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<< Previous   of   Next >>   ADVERTISEMENT   CONTACT THE HERALD Report scores and results to 425-339-3470 or 1-866-6-SCORES (Call after 4:30 p.m.) E-mail information including items for Tuesday's Communities Sports Roundup and Thursday's Outdoor Calendar, to sports@heraldnet.com Kevin Brown, Sports Editor kbrown@heraldnet.com   Published: Thursday, October 30, 2008 Want to make a fantasy roster move? By Aaron Swaney Herald Writer With Week 8 in the rearview mirror and eight weeks to go until most fantasy Super Bowls, owners find themselves at a crossroads. Most teams in contention through the midway point are either riding high and likely standing pat or trying to make a move to help in the playoffs or get them to the playoffs. This column is for those thinking about making a move. I'll go over each position (except kicker and defense) and pick the player of the year for the first half and who'll be the best player in the second half. Basically for those thinking of making a deal, see what position you're weak at and try and deal for one of my second-half picks. Let's get on with it: Quarterback Philip Rivers, San Diego: Rivers has been an absolute passing machine in San Diego. In most drafts, Rivers fell to the late rounds, so whatever owner picked him is sitting pretty. He's leading the NFL with 19 touchdown passes (four more than Drew Brees) and he's third in passing yards with 2,038. There's two factors at work here: With LaDainian Tomlinson dealing with a toe injury, the Chargers have switched to a passing offense and a putrid Chargers' D has forced them to play catch-up a lot. Other nominees: Drew Brees, Aaron Rodgers, Kurt Warner. Second-half guy: Peyton Manning hasn't looked completely healthy yet this season, but he's coming around. His receiving corps is complete and his schedule is soft down the stretch, with games against Houston, San Diego, Cleveland, Cincinnati and Detroit. Many Manning owners are a little upset at this point, so you may get him cheap. Running back Clinton Portis, Washington: Portis has bought into the West Coast offense. His 944 yards leads the league in rushing and it's not even close -- second-place Adrian Peterson is 260 yards behind. He's scoring touchdowns (7) and getting a lion's share of the carries in a productive offense. In most fantasy drafts, if they were held today, Portis would be the No. 1 pick. Other nominees: Marion Barber, Frank Gore, Matt Forte. Second-half guy: A no-brainer here is Adrian Peterson, but no Peterson owner is crazy enough to deal him. I also like Frank Gore, but he quietly put together a great first half, so that's a cop-out. The one I would deal for is Marshawn Lynch. The Bills RB is averaging a paltry 64 yards per game and less than a TD a game. But he's producing for a team that has a run-based offense and a stout defense. The Bills schedule is very friendly down the stretch, including games against Cleveland, Kansas City, San Francisco, Miami (in Buffalo) and a drool-inducing matchup with Denver in Week 16. Wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona: A number of guys have bigger numbers: Santana Moss, Andre Johnson and Roddy White to name three. Even teammate Anquan Boldin has more TDs than Fitzgerald. But nobody has been more consistent than Fitzgerald. Besides Week 1, in which he had just three catches for 31 yards but did score, the Cardinals WR doesn't have less than five catches in a game and his lowest yardage output (52 yards in Week 5) was offset by two TDs. The best news for Fitzgerald owners? He'll likely be better over the second half. Other nominees: Moss, Johnson, White. Second-half guy: Marques Colston has been weighing down the bench of a lot of fantasy owners. He was picked early in most drafts to be a teams No. 1 wide receiver, but an injury to his thumb kept him out five weeks and has limited him in the two games since he returned. But check out New Orleans' schedule over the final nine weeks and you'll see why I think he can get back to form rather quickly. The Saints play Atlanta twice, Kansas City, Chicago and Detroit in the final eight weeks of fantasy seasons. If you can snag Colston from an owner in your league, do it. Tight end Jason Witten, Dallas: Despite cracking a rib and catching only one ball this past Sunday, Witten has lived up to expectations this season, leading all tight ends in catches (46) and yards (549). He may miss the next couple of games with that rib, and Tony Romo isn't expected back until mid-November, but Witten was the man through the first seven weeks. Other nominees: Antonio Gates, Tony Gonzalez. Second-half guy: Dallas Clark got off to an excruciatingly slow start, catching one ball in Week 1 and sitting out Week 2 with a knee injury. But since then he's put together some decent numbers and he should only get better with Peyton Manning returning to form and the Colts' soft schedule. Contact Aaron Swaney at aswaney@heraldnet.com. For more fantasy news, links and more, check out www.heraldnet.com/realitybites. READER COMMENTS Be the first to comment. You must be a registered user and verify your e-mail address to post comments to blogs or articles on HeraldNet. To register, click here. To read other terms and conditions, click here. Log out

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