Saints may come marching to your rescue
Those of you who left your fantasy draft with New Orleans Saints players such as Drew Brees, Reggie Bush, Deuce McAllister or Marques Colston figured a truckload of points were headed your way.
That pileup on the Fantasy Football Expressway was the last thing you expected.
A month into the season, Brees' engine was spewing oil, Colston's tires were flat, Bush was spinning out and McAllister smashed into the guardrail at 100 mph.
It was enough to make you scream, "Enough!" and trade everybody away. Well, for those of you who didn't, congratulations.
The Saints are back.
Even after an 0-4 start, the team didn't resort to backstabbing each other or calling out their coaches. Players went about their business, fixed what was wrong and got back to playing good football.
"I think you've got to relay the message that it's a long season," Saints coach Sean Payton told The Times-Picayune. "I've said this before, but at the beginning of training camp you talk about going through stretches. During the course of 16 weeks, there's going to be a lull at some point, or a letdown or a couple weeks of adversity, maybe more."
The difference in how the Saints played in their opener against the Colts and their next nationally televised game in Seattle on Oct. 15 was night and day. Even at the nightmarish Qwest Field, where eardrums pop more than a bag full of microwave popcorn, New Orleans came out with a purpose and executed almost flawlessly in a 28-17 victory. Brees was sharp, and Bush had the ball in his hands on seven of the first eight plays.
That game was the springboard to the Saints' resurgence as Payton's team has won three straight and scored 27.0 points per game in that stretch.
During the winning streak, Brees (8 TD passes, 801 yards passing), Colston (12-132-4) and Bush (average of 109 yards rushing and receiving) have all picked up their games and are fantasy relevant once again.
"I thought the response to (our struggles) was a favorable one," Payton said, "and one where guys were trying to look at themselves and make the corrections and take responsibility, as well as the coaches doing the same thing and moving forward."
This week, the Saints face Jacksonville, and it figures to be a tough contest. New Orleans hasn't beaten an AFC opponent since Week 1 of last season, and the Jaguars allow just 15.7 points per game.
After that, St. Louis, Houston and Carolina are on the docket. And if you think that's sweet, check out the Saints' schedule come fantasy playoff time: New Orleans is at Atlanta in Week 14, then hosts Arizona and Philadelphia. Not only do the Falcons and Cardinals allow more than 21 points a game, but all three contests will be in domes as other teams fight the bitter cold of December.
In other words, you've survived the bumpy beginning. Now it's time to set your lineup on "cruise control" and enjoy the rest of the ride.
Pickups: These are mostly handcuff selections, but Titans rookie RB Chris Henry has shown some serious speed the past two weeks, and if LenDale White ever went down, Henry would be an instant point producer. Also, in San Francisco (generally considered a fantasy abyss), Frank Gore's ankle is hurting. It could cost him playing time, meaning Michael Robinson would be a nice addition if you have room on the bench.
My teams: With three major players on the bye and my team facing Tom Brady, it was almost an automatic loss in my unit league where I fell 90-49. That team is 5-3 and in danger of falling to .500 with some tough foes on the docket. In my regular league, Joseph Addai (31 points) and Greg Jennings (26) paved the way to a 114-67 victory. That team is 6-2.
Good bets
• Cardinals RB Edgerrin James vs. Tampa Bay. Only once has James (4 TDs) had a truly bad game, and that came against the Ravens. Start him with confidence this week against a Bucs defense that allows 124.5 rushing yards per game.
• Lions RB Kevin Jones vs. Denver. After seeing the Packers' Ryan Grant torch the Broncos on Monday night, I think it's safe to say Jones (181 rushing yards, 2 TDs last two) will have another big game.
• Chargers QB Philip Rivers and WR Chris Chambers vs. Minnesota. Four QBs have thrown for over 300 yards against the Vikings. Enough said.
• Redskins RB Clinton Portis vs. New York Jets. Portis has been jumping back and forth in my good and bad bets of late. He's definitely worth a start this week against a unit that has allowed 156 rush yards a game the last four weeks.
• Seahawks QB Matt Hasselbeck and WR D.J. Hackett vs. Cleveland. Only Baltimore and Oakland have failed to throw multiple TD passes against the Browns.
• Bills QB J.P. Losman and WR Lee Evans vs. Cincinnati. If you're floundering badly and want to take a shot, go with these two against a sickly Bengals defense. Evans is coming around, and this is a great spot for Losman to prove to coach Dick Jauron that he should start over rookie Trent Edwards.
Bad bets
• Panthers RB DeShaun Foster vs. Tennessee. Foster hasn't gone over 65 rushing yards since Week 3, and there's no reason to think he accomplishes that this week against this hard-nosed defense.
• Packers WR Greg Jennings vs. Kansas City. That 82-yard TD catch by Jennings to end the Monday night game in Denver was a thing of beauty. But before that, he had 5 catches for 59 yards. He's OK as a No. 3 WR, but I'd temper my enthusiasm this week because it's always tough to play in Arrowhead.
• Jets QB Kellen Clemens vs. Washington. After that 52-7 pasting by the Patriots, watch for the Redskins to reestablish themselves against the pass.
• Vikings RB Adrian Peterson vs. San Diego. It's crazy to sit Peterson at this point, but I bet he doesn't get over 80 total yards.
• Ravens RB Willis McGahee vs. Pittsburgh. The Steelers have allowed 1 rushing TD all season.
• Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger and WR Santonio Holmes vs. Baltimore. This game figures to a be a 13-9 or 16-12 affair. Such fun for a Monday night game.