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Sporting News, The, Sept 30, 2005 by Rob Hurtt

The waiver wire is flooded with requests in the opening weeks, and with good reason. New impact players--as Reuben Droughns and Drew Brees were in 2004--are available. Identifying this year's surprise performers is just one step toward getting your team ready for a winning season.

Identify your weaknesses. Know which positions are your greatest needs, and focus your waiver claims on those areas. If you have Marc Bulger and Tom Brady, you have little need for Gus Frerotte, even if you think he'll excel.

Staying on top of your team's ever-changing needs sometimes can be difficult for owners such as me who have multiple teams. Is the Chimpanzees of Death short on running backs, or is that my other team, the God-fearing Atheists?

A little trick I use involves the trading block feature on our games site. The tool allows owners to post notes informing the league of what positions or players they are looking to deal and what they could use in exchange. I'll have a post there most of the season, even if I'm not really looking for offers. It helps me remember what areas need attention on each of my teams.

Identify slow starters. Domanick Davis entered Week 9 last season with only 289 rushing yards, then dominated down the stretch. Because of tough early matchups, he is off to another slow start. But the Texans have the seventh most favorable schedule, according to our fantasy strength of schedule tool, so there must be some happy days ahead. It's a good time to buy low on Davis and a few other proven stars.

Identify the suckers. This tip works well with the previous one if your league's newbie owner or annual last-place finisher has a September underachiever. If an owner freaks out over Daunte Culpepper's bad start, let him know you'll gladly take Culpepper off his hands and give him Byron Leftwich. There's nothing wrong with taking advantage of another owner's fantasy incompetence. Believe me, he'd do the same to you if he could.

We heard that Minor things in the outcomes of NFL games can be major things in fantasy games. Paul Blaney of Boston passed along one such heartbreak from Week 1:

"My buddy was down by 28 with Michael Vick and Brian Westbrook playing Monday night. He came back to take a 101-100 lead. In the final minutes, he lost a potential catch to Westbrook because of Andy Reid's nearly ignored timeout. Then Vick took three kneel-downs, which dropped him from 71 rushing yards to 68 and left the game tied at 100." Oh, the humanity. We feel for your buddy, Paul.--R.H.

WEEK 3

TSN experts    Pos.                         STUDS

  MATTHEW       QB     Donovan McNabb, Eagles
   BERRY        RB     Edgerrin James, Colts
                WR     Darrell Jackson, Seashawks
                         Plummer's inconsistency is one thing you can
                                          count on.
   LADD         QB     Matt Hasselback, Seahawks
   BIRD         RB     Edgerrin James, Colts
                WR     Chris Chambers, Dolphins
                       Vick will have nowhere to run against the Bills.
   LARRY        QB     Daunte Culpepper, Vikings
 GOLDSTEIN      RB     Steven Jackson, Rams
                WR     Reggie Wayne, Colts
                           Evans will rebound against the Falcons.

TSN experts    Pos.                        SLEEPERS

  MATTHEW       QB     Steve McNair, Titans
   BERRY        RB     Brian Westbrook, Ealges
                WR     Keenan McCardell, Chargers
                        Plummer's inconsistency is one thing you can
                                          count on.
   LADD         QB     Steve McNair, Titans
   BIRD         RB     Cadillac Williams, Bucaneers
                WR     Larry Fitzgerald, Cardinals
                       Vick will have nowhere to run against the Bills.
   LARRY        QB     Jake Delhomme, Panthers
 GOLDSTEIN      RB     Cadillac Williams, Buccaneers
                WR     Lee Evans, Bills
                           Evans will rebound against the Falcons.

TSN experts    Pos.                       STUMBLERS

  MATTHEW       QB     Jakwe Plummber, Broncos
   BERRY        RB     Rudi Johnson, Bengals
                WR     Hines Ward, Steelers
                         Plummer's inconsistency is one thing you can
                                          count on.
   LADD         QB     Michael Vick, Falcons
   BIRD         RB     Warrick Dunn, Falcons
                WR     Steve Smith, Panthers
                       Vick will have nowhere to run against the Bills.
   LARRY        QB     Michael Vick, Falcons
 GOLDSTEIN      RB     Kevan Barlow, 49ers
                WR     Jimmy Smith, Jaguars
                           Evans will rebound against the Falcons.

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Sporting News, The, Sept 30, 2005 by Rob Hurtt

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