MVP by Position

QB: Josh Freeman – 303 yards, 2 PaTD – Up and down, up and down, Freeman’s fantasy points rise and fall like a roller coaster from week to week. He’s had three weeks with fewer than 13 fantasy points, but he also has two weeks of 23 and 20. The most important thing to understand from this game with New Orleans was that Freeman is a great choice if the matchup is right. For example, look to start him in week nine when he travels to the Superdome for Round Two with the Saints.

RB: Ahmad Bradshaw – 130 yards, 3 TD – How can you choose anyone else to be the most valuable running back for week six? Bradshaw took full advantage of goal line running back Brandon Jacobs’ injury by punching in three one-yard touchdowns. Bradshaw proved that he could be an elite fantasy player if the job is ever given to him outright, but I expect his workload to revert back to the way it was once Jacobs comes back.

WR: Devin Hester – 91 yards, TD, Kick Return TD – He had two long touchdowns against the Vikings in the Sunday night game, but it’s very tough to feel confident starting Hester for fantasy purposes in future weeks. He led all receivers in fantasy points, but you won’t find him as one of my favorite waiver wire adds this week. A lot of his value comes from his potential for return touchdowns, and that just isn’t someone who is worth a roster spot on your fantasy team.

TE: Jimmy Graham – 124 yards – In a week when no tight end really stood out, the tight end MVP award goes to the guy who produces week in and week out. Graham has now tied a tight end record for most consecutive games with over 100 yards receiving with four, and I maintain that he’s the second best at his position behind Jason Witten.

Defense/Special Teams: Cincinnati Bengals – 17 points allowed, INT, 2 Fumbles Recovered, Sack, Blocked Kick, TD – All they were missing this week was the partridge in a pear tree. This is the second straight week with a defensive touchdown, and they are quickly becoming a must-start defense if they have a favorable matchup.

Last Friday’s Predictions

The #ThumbsUp! section included a lot of scoring this week. If you played A.J. Green, James Jones, or the aforementioned Bengals defense you were rewarded with a touchdown. Green would be a strong rookie of the year candidate if it weren’t for Cam Newton’s emergence as a box score-stuffing quarterback. My bye-week special at quarterback was Colt McCoy (215 yards, 2 PaTD, 16 rushing yards), who again finished as one of the top 10 at his position from a fantasy perspective. McCoy beat out guys like Newton, Ben Roethlisberger and Matt Schaub.

Schaub (220 yards, PaTD) found himself on the #ThumbsDown list for week six, and he certainly did put up mediocre numbers against the elite Baltimore Ravens defense. The other guys in this group were Jahvid Best (110 yards) and Reggie Wayne (58 yards), neither of whom had especially good games.

Waiver Wire Pickups

DeMarco Murray (RB, Dallas Cowboys) – With the news of Felix Jones’ high ankle sprain, Murray looks like he’ll be the go-to guy in Dallas for the next few weeks. The rookie didn’t look fantastic on Sunday, but I think he’ll get the nod over Tashard Choice, who had an early fumble against the Pats. If Murray impresses Jason Garrett over the next few weeks he could find himself with a substantial role even after Jones comes back.

Montario Hardesty (RB, Cleveland Browns) – There is something flat-out wrong with the Peyton Hillis situation in Cleveland. He got a lot of early work for the Browns in week six, but finished the game with six carries for 14 yards. At first the story was that Hillis was removed from the game due to a coach’s decision, but now they claim he injured his hamstring. Either way I expect Hardesty to be named the starter sometime very soon, and he could be pretty good in fantasy. Colt McCoy throws an awful lot, and Hardesty is a better receiving back than Hillis.

Michael Crabtree (WR, San Francisco 49ers) – Crabtree’s 15 targets led the entire NFL for week six, and you can expect more where that came from in the near future. The 49ers pass-catchers are dropping like flies, and Crabtree’s only competition for targets in San Fran is tight end Vernon Davis.