Fantasy Football

Week Six Sit Ems

Thursday, 11 October, 2012

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It’s Thursday and time to get that lineup submitted. Here are some players to not drag upward and crack in your starting lineup.

Quarterbacks

Matthew Stafford-
The Detroit Lions sharp decline to a mediocre season in 2012 has started with Stafford. The whole team seems off-beat and might stem from the teams lack of discipline off the field and on the field. It’s never easy winning in the NFL but Detroit seemed to come into 2012 expecting to win football games. They’re not going to be handed to them. This weekend’s matchup against Philadelphia will be a true battle tester. Philadelphia has kept every game close but this may be the one they finally break open.

Sam Bradford-
Miami’s defense is wreaking havoc on opposing quarterbacks, from their front line to their secondary they’ve had a balanced defense thus far. It’s allowing for Miami to dictate their offense to a ball control style. Jeff Fisher’s Rams defense has been great at home, but on the road they’re not as good. Bradford is missing his favorite target Danny Amendola and will have a tough time finding someone to fill his shoes.

Russ Wilson
There is going to be that game where the wheels fall off on Russ Wilson’s bandwagon. He has been the epitome of a game manager that has thrived off a potent running game and 12th man crowd. A couple of years ago when things were going bad offensively the 12th man didn’t matter. The Atlanta Falcons and New York Giants blew out the Seahawks in 2010 on their home turf. New England is in too much of a rhythm offensively to be disturbed by the Seahawks home crowd.

Running Backs

Alfred Morris-
It’s amazing what confidence Mike Shanahan can instill in a young back. His system has worked again and again on drafting backs out of nowhere that end up doing well. Whether RG3 returns or not, Minnesota’s defense makes Morris a likely sit this week. They’ve been stout against the run. You should have proper depth on your bench to make a roster upgrade in your starting lineup for the weekend.

Jackie Battle-
The Chargers way of listing Battle as the starter is all a show. It appeared as if Battle was just on the field in the first quarter and disappeared after that in last weeks contest against the Saints. He does not have the shiftiness to be an every down back. Surprisingly Ronnie Brown’s hard work has seemed to payoff, as he looks to be in the best condition he has been in years. Don’t be surprised if Brown starts to steal more snaps away from Battle. Clearly though this team needs to rely on Ryan Matthews more until he fumbles the football again.

Wide Receivers

Larry Fitzgerald-
Buffalo’s defense may be atrocious, but the game plan Sunday should primarily be on doubling up Larry Fitzgerald. The Cardinals offensive line can’t hold up for more than a few seconds, meaning Kevin Kolb will be looking for many hot route throws. Larry does better stretching out his routes to get an advantage over the defender. With the Cardinals breaking in a new running back the offensive line woes should continue for poor Kevin Kolb and Fitzgerald.

Darrius Heyward-Bey
Part of the Raiders old style was drafting speed receivers. Based on their current status as one of the leagues worst at throwing the football downfield, that tendency may change. Bey is a home run threat or nothing, and last year Denarius Moore was much of the same. Palmer is forced to have to check the football down time and time again because his receivers just aren’t able to get open and run proper routes.

Jerome Simpson-
It’s amazing how balanced Minnesota’s fantasy talent on offense is actually doing. Christian Ponder has not had any stellar games, but is making the most of his mediocre stats amongst Percy Harvin, Jerome Simpson, and Kyle Rudolph. I expect this game to not be a display of high action as most would expect with RG3 on the field. Expect a lot of punts and for one of the Vikings studs to take a hit in terms of fantasy points, and that will be Simpson.

Post Week Five Waiver Wire

Tuesday, 9 October, 2012

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If your near .500 or sense your team losing it’s potency, it’s time to re-work that waiver wire. Average teams in the NFL are constantly shifting their lineups by making every little move possible to get that extra edge for Sundays. That’s what it takes in fantasy football. If you’re barely squeezing out wins and keep getting the favorable opponent that has the weekly low score, you better be planning to improve as well.

Those wins will turn into losses rather quickly as the points consistency on your team begins to tank, and the points average takes affect.

Here is a look at post week five’s waiver wire additions.

Quarterbacks

Jay Cutler-
Cutler offers solid value for still being available in nearly thirty percent of leagues. He has the offensive weapons and comfort ability surrounding him. He targets Brandon Marshall an abundance of times per game, and has his safety net in Matt Forte healthy. The Bears offensively look to be getting stronger and rising to the level of the Bears defense to make them a complete team.

Ryan Tannehill-
You can just see Tannehill’s confidence growing by the week. Miami has done a great job at making the game easy for Tannehill. The run play is ran consistently, and is giving Tannehill plenty of time in the pocket for pass plays. Miami could easily be sitting at 4-1 instead of 2-3. Tannehill is a buy low type of fantasy quarterback that can be a difference maker in the latter part of the season.

Colin Kapernick-
Alex Smith’s sprained finger could mean Kapernick seeing increased playing time. When the 49ers unveiled Kapernick in the wildcat it showed another wrinkle available at the 49ers disposal. Two blowout wins have allowed that to happen, and may be apart of the team every week now. If you’re in an unordinary league where you have unique flex options, Kapernick may be intriguing for what he has done with his legs.

Quarterbacks to consider waiving: Russ Wilson, Mark Sanchez, and Kevin Kolb

Running Backs

Alex Green-
An injury to a feature back means someone is going to get a chance. I listed Green as a pickup a few weeks back due to Cedric Benson’s ineffectiveness. Green showed enough flashes on his nine carries to show upside while Benson’s out. We’ve seen what Randall Cobb and James Jones have done with injuries at receiver. Green Bay’s offense is a glutton for fantasy production, which will allow Green to have a fantasy impact.

Rashard Mendenhall-
Kudos to owners that drafted on Mendenhall expecting to be able to use him properly upon his return. Mendenhall looked fantastic for a guy that hasn’t played since tearing his knee in week seventeen. He showed speed and shiftiness to evade tackles and get extra yards. The variables he showcased were just not getting done with Redman and Dwyer. He is available in twenty two percent of Yahoo leagues.

LaRod Stephens-Howling
Arizona thought they had their backfield solidified with Beanie Wells and Ryan Williams. With both out now it’s going to be a platoon of backs each week for Arizona. With their running game as poor as it is, you have to depend on a back that can do something out of the backfield. Stephens-Howling may miss one more week but he has solid hands and will see more action on the field over Alfonso Smith and William Powell. For week six it’ll be interesting to see if Smith or Powell gets the bulk of the carries. Smith is a familiar Cardinal who was just resigned to the team.

Wide Receivers

Michael Floyd-
The Cardinals have been bringing Floyd along slowly, until he gets the understanding of plays down properly. The high draft pick will begin to see more playing time on the field, so the Cardinals can begin developing their investment. Arizona is going to continue to be one of the league leaders at slinging the football each down with their poor running game. Floyd has been non existent thus far but may be one of the best gambles on the wire.

Randall Cobb
Cobb is available in 35 percent of Yahoo leagues. With the unknown on Greg Jennings and his repeat appearance to the injury list, other receivers on Green Bay are going to continue to step up. Aaron Rodgers has not even had a typical Rodgers stretch yet, with below standard stats for his expectations. The offense will blend together sooner or later, and Cobb should remain a part of it. Even if Jennings gets back to full strength the Packers may put a threshold of number of plays he runs to keep him healthy.

Mike Williams
Williams is never going to be a high points per reception receiver, but he gets high value out of his catches. Josh Freeman does not have a tight end he depends on, so he leans on Williams to fulfill that role. Coming off a bye week, Tampa Bay gets to face off against the Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs did a good job on shutting down the Ravens, but this season they’ve been shredded every week through the air otherwise.

Jeremy Kerley
Every team needs a deep threat, and Kerley is going to be that athlete for the Jets. He had a big game against Houston and might be a hidden gem that gets to get more action with the Jets receiver woes. Chaz Schilens does not look like he can recover from multiple years of injuries, and likely will be out of the fold once Stephen Hill returns. Look for Kerley to become more and more involved as a feature receiver for the Jets and Mark Sanchez.

Week Five Wonders

Monday, 8 October, 2012

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Week five was a rather calm one in terms of fantasy football production. The bye weeks likely played a factor in that. Here are the wonders from this weeks games.

Quarterbacks

Andrew Luck-

Luck’s had a terrific game against Green Bay to lead the Colts back in a riveting win. After a sub-par first half the Colts offense launched thanks to Luck’s ability to continually hit Reggie Wayne. Momentum was just on the side of the Colts in the second half. Luck’s upside is obvious, but the rookie will be hurt in certain games due to the Colts lack of a running game.

Alex Smith-
Buffalo kept things close for almost two quarters on the scoreboard. What happened in the second half could be seen coming, as the 49ers were gaining huge chunks of yards on the Bills every way possible. A turnover right before the half by the Bills got things rolling for the 49ers. Smith has shown he can be a fantasy backup quarterback but three touchdowns through the air from him is definitely not going to happen weekly.

Running Backs

Ahmad Bradshaw-
Bradshaw ran with aggression and ease after fumbling early in the ball game. Lanes began opening up for Bradshaw after Eli Manning threw all over the Browns dinged up secondary in the first and second quarters. As they began to play the pass more, Bradshaw’s involvement in the running game spiked. Credit Bradshaw for bouncing back after a tough game a week ago.

Wide Receivers

Josh Gordon-
Gordon is the epitome of a one week wonder. Cleveland had a big play early in the game to Gordon, as he ran past a linebacker with no safety help. Weeden is improving but he has not found a consistent target yet at receiver. Greg Little was held without a catch. Gordon’s two catches for two touchdowns should not be looked at as a waiver wire addition.

Rueben Randle-
Cleveland’s secondary seemingly wanted Randle to be the one that beat them, not Victor Cruz. One plan worked, but Cruz had a field day himself with wide open touchdown catches. Randle saw action because of Nicks and Barden out, and showed he can fulfill spot duty action. He did have a few drops though that would have been highlighted more if the Giants were in a closer game.

Santana Moss
Moss’s glory days appear to be long gone. The change over has occurred in Washington with an infusion of young talent. Moss is a veteran presence right now to mentor and be a team leader. He still has his speed but is never going to be the same big play threat he use to be years ago.

Kendall Wright
Tennessee’s woes with Chris Johnson are well known, and that is causing them to have to be a team they know they can’t be. By having to throw the football more than they want, it’s resulting in more turnovers for Matt Hasselbeck and Jake Locker. Tennessee has solid receivers in Nate Washington, Kenny Britt, and rookie Kendall Wright. For now though Wright is going to have to wait his turn amongst the veterans and tight end Jared Cook. His PPR points of nine Sunday will likely be a season high.

Robert Meachem
Meachem came up big against his former team with two touchdowns. For the rest of the game though he only had one other catch. Just like in New Orleans, Meachem is one of those receivers that’s an all or nothing type for fantasy football. If he isn’t catching touchdowns he brings little value as his catches are not high enough for owners in PPR leagues.

Week Five Automatics

Thursday, 4 October, 2012

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Here is a look at week five’s automatic fantasy football starters.
Quarterbacks

Jay Cutler
Look for Cutler to continue off of his Monday Night performance. Jacksonville ranks near the bottom of the league in rush defense. An early established running game with Matt Forte and Mike Bush will only brighten the horizon for a big game from Cutler. He made the easy throws Monday night, and seems comfortable with Brandon Marshall back in the fold.

Brandon Weeden
The Giants strength has always been with their front four defensively. Their secondary has cost them many a games. Josh Freeman had his best game this season against the Giants, and Brandon Weeden is coming off an impressive gutsy performance against the Ravens. Weeden is a big quarterback that will be able to withstand in the pocket to deliver some solid throws against the Giants.

Andy Dalton
Dalton’s in a zone right now with elite receiver AJ Green. It’s almost automatic to see them connect for over a hundred yards and a touchdown. Green is just that good and he will have an all out breakout year. That means Dalton’s stock is entering tier one level.

Running Backs

Jackie Battle
The split role last week with Ryan Matthews likely won’t continue regardless of what the depth chart says. Matthews though has struggled with injuries and fumbling woes. They’ll give Battle double digit carries this week against New Orleans. In a game that should continue to feature poor defensive play by the Saints, Battle should have solid value for double digit fantasy points.

Ben Tate
This is back to back favorable matchups for the Texans on facing teams poor against the run. Last week Tate disappointed all fantasy owners that threw him in as a flex starter expecting him to rack up garbage yards in the second half. Could he possibly have a let down two weeks in a row?

Kendal Hunter
Things may get real ugly Sunday with Ryan Fitzpatrick gunning the football. The 49ers will be able to stop the tandem of Fred Jackson and CJ Spiller. Fitzpatrick is one of those quarterbacks that doesn’t know how to throw the football away. His turnovers just create short fields and easy scoring opportunities for backup running backs like Hunter.

Wide Receivers

Greg Little
Little has big play capabilities and just needs to hone in on being ready to catch the football. He seems one breakout game away from getting on the fantasy map. With Mohamed Massaquoi likely out another week, Little figures to have an impactful role against the Giants. The parallels of Brandon Weeden settling in as a quarterback and Little rising as more of a sure handed receiver will go hand in hand.

Jerome Simpson-
Tennessee’s defense has been atrocious with the passing game this year. Simpson did decent last week and will be a main threat in the passing attack. With Minnesota you just do not know how many throws they’re going to allot for Christian Ponder. Simpson was one of the league leaders in yards per catch, which makes his fit in Minnesota intriguing. He can turn a fifteen yard hitch into a forty yard gain at any time.

Eric Decker
Decker has not been bad this season, and has been coming along to a higher standard the last few games. Peyton Manning vs Tom Brady is always a prolific match up to behold. With how Manning seems to have settled in since his ugly first quarter against Atlanta, Decker should be a no brainer insert. He is getting near six catches a game, which will likely spike this week.

Domenick Hixon-

The Giants can just input whoever at wide receiver and not look back, from Steve Smith, Mario Manningham, Ramses Barden, and on and on. Hixon gets to move up the charts with the apparent concussion issue with Ramses Barden and ongoing injury woes with Hakeem Nicks. The way the Giants passing attack has been Hixon is a must start for fantasy owners that were able to land him off the waiver wire.

Dwayne Bowe

Through the pitfalls of having Matt Cassel at quarterback Dwayne Bowe has still been an asset for fantasy football owners. Most of his damage occurs in the fourth quarter, but results are results. Jonathan Baldwin may not even play with a concussion injury, which would mean Steve Breaston and dinged up flex receiver/running back Dexter McCluster would have to step up. I don’t expect that to happen, which means Bowe should have another solid week.

Week Five Sit Ems

Wednesday, 3 October, 2012

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Get those lineups submitted as Thursday is upon us. The NFL Network definitely did not think they would have an undefeated team in their matchup of the Cardinals and Rams. It’s a quality showcase though that will give viewers a good look at how Jeff Fisher’s handling the Rams, and the nation a great view of how stout the Cardinals defense is.

Here are week five’s sit ems for fantasy football.

Quarterbacks

Andrew Luck

It has to be frustrating for Luck to see the success RG3 is having thus far. It’s going to take awhile for the Colts offense to muster the same potency that the Redskins have. An area the Colts will need to upgrade in the offseason is at running back. Donald Brown has shown zilch in the backfield, and it’s only forced the Colts to have to increase Luck’s pass attempts. Green Bay feasts off young quarterbacks, and will likely get at least three interceptions off of Luck.

Ben Roethlisberger

Big Ben is a quarterback that often teases fantasy owners. He is a steady mid two hundred yards a game thrower, which is not the type of stats to make him a viable fantasy quarterback number one. With how poor Pittsburgh’s defense has been, the Steelers will resort back to a slower pace ball control offense vs the Eagles. Ben may get a few big plays to either Antonio Brown or Mike Wallace, but overall he will not surpass 250 yards against the Eagles.

Cam Newton

Newton is not a must sit, but this is one of the weeks that if you drafted appropriately you should have a suitable backup fantasy quarterback. For those owners I would suggest inputting your backup, if you drafted a Flacco, Manning, Dalton, etc. They have better matchups than Newton this week. If you’re stuck with Newton it could still payoff. Statistically speaking though, Seattle has been the type of defense that clamps on quarterbacks that can rush the football. Newton’s a different specimen but if it were not for Newton’s 80 yards rushing last week, his fantasy numbers would have been average. He just hasn’t got off to the same rocking start as a year ago in the passing game.

Running Backs

Ahmad Bradshaw

Cleveland showcased against the Ravens that their front seven is legitimate at stopping the run. Bradshaw is feeling the heat right now with how well Andre Brown performed while he was hurt. His carries will not be as high, and the Giants seem fine at letting Eli chuck the football forty plus times a game. A bad matchup, and the Giants passing threat will always be unfavorable to Bradshaw.

MJD

After surprising with quality starts the first three weeks of the season, MJD came back to reality against the Bengals. Chicago has shut down the rushing attack of every team they have faced. Steven Jackson, Donald Brown, DeMarco Murray, and Cedric Benson have all seen their offensive coordinators abandon the running game by halftime. MJD is still highly valuable in PPR leagues, but if you’re not in one it may be wise to sit MJD, especially since Jacksonville has not been a reliable team to score points.

Stevan Ridley

Ridley’s numbers thus far rank him as a top fifteen fantasy back. He is one that will continue to put up solid games but consistency from the Patriots play calling may taper off. They typically do not run the football often, and last week’s forty total attempts will be a season high. With Bolden and Woodhead involved it’s going to impact games for Ridley against teams like Denver where the Patriots may only rush the ball twenty five times.

Wide Receivers

Marques Colston

Colston came back to fantasy life last week in a big way. His spotty play has made him more of a number three fantasy receiver nowadays. His healthy is reported now at one hundred percent for the first time in awhile. I’ll need to see a string of quality games from Colston before bumping him up in rankings. San Diego has the secondary to corral him this week.

Davone Bess

The role many expected Bess to have after Chad Johnson was cut has been fulfilled by Brian Hartline. Hartline is Ryan Tannehill’s favorite target and that does not look like it will change. Expect Miami to tone their passing game back down, and get back to relying on the running game. The Cardinals were the first team this season to shut down the rushing attack, and force the Dolphins to air it out. Miami wants to bring Tannehill along properly, to do that they’ll limit Tannehill’s throws to twenty five and under most games.

Anquan Boldin-
Dennis Pitta put up a whopping zero catches against the Browns Thursday night. The reason for that was because Boldin was playing that role over the middle an intermediate routes. Kansas City’s secondary loves to give up big plays through the running game and air. This week should be Ray Rice’s first fantastic game of the season. Big plays will still come through the air but Boldin is not going to be a large percentage of that.

Week Five Top Fifty Wide Receivers

Tuesday, 2 October, 2012

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Bye Weeks: Detroit, Dallas, Tampa Bay, and Oakland

Who will be the big play wide receivers in week five? Atlanta has shown to have the best duo at wide receiver. A big reason for that is because of Hakeem Nicks injury woes. Denver though is quietly having a tandem of their own succeed in Eric Decker and DeMaryius Thomas.

Will Greg Jennings get back on the field soon enough to get the Packers passing attack back in the top ranks? That remains to be seen but here are week five’s wide receiver rankings based on matchups.

1. Roddy White
2. AJ Green
3. Larry Fitzgerald
4. Andre Johnson
5. DeMaryius Thomas
6. Brandon Marshall
7. Jordy Nelson
8. DeSean Jackson
9. Torrey Smith
10. Victor Cruz
11. Wes Welker
12. Julio Jones
13. Mike Wallace
14. Eric Decker
15. Michael Crabtree
16. Anquan Boldin
17. Dwayne Bowe
18. Steve Smith
19. Reggie Wayne
20. Antonio Brown
21. Brandon Lloyd
22. Pierre Garcon
23. Marques Colston
24. Brian Hartline
25. Percy Harvin
26. Justin Blackmon
27. Sidney Rice
28. Danny Amendola
29. Malcolm Floyd
30. Ramses Barden
31. James Jones
32. Jeremy Maclin
33. Lance Moore
34. Alshon Jeffrey
35. Leonard Hankerson
36. Davone Bess
37. Kevin Walter
38. Andre Roberts
39. Nate Washington
40. Brandon Lafell
41. Andrew Hawkins
42. Greg Little
43. Donnie Avery
44. Jerome Simpson
45. Randy Moss
46. Chaz Schilens
47. Robert Meachem
48. Donald Jones
49. Jon Baldwin
50. Kendall Wright