Stars und Sternchen! » on of course is Victor Cruz’s se

Each week, TSN.ca takes a look at the top available players in fantasy football ahead of the weekly waiver deadline. Quarterbacks Derek Carr, Oakland Raiders (vs. Cardinals) Last Week: 18/34, 282 yards, 4 TDs, 1 INT Carr’s breakout game coincided with Tony Sparano’s coaching debut and the Raiders’ abandonment of Dennis Allen’s ultra-conservative offensive game plan. Gone are the days of 0-yard passes for the rookie QB as Carr was among the league leaders in 20+ yard passes in Week 6. Carr is still very much a QB2 or bye week replacement at this point, but he’s a promising young QB who, with the vertical passing game now opened up in Oakland, is now worth a look. His Week 6 line would have looked even better if it weren’t for the five drops accumulated by Raiders receivers, but that’s a problem Carr will likely have to deal with all season. While Teddy Bridgwater very much came back to earth on Sunday, another rookie QB showing promise and worth a look in deep fantasy leagues is Jacksonville’s Blake Bortles. Joe Flacco, Baltimore Ravens (vs. Falcons) Last Week: 21/29, 306 yards, 5 TDs There’s at least a decent chance Flacco is owned in your fantasy league but if he’s not, he should be. The veteran QB was on his way to the greatest fantasy score ever on Sunday before the Ravens took their foot off the gas pedal against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Flacco isn’t a very good quarterback, except that he might be. His real football value is hard to figure out but his fantasy football value is clearer: Flacco’s playing like a borderline QB1 who may still be available on the waiver wire. Running Backs Antone Smith, Atlanta Falcons (at Ravens) Last Week: 2 carries, 5 yards; 4 receptions, 64 yards, 1 TD The Falcons backfield hierarchy is very hard to figure out; four backs got carries last week, Steven Jackson leading the way with a paltry six. What isn’t hard to figure out is Smith’s value as a playmaker. Although he only received two carries against the Chicago Bears Sunday, the RB was utilized in the passing game where he more clearly showcased his talent. Worst case scenario owning Smith is you have a boom-or-bust RB that’s shown he can be a game-breaker. Best case is head coach Mike Smith follows through on his promise to involve Smith in the offence more and the talented runner gets the opportunity to really reward fantasy owners. Darren McFadden, Oakland Raiders (vs. Cardinals) Last Week: 14 carries, 80 yards; 2 receptions, 6 yards A funny thing happens when you open up the passing game, your running back faces far less crowded fronts and even if he is as pedestrian as McFadden has proven to be, he can rack up yards. All joking aside, McFadden had his best game of the year Sunday against the San Diego Chargers and it’s clear even with Sparano in charge, he’s the preferred back for carries over Maurice Jones-Drew. Storm Johnson, Jacksonville Jaguars (vs. Browns) Last Week: 10 carries, 21 yards, 1 TD Johnson is on this list because every starting running back in the league should be owned, even the one starting for the Jaguars. Johnson’s below average day was saved by a touchdown but that certainly won’t happen every week in Jacksonville’s offence. Toby Gerhart failed and Johnson likely will too in this environment. He’s probably best kept on your bench. Wide Receivers Andre Holmes, Oakland Raiders (vs. Cardinals) Last Week: 4 receptions (8 targets), 121 yards, 2 TDs Holmes is the third Raiders player to make this week’s list, another beneficiary of Sparano opening things up on offence in Oakland. While James Jones may end up with more targets, and would be a decent waiver wire pickup as well, Holmes is clearly Carr’s deep threat option so the potential for big plays is higher with the third-year receiver. Robert Woods, Buffalo Bills (vs. Vikings) Last Week: 7 receptions (10 targets), 78 yards, 1 TD Woods has a lot of things going in his favour these days. Kyle Orton is a more capable QB than EJ Manuel, the Bills have apparently moved on from Mike Williams, and opponents are locking in on top option Sammy Watkins. Watkins won’t be shut down every week like he was on Revis Island against the Patriots, but he’ll still usually garner the attention of opponent’s top CB which could lead to enough opportunity for Woods, now clearly the team’s No. 2 receiver, to put up strong fantasy lines. Odell Beckham Jr., New York Giants (at Cowboys) Last Week: 2 receptions (4 targets), 28 yards I had Beckham on the list last week and despite his disappointing line Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles, I’m even higher on the rookie heading into Week 7. The reason of course is Victor Cruz’s season-ending knee injury. It comes in terrible circumstances of course, but Beckham now moves up the depth chart one spot and will get increased opportunity to capitalize on his potential. I was also impressed by Beckham’s college teammate and fellow rookie Jarvis Landry, who put up a strong line for the Miami Dolphins Sunday and could be worth a look at well. Tight Ends Jace Amaro, New York Jets (vs. Browns) Last Week: 10 receptions (12 targets), 68 yards, 1 TD Amaro’s breakout performance should be tampered a bit because he’s still in the Jets awful offence. But the rookie proved he can be, and probably will be a pass-catching threat for years to come. If Geno Smith continues to target Amaro at the rate he did on Sunday, the Texas Tech alum should be able to manage enough yards to be considered a borderline TE1. That remains to be seen. Clay Harbor, Jacksonville Jaguars (vs. Browns) Last Week: 3 receptions (4 targets), 91 yards, 1 TD Harbor will be hard-pressed to ever repeat his Week 6 line but until Marcedes Lewis returns from injury, he’ll remain rookie QB Bortles’ safety valve and trusted target which could be good enough for a bye week replacement start. Fantasy Football powered by Coors Light. Brett Rypien Jersey . Indeed, must be among the greatest challenges in all of sports. The pressure he applies, from set to set, game to game, point to point, shot to shot. Austin Schlottmann Jersey .C. -- The Carolina Hurricanes used a strong third period to extend their winning streak to three games. http://www.cheapbroncosjerseysauthentic.com/?tag=authentic-brian-dawkins-jersey .com) - The San Antonio Spurs will try to even their series with the Dallas Mavericks Monday night when the two teams collide at American Airlines Arena for Game 4. Romell Guerrier Jersey . - The first sign that Kansas Speedway was going to be a heartbreaker for Hendrick Motorsports should have come during qualifying when Jimmie Johnson inexplicably spun and earned one of his worst starting spots since 2005. Shelby Harris Jersey . Johansen scored twice and Derek MacKenzie, Brandon Dubinsky and Cam Atkinson also had goals to lead the Blue Jackets to a 5-2 victory over the Washington Capitals on Thursday night, ending a three-game losing skid. WASHINGTON -- An already rough-and-tumble playoff series between the Washington Wizards and Chicago Bulls now has a full-blown fracas, an ejection and a Game 4 suspension for Nene. What everyone will be watching when these clubs meet Sunday, with Washington leading the Eastern Conference series 2-1, is just how physical the play will get -- and whether things will escalate again. "Weve had scuffles all three games, basically. Youve got to make sure we dont lose our composure, where we get thrown out of the game like that. It doesnt matter who it is, we cant afford that," Washington coach Randy Wittman said after the Wizards loss Friday night. "So weve just got to do a better job. Hey, its very emotional. Emotional game, tough game." Nene was tossed with about 8 1/2 minutes left in the fourth quarter after wrapping both hands around the back of Jimmy Butlers head and neck as they stood so close their foreheads touched. Rod Thorn, the NBAs president of basketball operations, announced Saturday that Nene had been suspended one game without pay for head-butting and grabbing Butler "around the neck with both hands and attempting to throw him down." Butler made two key 3-pointers from there, helping the fourth-seeded Bulls win 100-97. "When you play physical ... things get hot," Nene said with a smile and a shrug Friday. During Washingtons victory at Chicago in Game 2, some lesser contretemps led to a total of four players getting called for technical fouls: Washingtons Bradley Beal and Trevor Ariza, and Chicagos Kirk Hinrich and Joakim Noah. So neither club seemed all that surprised at the rising temperature in Game 3. "Hes a guy, just like each one of us, hes a guy with a big ego," Wizards centre Marcin Gortat said about Nene. "Theres nobody in this locker room whos going to be pushed around like that. And thats just how he reacted. Does he deserve two technical fouls? I dont know. But at the end of the day, he got kicked out and we had to play without him." Added Beal: "It gets to the point where you just get pushed to the limit way too much, and I think Nene got pushed to the limit. Do we agree with what he did? Not necessarily, but he did it and wwe cant take it back.ddddddddddddquot; Noah, who has spent plenty of time jostling with Nene in the low block, called the ejection a "turning point" of Fridays game. Indeed, not only did Nene average a team-high 20.5 points and 7.5 rebounds in Washingtons wins in Games 1 and 2, but the teams entire approach changes when the 6-foot-11 Brazilian is on the floor. He provides big-body defence and soft-hands passing. He can score and rebound. Hes so influential that John Wall, Washingtons All-Star point guard, has called him the "X-factor." During the regular season, Washington won two of three games from Chicago, but lost at home 96-78 on April 5 without an injured Nene. The Wizards scored 26 points in the first half. As for what Game 4 would mean without Nene, Noah said Saturday before the official announcement, "Im not sure. I dont think it changes our mindset, though. Its a crucial game for us. All three games really came down to the end. Attention to detail is huge. The game in these situations is so mental. For us, its just about staying focused on the things that we can control." Asked whether he thought Nenes actions warranted a suspension, Noah said, "As a player, those arent things I can control. The only thing I can control right now is eating lunch and ice baths and sleeping and shooting free throws and things like that." All three games so far have been won by the visiting team, a pattern the Bulls would love to see continue Sunday, of course. "I cant tell you why thats happened," Wizards forward Trevor Ariza said. While Washingtons offence is particularly dependent on young guards Wall and Beal, the Bulls found some new sources of much-needed offence in Game 3: Mike Dunleavy scored 35 points, one shy of his NBA high, and Butler finished with 15, including a tiebreaking 3-pointer with 24 seconds to go. Wittman will want to come up with a way to change that Sunday, of course. What is not likely to change is the testy nature of this matchup. "It gets chippy," Bulls forward Taj Gibson said. "But youve got to be smart. Its playoff basketball. Yo