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Last Call On Michael Crabtree

Michael Crabtree amassed 77 receiving yards on nine receptions Sunday against Detroit.

Analysis: Michael Crabtree is only owned in 62% of ESPN leagues and 57% of CBS fantasy leagues. With a staggering fifteen targets Sunday, Crabtree is now a must own in all leagues. He may not have a touchdown on the year but depth wide outs don’t need to, they just need to be targeted enough to put up some points while your big guns are either out with a bye or injury.

The Niners are headed into their bye this week and that actually may work to your benefit if you are looking to pick up an available Michael Crabtree. After the bye the Niners do not play a good defense until week twelve in Baltimore and even with the Ravens they do not have great cornerbacks. The Niners will get Braylon Edwards back sometime soon but Michael Crabtree is now the man in San Fran.

Key Stat: Keep in mind that stud tight end Vernon Davis has only eleven targets over the last three weeks to Crabtree’s twenty-nine.

Buying Low- Lubomir Visnovsky

With a minus three on the year and zero points in two games, Lubomir Visnovsky’s season has not been productive.

Analysis: Impatient fantasy owners love to hype early season success and this year is no different. Just a few games in and Kris Letang is either the number one or two D-Man in fantasy hockey all of the sudden. I’m sorry, but can we wait until the end of the month before we start “crowning” people.

With Visnovsky we have a defenseman that will be playing 24-25 minutes per game on a team with some serious firepower. Visnovsky may not reach 68 points again this year but he contributes extremely well in six categories like few D-Men can. His ice time, goals, assists, plus/minus, power play points and shots will all be there for you by season’s end. Visnovsky remains a top seven defenseman and it’s worth a shot to go after this guy in a trade. With everyone on the Kris Letang and Dustin Byfuglien bandwagon, going after Visnovsky is a solid under the radar play.

Selling High- Jackie Battle

Nineteen carries for 119 rushing yards will grab the attention of all fantasy owners, especially since Jackie Battle is available in ninety-nine percent of fantasy leagues.

Analysis: The 119 rushing yards is a nice little stat but when you consider that Jackie Battle did this against the Indianapolis Colts, well then… it’s a different story all together. The Colts rank 31st in the NFL in rushing yards allowed per game at 145.2, so don’t expect Jackie Battle to put up RB3 numbers the rest of the year. Take a look at some of his remaining match ups- Oakland(twice), San Diego, New England, Pittsburgh, Chicago, the New York Jets and Green Bay. Either he won’t be getting enough carries due to the log jam in the KC backfield or the Chiefs will be playing catch up a lot going forward this year. That’s not good news for a back who isn’t much of a receiving threat.

If you do decide to pick Battle up, the smart play is to sell him high and sell him now. You cannot rely on any KC back at the moment and Jackie Battle is not an exception.

Selling High- Darrius Heyward-Bey

Darrius Heyward-Bey will be a hot commodity in fantasy leagues this week but intelligent owners will capitalize on his inflated value.

Analysis: Heyward-Bey has caught eleven passes for 214 yards the last two weeks but he is as inconsistent of a wide out as you will find in fantasy football. He has all the physical tools to succeed, however, he just isn’t in a position to right now. The Raiders have four other wide outs that are nearly as serviceable as DHB. Also, Jason Campbell isn’t exactly Mr. Consistent either.

Picking DHB up off the wire is a decent move but the smart move here is to flip him while his value is still high. DHB is one “two receptions for twenty yards” game away from being useless in the fantasy world again. DHB may still have a bright career ahead of him but the depth at wide out in Oakland coupled with Jason Campbell’s ability to become invisible every third week prevents DHB from truly making an impact this year. Look at Campbell’s stats on Sunday if you are still not convinced- 15 for 35 and 190 passing yards. Do you trust DHB to keep putting up numbers with Campbell at quarterback?

When DHB does get a quarterback he has WR2 potential but until then keep selling high.

Right Wing Depth- Joffrey Lupul

Joffrey Lupul recorded an assist, four shots and over nineteen minutes of ice time Thursday against Montreal.

Analysis: If you are a Toronto fan then you have to love what Joffrey Lupul is capable of. Although he has not had a twenty goal season in three years, Lupul has been productive despite missing some significant time. Lupul has only played in 77 games over the last two years but in that span he has scored twenty-four goals while playing just fifteen minutes per game. Expect to see at least seventeen minutes of ice time if not more from Lupul this year in Toronto and with it some solid time on the power play. Keep in mind that Lupul spent over four minutes on the power play with Phil Kessel Thursday night.

With Lupul available in about ninety percent of leagues you have some time to decide team need and see who is injured. With right wingers like Ales Hemsky and Martin Havlat who always seem to miss time and with Havlat already set to miss the opener, Lupul should get a look from some serious fantasy owners during the course of the season.