Week Seven Automatics/Don’t Do Its Follow@cimini

Automatics

Josh Freeman I’m going to green light a Josh Freeman start for those searching for an out of the ordinary week at the fantasy quarterback position. Freeman thus far this year has been more of a tabloid spectacle then a performer, but a new environment should translate to success on the field. A toxic environment no matter what work profession is going to be a recipe for non-success for both sides. This is the perfect first start for Freeman to have. The New York Giants have not been able to stop anyone all season. Freeman has the arm to make targets Greg Jennings, Jerome Simpson, and Kyle Rudolph fantasy friendly every week. Eddie Lacy Last Sunday against the Baltimore Ravens Lacy was the main show to witness in a game that had little offense for several quarters. With injuries to Jones and Cobb, Green Bay will turn more into a running team for the next several weeks. That may be a good thing to build the team’s overall confidence. Don’t forget the year the Packers won the Super Bowl in 2010, it all started with the Packers resorting to running the football with success in the second half of the season when they turned the carries over to James Starks. Nick Foles They say all you need is the opportunity and right circumstances to overtake a position in sports. Foles has that for the second consecutive week while Mike Vick nurses a sore hamstring. What better way to showcase you’re the right guy for the job, than to get two consecutive wins for a team that was below .500 beforehand? Foles gets the chance to light up a Dallas secondary prone at giving up the big plays. Lamar Miller By now most fantasy football owners are probably ready to write off Miller and the chance of a sleeper type season for him. Part of Miami’s struggles with consecutive losses before their bye week was the inability to establish or sustain the running game. At 3-2 this a decisive game for Miami to propel themselves back into playoff consideration against Buffalo. During the winning streak of 3-0, Miami was riding the arm of Ryan Tannehill, it led to the downside of their last two losses. Look for Miami to get Miller going against a Buffalo team traveling on the road after a hard fought overtime loss at home against Cincinnati. Reggie Wayne I think the impact of this matchup of Peyton Manning vs Andrew Luck is hyped for all the right reasons. But a guy being forgotten in this is Reggie Wayne. Wayne is linked to Manning right behind Marvin Harrison as his favorite target during his career. It’s not like Wayne is at the twilight stages of his career. He is still performing at an elite level and will want to show that he is the best receiver on the field, not DeMaryius Thomas, Eric Decker, and Wes Welker. Others: Donnie Avery, DeAngelo Williams, Pierre Garcon, and Larry Fitzgerald

Don’t Do Its

Russ Wilson Revenge is never in disguise. The Cardinals will be coming hard after Russ Wilson and trying to avenge their blowout , 58-0, loss from a year ago. Wilson has rushed the football ten or more times four of the last five Seahawks games. A year ago he only ran the ball over ten times once. He is having issues in the pocket throwing the ball because his receivers cannot get open frequently. Look for the Cardinals to attack with lots of blitzes to try and get Wilson to commit to mistakes. I don’t think he’ll have the success running the ball which downgrades his fantasy value. CJ Spiller The game will come that Spiller has an all-world fantasy game, but do you want to count on a 15 yard per carry average for him to do so? Buffalo has relegated Spiller’s carries. He is lucky if he’ll surpass twelve carries on any game at this rate. So in order for him to be a mega success he needs to run the football for an outrageous yards per carry average. If it were not for his big touchdown run against Cleveland owners would be on the verge of permanent seating Spiller on their bench. Tom Brady Brady and the Patriots are finding ways to win and they’ll look to do so again this week against the Jets. Rex Ryan has typically been solid at devoting great schemes to combat the Patriots run and gun offense. The personnel just isn’t there for Tom Brady to have success week in and week out. These two teams just played a month ago, and not much has changed from a personnel standpoint. With the Jets likely able to stuff the Patriots rush attack, it may be a long frustrating day for Brady under center. Andy Dalton Year one as a starter, Dalton did not look like a rookie in certain games. A few years later and it’s appearing that Dalton is who he is. He is not the type of quarterback that can take his game further and to another level. Therefore, defenses are able to pick up on his demeanor and read him more and more as a quarterback. It’s going to create a burden for the offense and a decline that hurts the team. Green Bay is excelling right now on defense and does not present a good matchup for Dalton. Ryan Matthews One good game and fantasy owners want to consider Matthews a fantasy stud worthy RB1 the rest of the year. As Lee Corso says….not so fast. Matthews has had plenty of time to showcase if he is a viable running back or not. This scenario needs no review. Matthews is capable of carrying the ball twelve to fifteen times a game, for a mediocre dependable average between sixty and seventy yards. San Diego transformed themselves against Indianapolis to a team that wanted to milk the clock and protect the lead. It worked but that game plan is one that the Chargers got away with because they’ve never used that type of plan. It won’t fool future opponents on the schedule, and I don’t think the Chargers will attempt it again. Others: Colin Kapernick, RG3, Sam Bradford, and Josh Gordon

Week Seven Fourth Quarter Killers

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The Seattle Seahawks and Arizona Cardinals kick things off in week seven tomorrow night. It’s vital to have all types of aspects ready to go for your lineups. Key stars mixed with best shots to outdo their normal fantasy numbers is the recipe for a win. Athletes that can outdo their fantasy numbers can come from teams trailing big—-fourth quarter garbage stats. Here are some athletes that can shine largely in the fourth quarter.

Ryan Tannehill
Buffalo has been decimated with injuries defensively and at the quarterback position. Miami is coming off a bye week and will look to get back on the winning track. During Miami’s three wins sometimes it would take Tannehill until the fourth quarter to really thrive. I wouldn’t be shocked for Miami to be down slightly in the fourth before Tannehill wakes up and brings the team back with a big performance.

Cam Newton
Unlike other quarterbacks with a big lead, Cam Newton’s stats usually grow. It’s as if he is trying to make up for the lackluster performances he has had in other games. Against the Giants and Vikings, Newton had a big part of his fantasy success days in the second half with a sizeable lead. The Rams are still a very vulnerable team that Cam Newton should be able to finally have back to back solid games.

Josh Gordon
Gordon has cracked the top ten fantasy receiver lists on several occasions and might be making himself a permanent fixture in those rankings. Last year he was getting behind secondary’s with ease and was just a big play receiver. This year Cleveland has mixed in all types of routes that are getting him more involved with the offense on every down. He is a big receiver that is looking for that big contract…..and will get it. This weekend’s game against the Green Bay Packers may be closer than people think, but Gordon should continue to have a high impact.

Andre Johnson
The Chiefs defense has been gaining steam as the season goes further, while the offense seems to be regressing. An odd mix but it’s working and the Chiefs have not had to play from behind except for a few minutes against Tennessee. Houston’s quarterback woes are not going to go away in a matter of days, which does not bode well for either Matt Schaub or TJ Yates keeping this game competitive. Where there will be a fantasy green light will be with Andre Johnson. The aging receiver already has forty four caught balls and near 450 yards receiving. He should churn up some more late in this game.

Reggie Wayne
Everyone is talking about the second year quarterback in Andrew Luck having a chance to face the quarterback he replaced in Peyton Manning and vice versa. What about Wayne facing his old quarterback that threw him the football all but two years of his career? Wayne will be the key guy to watch for offensively against a Denver team that allowed 48 points to Dallas and then 190 yards receiving to Justin Blackmon a week ago.

Others: Justin Blackmon, Nic Foles, Tony Romo, DeSean Jackson, and Michael Floyd

Upgrades/Downgrades for Situational Starters, Roster Depth, and Flex Positions

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Upgrades

Kembrell Thompkins
Thompkins has slowly become a viable weekly fantasy starter over the last four games. Since the New York Jets game he has been a go to target for Tom Brady. With Danny Amendola leaving Sunday’s game with an apparent concussion, Thompkins may continue to be Brady’s top target until Gronk is back.
Eddie Lacy
Who would of thought the Packers would be able to run the football with a platoon of running backs? They’ve been getting it done with Starks, Franklin, and Lacy all season long. With injuries to the Packers receivers they’ll likely turn to it even more. If Lacy stays healthy you have to consider him a top twelve fantasy back now.

Larry Fitzgerald
Fitzgerald fantasy owners were patient with him while he played through a hamstring injury. His explosiveness returned Sunday as he ran for a 70-plus yard touchdown and was involved in the passing game at a higher level. Hopefully his hamstring won’t be a reoccurring issue. When close to 100 percent Fitzgerald is a top fifteen fantasy wide receiver.

Justin Blackmon
How a guy misses four games, plays two, and is right in the thick of things for top wide receiver stats is beyond me. And Blackmon has done this with Chad Henne and Blaine Gabbert as his quarterbacks. It’s looking like Blackmon’s last season at Oklahoma State with how he is performing on a weekly basis on the field.

DeMarco Murray
Murray’s shown to be a Darren McFadden type even when he returns from an injury. His level of play declines after an injury during the season. He has to be dropped from an RB1 to an RB2 and maybe lower if his performance suffers.

Others: Knowshown Moreno, Keenan Allen, Trent Richardson, Nick Foles, Terrance Williams, and Andre Ellington

Downgrades

Le’Veon Bell
Bell had a quality first game as a Steeler with two touchdowns against the Vikings. But his yards per carry is not where you would like it to be. Unless the Steelers are inside the five yard line there is little fantasy value for Bell right now. Going into week seven of the fantasy season you can’t have high question marks like Bell that you’re unsure of. Until that breakout game comes yardage wise he has to be downgraded.

Chris Johnson
Have we seen any long runs from CJ2K yet? No. It’s a sad fate for top prominent backs a few years after their top campaigns. Shaun Alexander, Larry Johnson, Priest Holmes, LT, etc. the list goes on. Yet fantasy owners will keep drafting Johnson as an RB2 thinking he can get that magic back. It’s over. His flex spot has to be considered up in the air even unless you’re in a deep fantasy league.

Colin Kapernick
The apparent lack of receivers to get open is starting to create a weekly imprint to Kapernick’ overall performance. He isn’t having the same rhythm on series to series that he did a year ago. I don’t believe it’s because of a sophomore slump either. He just doesn’t have the capable weapons on the outside for him to throw a comfortable football. Vernon Davis had well over 60 percent of Kapernick’s passing yards Sunday. Michael Crabtree can’t get back on the field soon enough.

Others: Doug Martin, Greg Jennings, Ben Tate, and Anquan Boldin

Top Catches to Targets Post Week Six

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Keenan Allen
The Chargers rookie has not been playing like one over the course of the last couple of games. He is getting open and Philip Rivers is firing the ball his way a bunch. Monday he was the possession receiver the Chargers needed as he caught nine of twelve passes.

Brandon Marshall
Marshall is still targeted in bunches by quarterback Jay Cutler. For Thursday’s game he had nine catches on eleven targets. Brandon appears to be using his size to shield defenders and catch the football in traffic. I’m waiting to see the big plays that we have become accustomed to seeing from Marshall. His hip may be slowing him down a bit but it’s not to the extent that you should be worried.

Josh Gordon
It’s hard to fathom a Cleveland Brown receiver being a top ten to fifteen wide receiver, but Gordon has been consistent enough to garner the fantasy attention. He has been a flat out steal for those that drafted him late pending his suspension or picked him up off waivers after his first breakout game. Sunday he had seven catches on nine targets.

Kyle Rudolph
Matt Cassel made Kyle Rudolph look like the dump off running back as outlets to Cassel’s throws Sunday. Getting the ball to Rudolph was about the only thing that Cassel did right Sunday. It’s obvious holding back a decision on quarterback won’t involve Cassel, only Freeman or Ponder. Rudolph will help Josh Freeman or Ponder.

Antonio Brown
The Steelers offense showed signs of recovery against the Bears. They just couldn’t fight back from a deficit to complete the comeback. Minnesota they also struggled with turnovers. Against the Jets they came to life

DeSean Jackson
Jackson made a statement that he wouldn’t have a problem against the Buccaneers secondary….and he didn’t. He caught all six of his targets while scoring two touchdowns. He continually beat the Buccaneers with crossing patterns that exposed the safeties both times.

Justin Blackmon
Blackmon put on a show against the Denver Broncos that will go unnoticed because of another bad loss by the Jaguars. In two games, Blackmon has jumped right up in the statistical category of season leaders at the receiver position. A remarkable achievement considering he was suspended the first four games. Fourteen catches on twenty targets for 190 yards will put you on the top twelve wide receiver fantasy map.

Others: Victor Cruz 4 catches/5 targets, Jordan Cameron 5 catches/6 targets, Kris Durham 8 catches/11 targets, Heath Miller 6 catches/7 targets, Tandon Doss 4 catches/6 targets, Andre Johnson 7 catches/8 targets, Aaron Dobson 6 catches/10 targets, Vernon Davis 8 catches/11 targets.

Stretching The Field Post Week Six

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Reggie Wayne
Wayne had a nice average with five catches for eighty eight yards. He also had a key drop on a quick slant in which he would have probably eclipsed one hundred yards receiving with. Even Wayne can drop a pass every now and then. Barring injury, Wayne is on his way to having another typical Reggie type season.

DeNarius Moore
Terrelle Pryor is not going to light up the statistic of passing yards. He is still getting acclimated to NFL defenses and struggled tremendously in the second half against Kansas City. Moore is a still a solid fantasy wide receiver for a quarterback like Pryor. He gets separation from defenders and can take quick throws like he did Sunday the distance. His targets of ten didn’t disappoint either Sunday. He finished with four catches for over eighty yards.

Brandon LaFell
LaFell got the big play that broke the game open and led to the rout of the Minnesota Vikings on their home field. LaFell has the capability but until Newton shows a pattern of dependability everyone on Carolina’s offense remains a risk from a fantasy standpoint.

Riley Cooper
It was rather a bit shocking to see Nick Foles have an effortless performance against the Tampa Bay defense. Even Drew Brees struggled a few weeks earlier at Tampa Bay. Foles though was able to drop back and complete deep ball throws consistently to Cooper and Jackson. Cooper had the biggest on a deep sideline touchdown pass. He finishes with four catches for over one hundred yards receiving.

Jordy Nelson
Nelson was driving fantasy owners nuts. Sunday with James Jones and Randall Cobb out instantly sports bars acted like the Packers had no other receiver capable and the Packers should be written off against the Ravens. Nelson still wears a Packers uniform and somehow got behind Ravens cornerback Webb for a deep bomb touchdown. Nelson will have to be Rodgers top target over the next few games until Cobb and Jones are back to full health.

Larry Fitzgerald
It looks like Fitzgerald knows his body better than anyone else. He has taken it easy in practice over the last three to four weeks with a sore hamstring, yet he hasn’t missed any game action on Sunday. You could tell over the last four weeks that he was not 100 percent. But Sunday he had a breakout game and showed signs that his hamstring is near or at 100 percent. He had a key third down conversion that he ran for a 70 yard plus touchdown.

Post Week Six Waiver Wire Pickups

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Six weeks are officially in the books. Before you know it it’s going to be down to those final two to three fantasy weeks to clinch a fantasy playoff spot. Hopefully you’ll be in contention when it comes around to that. Here are some players to consider adding to bolster your fantasy team.

Nick Foles
If Foles is named starter, than insert Foles as one of the hottest pickups of the week. Before Vick was hurt he ranked near the top with fantasy quarterbacks for points. Foles stepped in Sunday and withstood playing from behind twice and played with poise. Just when it looked like momentum would sway to the home team Buccaneers, Foles would deliver another long bomb with accuracy.

Zac Stacy
St. Louis will likely finish the season as a team in the bottom five for rushing, but a back that can get double digit carries deserves a look on fantasy rosters. The Rams have been up and down all season, but have three wins to speak of. Stacy has garnered the feature back role from Daryl Richardson and had a semi-productive outing against the Texans. Stacy is only worth a pickup in deeper leagues.

Khiry Robinson
The Saints and Sean Payton are making a pattern out of using unheralded backs in their system. A year ago they utilized Chris Ivory to success. Robinson has been the most effective runner for the Saints. It’s catching the eyes of the Saints as he has went from only getting a couple of carries a game to seven this past week. It wouldn’t be surprising to see him get ten or more carries in upcoming games.

Andre Ellington
For the first five games of the season Ellington had shown the all-purpose aspect in limited action. Sunday he had another all-purpose game with only seven carries and five catches with a touchdown. Sooner or later the Cardinals are going to unveil Ellington as their feature back and see what he can do.

Brandon Jacobs
I’m not expecting Jacobs to have too many one hundred yard rushing games before the season ends. His fantasy value comes with crossing the plain in the end zone. He scored two rushing touchdowns against the Bears, and should be able to get close to seven or eight touchdowns by years end.

Heath Miller
Miller has always had a great rapport with quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. Since returning to action he has added a new component to the Steelers offense. Ben is more comfortable when plays break down. Sunday, he made a fantastic throw on a third and long to where only Miller could haul in the pass. It led to points on the board and got the Steelers the confidence to win on the road.

DeNarius Moore
We have seen a few big plays now from the Oakland Raiders offense in the last three weeks. Terrelle Pryor still isn’t comfortable enough to be a pocket passer for four quarters. Big plays that do happen in the passing game only come once or twice a game. Still with how big of a threat Pryor is with his legs, those 1-2 chances are going to be there each game.

Riley Cooper
The where is Riley Cooper fliers can be returned now. He finally made an impact on the field in an offense that should make all the receivers fantasy worthy. His biggest play came on a pivotal long touchdown that gave the Eagles the lead for good. Cooper’s role as a fantasy asset needs a few quality games before he can be used in lineups. But for a waiver wire acquisition though he can ride the bench for a few weeks.

Brandon LaFell
When Cam Newton has games that he throws for over 175 yards, LaFell has been an adequate fantasy football contributor. The problem with any Panthers receiver being upgraded from bench depth to a starting role is the consistency of Cam’s arm. Sunday he came back to life again, and likely most of you had him on your bench Sunday.