Say no to Stephens-Howling! And drugs. Also say no to drugs.
DO Snatch Up Josh Freeman
Image by Eric Miller / Reuters
One's an accident. Two's coincidence. But when Josh Freeman puts up his third game in a row throwing for three touchdowns — all 22-point performances or better — it's time to take notice. Although Freeman isn't actually that good of a quarterback, he's found a way to exploit the weak defenses Tampa's been facing for maximum fantasy effectiveness; that is, a few touchdowns, no interceptions, and a respectable amount of yardage. (Fantasy, kindly enough, doesn't mind volume shooters — the fact that it took Freeman 36 attempts to pick up 262 yards last night doesn't matter.)
For the rest of the season, Freeman should continue to be a decent alternative play: in the next two weeks, he faces Oakland and San Diego, both below-league-average passing defenses, and later on in the season he draws New Orleans again. If you can start a quarterback who's playing against the Saints, you should.
DON'T Even Look At Tony Romo
Image by Chuck Burton / AP
Oh, Tony Romo, why hast thou forsaken throwing mad touchdowns? In 2011, Romo was the NFL's 7th-best quarterback; this year, he isn't even in the top half of the league. He's 24TH. 24th! What happeend to the ol' Cowboys gunslinger! Dez Bryant has yet to grow into the receiver that the Cowboys hoped he would be, leaving Romo with one less weapon than would be ideal, and he has a bunch of tough defenses coming up, including Atlanta and Philly. Down the road a ways, Romo could see a resurgence in value — the Browns, Saints, and Redskins (twice!) will do that for you — but you'll have to decide whether it's worth holding a roster spot for a guy who's probably only going to have significant value four more times this season. Like — he's had fewer fantasy points this year than Brandon Weeden. I don't care if you drafted him in the third or fourth round; get off this sinking ship.