By Zack Cimini
The Raiders have an offense ranked ninth in football. Ranking higher than teams such as Pittsburgh, Atlanta, and Philadelphia. Yet numerous players on their team are available in the majority of fantasy leagues.
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/877397-key-in-on-raiders-athletes-for-waiver-wire-additions
By Zack Cimini
Double digit comebacks and continued offensive explosions keep occurring. Equating to a high amount of points being scored, and fantasy points being racked up quicker than Victor Cruz realizing he was not touched. More importantly with defenses struggling, teams are able to get production from receivers all across their depth charts. There are plenty of receivers included on this weeks waiver wire addition to help with your depth issues.
Quarterbacks:
Andy Dalton:
His second half versus Buffalo was a complete reversal. He showed the poise and had his teammates believing in the comeback. A double digit come from behind win, and solid stats to back it up. Dalton still would be ranked near the bottom of fantasy quarterbacks, but he is showing that he has valuable upside. If you’re in a tight bind with depth at quarterback, you may want Dalton for end of the season insurance.
Jason Campbell:
Entering week four, Campbell quietly was in the top ten for quarterback rating. He has also been fearless with his downfield throws and has been doing this with an injured group of receivers still sidelined. As they start returning, the Raiders are going to be even more explosive offensively. Campbell finally is able to run an offense where he has a familiarity with being in it a year ago. The first time in his career he has not had to relearn a new offensive system.
Alex Smith:
How crazy have the times become, that Alex Smith may actually be a fantasy factor? Alex Smith. It seems like he has been in the league for fifteen years, but he was only drafted in 2005.At 3-1 the 49ers have done it largely because of Smith. Frank Gore finally showed something vs. the Eagles, but the first few weeks it was Smith carrying the offense. Mistakes have declined for Smith, as he is taking what the defense gives him.
Kolb Struggling While Learning New Cardinals System
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/877775-kolb-struggling-while-learning-new-cardinals-system
Running Backs:
Ryan Torain: Torain once again has re-entered the waiver wire sweepstakes. An explosive week four after no carries all season. Washington is going to run the football, it’s just a question of who will be doing it. Green arrows on Torain and put three red ones next to Tim Hightower.
How does Tim Hightower Fare Now?
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/876017-shanahan-does-it-again-where-does-tim-hightower-fit-now
Isaac Redman: Pittsburgh’s offense just seems like it needs to be re-tweaked. Big Ben’s nimbleness is not quite there, and the support of a running game definitely isn’t. Rashard Mendenhall has not been able to break lose, while Redman seems to be delivering when on the field.
Derrick Ward: The carousel of backfield injuries keeps rotating for the Texans. With Ben Tate’s groin injury, the majority of the work load will refocus in the hands of Arian Foster like a year ago. Ward has missed a few weeks himself, but is expected to return next week. How responsive Foster’s hamstring is will determine if Ward will get eight to ten carries or not.
Stevan Ridley: New England’s backfield never truly has had a consistent fantasy back in quite awhile. BenJarvus Green-Ellis had his brief moments, but always had the worry of Fred Taylor/Danny Woodhead/Kevin Faulk. Plus the Patriots would rather run their short yardage passing game over running. Rookie, Stevan Ridley was a high pick for Bellichick in the third round. His workload Sunday led to a solid day as he filled in for injured back Danny Woodhead.
Top Seven Fantasy Busts Heading Into Week Three
Wide Receivers
Key In On Raiders Athletes for Waiver Wire Additions
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/877397-key-in-on-raiders-athletes-for-waiver-wire-additions
Darrius Heyward-Bey:
The first round pick is starting to show signs that he can be a force at wide receiver. He needs to stay healthy, but if so his speed complements the cannon arm of Jason Campbell. Sunday he was targeted seven times by Campbell and had his second career 100 yard receiving game.
Laurent Robinson:
One positive for Dallas is that they are scoring a high amount of points each week. It’s almost all riding on the arm of Tony Romo. Luckily from a fantasy standpoint, receivers do not have to worry about Romo’s errant mistakes. Robinson should still have fantasy value even when Miles Austin returns. This offense is just too explosive to not have three main receivers as fantasy weapons.
Randall Cobb:
Even though Donald Driver returned to action Sunday, he has clearly reached the last leg of his career. This team wants to be explosive, and is loaded with weapons. Cobb had a sixty one yard play Sunday, and needs on field action to add even a higher dimension for the Packers. It’s a crowded receiving group, but injuries are bound to happen. Scoop Cobb now in fourteen team leagues, and monitor in ten or twelve team leagues.
Arrelious Benn
Defenses have figured out a way to limit Mike Williams. It has led to an offense that has struggled a bit to find a main offensive weapon. Sooner or later a quarterback of Josh Freeman’s caliber is going to find new ways to generate offense. Benn made a couple of big plays Monday Night. One would of been a 60 yard touchdown if he did not step out of bounds.
Victor Cruz:
A dominating performance with three touchdowns last preseason saved Cruz from being a likely preseason casualty cut. Now he has made the most of his playing time with early season injuries to Manningham and Nicks. Expect the Giants to have a formidable three receiver fantasy impact as they did a year ago with Steve Smith.
Steve Breaston:
As bad as Matt Cassel has been to start the year, there is no possible way he was going to perform like that for sixteen games. He has had the same pattern of awful games as a Chief, only to bounce back when least expected. If Cassel can have eight to ten games with over 250 yards passing, it’ll make Breaston a flex option and borderline number three receiver plug. That’ll be dependant on your other receivers matchups. Breaston learned behind Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald for years, and can be a bright spot for the Chiefs. With the running game in sharp decline, more emphasis will have to be put on the passing attack.
Jared Cook:
Matt Hasselbeck continues to surprise on how well he has handled the switch to the Titans. A true veteran that should bolster and improve upon his weekly performances with Chris Johnson re-emerging. Cook made a few big catches Sunday, and should see his targets rise with Britt out for the year.
By Zack Cimini
If you’re in a hole in your fantasy leagues, chances are you’ve cursed a name or two on the early season bust list.
Zack Cimini writes an Atlanta’s struggles for bleacherreport.com.
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/872166-no-end-in-site-for-atlantas-about-face
By Vidur Malik
By themselves, offensive linemen obviously are obviously not draftable for a fantasy team.
But they could very well be the most influential players in football when it comes to deciding who you should draft.
After only three weeks, the 2011 NFL season has proven that.
A team’s offensive line is something you should definitely pay attention to when picking up players. Everyone who has Michael Vick as a starting quarterback is extremely frustrated at the Philadelphia Eagles’ o-line for not protecting their QB. The teams’ offensive linemen can’t take all the blame for the concussion and bruised hand he suffered in back-to-back weeks, but they should definitely shoulder a majority of it.
Vick is just one example of an elite fantasy player whose numbers could suffer because he plays with a suspect offensive line. The men in the trenches are extremely crucial to every part of a team’s offense, which makes them very important for your fantasy team.
When considering which players to pick up from the waiver list, think about their offensive lines. If the team has a strong line, it will probably boost the chances for a quarterback or running back to play well. By giving the quarterback more time to throw, the o-line could also give wide receivers a chance to run intricate routes and get open.
Teams like the New York Giants, Oakland Raiders and New England Patriots all have dependable offensive lines, and it’s a good idea to take a look at players on those teams when you’re adding someone from waivers. Look for players like Raiders running back Michael Bush, a big, bruising runner who excels in short-yardage situations and runs behind a solid line. Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz probably got picked up by fantasy owners all over the nation after his performance last week, and Torrey Smith of the Ravens, who also have a good o-line, was no doubt a popular pick-up. Both are examples of players who got opportunities to produce because their quarterbacks are usually not pressured.
The offensive line will probably mean the most to you during next year’s draft. At that time, consider a quarterback like Eli Manning or Joe Flacco over someone like Vick, who obviously has the potential to put up huge fantasy numbers but could also be sidelined because of injuries.
For now, you should keep this in mind as you make mid-season pick-ups. You never know which no-name running back or wide receiver could suddenly emerge as a starter because he benefits from a great offensive line.
By Zack Cimini
September is just about in the books. Lets look at week four’s automatic starts and players to not even think of putting in your fantasy lineups.
Start: Donovan McNabb
Minnesota isn’t loaded at wide receiver, but the team is improving by the week. Their tough schedule early on will now become much easier. It isn’t like they haven’t been in their games. They’ve just not been able to play four complete quarters. The key to success is the way the Vikings have been the past few weeks. Armed and ready to hand the ball to AP. There are going to be some weeks that AP elevates McNabb’s passing stats, and this week will be one of them.
Sit: Matt Hasselbeck
The woes are well known for the Titans. Their offense was efficient by being heavily dependant on the pass over the run. Chris Johnson has not been able to get in gear, and sooner or later that’s going to cause Hassle beck a horrible game. That game may be this week. Without his Pro Bowl caliber receiver Kenny Britt, the Titans receivers now become one of the worst in the league. Nothing new to Hasselbeck as he comes from Seattle.
Start: Ryan Fitzpatrick
The quarterback that was recruited by just Eastern Washington and Harvard, and honorable mention for All-State his senior year in high school, is now becoming a big time NFL quarterback. He has turned around a franchise, and has this team believing. The Bills somehow keep getting down in games and fighting back relentlessly. However they get the wins, Fitzpatrick is piling up impressive fantasy stats.
Start: LT
It looks like an unfavorable match up, but the Ravens have not been as stellar at giving up yards. They step up defensively in spots, but they do not play an entire four quarters of great football. Shonne Greene should be held in check, but look for LT to get some big plays out of the backfield. A good flex option this week.
Sit: Joey Addai
Addai ran tough and had one of his better games in awhile against the Pittsburgh Steelers. The amount of carries was a season high, to go along with nearly ninety yards and a touchdown. I don’t look for that to become a trend. The Colts managed the game effectively and limited the Steelers opportunities offensively. With the status of their quarterback situation still woeful, maintaining an effective rushing attack with someone as inconsistent as Addai will be hard to do.
Start: Daniel Thomas
The Dolphins are 0-3 with a couple of winnable games left on the playing field. One bright spot has been rookie Daniel Thomas. Thomas is excelling on a weekly basis, and granting the heavier work amount over newcomer Reggie Bush. Thomas should garner another effective fantasy outing with points in the range of ten to fourteen. For the ADP of Thomas, you’re getting way more value than you bargained for.
Sit: Frank Gore
We’ve seen the pattern far too often. A reliant running back, you expect to continually produce year after year. Age use to be the determining factor, but nowadays talent level declines out of nowhere. Gore’s time may be now. He has staved off injuries throughout his career to remain effective, but this year he just hasn’t had it. He looks slower, and just not himself. The heavy workloads of the prior years seem to have slowed him down a tad.
Start: Santana Moss
Moss seems to be Grossman’s main go to guy, as has been the case throughout Moss’s career with several different quarterbacks. He still has the speed to beat defenders deep, but has become more effective with simple crossing patterns the last few years. St. Louis has been ripped apart by the Giants, Ravens, and Eagles on big pass plays. Look for Moss to have one of his patented stat filler games.
Sit: Mike Thomas
Thomas finally had some fantasy relevancy in week three. Catching a touchdown to go with over fifty yards receiving. The touchdown came on an unorthodox type of play. Yet even though Thomas is the Jaguars main target at receiver, his stats at the end of the year will likely look like a third receivers. Give Gabbert a few months to develop and take his lumps. In the mean time do not even think of putting Thomas in your lineup. At the end of the year he should have stronger value.
