing a reduced role.? Part of the reason is likely  
his fumbling problems but the effectiveness of Dunn is playing a part I'm  
sure.? That and Keyshawn said to give it to Dunn...

RB Kimble  Anders (KC)? The "featured" back in KC had 2 carries Sunday.?  
Never ever trust a Kansas City RB.? No matter what I might tell you in the  
future, don't believe it.? They'll break your heart every time.? 

RB Travis  Prentice (Cle)? Prentice averaged 1.4 yards per carry  Sunday.? 
That won't get it done. Like a lesser version of Corey Dillon,  beware RBs 
with QBs who don't scare anyone throwing the ball.? Doug  Pederson doesn't 
scare anyone... 

?

WRs Moving  Down

WR Johnnie  Morton (Det)? Morton's inability to take up the slack for the  
departed Germane Crowell has been a huge disappointment.? He came up small  
again Sunday and one has to wonder what will change in the future.

WR Herman  Moore (Det)? Let's put it this way:? JJ Stokes is the #4 WR  in 
San Francisco and he had a better day than Moore...

WR Jacquez  Green (TB)? Like Alstott is suffering in the wake of Warrick  
Dunn's success, Green is suffering as Keyshawn Johnson commands more  
attention.? He only had 2 receptions and simply isn't getting the looks he  
was earlier in the year.

WR Raghib  Ismail (Dal)? In what's become the uncomfortable norm, Dallas has  
lost another WR to knee surgery.? There was so much promise this Summer  with 
Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith, Joey Galloway and Raghib Ismail.? Things  can 
change quickly.

WR Carl  Pickens (Ten)? Pickens injured his hamstring again this  week.? I 
was high on him coming over to the Titans but he's been a non  factor.? 
Derrick Mason is the best WR on the team.? By a mile.

?

TEs Moving  Down

TE Chad  Lewis (Phi)? After a hot start, Lewis has struggled of late as  
defenses bracket him.? With no WR to take some heat on the downfield  routes, 
it's not too hard to shut down the TE.?? Until McNabb and  Charles Johnson?/ 
Torrance Small get going, his troubles will likely  continue.

TE Tony  McGee (Cin)? McGee should be a nice weapon for the struggling QB  
Akili Smith but he doesn't seem to be utilizing him as you'd expect.? He  
caught only 2 passes Sunday.? The sad part is that almost made him the  
leading receiver.? 

?

?


 To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
cheatsheets-unsubscribe@egroups.com