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October 25, 2000
The Stock Watch
By John Hansen
The Guru's Fantasy Football Report
 
 
John Hansen publishes The Guru Report. In its sixth year, The Guru Report is a comprehensive fantasy football information service. To subscribe to the report's free offseason newsletter, head to: http://www.fantasyguru.com/football.

The market took a wicked turn this past weekend for those who loaded up on shares of WANR (Kurt Warner). Hopefully, those of you who did so saved a little resources for a preseason Penny Stock called Trent Green. Those who didn't own Warner but picked up Green for a song are likely sipping a tropical drink on a sandy beach in the Caribbean somewhere lighting cigars with 20s. Or, well, their fantasy team is at least looking better or something. 

Here's the current market commentary ...

UPGRADES:
THE "NO-DUH" UPGRADES
Trent Green (QB, Stl) - Obviously, he's an incredibly attractive pickup if he's available in your league. He's expected to start 4-6 weeks because Kurt Warner is expected to be out that long, and he's no slouch. There should be little drop-off with Green in. Some think he doesn't have Warner's arm, but he does. 

Albert Connell (WR, Was) - Uh ... that was a pretty big game. 

James Stewart (RB, Det) - He is, of course, a good runner and a great goal line back, his OL has slowly improved all year, and Bobby Ross is committed to the run, so his good production should continue. 

Corey Dillon (RB, Cin) - Yeah, this was real easy to predict. The Broncos had the second-best run defense in the league heading into this game and a potent offense capable of taking Dillon, who had something like 16 yards on his final 15 carries last week, out of the game. At least Dillon has more upside now. 

Ricky Williams (RB, NO) - What else is there to say? Mike Ditka is a genius. 

Charlie Garner (RB, SF) - This guy is unbelievable. He didn't score, but how about those 199 total yards? 

REGULAR UPGRADES 
Daunte Culpepper (Min) - This may have been his best game of the season from a pure football perspective in terms of the decisions and key plays he made. Believe it or not, with Kurt Warner likely out for a while, Culpepper could be the fantasy QB of the year. He's on a pace for 41 TDs, and I still contend he hasn't had his best game of the season (fantasy-wise) yet. 

Rich Gannon (Oak) - Again, there is nothing wrong with this guy. The Raider passing game still hasn't peaked, either. 

Steve Beuerlein (Car) - Vertigo, shmertico. The Panthers had more balance this week and their WRs were as active we should expect, so his stock is back on the rise. 

Brad Johnson (Was) - Five of his final eight games are against poor pass defenses, so he should finish the season with a bang, especially when you consider he's a streaky player on the verge of a hot streak. He's an unrestricted free agent afterward, too, so he'll be plenty motivated. 

Lamar Smith (Mia) - I said early this year that he could be this year's version of Wheatley, and by golly it looks like he is. Incredibly, he runs better on tough Ds. 

Fred Taylor (Jac) - He continues to run very well and would be a stud if the rest of the team weren't so bad. Still, unless this team completely falls apart, he should be golden with this easy upcoming schedule. 

Stephen Davis (Was) - There was some concern with Davis because he's been taking a pounding as of late (but still very effective, of course). But again, I see good things ahead for the Redskin passing offense, so Davis should have some heat taken off him in the coming weeks. 

Tim Biakabutuka (Car) - It was certainly encouraging to see him get 19 carries, and equally encouraging to see him get those two looks in the red zone and those six catches total. Even more encouraging for this week is that the Falcons may have all three of their starting LBs and a top backup, out this week.

Kimble Anders (KC) - Yes, he got 100 yards. Yes, he scored twice. Yes, he's a decent pickup if you need help at RB. But can you rely on him for the rest of the year? Who knows? But at least he's getting the ball. 

Vinny Testaverde (NYJ) - The guy is mixing two, three, even five TDs in with ugly play. Production is production is production, though. 

Jim Miller (Chi) - Miller, who looked rusty this past weekend, should be better prepared the next time out, and it looks like he'll be starting for a while because Cade McNown is be out a 4-6 weeks with a separated shoulder. The word is the job is Miller's to lose even with McNown back. 

J.R. Redmond (NE) - His emergence has been coming on for weeks, and he finally may have completely supplanted Kevin Faulk for the starting job. Redmond is as versatile as Faulk, but he is probably more capable of carrying the load and is generally a little more productive. 

Sammy Morris (Buf) - There he is again, the Bills' most-valuable fantasy back. His versatility remains the key, since he's a great receiver. 

Tim Brown (Oak) - It sure looks like QB Rich Gannon only has eyes for Brown, and Brown seems to have all kinds of gas left in the tank. 

Cris Carter (Min) - Nothing wrong with this guy the last two weeks. While the Colts have the Big Three, the Vikes have the Big Four. 

Jay Riemersma (Buf) - He was close to returning last week, so it's fair to speculate that he'll return this week. He may have been dropped in your league, so get him now. When healthy, he's a top-five fantasy TE. 

Mike Hollis (Jac) - Nothing wrong with this guy, either. He booted a 51-yard field goal with 3-4 yards to spare this past weekend. 

Steve Christie (Buf) - A fantasy stud a couple of years ago, he's quietly having a good year. 

DOWNGRADES 
The Browns - It's bad news all round for the Browns because this offense is going nowhere with Doug Pederson at the helm. 

Mike Alstott (TB) - Alstott had yet another fumble this past week, and his carries could continue to be limited because of this fumbling problem. 

Kevin Faulk (NE) - The fact that rookie J.R. Redmond started, not to mention that Redmond did well, can't be good for Faulk's fantasy value. 

Michael Pittman (Ari) - Leave it to the Cardinals to let a horrific Cowboy team score 48 points on them. That was absolutely pathetic, and their falling way behind early has been a pattern this year, and a killer to Pittman. Granted that they have a lot of injuries, but this team is about as frustrating as a team can be.

Terry Glenn (NE) - Listing him here is probably a knee-jerk reaction to the past two weeks, but he hasn't gotten nearly as many looks these last two games. 

Travis Taylor (Bal) - He's now the No. 3 option on a team that hasn't scored an offensive TD in what seems like decades. 

Jamal Lewis (Bal) - He's certainly not a terrible guy to have, but you may want to play him only when he has a good match-up. Like Week 10 vs. Cin, Week 12 vs. Dal, Week 13 vs. Cle, and Week 16 vs. Ari. In between, he has more tough match-ups. 

Shaun King (TB) - It certainly looks like you can't hang your hopes on King on a weekly basis. He's been pretty inconsistent this year and may not even be fantasy backup worthy.

Kent Graham (Pit) - Graham will be shown a seat on the bench. 

Herman Moore (Det) - There was no instant karma between him and QB Charlie Batch and (big surprise), Moore got hurt again this past week. It's hard to just "lose it" as quickly as Moore has.

Plaxico Burress (Pit) - Oh, just forget him ...

Peerless Price (Buf) - This guy has been an abomination this year. 

Rickey Dudley (Oak) - Knowing this guy, he'll probably start producing when you least expect it. But, at this point, it's real hard to expect the unexpected. 

Jackie Harris (Dal) - Okay, buddy, you've been a little too quiet lately. I'm starting to wonder if your TDs were a fluke.