Fantasy football is played over the course of an NFL season, but as any owner will tell you, it’s weeks 14-16 that really count. It’s fantasy playoffs time, which is why I’m certain you’ll be looking for an edge. That’s why you’re on this site, right?

That’s what I thought.

Now the best thing to look for when approaching fantasy postseason is trends among individual players. The Sports Data Hub free tool set makes checking these trends wicked easy, and this article takes a look at just one example of what is possible.

Take a look at these 6 players, three of which show positive (or improving) trends and three of which are experiencing negative (or downward) trends.

Positive

DeAngelo Williams - Carolina Panthers

Looking at Williams’ last five games reveals an overall positive trend. He took a bit of a bit last week, but it was still a more-than-satisfactory gameas he rushed for 120 yards. It’s also good to see that he’s carried for at least 100 yards in each of his last three starts. Something you don’t see here: Williams has rushed for 4 touchdowns in his last three starts and his yard per carry average in those weeks was 6.4, 7.4, and 8.6. In short: start him if you’re lucky enough to have him.

Thomas Jones -New York Jets

I love players who score touchdowns and Thomas Jones has been doing that plenty this season. Consider his last six starts: at least one rushing touchdown in every game (except week 7, when he rushed for 159 yards) and two or more in a couple others. And consider this: when the Jets’ running back rushes for a touchdown New York is 6-0. When he doesn’t, the team is 1-3. Translation: expect Mangenius to get Jones some goal line carries as the Jets make a run at the postseason.

Maurice Jones-Drew - Jacksonville Jaguars

Here’s another running back who has been finding his way to the endzone on a frequent basis this season. Maurice Jones-Drew has 11 touchdowns under his belt, 5 of which he scored in his last two starts. That’s a trend I love to see - especially when it’s coupled with the fact he’s failed to score just twice in his past eleven starts.

Negative

Matt Forte - Chicago Bears

See that? This was a trend search for the number of touchdowns Matt Forte has scored in his last three starts. “No data to display” is never a good sign. The good news is that he has been getting enough touches (20+ per game every week this season) to pick up a fair amount of yards each week. Still, yards alone might not be enough come postseason. Lesson learned: “No data to display” equals “don’t start.”

Marion Barber - Dallas Cowboys

See those lines going up and down, up and down like a rollercoaster? That’s a bad sign. Looking at only weeks four and on, you can see that perhaps overall the trend is up if you look with a glass half full attitude. But seeing a running back’s rushing yards climb above 100 just twice in a seven week span isn’t enough to make him a solid start. It’s also disheartening that he rushed for two touchdowns those weeks, too.

Clinton Portis - Washington Redskins

Okay, I admit, it’s pretty doggone difficult to find fault with Clinton Portis. He’s been the heart and soul of the Redskins offense and he hit a streak of five consecutive 100 yard games earlier this season. But just consider: he has not scored a touchdown in his last three starts. He’s had at least 20 receiving yards once this season. And he has failed to rush for at least 70 yards in his last two starts. Portis carried 187 times in his first eight games this season, and at least 21 times in each game. That will wear down any running back, and, as a result, he’s carried a combined 28 times his last two starts. Remember: no matter how great a player appears on the surface (and Portis does appear spectacular … and he is) it’s always a good idea to keep an eye on him and view him with a healthy dose of skepticism.

In case you were unable to read all of them or you don’t want to spend the time finding them in the archives, here is a list of week 9’s recaps. Each recap is written with a fantasy football spin, spitting out plenty of statistics from the game and relaying some interesting trends occurring among the individual players. Also included with each game listed below is a fantasy trend or statistic I’ve labeled the “number to know”; basically, it’s what I found most interesting from the given game.

Houston at Minnesota

Number to Know: Owen Daniels has finished with at least 60 receiving yards in 5 of his last 7 games, but has caught at least one touchdown in just one game this season.

Green Bay at Tennessee

Number to Know: Six of Kerry Collins’ completions were to running back Chris Johnson, who led the team in that category and yards, with 72 on the day.

Detroit at Chicago

Number to Know: Calvin Johnson led the Lions receiving corps with 8 receptions for 94 yards and a touchdown.

New York (Jets) at Buffalo

Number to Know: Trent Edwards has yet to throw more than one touchdown pass in a game this season and has six on the year.

Jacksonville at Cincinnati

Number to Know: Two of David Garrard’s streaks were killed in this game: his five consecutive game streak of at least one touchdown and the same length streak with no interceptions.

Baltimore at Cleveland

Number to Know: Derek Anderson has now thrown at least one touchdown pass in six consecutive games and seven of eight overall.

Tampa Bay at Kansas City

Number to Know: Earnest Graham has not carried for at least 100 yards since September, though this was his best total (61 yards) in the time since.

Arizona at St. Louis

Number to Know: The Rams are 2-1 in games in which Marc Bulger does not throw an interception and 0-4 in games he does.

Miami at Denver

Number to Know: Jay Cutler has thrown at least one interception in six of his last seven starts and at least one touchdown pass in every game he has played this season.

Dallas at New York (Giants)

Number to Know: Eli Manning has thrown at least one touchdown in each of his last seven starts.

Atlanta at Oakland

Number to Know: This was the first time since week two that Roddy White finished with fewer than 90 receiving yards (he had 54); it also snapped a three game 100-yard streak.

Philadelphia at Seattle

Number to Know: Seneca Wallace was 12-of-28 for 79 yards in the final 58 minutes and 11 seconds of play.

New England at Indianapolis

Number to Know: Peyton Manning has failed to throw a touchdown pass in just one game this season and has thrown at least 2 touchdowns in four of his past five starts.

Pittsburgh at Washington

Number to Know: Chris Cooley has finished games with at least 50 receiving yards in 6 of his last 8 starts but has just 1 receiving touchdown this season.

The Cleveland Browns haven’t exactly lived up to expectations this season, but at least one player is trying to continue what he started in 2007. Jamal Lewis, who has carried 90 times for 323 yards and two touchdows in five games this year, hasn’t been great. In fact, there are fantasy owners who might have dumped him after just three starts, in which he carried just 44 times and scored zero touchdowns. But those who stuck with him were rewarded the last two weeks and may be rewarded the rest of the season.

Lewis, who hadn’t carried at least 20 times in a single game prior to week five, had at least one good number going in his favor: in two of his first three starts he averaged 4.7 and 4.8 yards per carry. In week two against the Pittsburgh Steelers, picking up just 2.0 yards when he was handed the football. But don’t take that as an omen that he can’t gain yards against good defenses. Against the Baltmore Ravens week three he averaged 4.7 yards per carry.

Unfortunately, the Browns lost their first three games. And perhaps it was because the team was too focused on throwing the ball, instead of establishing the run. Here’s a little fact to back that statement: Lewis has carried an average of 23 times per game in his last two starts; incidentally, the Browns won both those games, including the shocking Monday Night upset over the Giants. (Cleveland is 10-1 over the last two years when he carries at least 20 times.)

As an added plus for fantasy owners who started him in those games, Lewis set season highs in yards and scored a touchdown in each. Look at it this way: in his first three starts he rushed for 156 yards and zero touchdowns; in his last two he’s picked up 157 yards and two touchdowns.

Lewis is a big tailback, at 5′11, 245 pounds. He’s also the type of runner who gets stronger as the game progresses and likes to wear down a defense.

“By the end of the game he’s coming at you so hard, the cornerback was just running out of the way,” quarterback Derek Anderson said after the Browns Monday Night victory.

Not getting Lewis his 20-25 carries each week means not taking full advantage of what he’s best at. I don’t think the Browns will continue to make that mistake this season

Key Points

• Cleveland is 2-0 this season when Lewis carries at least 20 times and 0-3 when he doesn’t
• He’s scored one touchdown in each of his last two starts
• He’s a downhill runner who gets stronger as he gets more carries

Second-year running back Le’Ron McClain wasn’t a popular fantasy draft pick. He probably wasn’t even on most fantasy football players’ radars because, well, he’s a fullback. But six weeks into the season, he’s proving himself to be a viable fantasy backup and, at least in some games this season, he’s put up starting fantasy back numbers.

The 23-year old McClain has good size. At 6′0, 260 pounds, he would prefer to run through defenders, rather than around them. And this season he’s getting plenty of opportunities to do so.

“I ran over the guy in the end zone,” McClain said of a touchdown against the Steelers. “That felt pretty good.”

Though McClain doesn’t get a lot of touches, he is most definitely the Ravens goal line back. Between weeks 3-5 he scored four rushing touchdowns while carrying the ball just 44 times, and every one of his touchdowns this season has been within two yards.

Yes, Le’Ron McClain is 100 percent a goal line back.

But here’s the sweet news: he still gets a very healthy number of touches on a weekly basis. In fact, since week 3 (the Ravens second game of the season), McClain has carried 46 times. Willis McGahee, the team’s starter, has carried 58 times in that span.

Now, here’s the catch: in games in which the Ravens cannot run the football, the primary reason being that they trail an opponent, like they did the Colts last week, McClain is probably not going to get a lot of touches. The same might hold true for games in which the Ravens have a difficult time moving the football down the field because McClain isn’t the type of player who threatens to score from any spot on the field; his longest carry this season went 17 yards.

Of course, week six is no reason to give up hope on the fullback. He averages 4.1 yards per carry this season and though against the Colts he lost two yards on two attempts, he had picked up 266 yards and four touchdowns in his previous four starts.

The Ravens situation isn’t necessarily the case of “running back by committee.” To some degree it is, yes, but it also reminds me a bit of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers when Mike Alstott was the fan favorite; Alsott made the Pro Bowl every season between 1997-2002 and scored 44 touchdowns in those years. He was arguably the NFL’s best running fullback since Larry Csonka.

Now, McClain may never get the number of carries as Alstott did in his prime. But as long as he’s handling goal line carries and picking up between 50-80 yards on any given week, he’s very much worth a spot on some fantasy team’s roster; maybe even yours.

Key Points to Remember

• McClain is on pace for 208 carries this season and, more importantly, is averaging 0.8 touchdowns per game
• He’s a goal line back in an offense that would rather run than throw
• He’s a dangerous start in weeks in which the Ravens face a tough defense or hot offense

Every season there comes a time that it’s a good idea to look at trends developing among key position players around the NFL. Some of these players have great season numbers but have shown inconsistency; others started the season hot but have since cooled; and still others are picking up the pace and developing into quality fantasy starters. This series of posts - between weeks 6-7 - hopes to cover one player from every NFL team who has demonstrated the most interesting trend.

This post examines Miami Dolphins quarterback Chad Pennington’s season to date.

Everyone in the fantasy realm knows by now that the Miami Dolphins have taken advantage of Ronnie Brown’s versatility, leading him to score 6 touchdowns (plus another TD pass) in the Dolphins past three games. But perhaps overlooked is Dolphins quarterback Chad Pennington, who has also looked impressive as he has adapted and to find his comfort zone in Miami’s offense.

The 32-year old Pennington started hot with the ‘Phins week one, passing for 251 yards and 2 touchdowns in a losing effort against the Jets. Then week two he appeared to struggle a bit, completing just half his passes and throwing for 112 yards and no touchdowns.

But in his past three starts, Pennington has looked very, very good. Though he didn’t complete a touchdown pass week three against the Dolphins upset at New England, he did put together a pretty good overall day, throwing for 238 yards and completing 85 percent of his passes. And since the Dolphins week four bye he’s put up better fantasy numbers in each of the past two games against pretty good franchises. Playing at home against the Chargers he passed for 228 yards and a touchdown, completing 75.9 percent of his passes, and a week later at Houston he completed 76 percent of his attempts for 284 yards and 2 touchdowns.

In other words, Pennington has passed for at least 225 yards in each of his past three starts; he’s had a passer rating well over 100 in each of those games, completing over 78 percent of his pass attempts; and he’s thrown three touchdowns in his past two starts. Even though it’s easy to overlook Pennington because of the fantastic season Ronnie Brown is having, don’t make the mistake; he’s playing some very good football right now, and he only appears to be getting better.

In recap, here are the key points:

• Pennington has been very effective passing the football (over 75 percent of his attempts were completed in his last three starts)
• He’s thrown for 225+ yards in four of five games this season
• He’s thrown three touchdowns in the Dolphins last two games

Every season there comes a time that it’s a good idea to look at trends developing among key position players around the NFL. Some of these players have great season numbers but have shown inconsistency; others started the season hot but have since cooled; and still others are picking up the pace and developing into quality fantasy starters. This series of posts - between weeks 6-7 - hopes to cover one player from every NFL team who has demonstrated the most interesting trend.

This post examines New York Jets running back Thomas Jones’ season to date.

Jones, who disappointed a slew of fantasy owners last season when he scored just one rushing touchdown while averaging just 3.6 yards per carry, renewed hope in the first week of 2008 when he carried the ball 22 times for 101 yards and scored a touchdown. Then week two rolled around and Jones handled fewer carries; still, his yard per carry average was still a healthy 4.1 and he finished with 70 carries.

Unfortunately, the trend would continue to adversely affect the perception of Jones. In week three he handled 10 carries and rushed for just 37 yards and, to make matters worse, he lost a fumble. In week four his average saw another drop, now to 2.6 yards per carry, and he finished with 69 yards from scrimmage.

New York’s bye couldn’t have come at a better time for Jones owners. After beginning the season with 101 rushing yards, a touchdown, and a 4.6 yard per carry average, Jones has plunged to 153 rushing yards, zero touchdowns, and a 3.4 yard per carry average in his following three performances.

Week six Jones bounced back with two rushing touchdowns and a receiving touchdown, but there is still reason for concern. First, Jones still managed to average just 3.8 yards per carry in the game. And second, it was against the Cincinnati Bengals, without argument, the worst team in the AFC.

Remember, this is no longer a team that can’t throw the ball downfield, thanks to the shift in talent at quarterback. This is now a team that would prefer to pass the ball to open up the run, rather than the other way around. Jones hasn’t carried the ball at least 20 times in a game since week one, nor has he rushed for more than 70 yards in a single game since then. He has just 12 receptions for 60 yards this season and, prior to week six, he had scored just one touchdown.

In recap, here are the key points:

• Jones’ yard per carry average has been below average much of the season
• He isn’t much of a factor in the passing game
• He doesn’t get enough touches because the Jets have Brett Favre

Every season there comes a time that it’s a good idea to look at trends developing among key position players around the NFL. Some of these players have great season numbers but have shown inconsistency; others started the season hot but have since cooled; and still others are picking up the pace and developing into quality fantasy starters. This series of posts - between weeks 6-7 - hopes to cover one player from every NFL team who has demonstrated the most interesting trend.

This post examines New England Patriots wide receiver Wes Welker’s season to date.

When Patriots quarterback Tom Brady went down with an injury week one, it was difficult for most to project what would happen to this team. Most conceded that they were no longer a Super Bowl-favorite, but in terms of fantasy football, no one had any idea of what Matt Cassel was capable of doing on the field.

Five weeks later we have a much better picture of what this offense is capable: most notably, Wes Welker is looking like the best receiver in this offense.

Ignore the fact that he hasn’t scored a touchdown this season and look at his consistency: he’s caught between 6-9 passes in every Patriots game this season (making him pure gold in PPR leagues), and he seems to be catching more every week. He already has 36 catches in five games this season, putting him on pace for 115 and in his last two starts he caught 8 and 9 receptions.

Thanks to the pure volume of catches he’s handled, his yards have looked pretty respectable this season; he has 324 receiving yards to date and three games with 70+ yards. His complete lack of touchdowns is a bit disturbing, but in PPR leagues he’s been more valuable than his counterpart Moss, who has two touchdowns but only 20 receptions.

The best news: his numbers shouldn’t get any worse as the season progresses. Expect him to keep getting 6-8 catches week in and out and, eventually, a few touchdowns as Matt Cassel continues to develop in the offense.

In recap, here are the key points:

• Welker is great in point per reception (PPR) leagues
• In others he hasn’t been great, but he’s been okay
• His consistency is an excellent sign
• He’ll eventually catch a few touchdowns

Every season there comes a time that it’s a good idea to look at trends developing among key position players around the NFL. Some of these players have great season numbers but have shown inconsistency; others started the season hot but have since cooled; and still others are picking up the pace and developing into quality fantasy starters. This series of posts - between weeks 6-7 - hopes to cover one player from every NFL team who has demonstrated the most interesting trend.

Let’s begin with Buffalo Bills starting running back Marshawn Lynch. Lynch, who last season rushed for 1,115 yards and seven touchdowns appears at first to be on pace to come close to or break those numbers this season, as he has 319 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns through Buffalo’s first five games.

Unfortunately, his trends spell uncertainty for fantasy owners.

First, let me point out that Lynch hasn’t scored a touchdown in his past two starts after scoring four in the first three weeks of the season. Now, why is this happening? That’s tough to say because, for starters, Buffalo hasn’t played particularly difficult opponents, recently. The Bills blew out the Rams, 31-14 week four and a week later the team lost to the Cardinals, 41-17. Neither of those franchises boast particularly stout defenses, especially against the run.

But here are the two biggest problems: Arizona controlled the football for a good portion of week five’s game (over 36 minutes), meaning the Bills were able to successfully execute just 41 plays on offense, 21 of which were pass attempts. Lynch accounted for 12 carries, but, as has been the trend lately, his yard per carry average was below average and he finished with 44 yards. It’s worth noting that half his yards came via a 22 yard carry. He also contributed with 3 receptions gained just 10 addition yards from that.

The second problem is Fred Jackson, Buffalo’s 2nd year running back. Jackson has been taking receptions away from Lynch, while stealing carries in certain games. For example, against the Rams Jackson carried the ball 7 times, while Lynch garnered 19 carries. Jackson, however, got the most mileage out of his carries; he finished with 46 yards (just 11 fewer than Lynch) and scored a touchdown (which, as pointed out earlier, Lynch did not).

Looking at Lynch’s season totals, it’s obvious he’s struggled on the field. Most notably, his yard per carry average has been below average for most of the season, and in no single game has he shown more than mediocrity. His single best week, in terms of yard per carry average, came week one when he averaged 4.2 yards per carry. Since that game his yard per carry average has fluctuated between 3.0-3.7; not great numbers. So, even though his attempts per game has gone up a bit this season (relative to last), he’s on pace to rush for nearly 100 fewer yards.

In recap, here are the key points to take away:

• Lynch has not scored a touchdown in his past two starts
• Fred Jackson is stealing some carries (and one touchdown, so far)
• He isn’t getting much mileage out of his limited carries (season yards per attempt average: 3.5)

The Oakland Raiders season has the makings of a rollercoaster ride: in week one the team was blown out by the Broncos, only to bounce back a week later with a win over the Chiefs. Since then, however, two losses spelled doom for former head coach Lane Kiffen, who was fired (evidently without pay). What’s gone right and wrong this season? Check it out.

1. The Raiders last two losses were decided by margins of one and ten points and in both games the Raiders had fourth quarter leads. Oakland scored 23, 23, and 18 points in their last three games; last season the team averaged 17.7 per game and the season before that it averaged 10.5 points.

2. JaMarcus Russell has an 84.9 quarterback rating. If he can finish the season with a similar rating, it will mark the first time since 2002 that a starting quarterback finishes a season with a passer rating of at least 80. Incidentally, the Raiders won the AFC Championship that season, as well.

3. The Raiders running game is ranked 3rd in the NFL, as the offense has averaged 155 yards per game this season. Darren McFadden has led the charge with 272 yards in four starts, pacing himself for a season of 1,088 yards. If he can up his pace a bit, he’ll be the first Raider in over a decade to break 1,100 rushing yards.

4. McFadden’s game-by-game is a bit disappointing this season. He blew fans away week two when he rushed for 164 yards and a touchdown. Unfortunately, in his other three starts this season he’s accumulated just 108 rushing yards and no touchdowns. Also, his yard per carry average in those three games is just 3.6.

5. It bears mentioning that the coaches have fed running back Michael Bush the ball on a more consistent basis this season, relative to McFadden. Bush has handled 16, 14, and 14 carries in the past three games. He has 193 rushing yards this season and is averaging 64.3 yards per game he plays. McFadden is averaging 68 yards per game. Bush also has as many touchdowns as McFadden.

6. Just to throw it out there, as well: Justin Fargus was injured week two, but before that he was averaging 70 yards per game and 5.2 yards per carry. Both numbers are comparable to McFadden’s averages this season.

7. JaMarcus Russell is on pace for 2,672 yards passing, 16 touchdowns, 4 interceptions, 4 rushing touchdowns this season. Vince Young put together 2,199 yards passing, 12 touchdowns, 13 interceptions, and 7 rushing touchdowns when he won rookie of the year in 2006.

8. The Raiders, who are tied for fewest wins in the AFC West this season, have the division’s best scoring defense, averaging a bit more than 25 points per game. Not surprisingly, however, Oakland’s offense is ranked 3rd in the division in scoring offense this season and third in points differential.

9. No Raiders wide receiver has more than five catches this season, though three running backs have at least six catches this year. Tight End Zach Miller leads the team with 11 catches for 153 yards and 1 touchdown, confirming the notion that young quarterbacks tend to target tight ends.

10. Here’s a telling stat: the Raiders rank 31st in third down conversion rate, getting a first down just 14.5 percent of the time. They are also tied for most fumbles/game lost this season, giving opponents the ball via fumble an average of 1.25 times per game.

The San Diego Chargers are, without a doubt, one of the league’s greatest disappointments this season. It is perhaps not because this team is struggling, but instead because it continues to excel on offense, only to lose my small margins. In any case, here are 10 things you ought to know about the San Diego Chargers this season.

1. The Chargers have not lost this season by a margin of more than seven points, and two of the team’s losses were within two points. Carolina won week one, thanks to a late-game drive by Jake Delhomme that put the Panthers up by two. Denver won the next week in a similar scenario, though the Broncos took the lead after a two point conversion put them up by one.

2. San Diego has scored one less point and allowed one less point than Denver this season. The Broncos, however, have a two game lead on the Chargers and double the winning percentage. Had the Chargers defeated the Broncos week two, they would be technically ahead of the Broncos in the division.

3. Still, don’t feel sorry for the Chargers; their defense has let them down this season. Without Shawn Merriman, San Diego has the 24th ranked scoring defense and their pass defense is ranked dead last in the NFL, allowing 265.6 yards per game.

4. Philip Rivers began the season with three consecutive three touchdown performances. He has since thrown one touchdown in each of the Chargers past two games, despite no significant drop in pass attempts. His completion percentage, however, has dipped below 60 for the past two weeks, as he has completed just 27-of-53.

5. I’m sorry if you drafted LaDainian Tomlinson first overall in your fantasy draft this season. LT, who has not rushed for fewer than 1,200 yards in any season of his career, has 331 rushing yards this season, putting him on pace for 1,059 yards this season.

6. Tomlinson does, however, have four rushing touchdowns. Unfortunately, he has scored in just two games. At least he’s on pace to gain over 1,300 yards from scrimmage - it would be the first time since his rookie season that he netted fewer than 1,800 yards in a season.

7. Inconsistency has been his greatest barrier: LT rushed for more than 90 yards in two games this season … but in two others he rushed for less than 40. His yard per carry average exceeded 4.5 in two games … but in the others it’s been below 3.0.

8. Antonio Gates is not the Chargers best fantasy receiver this season. At least not at this point. Gates has 16 catches for 217 yards and 3 touchdowns, but teammate Chris Chambers has turned his 11 catches into 226 yards and 5 scores. In other words, Chambers averages over 20 yards per catch and he scores every other time he hangs onto the football.

9. The Chargers have a +4 turnover ratio, putting them behind only the Tennessee Titans and Washington Redskins. What do the Chargers not have in common with those teams? Winning. The combined record of Tennessee and Washington is 9-1.

10. San Diego has been outgained in three key measurables: rushing yards (567-493), passing yards (1,328-1,133), and first downs (113-84). It is surprising, then, that the Chargers have outscored opponents, 148-129.