Engel’s Angles: Week 8 observations

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Stifled: The Ravens were able to limit Brandon Marshall(notes) to 24 yards on four catches, and the Denver offense sputtered as a result. Kyle Orton(notes) was pressured heavily and the Ravens took away the downfield pass, and no other pass-catchers stepped forward to act as dependable targets for the QB. There is now a formidable blueprint for stopping the Broncos on offense, and it will be very interesting to see how they adjust in their next game. Orton desperately needs to start finding other playmakers, and the running game must provide better support, or the Orton/Marshall connection may have to deal with some frustrating weeks ahead.

Stunning developments: Steve Slaton(notes) lost his grip on the Texans’ starting RB job, and Owen Daniels(notes) is now lost for the rest of the season. So what will the Houston offense look like going forward? Well, you can never believe “coach-speak.” No matter what Gary Kubiak says publicly, he comes from the old Denver braintrust that had little patience for fumblers. Ryan Moats(notes) has at least earned a significant role in a time share, and Slaton may see his value bumped down to that of a flex player. Moats, however, will have to curb his own mistakes to stay on a new and possibly lofty perch on the depth chart. The situation may only be temporary, and will have to be evaluated week to week. Without Daniels, Matt Schaub(notes) will adjust, as he does a good job of distributing the ball. Expect him to start using his secondary WRs more, and there may be a strong effort to get Kevin Walter(notes) back into the flow of the passing game. Also, keep your eye on David Anderson(notes) (51 receiving yards against Buffalo).

Unimpressive victory: The Browns gave a game away to the Bears, committing five turnovers. Jay Cutler(notes) did not throw a TD pass and was intercepted once. Matt Forte(notes) totaled 121 yards from scrimmage and scored twice, yet it was apparent that he could be headed for more frustrating outings in the near future. Forte struggled to find open running room at times, and the offensive line continued to have its occasional troubles. The Bears put a big loss at Cincinnati behind them, but the offense was spotty and has to be a concern for fantasy leaguers going forward. Sell high on Forte now if you can, and Cutler is no lineup lock in any format for now.

Admirable ‘Hawk: The Seahawks did stick close for a spell at Dallas, and Matt Hasselbeck(notes) came through with a solid outing despite shaky protection and a mediocre ground game that did not provide regular support. Hasselbeck threw for 249 yards, two TDs and no interceptions, and even returned to the game after taking a big hit that seemed destined to sideline him again. Hasselbeck remains an injury risk because of his offensive line issues, but is also capable of providing solid numbers in any given week.

Staying afloat: Incredible return feats won’t be able to save the Dolphins every week. Ronnie Brown(notes) and Ricky Williams(notes) were limited to 54 combined rushing yards. Miami needs Chad Henne(notes) to start opening up things a little more, at least to make opponents respect the passing game more. That means a Dolphins pass-catcher or two may start to emerge in the next few games, so keep an eye on the Miami WR/TE corps if you need help in larger leagues.

Solid Smith: A week after a major outburst in relief, Alex Smith wasn’t outstanding in a loss at Indianapolis, yet he wasn’t terrible, either. Smith threw one TD pass, yet he made some sound decisions and threw one interception. Valuing the football and not making critical or numerous mistakes or awful errant throws shows Smith may finally be making progress in his career. Keep him on your roster as a reserve with some possible upside.

You cannot hold him down: Donovan McNabb(notes) can certainly disappoint his owners with some clunkers, yet he can’t be held back for long. After two mediocre outings, McNabb came through with his second three-TD, no interception outing in four weeks. McNabb is inconsistent, but capable of exploding against any opponent. He certainly fed off a big game atmosphere against the Giants. Pure matchups will never dictate how McNabb performs. He’s a boom or bust fantasy QB, and I’ll keep him active for the “booms” if my other choice is of comparable value.

Lesson learned: All sorts of funky starting recommendations were floating around based on the Detroit-St. Louis matchup. There seems to be a generic school of thought that if one team is bad, any opponent that faces it may have viable starting options. Since these were two bad teams, I even heard Danny Amendola(notes) cited as a Week 8 sleeper. A bad team can only be exploited by another truly good or decent one, as we all discovered. Steven Jackson, as usual, was the only outstanding player on either side, as he rushed for 149 yards and a TD. I am done endorsing Donnie Avery(notes). Any player that cannot step forward in a game like that one is clearly not worthy of a roster spot.

Not classic LDT: LaDainian Tomlinson(notes) scored twice against Oakland, but I’m not getting excited. Consider the opposition, which actually looked like spectators or statues on one of his TD runs. Too often this season, the poorly coached and frequently unmotivated Raiders make anyone look good. Tomlinson is no longer a strong runner in short space, deal him now after this performance if you can.

Lesson learned II: The Tennessee pass defense has been awful most of the year, but the Jaguars didn’t have the weaponry needed to exploit it. David Garrard(notes) did not throw a TD pass and was intercepted twice. Again, only move to exploit a matchup if you have the right players to do so. Garrard should never be considered over a higher tier QB based on matchup alone. Some of you expert readers realize this, but there’s a wide fantasy audience out there.

Scott Engel is Managing Director at www.rotoexperts.com. He chats live every Sunday on the site from noon to 1 p.m. ET. Test your fantasy mettle every week against Scott and other top Fantasy Experts in Rapid Draft at http://rapiddraft.rotoexperts.com/.