Is Battle the new Moore?
As my overly gushy rankings indicated, I think Lance Moore is here to stay. Not quite as the '07 Wes Welker, but perhaps an '07 Donald Driver or Shaun McDonald: 80+ catches, 1,000 yards, and a handful of scores. I'm in the tank.
Those who missed out on Moore may want to look at Arnaz Battle, who has a chance to be an even lesser version of McDonald in Mike Martz's offense. The targets will be inconsistent in San Francisco, but Battle is the best option as the hot read for J.T. O'Sullivan in the slot. His 120 yards last week were not a fluke, and I could see a lot of 6 catch, 70-yard outings from Battle, which would make him a useful PPR option. He's always been a player with good hands, smarts, and toughness. He's quicker than fast. Despite being bigger than the usual Martz creation, I think Battle fits the offense well.
Comments
Battle or Toomer this week in a PPR league?- i have been wrestling with this one all week.
Posted by: Scott L. | October 3, 2008 12:35 PM
Shockey and Colston will be back soon. That's the only thing thats changed. I think your projections are way too high. Theres not enough balls to go around.
Posted by: Rod | October 3, 2008 12:46 PM
Scott, I'd start Toomer for sure with Plax out. He seems to be a bit of a security blanket for Eli and I suspect the Niners offense is going to find it tough going this week against an angry, well-prepared Pats team.
Battle is solid though. He has been converting more big 3rd downs than anyone on the team for the last few years.
Posted by: Tenac | October 3, 2008 02:05 PM
Of course, I write all that and then see Toomer's note about being covered by Trufant. I'd still start him though...
Posted by: Tenac | October 3, 2008 02:07 PM
Thanks for the column, you are writing about my dilemma. Who do I start A. Battle or L. Moore?
Posted by: brian | October 3, 2008 02:10 PM
Here's a tip. Go to the week 5 rankings on the main page... or, click on the little tab called "forums."
Since you seem to be a bit slow, I'd be happy to help this time. The Week 5 rankings have at Moore 21 and Battle at 42. You think they do the rankings just for fun? They are there for a reason. Mainly for you to click your mouse on the link and find out an answer for yourself. Try it sometime.
Posted by: Pancake Police | October 3, 2008 02:47 PM
I just traded Graham/Bowe for W.Parker/Burress. With Ben on the bench I picked up Rivers off waivers. With Holt & T.Jones on bye I'm now short a player for flex. I can upgrade & drop Driver for Lance but do I drop Ben for any of DeAngelo, Engram, Mewelde or just take the zero?
Posted by: DreamTeam | October 3, 2008 03:02 PM