Scouting Notebook: Ram tough

The ironic thing about fantasy football is that quarterback value is purposely minimized in our scoring. But as we’ve seen so clearly this young season and especially in the NFC West, the ability of a player’s real-life quarterback has the greatest impact on his fantasy value.

On a brighter note, Sam Bradford(notes) is good already and looking like Matt Ryan(notes) 2008. In fact, the Rams are the favorite to win the NFC West right now because of their relative strength at quarterback. And Bradford is only average now (amazing for a rookie in his fourth game). That’s how bad every other signal caller is in that division.

The key fantasy development here, illustrating our primary focus in this week’s Scouting Notebook, is that Steven Jackson is set up now to be a top five fantasy force. He’s also quite a warrior for even playing on Sunday with that groin injury that seemed so gruesome in slow motion last week. Never mind that he had 125-plus yards from scrimmage. The touchdowns are coming. Book it.

Derek Anderson(notes) was indeed a one-year wonder in Cleveland and is now out in Arizona, replaced by undrafted, undersized rookie Max Hall(notes). Odds are that this spells doom for Larry Fitzgerald(notes) owners. I thought Anderson would be competent enough in delivering the ball downfield to hold Fitzgerald’s value, but that proved very wrong. Perhaps I’ll be wrong again with Hall, but there is a very low probability that he will prove to be quickly capable. Plus, he looked every bit a rookie in San Diego, with his gaze continually shifting from his receivers to the eyes of onrushing linemen.

I never liked any other Cardinal because I knew the likelihood was that Anderson would at least be below NFL average. So forget about Tim Hightower(notes) and Beanie Wells(notes), too, as they are completely unreliable until further notice.

San Francisco is a disaster, too. Alex Smith is a serial killer of offensive coordinators but he’s portrayed as the victim while his hands are covered in blood. Please, Mike Singletary, if it’s the last thing you do (and it darn well might be), bench Smith. Owners of Vernon Davis(notes) can cling to some small hope that he’ll prove better than a waiver find like Aaron Hernandez(notes) (who I told you to draft, embittered Larry Fitzgerald owners). But if you own Michael Crabtree(notes), immediately cut your losses and move on to Plan B.

The polar opposite of Smith is Mark Sanchez(notes), making Braylon Edwards(notes) playable in all formats and turning Dustin Keller(notes) and LaDainian Tomlinson(notes) into true impact players. Next week, he gets Santonio Holmes(notes) to play with. The embarrassment of riches for this Jets team was supposed to be on defense, but it’s turned out to be on offense because of Sanchez (105 QB rating, eight TDS, 0 picks). Think Ben Roethlisberger(notes) in his early years – not a fantasy starter in most formats but good enough to ensure that his teammates are.

I thought Tomlinson would be as good as 2009 Thomas Jones(notes) and would get half the touchdowns. But I could not imagine he’d be better through the quarter turn in every way than Shonn Greene(notes) (who is still too talented for us to cut). The one word to summarize Tomlinson’s 2010 thus far: Vintage.

Ditto for Terrell Owens(notes), the oldest receiver ever with 200-plus receiving yards in a game.

Everyone outside of Philly had to be rooting for Donovan McNabb(notes) today. And it was fitting that Andy Reid was stuck to lie in the Kevin Kolb(notes) bed he made for himself. Not getting the fourth-and-goal-from-the-one play in after a video review plus a timeout, thus incurring a delay of game in the final seconds of the first half, sets a new low for Reid’s historically putrid in-game management.

Going schoolyard caught up with Michael Vick(notes), who looks to have a problem with his chest wall/sternum when walking off the field. X-rays were negative. But bone bruises or cartilage tears can linger for weeks and wreck an athletes ability to sleep. The late Steve McNair said a bruised sternum prevented him from sleeping and breathing comfortably “for years.”

Kolb is a disaster for DeSean Jackson(notes) owners because he does not seem either able or willing to get the ball downfield.

How sad seeing Clinton Portis(notes) come up hurt after just about every carry. He’s like Ali versus Larry Holmes now. I’d say the spirit is willing, but it wasn’t in Week 1 and Week 3 when he went into a QB-like slide in the open field. I’m not impressed by Ryan Torrain either, who seems plodding on many carries.

Ray Rice(notes) (knee) is hurt but has been probably the biggest bust relative to draft order this year. He’s not even making plays in the passing game. He might be limited for weeks as he tries to play through his knee contusion.

I don’t care what the stats say, the Ravens defense is fading. And who knows now about Ed Reed(notes) off his hip problems.

This is a good time to get Mike Wallace(notes). Ben Roethlisberger will turn him into a playmaker. Hines Ward(notes) didn’t have athleticism to lose and age (34) has taken some away. Sell Ward shares now while you can still blame all this on not having Big Ben.

Brandon Lloyd(notes) was once viewed as a big enough talent to follow Jerry Rice and Terrell Owens in San Francisco. When a player gives you no reason to doubt him, don’t.

Maurice Jones-Drew(notes) owners needed that. Jones-Drew needs the Colts, who he runs through like butter, every chance he gets.

Darren McFadden’s(notes) hamstring injury looks like it will be multi-week. So pick up Michael Bush(notes) if you can. A healthy McFadden is the unquestioned starter now, but McFadden, as we know, has a really hard time staying healthy.