Hi  Folks

It's crunch time so  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?dominating the playoffs or watching 
from the sidelines.? As we head into our 15th week  of listing these players, 
it,s inevitable that some guys 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 Ricky  Dudley 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 as they can very often 
make all the  difference.

Joe

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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 Aaron Brooks  (NO)? We keep hyping the kid and he keeps delivering.?  
Another outstanding game Sunday where he rolled up 441 yards and 2 TDs as he  
went 30 for 48.? The Saints rushing game is clearly struggling so it  appears 
Brooks will continue to air the ball out.? Yes, he'll make some  young QB 
mistakes and I'd be surprised if he didn't throw as many interceptions  as he 
does TDs.? I expect him to throw a lot of both.? I almost  started him over 
Peyton Manning in my local league but didn't pull the  trigger.? Manning was 
solid but Brooks was better.

QB Kordell Stewart  (Pit)? Kordell made our upgrade list last week and here 
he sits  again.? It took a few years, but he's showing folks that maybe 1997 
was no  fluke.? He showed guts coming back in the game after being knocked 
out with  a bad knee or calf (depending on whether you listen to coach Bill 
Cowher or  Stewart)? The TD rush was highlight material.? His problem all 
along  seems to have been confidence and he's surely brimming with it now.? 
Kent  Graham was so bad I won't even mention him in the downgrades but he put 
on a  horrid display when he was in the game.? He's  awful.

QB Jay Fiedler  (Mia)? Dan Fouts said on Monday Night Football a few weeks 
ago  that a nice pass just thrown by Fiedler "was as pretty as anything Dan 
Marino  ever threw".? Fiedler has those moments and he was having them fairly 
often  against the supposedly tough Bills where they were supposedly going to 
have an  advantage in their cold weather.? Didn't play out that way.? 
Fiedler  looks pretty darn good.

QB Jeff Garcia  (SF)? We had him high in week 14 like we have all year and 
he  didn't disappoint.? WR Terrell Owens was a huge help and apparently 
Jerry  Rice's wife?harping on the radio had some sort of positive effect.?  
The Chargers had been very tough against the pass and Garcia shredded  them.

QB Brett Favre  (GB)? I have a hard time putting a finger on it but this guy 
just  does what it takes to get the job done.? He'd be much better off if WR  
Antonio Freeman earned 10% of his paycheck but in the meantime, Bill 
Schroeder's  doing a great job.? 

QB Jeff George  (Was)? Lil Danny Snyder removed the primary obstacle to 
keeping  his QB Jeff George off the field by firing Norv Turner Monday.? 
George  looks to start this week and possibly for the rest of the year.? 
Although  tying Snyder to anything past the next series is a stretch.? I'm a 
Jeff  George fan though and he does give the team a big arm.? We'll see how 
it  goes but at least it looks as if he'll get his shot.

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RBs Moving  Up

RB Mike Anderson  (Den)? Like you need me to tell you this.? The fact that 
he  ran buck wild on a tough New Orleans defense made the effort all the 
more  impressive.? He bruised a knee but seemed to bounce back and looks to 
be  good for Sunday.? Clearly, the Denver OL is the star on this team so if 
you  own Anderson, it's probably not a bad idea to grab KaRon Coleman for the 
stretch  run.? 

RB Fred Taylor  (Jac)? For all the early?ripping I've done to Taylor, he's  
performed just as we predicted he would lately - like a madman.? You don't  
need me to tell you he's been awesome.

RB Warrick Dunn  (TB)? Can the little guy take up the slack for Mike 
Alstott??  I've got a couple hundred reasons that says "yes".? Ok, rushing 
for 200+  against Dallas is nothing special (it's happened in 23% of the 
Cowboys games  this year) but you have to admit Dunn looked great  Sunday.?

RB Corey Dillon  (Cin)? One can only salivate about what he might do if he 
played  for a team like Denver.? The fact he can continue to roll up huge 
yardage  on this team is amazing.? New QB Scott Mitchell is a huge boost as 
he looks  like Peyton Manning back there compared to Akili  Smith...

RB Ahman Green  (GB)? Green's a guy that's finally living up to his  
potential.? You always knew he had the physical skills but now he seems to  
be catching up mentally as well.? He showed a nice nose for the endzone  
Sunday with the 2 TDs.

RB Lamar Smith  (Mia)? So much for the cold weather hamstring worries.? 
Smith  carried the load Sunday in frigid Buffalo and looked great.? It looks 
to me  like he's picking up right where he left off.

RB Terrell Fletcher  (SD)? It's not exactly the same as earning the starting 
RB job in  Tennessee or Indianapolis, but Fletcher does seem to have nailed 
down the #1 RB  slot in San Diego.? And that's worth something.? You have to 
decide  how much...

RB Fred Beasley  (SF)? We loved Beasley early in the season as he racked up  
TDs.? He got back in the mix Sunday with 5 carries and a TD.? The FB  for San 
Francisco has always been a valuable FF slot and Beasley might be worth  the 
roll of the dice if you're thin at RB.

RB Shawn Bryson  (Buf)? Finally, Bryson does something besides make me look 
bad for  hyping him.? He rolled up 88 yards on just 12 attempts Sunday and 
looks to  take advantage of Sammy Morris' ankle troubles.? 

RB Terry Allen  (NO)? Allen made an appearance Sunday and with Jerald Moore 
and  Chad Morton failing to astound anyone, Allen could get more looks.? 
Whether  he's got anything left in the tank remains to be seen.

?

WRs Moving  Up

WR David Boston  (Ari)?? Boston turned in a huge game Sunday and has to be  
considered an upgrade.? He's a streaky guy but with Frank Sanders a total  
non factor, Boston is getting most of QB Jake Plummer's attention these  
days.? And with Arizona almost certain to be playing from behind, he could  
do some damage.

WR Darrell Jackson  (Sea)? Jackson was red hot several weeks ago but had 
cooled of  late.? He warmed up again Sunday with Jon Kitna under center.? 
It's  tough to depend on the Seahawk passing game but Jackson could be worth 
a  shot.

WR Curtis Conway  (SD)? Conway has benefited the most from the Ryan Leaf  
resurgence.? He caught 7 passes Sunday and should benefit as Leaf continues  
to improve.

WR Willie Jackson  (NO)? Jackson's officially moved past the "flash in the 
pan" stage  with another solid day.? Aaron Brooks continues to look good at 
QB.?  Jackson may suffer a bit when Jake Reed gets healthy but for right now, 
he's  looking good.

WR Joe Horn  (NO)? Again, QB Aaron Brooks delivers and Horn is the prime  
recipient.? Joe Horn is one of the better stories of 2000 and he should  
continue to shine especially if the rushing game doesn't get  untracked.

WR Bobby Shaw  (Pit)? Shaw may still be available in your league as the 
starting  WR opposite Hines Ward.? He found the endzone again and continues 
to make  some noise with Kordell Stewart quarterbacking.

WR Terrell Owens  (SF)? The best news for Jeff Garcia owners had to be a 
solid day  from Terrell Owens.? He's a huge boost to the offense when he can 
go and it  looked like he'd made progress with the toe.? Keep an eye out for 
how he  responds after the game but I liked what I saw.

WR Shockmain Davis  (NE)? Ok, I'll be honest.? I'm pretty much just including 
him  here because he's the owner of the coolest name in the  league...

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TEs Moving  Up

TE Dwayne Carswell  (Den)? Carswell's finally starting to emerge as the TE of 
choice  in Denver.? His 62 yards Sunday were second only to San Diego's 
Freddie  Jones.? You have to worry about Desmond Clark stealing time but I'd 
have no  trouble starting Carswell each week.

TE Reggie Kelly  (Atl)? One of the few bright spots for Atlanta has been the 
play  of Kelly.? He caught 4 passes for 44 yards Sunday with a TD.? New QB  
Doug Johnson may lean on him as he settles in.

TE Mark Bruener  (Pit)? Bruener makes the list not only for having another 
solid  game but for making one of the best TD runs after the catch Sunday as 
he piggy  backed a defender into the endzone after refusing to go down at the 
5 yard  line.

TE Andrew Glover  (NO)? Obviously, the play of Aaron Brooks raises the level 
of play  for all the Saints receivers.? Glover made a couple of nice plays 
Sunday  including a good looking TD catch.

?

Players Moving  Down

QBs Moving  Down

QB Shane Matthews  (Chi)? Take a seat Shane.? Cade McNown likely makes his  
return.? Folks can hardly wait...

QB Troy Aikman  (Dal)? Emmitt Smith owners had to love it but did it seem 
strange  to anyone else that the Cowboys felt the best way to come back from 
a huge  deficit against Tampa was to feed the ball to Emmitt?? Clearly, the 
team  has zero faith in Aikman's ability to throw the ball.

QB Shaun King  (TB)? I know he's had trouble with the back but 65 passing  
yards?? That's a joke.? He'll be better but I've seen  enough.

QB Brad Johnson  (Was)? It's the Jeff George show.? At least until?George  
looks bad for a few series...

QB Rob Johnson  (Buf)? In leagues that penalize for interceptions, you'd have 
been  better off starting yourself this weekend than you would've Rob 
Johnson.?  Once again, he starts the game but finishes holding a  clipboard.

?

RBs?Moving  Down

RB Jamal Anderson  (Atl)? Anderson's not playing too badly but the team is 
in  shambles.? After QB Chris Chandler was benched, Anderson vented some  
frustrations saying for all he knew, "he might be punting this week".? I  
don't think we'll see that but I also don't think we'll see the days of him  
seriously rushing the ball for the rest of the year.

RB Shaun Alexander  (Sea)?? RB Ricky Watters has proven to be less than an 
ideal  playmate refusing to share the ball.? Actually, he's played so well 
that  Mike Holmgren has been reluctant to do anything to disrupt the flow of 
his  star.? When the team is struggling as badly as it is, you don't mess 
with  the one thing that's working.

Philadelphia  RBs? Forget about them.? This team will live and die by  
Donovan McNabb.

RB Jermaine Fazande  (SD)? Evidently, Fazande is the 2nd choice behind 
Terrell Fletcher  now.? That's gotta hurt...

?

WRs Moving  Down

WR Joe Jurevicius  (NYG)? This has nothing to do with the play of Jurevicius 
as he's  been very solid but you have to think Ike Hilliard will be a factor 
when he  returns.? He's no lock to go this week but he may be  close.

WR Terrance Mathis  (Atl)? Mathis continues to struggle on a team that's in 
a  tailspin.? New QB Doug Johnson seemed to like throwing to Shawn Jefferson  
which could spell more bad things for Mathis.

WRs Torrance Small /  Charles Johnson (Phi)? Forget about it.? Donovan McNabb 
can  be a solid QB without WRs.

WRs James McKnight / Wayne  McGarity (Dal)? These guys just aren't very 
McGood.? QB Troy  Aikman is a mere shadow of his former self.

WR Marcus Robinson  (Chi)? Robinson's back troubles were apparently more 
serious than  many had expected.? It was announced Monday that he'll likely 
miss the rest  of the season with a bulging disk in his back.? It appears he 
can get by  without surgery but he's certainly not looking good.

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TEs Moving  Down

TEs Marcus Pollard / Ken  Dilger (Ind)? Neither of these guys did much 
Sunday.? This  offense clearly isn't in the same groove it was earlier this 
year.?  

TEs Jackie Harris / David  LaFleur (Dal)? More bad news associated with Troy 
Aikman.?  Neither of these guys were much value Sunday and I don't see that 
changing very  quickly.

TE Pete Mitchell  (NYG)? One of the bigger disappointments at TE this season, 
he  just can't get untracked.

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