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News-Herald Assistant Sports Editor Kevin Kleps doesn’t just write headlines and stories. He also checks on his fantasy sports teams. A lot. See if the moves and news from the world of sports affect your fantasy teams.

Monday, September 27, 2010

Fantasy football: Quick snaps from Week 3

Peyton Hillis is the Browns' featured back, Roy Williams is alive, Darren McFadden is for real, Lance Moore is back, and Eric Wright is still chasing Anquan Boldin.

Just another week in (cue Mark Schlereth) the National Football League.

Let's take a trip around the field from a fantasy perspective after Sunday's games:

-- I know the Browns' Hillis won't keep this going, especially once Jerome Harrison is healthy, but his Week 3 performance against a Ravens defense that didn't allow a rushing touchdown in the first two games and ranked fifth against the run in 2009 was much too impressive to ignore. Hillis, who ran for 144 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries and caught seven passes for 36 yards, has to be considered a low-level No. 2 back when Harrison doesn't play. Once Harrison returns, Hillis could still be a flex play in deeper leagues, depending on the matchup. He has 14 receptions in three games.

-- At this point, we should at least be a little concerned with Andre Johnson, who had four receptions for 64 yards and reaggravated his sprained ankle. The Texans receiver has had two poor games and one huge (a 12-catch, 158-yard, one-TD performance in Week 2) contest.

-- Hey, Steven Jackson is hurt. Didn't see that coming.

-- Beanie Wells returned for the Cardinals and, as expected, Tim Hightower wasn't worth a starting spot. Wells had 14 carries for 75 yards, and Hightower had 12 touches (11 rushes for 40 yards, one catch for zero yards). It's simple: If Wells is active, Hightower (who had 218 total yards and two TDs in the first two weeks) should be a fantasy reserve.

-- Maybe it is OK to play Mike Wallace before Ben Roethlisberger returns.

-- Chargers receiver Malcom Floyd (nine receptions for 192 yards and two TDs in the last two weeks) is now a must-start. Thank Vincent Jackson (or the stubborn A.J. Smith).

-- Boldin has crushed Derrick Mason's value. The latter has seven receptions for 82 yards and one TD in three weeks. That's a decent half for Boldin against Wright.

-- Start 'em: Raiders receiver Louis Murphy (11 catches for 210 yards and a TD in his last two games), Texans receiver Kevin Walter (one TD in each game, 16 receptions on the season), Chiefs rookie tight end Tony Moeaki (12 catches, two TDs in three games) and Patriots rookie tight end Aaron Hernandez (12 receptions for 166 yards the last two weeks; 16.2 yards per catch on the season)

-- Sit 'em: Bucs running back Cadillac Williams (139 yards, 2.5 yards per carry, zero TDs in three games) and 49ers receiver Michael Crabtree (six catches, 81 yards, zero TDs on the year).

-- Drop 'em: Browns receiver Mohamed Massaquoi (three receptions for 55 yards in three games), Bills running back Fred Jackson (no longer a factor with Marshawn Lynch getting most of the carries and C.J. Spiller as the electric change-of-pace), Giants running back Brandon Jacobs (eight carries for 25 yards the last two weeks), Jaguars quarterback David Garrard (278 yards, two TDs, five interceptions in his last two games) and Chargers running back Darren Sproles (had two touches, to Mike Tolbert's 20, with Ryan Mathews sitting because of an ankle injury).

-- I wouldn't bench Kellen Winslow Jr. yet, but I'm getting close. The Bucs tight end with the messed-up knees and the eventful past has 11 receptions for 139 yards and zero scores. He hasn't had more than four catches in a game.

-- I can understand if you bench Terrell Owens, who hasn't scored as a Bengal and is averaging only 10.9 yards on his 14 receptions.

-- If you need the roster spot, it's OK to cut Carson Palmer, whose mediocre numbers (three TDs, three interceptions) don't indicate how poorly he's played.

-- A popular waiver-wire pickup this week will be the Saints' Moore, who had six receptions for 149 yards and two TDs after catching three passes for 23 yards the first two games. With Reggie Bush out, Moore will get more looks, and remember, he was effective in 2008 (79 receptions, 928 yards, 10 TDs).

-- That sound you just heard was Panthers receiver Steve Smith telling someone how he feels about the start of the Jimmy Clausen era.

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Thursday, September 9, 2010

Fantasy football: Assessing Houshmandzadeh's value as a Raven

You don't expect a player who had 79 catches the season before to be released by a 5-11 team.

That fate was realized by T.J. Houshmandzadeh -- the subject of one of the best fantasy football commercials we've seen -- in Seattle.

The player with the long locks and extended last name is now a Raven, causing a big drop in his fantasy value and leaving us with questions about how much he'll produce in an offense that already features Anquan Boldin, Derrick Mason, Ray Rice and Todd Heap as targets for Joe Flacco.

Houshmandzadeh was considered a low-end No. 2 fantasy receiver prior to getting cut, but he's no better than a No. 4 with the Ravens. The last two seasons, he's averaged 86 receptions for 908 yards and 3.5 touchdowns -- down considerably from his 2006 and '07 averages of 101 catches for 1,112 yards and 10.5 scores.

There's also the likelihood he'll be Baltimore's No. 3 receiver, behind Boldin and Mason. The latter, as we wrote in a column for Saturday's print and online editions, is undervalued this season, despite averaging 85 catches for 1,051 yards and six TDs the last three years.

Boldin was drafted, on average, in the early fourth round, which seems about right for a player who has had only one season with double-digit touchdowns (2008), and Joe Flacco is no Kurt Warner.

I'd consider Boldin an upper-echelon No. 2 receiver in fantasy, Mason a No. 3 and Houshmandzadeh a high-level No. 4.

And you should consider checking back with us this weekend. Saturday, we'll have the aforementioned column on the N-H's online sports section, and there will be another blog in this space.

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