Fantasy Football: Rams' Alexander a good grab at WR
Rams wide receiver Danario Alexander catches a 38-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter as the St. Louis Rams beat the San Diego Chargers, 20-17. (Oct. 17, 2010) Credit: MCT
Unless you're in a fantasy football dynasty league, you probably didn't even pay attention to the Rams promoting wide receiver Danario Alexander from the practice squad to the active roster after picking him up two weeks ago. Now, Alexander is on the fantasy radar after four receptions for 72 yards with a touchdown last week against the Chargers despite playing limited snaps.
Not only was Alexander quickly inserted into a game, but the Rams signed him to a four-year contract and that should make you take notice. There's no denying the talent of the 6-5, 215-pounder, who led the nation in receiving last season at Missouri. Injuries have held Alexander back, with four knee surgeries preventing him from being drafted.
Alexander is certainly an injury risk based on his history, but he has the chance to emerge as the main deep threat in the Rams passing game, which has been productive with quarterback Sam Bradford. The rookie has played well despite a plethora of changes at the wide receiver position because of injuries. Alexander has a lot of upside and makes a solid WR3 option this week against a struggling Buccaneers secondary.
Here are some more good plays for Week 7.
Matt Cassel (Chiefs, QB): Cassel hasn't played well this season, but the litmus test for using him in great matchups came last week against a horrible Texans secondary and he came through with three TDs. He gets another juicy matchup against a porous Jaguars defense. He's a good bye week fill-in.
Brett Favre (Vikings, QB): Favre didn't have to throw much last week, but a Sunday night game against his former team and a banged up Packers defense makes him a good start.
Chris Ivory (Saints, RB): Ivory looked terrific last week, rushing for 158 yards on 15 carries and Pierre Thomas likely will be out again. The Browns are ranked 23rd against the run.
Peyton Hillis (Browns, RB): Hillis totaled 90 yards against a tough Steelers defense last week while battling a quad injury. He is the Browns offense and is an every-week starter.
Knowshon Moreno (Broncos, RB): Moreno returned from a hamstring injury last week and gained 48 yards on 12 carries against a Jets defense that defends the run well. It gets much easier against a Raiders defense that is getting shredded by rushing offenses. The Raiders rank 30th against the rush.
Marshawn Lynch (Seahawks, RB): Lynch had a tough matchup against the Bears in his Seahawks debut and had 17 carries for 44 yards with a TD and three catches for 9 yards. This week he gets the Cardinals, who rank 29th against the run.
Johnny Knox (Bears, WR): He's capable of breaking a big play each week and had five catches for 120 yards last week. The Redskins have trouble defending the pass, ranked 31st.
Mike Wallace (Steelers, WR): Now that Ben Roethlisberger is back, Wallace gets a huge boost. Expect Wallace to be targeted for a few deep passes every game.
Dwayne Bowe (Chiefs, WR): Bowe finally came through with two TDs last week after a rough start to the season. The streak will continue against an awful Jaguars secondary that has allowed 14 passing TDs.
Patrick Crayton (Chargers, WR): Philip Rivers is the type of quarterback that makes receivers better. Crayton stepped in last week and had six catches for 117 yards. He makes an excellent spot start against a bad Patriots defense that has allowed 11 passing TDs.
Robert Meachem (Saints, WR): The Saints always spread the ball around, making their wide receivers risky plays. Meachem started slowly because of an injury, but has seen an increase in snaps the last few games. He has scored in two straight and should be able to exploit a Browns defense that has allowed 11 passing TDs.
Ben Watson (Browns, TE): The injuries to tight ends are coming fast and furious. Then wide receivers Mohamed Massaquoi and Josh Cribbs could be out for the Browns, meaning more targets for Watson, who has at least five catches in four consecutive games.
Tony Moeaki (Chiefs, TE): Moeaki is coming off a bad game, but the Chiefs target him in the red zone and the Jaguars are a great matchup.
Aaron Hernandez (Patriots, TE): He's available in too many leagues. Hernandez is a must start every week.
Good defense/special team plays: Saints (vs. Browns), Chiefs (vs. Jaguars), Seahawks (vs. Cardinals), Broncos (vs. Raiders).
Sleepers: Josh Freeman (QB, Buccaneers), Matt Hasselbeck (QB, Seahawks), Danny Woodhead (RB, Patriots), Willis McGahee (RB, Ravens), James Jones (WR, Packers), Deon Butler (WR, Seahawks).
