Bruins Take Commanding 3-0 Lead Against The Rangers

Doubront Suffers Tough Loss as Quintana Quiets Red Sox Offense

Jon Lester Served First Loss in 6-4 Defeat to Adam Dunn, Chicago White Sox

Avery Bradley’s Role With the Celtics: Present and Future

Week 9 Pickups

With all the Randy Moss talk, its hard to remember there is still fantasy football going on. It may be wise to try to trade for Moss now to pick him up for pennies on the dollar and hope for the best.

Moving on from the Moss hurricane, here are some guys that might be able to help your team this week.

Week 9 Pickups

LeGarrette Blount, RB, Bucaneers (20.7 percent owned)
After being named the starter for this week’s game, Blount went on to carry the ball 22 times for 120 yards and 2 touchdowns. He appears to have firmly passed Cadillac Williams on the depth chart and even caught a couple passes Sunday. He has a lot of potential, in the short- and long-term, in this developing offense.

Nate Washington, WR, Titans (33.6)
This receiving corps has been hard to figure out over the past couple years, with a different young receiver seemingly starring each week. However, with the injury to Kenny Britt and the 4-catch, 117-yard performance on Sunday, Washington looks to be a solid pickup this week.

Jacob Tamme, TE, Colts (4.6)
Tamme has taken over the lead tight end role for the Colts in the absence of Dallas Clark. He caught 6 balls for 64 yards Sunday and a touchdown. While he did not put up eye-popping numbers, he was targeted 9 times by Manning, and that should continue with the lack of receiving options for the team currently.

Brandon Tate, WR, Patriots (6.9)
While Tate looked to have huge fantasy potential before Deion Branch was acquired, he is proving that he is still fantasy relevant as the third receiver.  The good news is he will have games where he breaks out for long receptions and/or touchdowns returning the ball. The bad news is he is not likely to show up big in every game so choosing when to use him will likely be a headache. Regardless, there is no lack of potential from Tate.

Mike Tolbert, RB, Chargers (60.4)
Is he a touchdown vulture? Sure, but he is a very good one, and he has shown potential to be more. His 7 rushing touchdowns this season, including at least 1 in all but 2 games, ties him for second most in the league. Though he is stuck behind Ryan Mathews on the depth chart, he has shown the ability to be the most effective back on this team in spurts, including his 5.7 to Mathew’s 2.9 yards per carry this week.

Defensive match-up of the week

Each week I select one defense that is available in most leagues and has a favorable match-up.

Falcons D (24.1 percent owned) vs. Tampa Bay Bucs
The Falcons have been surprisingly strong on defense this year, and while Tampa Bay’s offense has been improving, they are still young and mistake-prone.

Other names to watch:

Kevin Smith, RB, Lions (30.4 percent owned);  Anthony Armstrong, WR, Redskins (1.9); Anthony Gonzalez, WR, Colts (3.7);  Javarris James, RB, Colts (0.0).

About Matt Huegel

Stats: •Age: 21 •Sex: Male •Favorite sports: Baseball, Football, Basketball •Favorite Boston Players: Rajon Rondo, Dustin Pedroia, Wes Welker •Title: Red Sox, Celtics, Patriots, Fantasy Writer •Contact: Huegel at sportsofboston.com I publish articles focusing primarily on Red Sox, Celtics, Patriots, and fantasy sports. I have been a life-long fan of Boston sports. I first began my love of our home-town teams with the Red Sox, and in recent years I have taken that passion to a new level. Not only do I follow the major league team, but all of the minor league affiliates on a daily basis as well. I am well-versed on almost every prospect in the system, and began writing some shorter news pieces for SoxProspects.com in March of 2010. My love of Boston sports extends strongly to the Patriots and Celtics as well, and also to the Bruins to a lesser degree. I currently attend Northeastern University in Boston, and will graduate with a degree in Political Science and History at the end of 2010. I have always been interested in taking my love of sports to a new level and making a career out of it. Sports of Boston is a great opportunity for me to get my ideas out and hone my writing skills. I enjoy writing on these teams that I am so passionate about, and hope it shows. When not watching or reading about Boston sports, I am often doing research on fantasy sports. Specifically, I am obsessed with fantasy football and a keeper league which I have been taking part in since my high school days. Fantasy football goes year-round for me. I hope to share some of my expertise in this area when the NFL season begins.

Tags: Anthony Armstrong, Anthony Gonzalez, Brandon Tate, Jacob Tamme, Javarris James, Kevin Smith, LeGarrette Blount, Mike Tolbert, Nate Washington