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Fantasy Sports

Oct. 6: Top pickups for week 5

By Brandon Oland, Times Staff Writer

Friday, October 09, 2009

In week three, Pittsburgh coach Mike Tomlin tired of the mental errors running back Rashard Mendenhall made in practice.

So Tomlin relegated him to special teams duty, an embarrassing slight for a former first-round pick.

I guess Mendenhall got the message.

Mendenhall went off for 165 yards and two touchdowns last week in a win over the Chargers. It’s the first time Mendenhall has shown the ability that made him such a coveted draft pick in 2008.

He struggled with fumbles in the preseason last year. Then Ray Lewis prematurely ended his season with a vicious tackle that broke his shoulder.

Mendenhall has always been more talented than Parker. He’s a bruising runner who is surprisingly shifty for his size. After last week’s breakout game, I’m touting Mendenall as our pickup of the week.

Loyal readers to this column have been rewarded. So far, our pickups have included Pittsburgh tight end Heath Miller (two tight ends last week), Dallas running back Tashard Choice and San Francisco running back Glen Coffee.

Now, Mendenhall is likely owned in many leagues. But you should really scan your waiver wire just in case. It was only one game against a beat-up San Diego defense, but I was really impressed by what I saw from a rejuvenated Mendenhall.

Full disclaimer: I have an unusual reason for loving Mendenhall. A few years ago, I used Illinois, Mendenhall’s alma mater as my franchise team the in EA Sports College Football 2008 video game.

I gave Mendenhall 30 carries a game for two straight years, and he never let me down. After all that video game success, I started paying attention to him during the Fighting Illini’s Rose Bowl run in 2007. The actual Mendenhall looked just as good as the video version. At long last, Mendenhall is delivering.

Here are some other quality options:

Sidney Rice, WR, Minnesota: Here’s what I know about the Vikings: Despite Monday night’s outburst, I don’t think Brett Favre is going to be uncorking a bunch of 50-yard completions. Receiver Bernard Berrian seems recovered from a preseason hamstring injury, but I don’t envision him being the deep threat he was before. Percy Harvin is fast. But he’s not big. Thus, you would have to think a lot of Favre’s touchdowns this year will go to the 6-foot-4 Sidney Rice, who has two touchdowns in his last two games.

Heath Miller, TE, Pittsburgh: This is last call for Miller Time. The dude caught two touchdowns last week, is on the field almost every play and is Ben Roethlisberger’s security blanket. Start him with confidence.

Kyle Orton, QB, Denver: This one comes from Times city editor Wayne Carter, one of the best fantasy football players I know. Orton has stunk so far. There’s no getting around that. But, eventually, Orton, Brandon Marshall and the totally forgotten Eddie Royal have got to get on the same page. In smaller leagues, Orton might be available and isn’t a bad bye-week replacement.

Jermichael Finley, TE, Green Bay: I loved him when he played at the University of Texas, and I think he might wind up becoming the next great receiving tight end in the NFL. He had 128 yards and a touchdown in Monday night’s loss to Minnesota. This is probably your last chance to get Finley, and he’s definitely worth a waiver claim in larger leagues.

Marcedes Lewis, TE, Jacksonville: Yet another tight end worth considering. What’s going to happen when defenses start keying on Mike Sims-Walker? Lewis will start getting more looks, especially around the end zone. He might wind up with eight touchdowns.

Michael Bush, RB, Oakland: The Raiders are horrible. Jamarcus Russell is an embarrassment. But Bush is one of Oakland’s better players, as horrible as that may be. Plus, Darren McFadden is shelved two-to-four weeks with a torn meniscus. Keep in mind: North Carroll grad Steve Suter tore his meniscus while at the University of Maryland and only missed about 10 days. It’s typically not a terrible injury, but why not start Bush in the short-term? Backup Justin Fargas is also a decent speculative add.

Players I’m not sold on: Cleveland running back Jerome Harrison is starting over the dinged-up Jamal Lewis. Rookie James Davis is on injured reserve. This adds up to Harrison being the only remotely decent option for the Browns, but if they can’t score touchdowns on a regular basis, he’s not worth it. … New York Giants receiver Steve Smith is good, but I don’t think there’s any way he can keep up this pace. Try to trade him for an elite receiver. … Cleveland receiver Mohamed Massaquoi had 148 yards receiving last week, and Braylon Edwards had none. I doubt that setup continues. … Tampa Bay starting quarterback Josh Johnson runs like Randall Cunningham but passes like an indecisive Tony Banks. Definitely avoid.

Players I’m not giving up on: I’m officially demoralized by Denver receiver Eddie Royal and his horrendous start to the season. I’m a big believer in his ability. I have no idea why Denver isn’t getting him involved, but I wouldn’t cut Royal just yet. Then again, I wouldn’t start him either. … Hang in there Roddy White owners. Better days are ahead. I’d definitely be trying to trade for both him and Larry Fitzgerald, who is off to an ordinary start. … Tennessee quarterback Kerry Collins isn’t the reason the Titans are 0-4. He remains a decent bye-week replacement. The entire world forgot about New York Giants first round pick Hakeem Nicks. If he’s healthy, he should be able to put a serious dent in the production of Steve Smith and Mario Manningham, especially in the red zone. …