Questions @Cimini

Bye Week Teams: Pittsburgh and Indianapolis
It’s the first week of bye weeks and injuries are starting to mount up. Do not be an owner that makes a costly error of not reviewing injury notes prior to Thursday or Sunday’s games. Matthew Stafford is looking as if he is going to be a game time decision by the Detroit Lions. Have a backup plan well in advance. Inserting Shaun Hill for this week is even a good option.

Here are some fantasy players of note to consider placing on the bench for week four.

Quarterbacks
Mike Vick
One of the first teams to corral Vick during his surprise comeback and overtaking of Donovan McNabb were the NY Giants. They know how to contain Vick in the pocket and do what every team in football is doing now, and that is lay hits on Vick. All the offensive line issues and poor play calling by Andy Reid has this team on the verge of another media and self team collapse. Sunday night football will only elevate and expose the Eagles even more.

Christian Ponder
Ponder has been a surprise to start the season and is right on the borderline of tier one and tier two fantasy quarterbacks currently. This has been done with the Vikings calling a basic offense and rather mediocre numbers from the skilled position wide receivers. Though the matchup looks favorable against Detroit, I do not expect Ponder to be ranked in the top fifteen this week for fantasy quarterbacks.

Drew Brees
As shocking as this looks, Brees has too many factors that make a foreseeable rough game against the Green Bay Packers. The number one issue is the Saints defense. They have not been able to stop the run or pass, and this is the type of game that Aaron Rodgers has been waiting for. He has faced some of the toughest defenses to start the year in the Chicago Bears, Seattle Seahawks, and San Francisco. With the anger of the Packers matched with the offset of the Saints poor play, means this could get ugly quick for the Saints. Frustration is already evident and will only grow for Brees when they’re 0-4

Other Quarterbacks to Sit: Peyton Manning and Kevin Kolb

Running Backs
Ryan Williams
The big news Wednesday was that the Cardinals decided to place Beanie Wells on the injured reserve, assuring that Williams is going to be the primary back for at least eight weeks. Williams may have a couple of solid games intermixed in these eight weeks, but not enough to make him a RB1 or RB2 starter. He can possibly be a flex option, but the Cardinals are not going to improve from being near the bottom of the league in rushing. Miami has been tough against the run and will make Williams full time duty debut a rough go.

Willis McGahee
Peyton Manning is struggling early on in games because teams are able to condense down the secondary for Manning’s quick throws. McGahee is as tough a runner as they come but Manning’s limitations are going to hurt his overall effectiveness. Oakland has not necessarily been a stalwart against the run, but McGahee is not a flashy back anyhow. McGahee is a straight forward runner that the Raiders should be able to boggle down.

Doug Martin
Though Washington ranks near the bottom overall for defense, this game will be more about boosting Josh Freeman’s confidence heading into the Buccaneers bye week. The Redskins secondary has allowed every quarterback to thrash them through the air thus far, and have given up ten passing touchdowns overall. Freeman will finally get into rhythm with new receiver Vincent Jackson, and add to Mike Williams touchdown totals.

Others to Sit: Mike Bush if Matt Forte is declared available Sunday, and Chris Johnson

Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
Steve Smith (Carolina)
Cam Newton himself has admitted he has to work on his demeanor when adversity lurks. The Panthers have had some extended days off after playing last Thursday in an embarrassing home loss to the Giants. Newton just may need a sophomore slump to look back upon for true growth. Facing the red hot Atlanta Falcons in Atlanta is going to be extremely tough for Newton and the Carolina Panthers.

Miles Austin
Much of the focus with Chicago always surrounds Jay Cutler. Year after year that’s what the media focuses on. Chicago likes it that way, as their defense has been as consistent as any team in the NFL, but for some reason the focus remains off of them. Tony Romo has had below standard performances against the Buccaneers and Seahawks. A home game against the Bears figures to be an opportunity to change things, but I believe the Bears will continue the pattern of frustration of Romo.

Antonio Gates
Gates has continued to shake off injuries year after year but it appears that has began to take its toll on him. Fantasy owners that drafted him in the same relative rounds as Vernon Davis, Jimmy Graham, and Rob Gronkowski are cursing up a storm like Chris Johnson owners. Especially with how elder tight end Tony Gonzalez is performing. In years past Gates has shaken off the injury bug to put on strong games. It just does not seem like his high catches and yardage games are going to happen as frequently anymore. He is now more in the mid to bottom range of a tier one tight end. That is only if the Chargers can solve their scoring woes. Kansas City is always tough for Philip Rivers and divisional opponents, and will give Rivers enough fits this week to hurt Gates’s production.
Others to Sit: Eric Decker and Marques Colston

Twitter Questions @Cimini

Lets not base the first three games as an entirety to the season. If that were the case Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady would not even be first tier quarterbacks right now. Brady is ranked 15th and Rodgers 21st currently. Just like with true NFL teams, early season hype for a scattered amount of teams will fade and be evaporated to near .500 seasons by December.

We know which big time players are going to turn around their season because of their history. But where is a quarterback like Josh Freeman headed?

Freeman’s 2010 stellar season seems like a year distant to a veteran winding down his quarterback years. That’s what makes Freeman’s downward spiral and lateral stagnancy so puzzling. Last years lockout appeared to have hurt Freeman more than any quarterback in football. Rapid changes are also an issue that is likely a main factor in Freeman not coming out with better performances.

A new coach, running back, and adjustment to Vincent Jackson all takes time. The early season rust by Josh Freeman should not be over examined. Even though the stats do not jump out on paper from his first three games, Freeman and the Buccaneers have been in every game.

In fact they should be 2-1 if it were not for a colossal collapse by their defense in the fourth quarter against the Giants.

This next month will be a high indicator if Freeman is ever going to move past last season. The Buccaneers have an early bye week, week five, which can do wonders for a quarterback. His one game before the bye week and two after the bye week are three of the worst pass defenses in the NFL.

Washington currently ranks second to last in pass defense, and we all know how poor the Saints have been defensively as a whole. Kansas City’s defense would be ranked worse if it were not for the Bills and Falcons letting up in the second half with huge leads.

So the opportunity for a fantasy quarterback to turn their year around and become relevant, can’t be better than Josh Freeman’s position. His season statistically could not have started off worse. With Freeman as low as he could possibly be from a fantasy perspective, now is the time to snag him.

You’d have to expect Freeman to start connecting with Vincent Jackson more, and target Mike Williams at a higher rate. This next month will be key, but the plus/minus differential for where Freeman is and where he can go currently as a fantasy quarterback is in the double digits range for improvement. Currently he is twenty ninth in passing yards and right in the middle for touchdowns thrown. A couple of three hundred yard games and he should gain the confidence to finish the year off as a solid fantasy backup quarterback.

Twitter Questions @Cimini

If you’re a Reggie Wayne owner, than you should be grinning going into your fantasy matchups. Here are some other names to consider that you may be pondering starting for week three.

Quarterbacks

Jay Cutler-

Cutler is just one of those athletes media heads can circle and create a story no matter what. The fact of the matter is Cutler has led this Bears team to strong starts the past two seasons. In 2010 he led them to the NFC Championship game, and last year they had seven wins before Cutler went down to injury for the year. This is a talented Bears team that will move past Thursday’s performance and have a big game against St. Louis.

Philip Rivers

Travel affects even the best of teams. Atlanta is coming off a strong Monday Night performance and gets to travel to San Diego. The defense has been unable to hold up for four full quarters in any of the first two games this season. Kansas City had their way in the first half of game one, and Denver had a strong fourth quarter Monday Night. Philip Rivers gets Ryan Matthews back, and has quietly had a solid start to the 2012 season. He’ll have no problem throwing the football around against Atlanta’s secondary.

Kevin Kolb-

This is the game where Kolb can seperate himself from John Skelton for good. The Cardinals play well at home, and their defense is playing as a top five unit in the NFL. This game has extra motivation for Kolb as he was traded away to Arizona in favor of Mike Vick as the successor to McNabb. Who knows if McNabb didn’t push for Vick to get another chance in Philadelphia if this would be Kolb’s team right now. All Kolb has to do is take what the Eagles defense gives him and he should have a strong fantasy day. Fitzgerald’s height against the smaller Eagles defensive backs should favor for his first big game of the season.

Matt Schaub-

Schaub has been non existent practically from a fantasy standpoint, as the Texans pound the football with Ben Tate and Arian Foster. This game the Texans will have to open things up through the air. Schaub and Andre Johnson have been waiting for a game like this. Insert Schaub in in deeper leagues this week.

Running Backs

CJ Spiller-

Spiller is finally paying off for the high draft pick the Bills spent on him. The injury woes of Fred Jackson the past year and a half have led to the emergence of Spiller. That and the Bills offensive line does a great job at creating holes for Spiller to take advantage of. The longer Jackson stays nicked up t more Spiller’s value permanately increases.

Jonathan Dwyer-

Oakland is another poor game away from becoming the NFL’s talked about woeful team on a weekly basis. It’ll happen, and the Steelers will do it in their typical smash mouth style. Lots and lots of runs, with Dwyer sneaking in for a couple short yardage scampers.

Kevin Smith-

A few things to like with Smith is you know the Lions are going to feed him the football. He is a tough runner that also gets opportunities with PPR and receiving yards. Based upon his involvement in the offense, he is almost a sure fire lock to get ten fantasy points a week. This week that should be boosted facing the Titans and likelihood of a rushing touchdown.

Wide Receivers/Tight Ends

Reggie Wayne-

Wayne having a big day against Jacksonville is about as easy as it comes for anticipating a big fantasy day. Since 2007 Wayne has racked up a seasons worth of stats in his ten starts. We are talking massive performances. It’s like the black mamba, Kobe Bryant, knowing he is playing the Phoenix Suns. Something about facing the Jaguars brings out the best in Reggie Wayne.

Scott Chandler-

With Joe Haden out due to suspension the shift of focus is going to drift on more attention to Stevie Johnson. Chandler is already Fitzpatrick’s second favorite target, and he’ll be able to thread the ball plenty of times to Chandler in this week three matchup. Expect a solid five to six PPR points to go along with Chandler’s average of around fifty to sixty yards receiving.

Robert Meachem-

Meachem is likely not even on anyone’s fantasy list for a possible starter this week, after his donut score in the statbox last week. Meachem gets to face off against the Atlanta Falcons this week, who have been susceptible through the air. San Diego will likely design a few pass plays specifically for Meachem to get him involved. He also has a solid history of producing versus the Falcons. Last year as a Saint in two games vs the Falcons he had a mid teen average with touchdowns in both games, and in 2010 he had a ten catch hundred yard game as well.

Michael Crabtree-

With the offense of the 49ers increasing to a level not seen in over five years, everyone has seen the results of this. Vernon Davis has leaped ahead into a top three fantasy tight end, and Michael Crabtree is suddenly a weekly fantasy starter option as a third receiver. Facing Minnesota should continue the trend for the offense flourishing. While the attention is on Randy Moss’s minimal plays on the field, it’s Crabtree that should be garnering more attention with his play.

Twitter Questions @Cimini

Quarterbacks

Blaine Gabbert
After a preseason in which Gabbert showed promising signs he has had a mixed start in the first two games of the year. This year he will grow, but it’s going to take the course of the season for that to happen. That means his fantasy relevance likely will not occur until the last five to six games of the season.

Mike Vick
Those waiting for Vick to break out of his mini slump and explode on the Sunday fantasy stat tracker are going to have to wait another week. The Cardinals are right up there in the NFL for the way they like to attack defensively. They’re prepared every week, and they’ll cause havoc for Mike Vick.

Tony Romo
How do Tony Romo and the Cowboys usually follow up a disappointing loss? Based on the past seasons you could anticipate a home let down this week. Romo typically is one of those quarterbacks that stats are easy to fill. After Tampa Bay let the Giants pile up yardage, I expect them to have a tougher mentality defensively.

Mark Sanchez
It’ll be hard to find the handful of games that Sanchez will be a relevant fantasy contributor. Miami has some newfound confidence as a team after destroying the Oakland Raiders. The Jets and Dolphins have a history of playing tight close games. This one will be no different. Sanchez will have in the low 200 yard passing range with one touchdown

Running Backs

Chris Johnson
Johnson has been what you could label as “The fantasy bust of the year” thus far. It’s a long season but the Titans offensive line does not look as if they’re going to help him out too much. The good news is the Titans have abandoned the running game early in their first two games, so when Johnson’s big game comes he may get near 30 carries. Detroit’s stout defensive front will make that a tough option week three.

Jamaal Charles
Kansas City is doing the right thing with how they’re bringing along Charles after his serious injury a year ago. With that being said, the Chiefs offense has been woeful. They did not score a touchdown against the Bills until they were down 35-3. The offense is just not in sync. Maybe Todd Haley was right wanting to bench Cassel during his tenure as head coach.

Marshawn Lynch
The game is coming where Lynch is going to truly have to do it on his own to get any type of yards. Luckily for the Seahawks they jumped out to a 10-0 lead thanks to special teams against the Cowboys. Facing Green Bay is going to be a tougher challenge. The Packers are at home and have not had the fluid offense we have come to expect. They’ll have a full ten days in between their Thursday game against Chicago and Monday’s against Seattle. They’ll be ready to force Wilson into bad decisions and halt Lynch.

Wide Receivers/Tight Ends

Donnie Avery-
Sometimes when an athlete sees a certain team on the schedule they just know they’re in for a great game. That is the case with Reggie Wayne. Last year was an off year as a whole for the Colts. Ignoring that year, Wayne has wreaked havoc on the Jagaurs secondary. In 2010, he had well over 200 yards receiving in the two combined games, and in 2009 over 300 yards, as well as in 2008 and 2007. The chances for Avery having a big game with Wayne may have happened with Peyton but not with Luck.

Danny Amendola-
Lovie Smith and the Bears do a solid job weekly at attempting to limit your strengths. They’re one of the few teams that limits the Packers offensively each outing. St. Louis has never been a monster offensive team but last week they racked up a great game led by Sam Bradford versus Washington. Amendola had a career day and caught the eyes of many. The law of averages and a great Bears game plan will limit him to under five catches.

Tony Gonzalez
Gonzalez’s stats have grown as Matt Ryan’s comfort and adaptation to NFL speed has adjusted as well. Gonzalez resurgence can be traced solely to his unwavering work ethic. The first two games of this year he has not disappointed either. Father time is ticking though for Gonzalez and you have to wonder if the rigorous nature of the football season will get to him this year. Gonzalez is on the tail end of age 36 and will be 37 in February. Travel usually hampers even young athletes. The shortened week and far trip to San Diego will lead to a down week for Gonzalez. Expect around forty yards receiving without a touchdown.

Twitter Questions@Cimini
Points
1 Tom Brady Mid Twenties
2 Cam Newton Low Twenties
3 Drew Brees High Teens
4 Tony Romo High Teens
5 RG3 High Teens
6 Philip Rivers High Teens
7 Matt Stafford High Teens
8 Mike Vick Mid to High Teens
9 Ben Roethlisberger Mid to High Teens
10 Matt Ryan Mid to High Teens
11 Matt Cassel Mid to High Teens
12 Ryan Fitzpatrick Mid to High Teens
13 Peyton Manning Mid Teens
14 Joe Flacco Mid Teens
15 Alex Smith Mid Teens
16 Andrew Luck Mid Teens
17 Matt Schaub Mid Teens
18 Andy Dalton Low to Mid Teens
19 Blaine Gabbert Low to Mid Teens
20 Eli Manning Low to Mid Teens
21 Kevin Kolb Low to Mid Teens
22 Mark Sanchez Low Teens
23 Carson Palmer Low Teens
24 Josh Freeman Low Teens
25 Christian Ponder Low Teens
The rest twelve points or under

Tweet your questions @Cimini

Don’t get over anxious for your fantasy starters submissions. There is always that hole of a fill in spot that you’re undecided about. It comes down to the best matchups, and flex or lower tiered starters that you can get the highest point value out of. Eye the right guy. Here are some names that likely won’t dot anyones starting lineups. Be the contrarian fantasy owner and take a risk with one of your last starting fill in spots.

Quarterbacks

Matt Cassel
Kansas City hung in with Atlanta for two quarters before the offense sputtered and couldn’t keep pace. Kansas City has talent on offense now and Cassel is finally starting to settle in as the Chiefs quarterback. Buffalo gave up a ton of yardage against a Jets team that struggled mightily in preseason action. That trend is not goin to end this week.

Christian Ponder
The Vikings second year man does not get the notoriety that Cam Newton and Andy Dalton have. Ponder replaced McNabb a year ago and showed a knack for evading pressure and holding steady in the pocket. Both of those traits had been impossible for McNabb to do on aging legs. While the focus of this matchup is going to be shined on Andrew Luck, Ponder will be the one that steals the spotlight and outshines Luck.

Kevin Kolb
Kolb is one of those guys that can perform well when the pressure is off him. As a backup in Philadelphia he played terrific, well enough that Andy Reid almost named him starter officially over Donovan McNabb. With Skelton out for a limited time frame Kolb is the starter for at least a game. The pressures off and Kolb has nothing to lose. He can regain the Cardinals coaching staffs confidence in this one.

Josh Freeman
Freeman is many prognosticators favorites to have a bounce back year and be relevant from a fantasy perspective. Week one was a defensive battle where Freeman handled the lead and played within the stages of the game. Things will be different this week against a Giants team that is going to put up points. Freeman’s arm will be on display, and that he will hook up with Vincent Jackson quite often against a banged up Giants secondary.

Running Backs

Curtis Brinkley
This is a head scratcher at first glance from many people, as Brinkley is not known by anyone. This of course will be up to the injury update of Ryan Matthews. If Matthews does not go, than Brinkley is my breakout canidate of the week. The undrafted player out of Syracuse will get some looks, probably a higher amount than week one. Ronnie Brown just does not have anything left. Brinkley will get ten plus fantasy points this weekend.

Kendall Hunter
Hunter had an impressive nine rushes week one. The 49ers want to secure their health throughout this season and into the post season. In order to do that Hunter’s involvement is only going to rise. Veteran running backs such as Gore face all types of minor injuries as the season goes on. Hunter is going to rise up running back weeks every week. In a game where there will likely be points put up by both teams, you have to figure Hunter can get in on the action. Expect a solid eight to ten fantasy points from Hunter. Solid numbers in deep leagues if you’re looking at a flex option.

DeAngelo Williams
Carolina abandoned the rushing attack early after no success against Tampa Bay. Cam Newton sometimes is more of a threat on a weekly basis out of the backfield than any one on the Carolina roster. Week one Newton and the offense struggled for obvious reasons. The balance of playcalls was horrible. They’ll go back to the basics and get the running game its proper amount of play call selections.

Jonathan Dwyer
Pittsburgh is unsettled on who to give their carries too. It will be a split carry load until one of the backs stands out. Dwyer seems like the back that can do the most with the football over Isaac Redman. All it takes is that one game for an unsure backfield to be overtaken. In a prime time game against the Jets the Steelers will look to run, run, and run the football more to control the clock. They did a very good job of controlling the clock against the Denver Broncos, but were out done by a Peyton Manning with a chip on his shoulder.

Wide Receivers

Kevin Ogletree
This one is really going to get all the Ogletree waiver wire owners drooling and hyping up his trade bait. Seattle’s defense is typically good, but an area they struggled against the Cardinals was covering the third receiver. Cardinals receiver Andre Roberts had several key catches including the game winning touchdown. Tony Romo is a considerable upgrade over Skelton or Kolb. When Romo gets a connection developed it continues. Miles Austin came out of nowhere a few years back and so did Laurent Robinson last year.

Jared Cook
San Diego’s secondary was either impressive or Carson Palmer has lost it completely. After minimal starts as a rookie Tennessee will keep things simple for Jake Locker. A young quarterbacks best friend is always at tight end. Cook has the skillset to have a strong year, and in this game against San Diego don’t be shocked to see him have more fantasy points than Antonio Gates.

Brandon LaFell
Teams are geared up to do everything they can to force Cam Newton into discomfort. It’s going to be hard to do on a weekly basis, but division rivals saw Newton twice last year. Tampa Bay made sure the third time was difficult last week. New Orleans gets their third shot as well. You’d expect them to be ready to shutdown Steve Smith better than any other team, as Smith had two of his seven total touchdowns on the Saints a year ago. LaFell is a breakout game away from being considered a top thirty to thirty five fantasy receiver.

Sidney Rice
By no means will Seattle be in this game vs the Cowboys. In fact I expect it to be the ugliest game of the weekend. Ugly blowouts do not eliminate fantasy value from a team, especially at wide receiver. Rice seems to finally be healthy and displayed impressive routes week one against the Cardinals. As the game gets uglier look for Rice to rack up the most garbage fantasy points of the weekend.