Week 8: Pickups of the Week
QB Alex Smith, ---
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1) He was the 2004 Mountain West Conference player of the year with the undefeated Utah Utes and was Urban Meyer's pupil in his much-vaunted spread offense.
2) He earned his economics degree in just two years, which may have helped him negotiate a mind-boggling $50-million rookie contract.
3) He didn't throw his first NFL touchdown until week 17 of his rookie year, despite it being his ninth professional start.
4) He averaged one TD and one INT per game during his second NFL season, the closest he's ever come to a positive ratio prior to this year.
5) He's played under five different offensive coordinators as a pro, and somehow outlasted all of them.
6 & 7) He lost a training camp battle to Shaun Hill in 2008 and again in 2009.
8) He renegotiated his contract this year, perhaps saving him from an undignified outright dismissal from the team.
9) He replaced the inefficient Hill in week 7, threw three touchdown passes and has been named the 49ers' starting QB for next weekend's game against the Colts.
These are the nine lives of the enigmatic Alex Smith (and the answers to nine confounding trivia questions). Smith has one last chance to be relevant for football fans. Call me a wide-eyed optimist, but I think Smith can get the job done. The supporting cast he's got now is the best squad San Francisco has fielded in over a decade. With Frank Gore keeping defenses honest, Smith will be free to exploit his two young playmakers in Crabtree and Davis. He faces Tennessee, Jacksonville, Seattle, Detroit and St. Louis over the second half of the season. These are ideal opponents for any QB and Smith will have every chance to show he deserves this starting shot.
RB Shonn Greene, ---
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The obstacle has been removed. Leon Washington is unlikely to play again this season and Shonn Greene is now the clear number two. Greene wasted no time in showing that number two might not be high enough. He rushed for 144 yards and two touchdowns filling in for Washington and is just a Thomas Jones injury away from being a must start fantasy player. Jones has to feel Greene breathing down his neck, because he's been playing inspired football this season. With 331 yards in the last two weeks, he won't give up the starting job easily. We can expect the Jets to work hard at finding ways to get both backs involved in the offense as often as possible going forward.
WR Donnie Avery, ---
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I know, I know. We've all been here before only to be disappointed. But in these challenging economic times, we have to look at every available option. Think efficiency; making the most of cheap, disposable assets. Avery is one of the cheapest and most disposable assets available. Yes, he's a little banged up, but nothing cures the every day bumps and bruises of professional football better than a pending match-up against the Detroit Lions. Avery is a deep threat and the Lions are among the worst teams in the league when it comes to preventing the long pass.They've also given up a whopping 17 touchdowns through the air. No matter what you think of Avery as a seldom healthy player, you've got to admit that this is the right week to use him; with a bye next week, you can make this a short term rental. Cost-effective and prudent.
WR Anthony Gonzalez, ---
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Both Pierre Garcon and Austin Collie have played well the past few weeks, but the youth movement free-for-all is coming to an end in Indianapolis. We're not sure yet whose playing time will suffer most, but one of these two players will soon be relegated to the bench. Anthony Gonzalez excels as a slot, so it could be that Collie gets the axe. On the other hand, Garcon has shown a bad case of stone hands lately and he might be the odd man out. Either way, Gonzalez is almost healthy and set to reclaim a primary role in the Colts' passing game. He's not 100 per cent yet, but the buy low window will surely close quickly and it's best to grab hold now while there's still a chance he's available.
TE Tony Scheffler, ---
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Though it seems counter-intuitive, but sometimes the best thing that can happen to a tight end is for his wide receiver teammates to excel. Both Brandon Marshall and Eddie Royal have re-established themselves as receiving threats lately and that's just going to make things easier for Scheffler. As opposing coordinators are forced to play their safeties over top, the Broncos will be able to exploit linebackers who find themselves stuck in coverage against this surprisingly quick and athletic tight end. Best of all, Kyle Orton is finally starting to recognize the full range of weapons at his disposal. Scheffler has been getting gradually more involved in this offense and comes out of the bye week as a potentially valuable fill-in.
